Manufacturer: Lockheed

Model: unknown

Name: Thunder

Type: Fighter-Torpedo

Date:

Status: Operational

Country: United States

Service: U.S. Navy

Designation: FTO-1

Synopsis:
Elaboration:

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an endless source of inspiration for all "what-if" modelers and imagers worldwide... Introducing the Lockheed Thunder, designated as the FTO-1 by the U. S. Navy...

This fake advertisement was based on the superb photo of a restored, flightworthy P-38 taken by Scott Germain (see below right).


Viewers' comments:
  • Great all around! "Thunder" really is a great name for it! (Pixel-pencil)
  • Torpedo is a nice touch. (MercenaryGraphics)
  • Of course the successor to the "Lightning" would be named "Thunder". XD That wing must be big if it can mount a torpedo--every other torp plane I've seen mounted it on the plane's fuselage. (SomeRandomMinion)
  • What a brilliant advert! Highly believable! Bow (Sticky Fingers)
  • Great concept. Always pictured torpedo bombers in the TBM style. A lot of space for external storage with the wing spacer. (DonDeCerveza)
  • Stargazer,This is a Superb Aircraft Thumbs Up Thumbs Up Thumbs Up i Could just Picture a Japanese Commander Reporting this and Being Asked how Much Sake he had before they Learned it was Real Grin Great work  (Cobra)
  • Wonderful Stéphane! Wub Thumbs Up  Great! Thanks for still enriching the family... :-* (Tophe)
  • This is lovely... and seriously sick! I wonder where the landing gear goes, but the overall idea (and execution!) of this Lightning (sort of?) is just superb. Love it! Maybe build it...  Thumbs Up (Dizzyfugu)
  • Would be quite the concept to have zeroes going after these types and after the drop, instead of racing for home, the FTO's turn on them, ready for the real contest. Tail dragger or nosewheel? Must be tail'. A pretty design. (Rekalnus)
  • Lockheed Thunder is too cool  8) (finsrin)
  • This would would actually be an incredibly useful plane. The big weakness of torpedo-bombers, after all, was their lack of defensive armament. A torpedo bomber that could do double-duty as a fighter makes perfect sense. (ElSqiubbonator)
  • Pas mal, ce "What if"... :thumbsup: (Danyboz)
  • Magic stuff Stephane!  Thumbs Up That's the MOTHER of all torpedoes you have slung under there, but I hope the crew have asbestos flying boots as the pipework for the turbo-chargers runs right under their feet!  Grin But that's an immensely modelable idea, and I may just do that some time in the next decade.  Grin cheesy (PR19_Kit)
  • Love the Thunder Stéphane ... and that is one serious, kick-ass torpedo!  :) (apophenia)
  • Did they plan to sink an entire Pacific atoll  with that thing?? It's magic!!  Well done. (Rheged)
  • What size would that torp be? (GTX_Admin)

My comments:

Way too big, probably, but I have little knowledge in ordnance and so I reused a photo I found on the web without much consideration for the torpedo's size...  :icon_crap: Plus it's probably a submarine-launched torpedo, not an airborne one...  :-[ :-X :-\ Also, I'm not sure that the positioning of the guns is realistic, with the cockpit placed aft, between them and the ammo!

Anyway, I will definitely rework the picture some time in the future, if only to downsize the torpedo. Thanks for the comments, folks!