[gibbage]

By the way is the P-38 R completely fictional or a proposed variant?

The P-38 was tested with Merlin engines but there never was a "P-38R." It's fiction...

No P-38 EVER flew with Merlin's. Lockheed wanted to test with Merlins (P-38K) but were denied by the war dept. They were giving ALL Merlins to the P-51. The P-38K did get a more powerful Allison engine, with a paddle prop that gave is 432MPH top speed and an INSANE rate of climb of 4800FPM.

"Tests of the P-38K were carried out between Feb 24 and Apr 30, 1943. The performance of the P-38K was quite a bit better than that of the production P-38J--in fact its performance was superior to all other fighters then in production in the USA, including the P-51B and the P-47D. Maximum speed at 29,600 feet was 432 mph. At 40,000 feet, maximum speed was 40 mph faster than that of the P-38J. It was expected that maximum speed at war emergency power could be as high as 450 mph. Initial climb rate was 4800 feet per minute, and an altitude of 20,000 could be reached in 5 minutes. Service ceiling was expected to be above 48,000 feet, and range was expected to be increased by 10 to 15 percent. However, the War Production Board was unwilling to allow even a short production suspension in order to retool for the required changes to the engine cowling. Consequently, the P-38K was not developed any further. "

The P-38K would of been a GREAT fighter if they were allowed to produce it. To have it in IL2, I would only need to model the props a little. Maybe I will do that along with the early F models.