Can You Make A Good Lightning From The Matchbox Kit...?

[English Electric]

Hi...

Well, pretty much as it says on the tin really...

I've been starting kits in the stash with crushed or knackered boxes, and this was one of the worst. Shot decals too (stuck to greaseproof paper!). The kit itself seems very flash free in the Matchbox tradition, and looks to be a simple build. However, I'm sure there's things that can be done - and certainly the cockpit looks a tad sparse (again in the Matchbox tradition!). I'll be doing it as the F2A - I love the look of those!

I've also got a Frogspawn Lightning, but the colour of the plastic - iridescent green - keeps putting me off This, in all its three colour glory, is by far the most attractive bet!

Thanks in advance

Chris

[Test Graham]

Which Matchbox kit? Mosquito or Mirage?

Joking apart, when I was modelling Lightnings some decades back at Warton, general feeling around was that the Matchbox kit was crude and a bit thin. I have seen people on the web praising it, but I don't know where they are coming from. The preferred kit at the time was the Hasegawa/Frog, which I presume was related to the one you now have. I don't know how the later Frog tooling differed from the original Hasegawa, but suspect not much.

[AnonymousAA72]

For my money I'd say it was the best 1/72nd scale Lightning - not saying much I know!! Graham is right though - it is very skinny so need packing out. BUT the side view matches most if not all drawings better than any other 1/72 Lightnings. The wing plan is better too.

Depends on how much work you want to put in - if you're after a quick fix then you'd probablty be better off with the Trumpeter kit - to get the best out of both, you will need to throw some serious modelling time at both.......

[canberra kid]

I always liked the matchbox Lightning, it is a wee bit thin, but I think that only shows on the belly tank so I pack it out with some card, to me, it always looked more like a Lightning than any of the others. The Frog/ Hasegawa looks too long to me, but I'm no expert.

John

This is the Matchbox kit with a resin tank.

unmodified kit

Edited February 5, 2010 by canberra kid

[English Electric]

That looks very nice! Many thanks for the advice guys - buying a new kit isn't an option really. My stash has grown to frightening (no pun intended) proportions recently, and I daren't buy anything else! It's a case of making good with what I've got really!

The EE Lightning seems to be one of Matchbox's little treasures really, it might be a tad thin, but judging by the pics that's fairly easily correctable, and I'm sure the David Parkins Flightpath set would help fleash out some much needed detail.

Intriguingly I really fancied doing an F2 in green as above, but seeing that nice NMF one, I'm changing my mind!

C

Edited February 8, 2010 by English Electric

[Ronnie]

Some years ago I combined a Matchbox T55 with an Airfix F.1 to make a T5 - not sure how accurate it is but both kits worked ok. I'll post some pictures if I can work out how to.............

[Ronnie]

These are the T5 photos - don't knw hoe to make them bigger...........................

Edited February 8, 2010 by Ronnie

[AnonymousAA72]

That looks very nice! Many thanks for the advice guys - buying a new kit isn't an option really. My stash has grown to frightening (no pun intended) proportions recently, and I daren't buy anything else! It's a case of making good with what I've got really!

The EE Lightning seems to be one of Matchbox's little treasures really, it might be a tad thin, but judging by the pics that's fairly easily correctable, and I'm sure the David Parkins Flightpath set would help fleash out some much needed detail.

Intriguingly I really fancied doing an F2 in green as above, but seeing that nice NMF one, I'm changing my mind!

C

I'll get around to building my MB Lightning one day!! Just some thoughts.....If you remove the fin, you can then insert a plastic card wedge to widen the fuselage. Re-apply the fin and you're well on the way. You will need of course a new canopy - as the matchbox item will be too small - sadly the only alternative vacform exapmple I know of are to replace the awful Frog/Hasegawa canopy, unless there are replacements for the Trumpeter version? I wonder if Pavla have issued a canopy?

I seem to recall that the cannon blisters are in the wrong place - though not all F6's had them or you can always build an F2A!

The kit has raised panel lines - and these are as bad as the infamous Matchbox trench lines!! They really do need removing or reducing!

Despite these points I still think the MB kit wins over the others.....the Hasegawa kit is too long in the nose area, belly too shallow, wings wrong shape and skinny details! The Trumpeter kits are just that - Trumpeter kits!!

Airfix WILL come to the resuce on day when they finally bury the ghost of XM192 and its 50 year old moulds!!!

[Smiffy]

Just some thoughts.....If you remove the fin, you can then insert a plastic card wedge to widen the fuselage. Re-apply the fin and you're well on the way.

Been looking at my MB kit. The problem with the canopy occured to me too.

I'm tempted to order the Aeroclub Vac canopy just to try it out.

Out of interest, how skinny do you estimate the fuse to be?. Or to put it another way, what thickness of plastic card would you recommend to pack it out with?.

[AnonymousAA72]

Been looking at my MB kit. The problem with the canopy occured to me too.

I'm tempted to order the Aeroclub Vac canopy just to try it out.

Out of interest, how skinny do you estimate the fuse to be?. Or to put it another way, what thickness of plastic card would you recommend to pack it out with?.

..was scared someone would ask me that!! I really don't know, but not a great deal, remember the nose ring has to blend in as does the tail pipe unit.....

Problem with the Aeroclub canopy is that its a direct replacement for the Hasegawa kit, so is too long! It could I suppose be reduced in length?

Wonder if the canopy that Heritage Aviation have with their resin kit would be a better bet?

[Smiffy]

remember the nose ring has to blend in as does the tail pipe unit.....

Yeah, thought about that as well. I also notice Aeroclub do white metal replacements for those bits too.

Might try them out.

If that didn't work, then I suppose you could use the kit parts and just taper the fuse out from behind the nose ring and then back in at the jet pipe end.

[canberra kid]

When I did my F.2A I just packed out the belly tank with a bit of card and filled it, and left the fuselage as it is, I really don't think it looks that bad?

John