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Airfix Lightning F.3, 1/72


Lord Riot

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Back to the RAF stuff, and what better way to start than a brightly marked 'Firebirds' Lightning F.3 from the mid 60s. For some reason the F.3 is my favourite Lightning species. Again, I got this kit from eBay, and it looks like it'll need some prep.

 

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I filled in the hole in the mould of the ejector seat, and cut and filed the prong out of the backrest that fits into the pilot, as I always build my kits crewless. Can't be bothered painting pilots! 

 

On opening the box I actually really like the kit decals for the camo 5 Sqn jet, but I'd already ordered the modeldecals set as I think the chequerboard tails of 56 Sqn were outstanding. I may well get another F3 and build it with the kit decals though.

 

So, this will be silver spray all over, another Cold War RAF warrior is underway ...

 

Some of the parts look a bit chunky, but overall shape seems ok.

 

 

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57 minutes ago, Bill.B said:

Watching with interest as I’ve a soft spot for the Lightning as it impressed me greatly at airshows in the 60’s when I was a spotty teenager.

You're very lucky - you must have seen some superb RAF jets! Would love to go back in time with a digital camera!

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It's a simple kit so far, though I did have to make a cockpit floor and instrument panel. The second hand kit had also been slightly messed with as the air scoop on the spine looked to have been cut out, for some reason! No other damage evident though, so I made my own from filler.

 

It snaps together firmly without glue for some parts! But the overall look of this classic jet seems pretty good so far. 

 

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Ready for spray painting tomorrow ...

 

xcun36.jpg

 

 

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Now that brings back some memories. I must have put together a dozen or more of those F3s in my teens. 'ware the fit of the airbrakes, I could never get them closed and sitting decently flush.

 

IIRC, the Airfix F3 was modified from the earlier 'snap-together' F1A tooling (hence the optional glue!) which makes the canopy quite thick with obvious fixing lugs.

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Wouldn't it be nice to get a modernised tooling of this to the standard of the F2A/F6 kits of recent years? It'd mean new wings and fuselage, though.
Never mind that, I am watching this build with interest.
Didn't someone on this forum achieve a superbly shiny nose ring on a Lightning by using a curved and burnished strip of bare metal foil, with the join under the nose where it would be hidden for the most part by the pitot? The original was polished steel, so the relevant Humbrol Metalcote polished up nicely might do the job (not forgetting to mask the area beyond the ring first). I probably overcompensated on my built Lightnings by using Tamiya Chrome with a bit of buffing, which gives the shine if not the exact shade.

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... aaaand we're back in the game after a birthday and new year hiatus!

 

Silver spray just applied (it's actually Holts auto spray - HSILM15) but looks close enough to RAF silver for a bodging amateur such as myself. I'm actually quite pleased with this.

 

Does anyone know what the actual correct silver spray would be in case I do a 1/48 one some day? It's so hard to get spray cans of the correct paints these days that auto paints and primers or professionally mixed cans for about £25 seem to be the only answer.

 

If anyone knows where to get IN STOCK, SATIN spray cans of dark sea grey, RAF green and light aircraft grey for about £5 a can and p&p under £3 I'd be eternally grateful!

 

Anyway, to the Lightning ...

 

s2w7lj.jpg

 

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Changed the inside of the airbrakes to dirty white and added bits from the spares box to make the hydraulic levers inside. 

 

Firestreak missiles are from the Novo Javelin kit as the Lightning came with Red Tops only and I'm not sure F.3s carried those much in the mid-60s. 

 

qqekp3.jpg

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