Shipbucket

gordo8000 wrote:

nighthunter wrote:Hey Gordo, did you know the ROKAF Almost bought P-38Js but the USAAF convinced them not to.

I did not know that, but an interesting fact non-the-less. I can't see why they let them talk them out of it, the P-38 was an excellent fighter-bomber. Wonder why they didn't want the ROKAF to buy them, there were tons of them laying around as WWII surplus. I should do a couple in ROKAF colors.
EDIT: Where did you hear about this?

I don't recall where, but the ROKAF was planning on buying 300 USAAF surplus P-38Js, but the USAAF convinced them to buy surplus AT-6 Texans and P-51Ds. It is sad that hardly any P-38s survived the scrapyard. If I had lived then and had the money, I would have bought every P-38 I could get my hands on and stored
them in a hangar, cleaned them out (fluids mostly) and kept parts lubricated for the future. On another note, the USAAF turned down a successful varient of the P-38 because it would have halted production for a few weeks, it was the P-38M, the fastest climbing and most manouverable fighter. It could have saved a lot of aviators lives.

The M version ? P-38M was a night fighter mod.

Caddaric79, great job on that RA-3D! That's a really cool camo scheme. Was that pattern ever actually used?

Excellant RA-3D!

nighthunter wrote:

gordo8000 wrote:

nighthunter wrote:Hey Gordo, did you know the ROKAF Almost bought P-38Js but the USAAF convinced them not to.

I did not know that, but an interesting fact non-the-less. I can't see why they let them talk them out of it, the P-38 was an excellent fighter-bomber. Wonder why they didn't want the ROKAF to buy them, there were tons of them laying around as WWII surplus. I should do a couple in ROKAF colors.
EDIT: Where did you hear about this?

I don't recall where, but the ROKAF was planning on buying 300 USAAF surplus P-38Js, but the USAAF convinced them to buy surplus AT-6 Texans and P-51Ds. It is sad that hardly any P-38s survived the scrapyard. If I had lived then and had the money, I would have bought every P-38 I could get my hands on and stored
them in a hangar, cleaned them out (fluids mostly) and kept parts lubricated for the future. On another note, the USAAF turned down a successful varient of the P-38 because it would have halted production for a few weeks, it was the P-38M, the fastest climbing and most manouverable fighter. It could have saved a lot of aviators lives.

I completely agree with that statement. The P-51D was a good fighter, but a bad ground attack platform. Allison engines did not like ground fire (not that any engines do). The P-38 would have been great mixed with the 51D's. Both aircraft have really long legs and you could have the 51's flying top cover while the 38's chewed over the ground targets.

Rhade wrote:The M version ? P-38M was a night fighter mod.

Nighthunter is referring to the P-38K.

RA-3B,
I saw this camo only in Vietnam period, but I don't know.

Yes, I meant the P-38K.

On another note locking the thread and starting a new one.