Hey oboe! How bout Laven's first Itsy Bitsy?

[Guppy35]

Might be kind of fun to do this one to go with the L model.  He got his first kills with the 54th FS in the Aleutians.  This is probably a late E or early F modified to handle drop tanks etc, but the 54th also had G models, one being recovered a few years back and restored, now on display at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska.

I have the 54th FS history on microfilm so I could more then likely nail down the serial number if it interests you.

Bottom image is the squadron logo that appeared on the radiators on the tail booms.

Scary part is if you look at the hanger shot from the front right, it looks like the hand with the finger might be there which blows my original theory right out of the water doesn't it?

Dan

[oboe]

I really like a couple of things about this - one is the color scheme - big yellow numbers on the nose, and the yellow nose tip.    You've got great pics of the planes for reference, (1 color! - I note how the green doesn't look too brown to me).   Also that color pic shows the gun muzzle stains pattern - i see now that Itsy Bitsy II's nose tip should be all aluminum, with muzzle stains in the top part darkening it.   From the painting I work off of, it just looked like the top half of the nose tip was painted black.  NOTE: I don't see that squad art symbol on the radiator housing - the housing looks bare to me...

Might be nice to have a 38 from that theater, too.

Good eye, I never would've spotted that hand on the nacelle!  I don't think it blows your theory though - seeing the pic you posted of Col Wray giving the palm-outward rigid digit salute sorta clinched it for me - its gotta be that.

Not sure how keen I feel about creating another skin that needs editing from its true appearance, though.   And not sure how HTC feels about 2 skins for the same individual, on the same basic fighter type.   Has that been done before?

There is something special about this skin though - is this the plane that got the first kill for a P-38 pilot who went on to become an ace in type?  Something like that?   I'm sure its historically notable for some reason similar to that...

[Guppy35]

Those 54th guys were really pioneers with the 38s.  They were flying long range up to 11 hour flights with drop tanks, and you don't see any grumbling about the 38, being cold etc in their official history.  Considering the cold and absolutely horrible weather conditions in the Aleutians it seems to contradict all the 8th AF complaints, and those 54th guys were doing it with the E model and later F's and Gs.

I've been a fan of them for a long time too.

Dan