Lockheed P-78 Swallow "Frisky Fraulein"

[Atlantis]

It is late 1945 and preparations are underway for Operation Downfall. Assisting in the invasion of the Japanese mainland will be several copies of captured Nazi tech, the Ford-built JB-2 loon based on the V-1; the General Electric Hermes IRBM, based on the V-2; and the Lockheed P-78 Swallow, based on the Messersmitt Me-262. The P-78 was used as way to both supplant the US inventory of Lockheed P-80's and Ryan Fireballs However US intelligence had discovered that Japanese also had an Me-262 derivative of their own. o counter this, the aircraft were painted with black and white strips reminiscent of those used in Operation Overlord.

Anyway, enough talk now for the model. It's basically the Lindbergh kit painted in USAAF colors . The Lindbergh kits are fairly cheap and great "what iffing" fodder.




Escorting a B-29


Sorry about the bad photographs, I'll get my tripod next time.

[pyro-manic]

Looks good to me! Simple and effective.

[sotoolslinger]

Cool  

[GTX]

Cool  

What he said!


BTW, welcome aboard.

Regards,

Greg

[Ed S]

I like this one.  It really looks good flying along side the B-29.

Ed

[sequoiaranger]

When I saw that first photo of the "American Me-262" it just reeled me back.

Back to 1984, when my son reached his third birthday. I was still into modeling then (after a 15+ year hiatus, I am back), and felt my son Andy SHOULD have a jet plane to play with. I needed one stronger than the 1/72 scale aircraft I am used to building (and do almost exclusively), so I remembered that Lindberg made a 1/48 Me-262 that was TOUGH and sturdy. I built it for him, painted it natural metal, and put US markings on it (so I didn't "put off" other family members that might object to the historically accurate but nasty connotations of Nazism) and gave it to him. He really liked it. My ex has the better picture of him actually holding it and smiling ;-( , but this one will have to do!

If I still had it, we could have made them wingmen!

(Shee-------it! Was that REALLY 24 years ago???)

[Taiidantomcat]

Well done, Atlantis love the invasion stripes that instantly set it apart from the many captured test machines 

[noxioux]

Very nice.  It has a certain elegance that the various jet-powered Mustangs (such as my own) are lacking.