We have some exclusive images of the new 1:18 Southern Speed & Marine P-38 Belly Tanker from ACME Trading Co. The model features some impressive details to the suspension components, exterior and interior. Bombs away! Retail is suggested @ $149.95US.
About the Belly Tanker… “The Southern Speed P-38 Tanker pays homage to the plane whose drop tanks would one day be converted into land speed racers at the Bonneville Salt Flats, the infamous P-38 Lightning! The P-38 Lightning was one of the most feared fighters of WWII. It had twin 1000hp Allison turbo-supercharged engines. This allowed the P-38 to reach a top speed of over 400mph, which was 100mph faster than any other fighter of the time. How ironic that it would one day play such a pivotal part in racing history with its drop tanks being used to set numerous land speed records!”
Product# A1803002
Wow! This is the third (Precision Miniatures—>Replicarz—>ACME) company to acquire the tooling for the Belly Tank Lakester. I have the original red and white one, but this one looks pretty cool! If ACME now has all PM tooling (including projects never brought to fruition), it will be great to see them produce the “horribly garish” 1958 Oldsmobile in a nice shade of purple.
I guess if they are not the same people, they share the tooling around, which is cool for us.
speaking of Replicarz, there are few Scarabs and a Cheetah coming soon! Even tho they’re resin, Replicarz still makes access to the engine. I cannot wait for them.
Looking forward to seeing those models. :)
Oh yes definitely adding this to the collection, will look great next to the other two Southern Speed & Marine models
The P-38 at 400mph was not faster by 100mph than any other fighter in WWII, far from it. To begin with there were no modern fighters slower than 350mph when the war began. By the time it ended, the the Germans were using multiple jet or rocket powered aircraft like the ME262 that exceeded 500mph as did the British jet, the Gloucester Meteor and the American P-80.
I understand that Lockheed Martin’s website makes this claim with regard to the P-38’s speed when it was introduced in 1940 but it’s wrong. The primary American fighter at that point was the P-40 (360mph). The 1940 speeds for the Spitfire, Hurricane and Me-109, the principle opponents during the Battle of Britain were all well above 300mph.