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This is my all time favourite aircraft, from the days of the P.1B and the Dumpy Book of Aircraft, circa 1959. It was by shear accident that I found out about Frank Brown's Lightning some 5-6 years ago. I decided to put it away until I felt up to the task. Having survived the trials and tribulations of the F/A-18A build, I think I may now be up for it! This is the only game in town for 1:32, and even if Trumpeter eventually produce a kit, what chance have they got in getting the double camber of the wing correct!

This is the first vac form kit I have done. Whilst the material is thicker than the normal, it brings a different dimension to my modelling. Instead of removing the wings from sprues and within a few minutes you are ready to go, this took me a few hours to get one complete wing free from the sheet and shaped for gluing. But that's a long way off.

The accuracy of the kit is excellent, but the downside is the lack of detail e.g. cockpit, wheel wells etc. To aid the detailing I am using the Flightpath PE set and this in itself looks quite challenging. There will still be significant scratch building to try and achieve a detailed model.

After 3 weeks this is all I have to show, but the rebuild of the MG bays is coming along. I thought I was slow with the Hornet.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/2a.jpg

There will be few that are likely to build this kit, so I am thinking is there any point in posting the level of detail I did with the Hornet. Your thoughts?

BFN

John

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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John you do amazing work. I love the level of detail that comes out of your attention to every detail. Even though I probably won't build a Lightning I can learn a lot from how you tackle a vac form kit. I will be doing some vacs in the future, as I love big (1/72) KC-135s, etc and I want to build some new vac kits on the Australian Wedgetail which I think is a 737. Plus I received my 1/72 C-17 from Anigrand, all though it is resin. Anyway what I was trying to say is you have a lot to teach and I am an eager student.

Dan

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John, My eyes nearly popped out when I read the title of this topic :D

Like you, I share a fascination with this historic jet and since I generally only build 1/32nd scale it will be some time before I ever get one. I'm not brave enough (read:too lazy!) to attempt a vac-form kit so I'll have to wait for an injection manufacturer to do this aircraft justice before I take the plunge.

I sincerely hope that you go into as much detail as is humanly possible as it is a pleasure to see this sort of build whether one intends to actually build the kit or not.

I fully understand if you choose not to though. -_-

I know full well that it takes alot of time and effort to take pics, photo-edit them, load them onto a server and then write the prose to explain what you've been up to. It can seem a thankless task if you do all of that and no-one replies or adds a comment or two. I imagine that the build of a 1950s British jet won't elicit the same interest as a modern American or Russian offering so you'll be fighting an uphill battle on that one.

However, I for one hope that you'll put those thoughts to one side and show us all what's involved in crafting a thing of beauty from the rawest of beginnings.

Go get 'em Tiger!! ^_^

:)

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I have three of the Echelon Lightnings and will certainly be taking notes! I have also been building a reference library for these mythical beasts before I start work.

My Wife has given me permission to go to South Africa to fly in one of Mike Beachyheads Lightnings.

I cannot wait!

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Thank you all for taking the time to drop-in and express your interest and encouragement. I am in unknown territory so it’s going to be a learning curve for me and hopefully not a disappointment for you. Updates will probably not be that often, as I am going to have to think a lot more than I am used to!

Hi Crobinsonh. Your wife may have given you permission to go and fly in one of the SA Lightnings, but has she given you the money :thumbsup: Say hello to 693 for me, spent many hours polishing this beast when it was at Exeter.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/A.jpg

No, not going for natural metal – have enough things to deal with already.

So after a few weeks of cutting, sanding and trying to formulate a plan of attack, I needed to get a fix by gluing something. GD, on your head so be it. So here goes.

– WINGS

[A] Saw tooth

The kit instructions didn’t seem the best way to me, so this is my method.

#1 Channel filed for skin thickness at front and for 0.25mm sides.

#2 0.5mm card oversized template for cutting 4No 0.25mm card pieces to form saw tooth walls. Glued to top surface only (wing halves taped together) with sellotape preventing gluing of upper to lower.

#3 0.25mm card walls and 0.5mm card ‘roof’ filed to skin thickness at front.

#4 Oval shaped guide from 0.5mm card

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/5b.jpg

MG Bays & Legs/Doors

i) MG Bays

A comparison of the kit ‘wells’ with the Flightpath PE ‘roof’ shows a problem. Also, the kit part is very flimsy and the gear detail/mounting is to be improved.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/7b.jpg

New ‘bays’ formed to the shape of the FPath PE from 1mm card, using the aeromodelling building method. 0.5mm card shape supports at sides and 2mm sq

at corners.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/6a.jpg

BFN

John

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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I imagine that the build of a 1950s British jet won't elicit the same interest as a modern American or Russian offering so you'll be fighting an uphill battle on that one.

Hey John,

If you'd like to expand your audience a little, feel free to drop by here ...

http://www.britmodeler.com/forums/index.php?act=idx

... and say hi to a bunch of guys and girls who will show a positively unhealthy interest in a 1950's British Jet :crying2: .

look forward to seeing you and good luck with the build.

Steve.

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Hi Dave and Steve, thanks for the call. Steve, I'll see how it goes here.

The gear bays are devoid of any detail. Whilst the castings are good, the leg mount/fixing detail, retraction jack and radius arm anchoring points and retraction jack fitting to mount (instead of leg) details need to be improved.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/8a.jpg

The gear leg is only placed; will have to sort out leg angle when bays are in wings. The internal F/Path detail looks wrong size/shape, so these were formed from card.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/9a.jpg

The most noticeable feature of the wheel wells are the D door locks (3No) and linkages. This completes all the detail of the wheel wells that my skill and patience will allow. The leg bays will be finished when bays are fitted using leg for alignment of jack and radius arm.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/10a.jpg

Think I might do a bit of painting.

BFN

John

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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Looking great, John! :bandhead2: Especially the wheel wells look amazing!

In the very first pic in this thread, with the parts laid out, on the upper left and right: Are these the parts for the intake? Very interesting shape.

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Lovely detailing in the wheel bays John. Very crisp and clean. It'll look great with a coat of paint.

Would you say that this is easier to add detail to than the Hornet? You are almost starting with a blank canvas on this one whereas the Hornet already had alot of detail in the first place.

:coolio:

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G’day all. How do you do multiple quotes – cracked the single, but have had to resort to copy and paste for multiple.

Hi ChernayaAkula

Are these the parts for the intake?

Yeah, it really is something when the lower engine is out, to climb in/upwards to look down the upper intake.

Hi Guy

Would you say that this is easier to add detail to than the Hornet? You are almost starting with a blank canvas on this one whereas the Hornet already had a lot of detail in the first place.

The jury will be out for some months on this one. I knew there was going to be a lot of work eg when you just look at the number of inlets, outlets, exhausts etc. There is of course non of this detail on a vacform. How did this thing go so fast? Lots of grunt :thumbsup:

Hi Mike. Hope you will stay the duration – could be a long haul! Cannot help you with the :popcorn:

Anybody got thoughts on the colour Airframe Silver. I’m thinking that this would be like silver lacquer used on F-100s. Silver itself is too bright, so could add a bit of black. Or Xtracolor Natural Steel or HU56 Aluminium?

Thanks for any input.

BFN

John

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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G’day all. How do you do multiple quotes – cracked the single, but have had to resort to copy and paste for multiple.

John

John, to do multiple quotes, simply click the 'quote' button (bottom right of each post) associated with each post you wish to quote, and then click the 'add reply' button at the bottom of the page. All the posts you wanted to quote will be put into the reply field, ready for you to edit and reply to.

Kev

Edited by Big Kev
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G'day. Thanks Kev for the info re multi-quotes.

I am going to give the Xtracolor High Speed Silver a go for bays. Whilst waiting for that to arrive, I thought I would make a start on the vents etc - there's a lot of them!

BFN

John

Removed this post and reposted 24 August - hopefully a bit more interesting!

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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Hi all. The way this build is likely to go, I am doing away with Parts1, 2 etc and will just use a subject.

Finally got port side finished to my satisfaction. Guy, that’s one blank canvas down after nearly going cross-eyed. The reward for completing some 25 inlets/outlets, is the removal of 80 odd ‘pips’. Devised a couple of methods for making some of the outlets/vents, but probably just re-invented the wheel.

Exhausts. Scoops, Vents etc.

#1 Vents from tubing of OD to match dia. marked on fuselage. Reamed-out with drill/pin vice and/or needle files for a thin wall. Some come through fuselage and others fit to inside #2. Capped inside with 0.25mm card.

#3 Scoops made using 0.5mm card top (shaped in plan) with 0.25mm wall CA around top and 2/3 filled (at rear) with 5 min epoxy. Sanded to shape in profile, thinning top to 0.25mm. The epoxy not only replaces the plastic as it is removed, but also shows for symmetrical shaping. Mounting flange from 5 thou card.

#4 Scoops made from resin ‘stick’ formed to cross-section size/shape and aperture. The component was then formed/finished using the ‘stick’ as a handle. You then only have to finish where it was connected. Mounting flange from 5 thou card.

#5 Inlets formed by thinning inside fuselage wall using SM No.10 blade to ~1/3rd. Drilled a couple of small holes to locate area to be thinned and also gives visual check on thinning. Tapered 0.5mm card walls and 0.25mm card side.

#6 Area around gun blister should be slightly raised. It is also not quite the correct shape. Made a template from 0.25mm (10thou) card, to cut actual pieces from 5 thou card. The trick for gluing is to secure in place with tiny pieces of masking tape, then touch outside edges with a barely-wet 2/0 brush. OVER APPLY SOLVENT GLUE AND THE CARD WILL JUST MELT OR BUCKLE. I then ran thin CA around inside edge. Interestingly, the vent holes pattern is NOT the same port and stbd, and they are positioned differently!

#7 I did not use the gun muzzle guard in F/Path set. The chances of getting a good fit to fuselage and for PE bits not detaching in the future, seem low. Cut new mounting plate from 0.25mm card, using a 0.5mm template. After thinning fuselage on inside and fixing this and tubing to inside, I will then thin plate. PE ‘hoops’ to be cut from the F/P set and fixed later to plate.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r18/jwolst/Lightning/11b.jpg

Finally got the High Speed Silver, need a break from detailing.

BFN

John

Edited by John Wolstenholme
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