Airfix F2A

[Duncan B]

Yes, that and the tail fin.

And the wings!

Duncan B

[AnonymousAA72]

Here's some snaps of the Lightning F2A sprues I took this afternoon. Sorry for the quality, they were taken using my phone and ended up a little soft focus:

Canopy, Firestreak noses:

Upper wing halves, centre bullet halves, forward tank sections, main undercarriage doors & legs, refuelling probe, pitot and Firestreak fins. I think the short cable conduit ends are below the U/C legs:

Right fuselage, intake & reheat section halves, cannon & plain inserts, Firestreak launch rails, radome, closed U/C doors and FOD guard:

Lower wings, flaps, cockpit & ejection seat outer halves, tail planes, Firestreaks, airbrakes, arrestor hook:

Left fuselage, nose gear, fan & turbine faces, main wheels, seat cushions, ventral strakes, jet pipes, coaming, pylons, nose gear doors, aft fairing of tank (with a cut-out for the hook), pilot, rest of the main U/C struts & doors:

If this is the complete F2A kit (and I'm fairly sure it is) the F6 kit will have a separate sprue for the Red Tops, long conduits, forward cannon section of the belly tank and maybe the overwing tanks. This means that we can only do the F2A OOB or an early F6 by extending the conduits.

The F6 extended ducts look like they are to the right of the Firestreaks....

[AnonymousAA72]

The breakdown of the kit suggests a conversion to an earlier mark would be reasonably simple. A new belly tank of course is required, and given that the wings and fin is solid, should ease cutting back to straight wing and rounded fin.....Cable ducts and vents, intakes can easily be amended too...where's my old Airfix F1a.......

[Duncan B]

The F6 extended ducts look like they are to the right of the Firestreaks....

I think they are actually the other halves of the Firestreaks Bill.

Duncan B

[Duncan B]

The breakdown of the kit suggests a conversion to an earlier mark would be reasonably simple. A new belly tank of course is required, and given that the wings and fin is solid, should ease cutting back to straight wing and rounded fin.....Cable ducts and vents, intakes can easily be amended too...where's my old Airfix F1a.......

So would the cut go along the bottom of the cable duct back to the NACA duct in front of the tailplanes. I really hope someone does a resin or vacform belly tank.

Duncan B

[Robert]

Looking how the sprues are laid out, it will have to be a completely new kit if Airfix was to do an F1/3. If the aftermarket boys makes a conversion for the F1/3 Airfix will still be making money because you will still need the base kit.

Of course they could go down the T4/5 route....

Robert

[AnonymousAA72]

I think they are actually the other halves of the Firestreaks Bill.

Duncan B

Yes, I think you're right actually.....

[AnonymousAA72]

So would the cut go along the bottom of the cable duct back to the NACA duct in front of the tailplanes. I really hope someone does a resin or vacform belly tank.

Duncan B

The early smaller tank was removable, so in effect without that, the lower fuselage was a straight line. With the F2a/F6 the rear of the tank was of course an integral part of the fuselage.

In modelling terms you would need to remove the whole of the tank, and make good a section aft and above of the small tank. Many years ago there was a resin conversion - by Maintrack of Hastings. This was fairly rough - certainly by todays standards and was designed to use the Hasegawa/Frog kit, though there was an article in Scale Models, or maybe SAM? which used the Matchbox kit....There were also articles at the time on cross kitting the Airfix F1a and the Hasegawa F6 to build a 56 Sqn F3. I'll try to dig that one out....

[Duncan B]

I have an old Airfix Lightning in the stash along with the Trumpeter monsters (which might supply the straight edged wings along with maybe some other bits) but it seems a shame (and somewhat ironic) to be contemplating sticking the belly of a 30 + year old kit onto a 21 Century moulding!

I'll put the kit away for a while once I get it and see what the after market folk come up with.

Duncan B

[Rob P]

Many years ago there was a resin conversion - by Maintrack of Hastings. This was fairly rough - certainly by todays standards and was designed to use the Hasegawa/Frog kit, though there was an article in Scale Models, or maybe SAM? which used the Matchbox kit....

I've just found mine in the stash tucked in a Matchbox T55 box. Will offer it up when my F2 arrives.

[mmaker]

Can we use tanks and other stuff from Hasegawa F6?

[AnonymousAA72]

I've just found mine in the stash tucked in a Matchbox T55 box. Will offer it up when my F2 arrives.

Back in the days of balsa wood, talc and dope, I tried to convert a T55 into a T5. I managed to make the fuselage (sort of anyway!), but not the bulge!

Never again!!

[AnonymousAA72]

Can we use tanks and other stuff from Hasegawa F6?

Yes, though I think the overwing tanks on the Matchbox kit were better..though its many years since I saw either! I wonder if they'll appear in Airfix's F6? Assuming of course that Airfix are issuing an F6?

[Enzo the Magnificent]

Assuming of course that Airfix are issuing an F6?

I have no doubt that the parts for an F6 will appear from a resin AM manufacturer in very short order! The same goes for a small belly tank. No need for a new set of wings. I think any modeller capable of cutting out and replacing the belly tank will be more than capable of hacking down the wing leading edges. However, a pointy fin might be nice.

[Duncan B]

Yes, though I think the overwing tanks on the Matchbox kit were better..though its many years since I saw either! I wonder if they'll appear in Airfix's F6? Assuming of course that Airfix are issuing an F6?

The holes for the overwing tank mounts are already moulded into the top half of the wings on the F2A, I checked the sprues.

Duncan B

I have no doubt that the parts for an F6 will appear from a resin AM manufacturer in very short order! The same goes for a small belly tank. No need for a new set of wings. I think any modeller capable of cutting out and replacing the belly tank will be more than capable of hacking down the wing leading edges. However, a pointy fin might be nice.

The pointy fin might be the only usable bit from my Trumpeter kits but it wouldn't surprise me to find that even that is wrong.

Duncan B

[Enzo the Magnificent]

The holes for the overwing tank mounts are already moulded into the top half of the wings on the F2A, I checked the sprues.

That sounds pretty promising.

[alpine_modeller]

The holes for the overwing tank mounts are already moulded into the top half of the wings on the F2A, I checked the sprues.

Duncan B

Oh, yuck. I think the beautiful lines of the Lightning are wrecked by the overwing tanks. It makes the plane look like some dodgy Sci-Fi WHIF build.

Please tell me the holes need drilling....

Edited November 12, 2013 by alpine_modeller

[Duncan B]

Yes they'll need drilling out, no Gerry Anderson nightmares for you to cope with.

Duncan B

[Jennings Heilig]

"Beautiful lines" isn't something I'd ever have thought to apply to the Frightening. Brutish, yes. Purposeful, definitely. But beautiful?

Now if you want to talk F-106s...

[Paul J]

One other thing to remember if any consideration is given to backdating the kit to F3 or F1A, is that there were various different scoops and vents on the fuselage sides let alone the tank and wing planform. And, the F1 didn't have the cable ducts at all plus the earlier wheels that were in the original Airfix kit! I'd rather wait to see if Airfix will use some common sense and produce earlier marks and the two seaters.

As for the F2A to F6, its really just the cable ducts along the forward fuselage that would need to be done and fill the cannon ports. But I suspect that an F6 will be on the cards going by the break down of the F2A parts.

[chrisrope]

I have no doubt that the parts for an F6 will appear from a resin AM manufacturer in very short order! The same goes for a small belly tank. No need for a new set of wings. I think any modeller capable of cutting out and replacing the belly tank will be more than capable of hacking down the wing leading edges. However, a pointy fin might be nice.

Aren't the ailierons (spelling ) different on the straight wing though

[alpine_modeller]

"Beautiful lines" isn't something I'd ever have thought to apply to the Frightening. Brutish, yes. Purposeful, definitely. But beautiful?

Now if you want to talk F-106s...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, dude.

I watched the episode of Wonders of The Solar System - "The Thin Blue Line" on Sunday for the first time (the one featuring ZU-BEX taking Brian Cox up past 60,000ft from a classic Lightning take-off).

Lets just say its lucky kids and SWMBO were in the room at the time

[Jennings Heilig]

True dat. Some guys like fat chicks

[AnonymousAA72]

Aren't the ailierons (spelling ) different on the straight wing though

Yes, but it should be no more than a 2 minute re-scribing job (Done it a few times on the Matchbox kits wing- many eons ago.....)

[AnonymousAA72]

One other thing to remember if any consideration is given to backdating the kit to F3 or F1A, is that there were various different scoops and vents on the fuselage sides let alone the tank and wing planform. And, the F1 didn't have the cable ducts at all plus the earlier wheels that were in the original Airfix kit! I'd rather wait to see if Airfix will use some common sense and produce earlier marks and the two seaters.

As for the F2A to F6, its really just the cable ducts along the forward fuselage that would need to be done and fill the cannon ports. But I suspect that an F6 will be on the cards going by the break down of the F2A parts.

The early 'slotted' wheels were only on the F1 briefly. Most contemporary photo's show the standard 'eight-holed' version. I think that the blanked off cannon ports are included in the F2A...

I'd be shocked if an F6 wasn't announced this December!!