The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in production throughout American involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to VJ Day. With its unusual twin-boom design, this was one of the most distinctive fighters of WW2 and saw action in all theatres of the war, being especially effective in the Pacific area. This book describes the development of the early versions of this iconic warplane, with full technical details and many detail photographs. Profusely illustrated with original photographs, including a comprehensive walk-around section showing all aspects of the airframe and diagrams from official manuals, it also includes 1/72nd scale plans and colour profiles showing many of the colourful schemes applied to the P-38 by its users.