In 2019, the initial release of Tamiya’s exquisite 1:48 scale P-38 Lightning represented a P-38F/G (and you can read our review HERE).  That was followed in 2020 by a limited edition P-38H.  The kit cockpit is excellent for injection molding, but one can always add more detail.  If the scale modeler is so inclined, Eduard offers a superdetailed P-38H cockpit in their Brassin product line (# 648595; MSRP: $39.95) as a complete replacement for the kit cockpit.

This cockpit set for the 1:48 scale Tamiya P-38H contains 23 cast resin parts, seven pre-painted photoetched metal parts on one fret, another 22 photoetched metal parts on one unpainted fret, and one small decal sheet.  The cast resin details span from the instrument panel to the cockpit floor, sidewalls, pilot seat, rudder pedals, radios, control column and yoke, seat frame, and more.  The photoetched metal details include a pre-painted STEEL seatbelt, canopy details, wiring for the radio stack behind the pilot, and various cockpit controls including the throttles.  The decal sheet provides the instrument dial faces and various placards and other small markings found throughout the cockpit.  

Aside from removing the casting blocks, only a few small pieces of the interior fuselage need to be removed to make this set fit into the kit.  Detail is exquisite and rich.  Surely, a little experience working with aftermarket detail sets will help the builder get the most out of this set, but at the same time, it is also a rather straightforward task to integrate the parts into the Tamiya 1:48 scale P-38H.  At the end of the day, this really is the most detailed P-38H cockpit you can find in any scale.  Detail-oriented builders will not want to pass this one up. 

We extend our sincere thanks to Eduard for the review sample.  You can visit them on the web at http://www.eduard.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EduardCompany/

Haagen Klaus
Scale Modeling News & Reviews Editor
Detail & Scale