EE Lightning F3 help

[Red Dot]

Hi all,

 

i am about to start making the airfix 1/48 Lightning F3 kit with wheels up, climbing vertically in 56 sqdn checker tail colours.

 

is there anything I should watch out for in the kit? I will order the Dmolds nose ring and Eduard masks. I have just discovered that the smaller main wheel doors don't fit at all but that may be because I have mixed up kit bits from the later Mk kits. 

 

Thanks for any help

andy

Edited August 31, 2017 by Red Dot

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Yes Airfix has the cable duct parts listed along the Fuselage are in the wrong holes for the F.3.. There was a whole discussion in the Work in Progress section. About 3-4 weeks ago. Some of us including myself mounted the ducts to far forward for an F.3..

     Step #26 has you use kit parts 39, 41, 42, & 44 but they are placed in the wrong holes. The holes need be placed back about 1.5 cm further back. If you build it the way airfix has it you will have problems mounting the Forward Fuselage Roundel/Flashes underneath the cockpit. Thats the best i cam explain my best advice is go and find the section in the Work in Progress that covers this. 

      Now that i think about it use a heavy base. The model is moderately heavy and will want to tip if the base is lighter.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[71chally]

I love these Airfix Lighting kits, up amongst the best kits they ever produced.  Unfortunately it is one of those kits that was designed to have the gear down mainy, and you might be better off making a shaped piece of styrene sheet to fill the undercarriage bays, there might be some profiling needed with that option as well though.

The nose ring is actually ok, better than the 1:72nd set up.

[jasman71]

1 hour ago, 71chally said:

I love these Airfix Lighting kits, up amongst the best kits they ever produced.  Unfortunately it is one of those kits that was designed to have the gear down mainy, and you might be better off making a shaped piece of styrene sheet to fill the undercarriage bays, there might be some profiling needed with that option as well though.

The nose ring is actually ok, better than the 1:72nd set up.

One of my pet hates is manufacturers who automatically assume that the modeller only ever wants to make aircraft with the gear down and thus provides little - if any at all - option for having doors closed. Terrific kits though, those Lightnings, highly recommend them. I've built 3, and from memory I seem to recall possibly minor fit problems with a couple of the forward gun panels, either not quite sitting square or sitting slightly proud of their surroundings, but not the most difficult problem to fix. 

[neilh]

Agree with Jasman71- the parts for the gun troughs or the blanks they replace don't fit well so dry fit and fettle first. Airbrakes also needed a thin plastic card shim for them to sit fully flush with the fuselage. I found it beneficial to gently sand the inner wing face to get a better fit with the correct anhedral. Other wise lovely and still one of my favourite builds. Got another lined up to start once I've finished the Firebar.

[Red Dot]

Thanks very much for the replies everyone.

 

I've noted the bit about the cable ducting being in thew wrong place, so i'll do it by eye using photos for comparison. To be honest, i was expecting some sloppy fit issues with the panel inserts and air brakes as i have never made a kit where they fit perfectly, but it's good to be aware.

 

I was shocked at how badly mis-shaped the smaller main gear doors were. They are nothing like the shape of the cut-out in the wing, so i will make my own instead. The large doors fit beautifully by comparison though.

 

Time to bite the bullet and get on with it now

 

Cheers

Andy