Not an especially weighty book, but one that covers things nicely is the Squadron/Signal guide “P38 Lightning in Action”. Design and development, technical details, variants, operational history etc. There seem to have been a number of editions published overt he years, I’ve got this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Squadron-Signal-Publications-109-P-38-Lightning-in-Action-1990-First-Edition-/232263871643

There’s also the Jeff Ethell history, worth a read as much for the Rikyu Watanabe artwork as for the text:

https://www.amazon.com/P-38-Lightning-Jeffrey-Ethell/dp/0517552477

Wonderful model, congratulations!

I visited the museum a few days ago and I have to say I’m massively impressed! I visited as part of a family group, including sceptical mother-in-law, and everyone enjoyed themselves, Concorde being the highlight of course. It’s hard to believe the museum has only just opened, it has a very established and professional feel to it already. The staff and volunteers were extremely friendly and well briefed, and the layout and variety of exhibits are great too. Added to that, the buildings themselves are very impressive – both the old and the new. A strange highlight for me was having a coffee in the top-notch modern cafe while gazing up at the roof trusses, it really is a great achievement to have slotted something so new into something historic without spoiling anything. It brought home just how well thought-out the whole project has been.

We’ve all been to museums that feel a bit rough around the edges (such places have a charm of their own and I’m not trying to knock anyone’s efforts), but Aerospace Bristol (AB) is at the opposite end of the scale. All in all it felt like an established national museum rather than something kicked off not too long ago by volunteers. Masses of credit has to go to those who’ve been planning and working towards AB over the years, it seems to have hit the ground running.

Thanks for the explanation on the Hurri markings PeteP, and for the links. As I said above, the amount of work that’s gone into the museum in the last couple of decades is staggering and it doesn’t go unappreciated.

As for Suez stripes, as already mentioned there is at least one potentially airworthy SeaVenom in the US painted in Suez colours, and an airworthy T.55 Vampire has also recently appeared on the North American show circuit dressed up as a Suez-striped Venom. The SeaHawk at Malta Aviation Museum is also kept in Suez colours.

Excuse me if I’ve missed something in the above posts, but all the talk seems to be about the drag characteristics of the wing rather than it’s lift properties. Perhaps I’ve been mislead, but I was always given to understand that the thick wing was an intentional choice as it gave plenty of lift at high angles of attack, thus allowing the very tight turning radius that the Hurri is famous for. The argument goes that with British fighter design just coming out the the bi-plane era, it was fine to have a wing that perhaps wasn’t the slickest if it in turn gave something like bi-plane manoeuvrability, a “best of both worlds” scenario.

It looks like SD-A but with the picture reversed, this would make it a 501 Sqn aircraft.

There is a forward fuselage of a Mk.II at RAF Museum Hendon, it’s largely intact although it has various clear panels cut into the skin.