RARE Matchbox Diecast - WW II P-38 "Scat II" Robin Olds Start Price USD 495.00 Current Price USD 495.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, October 23, 2008 End Time Saturday, November 22, 2008 Location Jacksonville, Florida See more about 'RARE Matchbox Diecast - WW II P-38 "Scat II" Robin Olds' Description  WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS AND COUNTRY   Diecast 1:72 Scale Model of the World War II Lockheed P-38 Lightning "Scat II" flown by National Aviation Hall of Famer Major Robin Olds  This is one of six Matchbox Hall of Fame Models from 2002. They are no longer in production and Very hard to find. This model is 1:72 scale with an 8-1/2 in wingspan. It is painted in the authentic flat olive green with D-Day stripes and has the nose art SCAT II. The props are black with yellow tips and the Serial number 328341 appears on both outside tail sections with a large white W on the inside tail sections. There are five 5 in. High-Velocity Aerial Rockets (HVARS) mounted under each wing and two external fuel tanks as well. In the nose are mounted four .50-cal. machine guns and one 20.mm cannon. The landing gear is in the up position and the props spin freely. There is even smoke stains behind the gun ports. The really unique feature of these Matchbox models is the pilot figure inside the cockpit. This feature alone sets these models above the rest. The figure is painted in detail with the brown flying cap and jacket. He is wearing a yellow Mae West and has flight goggles on. The face is flesh colored. On some of the models you can even see gauges on the instrument panel. The amount of detail is incredible. THE PILOT Robin Olds graduated from the U.S. Military Academy on 1 June 1943. Joining the 479th Fighter Group, he sailed to England in May 1944. By summer, he was a captain in the 434th Fighter Squadron, flying a P-38J named "Scat". He became an ace in his first two combat missions, claiming two FW-190s on 14 August and three Me-109s on the 25th. The 479th re-equipped with P-51s in September and Olds first scored in the Mustang on 6 October. Promoted to major on 9 February 1945, he claimed his seventh victory southeast of Magdeburg, Germany that very day. A large dogfight southwest of Berlin on 14 February resulted in three confirmed victories, two '109s and a '190. Over Handorf Airdrome near Munster on 19 March, Olds ran his score to an even dozen. Then, near Bremen on 7 April, he bagged a '109 and scored hits on an Me-262 jet. At the end of his tour he was commander of the 434th FS, 479th FG, 8th Air Force. TALLY RECORD: 17 Confirmed (13 in WWII and 4 in Vietnam) and one Damaged DECORATIONS: Air Force Cross, Silver Star with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross with 4 OLCs, Air Medal with 39 OLCs, British Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Croix de Guerre. Robin Olds passed away in June 2007 THE PLANE Originally designed as a high-altitude interceptor, the P-38 proved very versatile and went on to become one of the most famous aircraft of all time. The P-38 entered US service in 1941 and served in every theater of the war. 2nd Lt. Elza Shahan, flying a P-38F, recorded the first American victory in the European theater of operations when he and a P-40 pilot downed a Focke-Wulf FW-200 near Iceland on August 14, 1942. The P-38 saw extensive service in North Africa, where the Germans called the aircraft the "Fork-Tailed Devil." On April 18, 1943, P-38 pilots from the 339th Fighter Squadron, using external tanks, flew from Guadalcanal to Bougainville and shot down Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto. The top two American aces of all time, Maj. Richard I. Bong (40 Confirmed victories) and Maj. Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. (38), both flew P-38s in the southwest Pacific. P-38s also were used for photoreconnaissance, bomber and night fighter. The last P-38 was delivered in September 1945, and the type was phased out of service in 1949. Technical Specifications: Type: Single-seat fighter Power plant: Two x Allison V-1710-111/113, V12 piston engines Max speed: 414 mph at 25,000ft Ceiling: 44,000ft Range: 450 miles Span: 52ft 0in Length: 37ft 10in Armament: Four 12.7mm machine guns and one 20mm cannon plus up to 3200lbs of bombs Photo is of model from my private collection. Model for sale is still in original factory sealed box. Be Sure to visit our eBay Store for hundreds of great values    Visit Our eBay Store: Airplanes and more   COMBINE PURCHASES AND SAVE ON SHIPPINGSEE DETAILS BELOW Items for sale are new and have not been removed from their original packaging.  COMBINE PURCHASES AND SAVE ON SHIPPING Within the USA, FREE SHIPPING on this item  For shipping outside the USA, including Alaska and Hawaii, buyer will pay actual shipping costs. Please e-mail with request and location and we will respond with required cost. All payments must be made in US dollars and if paying through Paypal, currency conversion will apply. Visit Our eBay Store: Airplanes and more Place a Bid!