Armour/Franklin Mint Lockheed P-38 Lightning "Pudgy V" 1:48 Scale VERY RARE For Sale

PLEASE READ ENTIRE DESCRIPTION
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single seat, twin piston engine fighter aircraft used during World War Two. It incorporated a distinctive twin boom, twin tail design with a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. The Lightning had its first flight on 27 January 1939. It was introduced into service in July of 1941. There were just over 10,000 manufactured between 1941-1945. The P-38's final retirement with the United States Air Force was in 1949. It continued to fly until 1965 with the Honduran Air Force. There are still a few restored airworthy models today and are some of the favorites at airshows around the world.

Pudgy V was the fifth and final P-38 Lightning flown by Thomas B. McGuire Jr., the second-highest-scoring American fighter ace of World War II. The aircraft became one of the most recognizable P-38s of the Pacific air war because it was flown during the last days of McGuire's combat career and carried the markings of his 38 aerial victories. McGuire named each of his principal aircraft "Pudgy" after his wife, Marilynn, whose nickname was "Pudgy." Whenever he received a replacement aircraft, he simply added the next Roman numeral:

• Pudgy I
• Pudgy II
• Pudgy III
• Pudgy IV
• Pudgy V

This tradition made the name almost as famous as the pilot himself. The original Pudgy V was:

• Model: P-38L-1-LO Lightning
• USAAF Serial Number: 44-24155
• Squadron: 431st Fighter Squadron
• Group: 475th Fighter Group
• Theater: Southwest Pacific
• Assigned: January 1945

The aircraft wore a natural aluminum finish with an olive drab anti-glare panel. On the left side beneath the cockpit was McGuire's victory scoreboard showing 38 Japanese flags, representing his confirmed aerial victories. By the time McGuire received Pudgy V, he had already become one of America's leading aces. His closest rival and friend, Richard Bong, finished the war with 40 victories, making McGuire second among American aces. An interesting historical detail is that McGuire was not flying Pudgy V when he was killed.On January 7, 1945, he led a fighter sweep over Los Negros Island. During a low-altitude attempt to protect another pilot, he stalled while maneuvering without sufficient airspeed and crashed. He was flying another P-38 named "Eileen Ann," not Pudgy V. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

The original aircraft did not survive the war. Like thousands of other wartime aircraft, it was eventually lost or scrapped in the postwar period. Today, two notable surviving P-38s are associated with the Pudgy name:

• A flying P-38 restored by the Collings Foundation has been painted as Pudgy V to honor McGuire. The aircraft itself is not the original 44-24155; it is another surviving P-38 restored in McGuire's markings.
• A static display aircraft at the former McGuire Air Force Base is also painted as Pudgy V. It is likewise a postwar aircraft displayed as a tribute rather than the wartime original.

Pudgy V remains one of the most iconic individual P-38 Lightnings because it represents both the remarkable combat record of Thomas McGuire and the broader legacy of the P-38 Lightning in the Pacific theater.

This 1:48 scale diecast reproduction of Major Thomas B. McGuire Jr's P-38 is a highly detailed and rare model. It includes:

• Detailed engines
• Rotating propellers
• Historically accurate markings
• Detailed machine guns
• Detailed personal markings
• Detailed cockpit
• Detailed pilot figure
• Detailed landing gear
• Under wing fuel tanks

The box has minor damage and wear from long term storage. The model is 1:48th scale andapproximately 9.50" long with a 13.00" wingspan. All sales are final. Shipping to the USA only.
NOTE: This model does not come with a pilot figure. I had a spare WWll pilot figure I am including with this model (see photographs). Although the canopy is not a functional one, it would be easy to incorporate the addition of a pilot figure if desired.
NOTE: Although the model is new and never been displayed, it does have a few very minor factory paint imperfections (see photographs).
NOTE: The ground equipment and personnel in the photographs are for show only and NOT included in the sale.
NOTE: This is a highly detailed and very rare reproduction of the P-38 Lightning for the second highest American scoring aces of World War Two. It will be a welcome addition to any P-38 Lightning collector, any World War Two aircraft collector, or any aviation enthusiast's collection.
NOTE: The second to the last photograph in the series is of the actual P-38 "Pudgy" during WW2. The last photograph is of a beautifully restored airworthy reproduction of the P-38 "Pudgy".