LightningBoy

Thanks Hook, Great recommendation of the book. If any of you want detailed shots of anything Lightning please ask me and I can access my large library of photos, for example: There are some detail photos on my build of RSAF F53 and more to follow. LightningBoy

Made over the period 2008 - 2022. I used to travel a lot with work, now I'm mostly working from home I have time to write about them. LightningBoy

Brilliant info tweeky, thanks. I'm pretty certain from photographs I have seen that after return from St Athan, XR763 went to 5 Sqn as AE. My time at Binbrook was limited to 15 months so only gave me a snapshot. Thanks again for the info. LightningBoy

Hello tweeky' A few photos of F6s with ferry tanks LightningBoy

I thought I was one missing.... My model depicts an English Electric Lightning F1A of Wattisham Target Facilities Flight as flown from RAF Wattisham in 1971. XM177 c/n 95064. Lightning F1a XM177 first flew in December 1960 and joined 56 Squadron at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk in early 1961. XM177 went to 226 Operational Conversion Unit in 1965, then serving with Leuchars & Wattisham Target Facilities Flights before being scrapped in 1974. LightningBoy

Thanks for all the info tweeky. Did you get my question on XR763 and whether it may have had a ferry ventral tank fitted for its trip to St Athan for a repaint into grey? LightningBoy

Tweeky, You seem to be quite knowledgeable on the topic of gun / ferry tanks. Having looked at my appreciable collection of Lightning photos there are a few non-LTF F6s with ferry tanks fitted. Could it be that when XR763 left for RAF St Athan for a repaint into grey after her Check 3 she was fitted with a ferry tank for the trip??? Would appreciate your opinion. LightningBoy

Hello Tweeky, Well spotted - memory failed me. Having found the relevant photos which I should have used as a reference Red Top Tip Don't rely on your memory, use a photo LightningBoy

Hello Tweeky, Well spotted - memory failed me. Having found the relevant photos which I should have used as a reference Red Top Tip Don't rely on your memory, use a photo LightningBoy

Rain dispersal in front of windscreen Hole at base of fin LightningBoy

A few more details added. Hole drilled in intake at base of the fin Small plasticard rain dispersal panel in front of windscreen - why Airfix missed this out when they did include lots of very small tiangle aerial things that I've never been able to fit I'll never know? Small gap between the belly tanks filled with Polyfilla Red Top Tip A few of the tools I use on a regular basis - scriber - cosmetic brush (don't tell the girlfriend - burnishing brush LightningBoy

10 YEARS AGO Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum hosted a reunion for aircrew and RAF personnel who were based or worked at RAF Dumfries DURINGWWII. Around 40 people who had been associated with the airfield attended the event. The highlight was the unveiling of the refurbished English Electric Lightning by the last pilot to fly the aircraft, Flt Lt Mike Chatterton. Mike flew the plane from Saudi Arabia TOWARTON in Lancashire, a journey that took six and a half hours flying and six in-flight re-fuelings. LightningBoy

Hello GluDad, Absolutely. Lessons learnt include: Nose ring and Figure 8 fairing around jet pipes now silver foil tape instead of painted silver on first 3 Gun panels and airbrakes now found how to make them fit better, still a difficult job (see RSAF Lightning build for tips) Positioning all the small decals on the fuselage is made easier by leaving off the undercarriage and tailplanes to the end of the build Fixing the cable ducts on the side of the fuselage is easier done when they are still in 2 halves in that you can push down on a flat surface Hope this helps Gluman. LightningBoy

Hello Gluman, Absolutrly. Lessons learnt include:

Fin and missile mounting stubs are now on. Red Top Tip I have found this tool extremely valuable for stirring Humbrol paint. It fits in the tin and rotates very fast - when cleaning afterwards make sure its fully in the jar otherwaise it has a very wide spreading action of any surplus paint. Its original use is a cocktail stirrer and can normally be found in charity shops and car boot sales. not sure if they are available new? The base with the motor in it is the same as a lot of hand held mini fans and they are interchangeable. LightningBoy

You're right about the ancient Airfix 1: 72 Lightning, happy memories. My pleasure sharing the Lightning photos. Next one to be finished is a 60 MU F1'Golden Arrow' then my camouflaged RSAF F53 (article in Work in Progress). Cheers. LightningBoy

Thanks for the feedback everyone.t This was a challenging one to do, mainly because I couldn't find any blue / white chequer markings for 19 Sqn (of this size). After much sucking of teeth I bit the bullet and took some spare 56 Sqn chequer markings and painted all the red bits blue. This is not for the faint hearted - you only need to get 3 sides of the square right as on the outside of the square you can trim that side down. LightningBoy

Thanks for the feedback everyone. NMF is achieved with a Matt Silver aerosol from the Pound Shop. LightningBoy

Hello Tomcat, Thanks for the feedback. Achieved with a Matt Silver rattle can from the Pound Shop. LightningBoy

My model depicts an English Electric Lightning F2 of 19 Sqn as flown from RAF Gutersloh in 1967 as shown in the photographs below. XN779; C/N 95132 First flight by Roland Beaumont on 20 Nov 62 from BAC Salmesbury. Delivered to 19 Squadron ‘G’ on 27 Feb 63 at RAF Leconfield. Returned to BAC Warton 11 Mar 66 for Cat 4 repair; back to RAF Gutersloh 2 Feb 67. To 60 MU RAF Leconfield in Oct 69. With 19 Squadron as ‘X’ 8 Jul 71. RAF Gutersloh fire dump, Sep 73. Maintenance serial number 8348M. Red Top Tip All my silver Lightnings are painted with a Matt Silver rattle can from the pound shop - don't know if they still sell it. BE AWARE IT IS NOT THE SILVER WHEEL PAINT

My model depicts an English Electric Lightning F3 of 29 Sqn as flown from RAF Wattisham in 1972 as shown in the photographs below. XP763; C/N 95191 First flight by D. de Villierson 11 Sep 64 from BAC Samlesbury. Delivered to 23 Squadron on 27 Oct 64. Transferred to 29 Squadron ‘’ in 1972. Red Top Tip 29 Sqn only ever operated the Lightning F3

My model depicts an English Electric Lightning F3 of 111 Sqn as flown from RAF Wattisham in 1971 as shown in the photographs below. XR711; C/N 95194 ff D. de Villiers 6-10-64 Samlesbury. To 111 Squadron, 2-12-64. Destroyed at Wattisham, 29-10-71, after dropping onto runway just after take-off. Flt Lt Steenson uninjured. Aircraft removed to fire dump. Hours flown 1667h 25m. Red Top Tip No guns at all for the F3 Lightning

My model depicts an English Electric Lightning T5 of 145 Sqn, 226 OCU as flown from RAF Coltishall in 1970 as shown in the photographs below. XS 452 first flew on 30th June 1965, based with RAF 226 OCU then to 111 Squadron in 1971. Next to 56 Squadron in Akrotiri, Cyprus, then RAF Akrotiri Station Flight where it was painted in the Pink Panther colour scheme. Back to the UK, XS 452 was acquired privately and kept in running order by enthusiasts at Cranfield. Acquired in 1996 by Mike Beachy Head, the aircraft was shipped back to South Africa where it underwent extensive restoration. XS 452, the first Lightning to be flown by civilian hands, took to the skies on 9th March 1999 out of Cape Town International Airport. Painted in the all black gloss scheme of the Thunder City Aircraft Company. Red Top Tip Use plenty of tabs to positively align the fuselage halves when gluing together. LightningBoy

My model depicts an English Electric Lightning Mk 1 of 74 Sqn as flown from RAF Coltishall in 1962 as shown in the photograph below. On 14 Nov 59, XM135 (c/n 950315) was first flown by TMS Ferguson from English Electric Salmesbury. To the Central Fighter Establishment, Coltishall, 25 May 60 as aircraft ‘D’; to 74 Squadron as ‘B’; to 226 OCU, Sep 63; to Leuchars Target Facilities Flight 22 Sep 66; to 60 MU, 28 Jun 71. To IWM collection, Duxford, 20 Nov 74. Total hours, 1343h. Currently at IWM Duxford. XM135 was the Lightning that OC 33MU, Wg Cdr Taffy Holden an Engineering Officer, inadvertently took for a flight around RAF Lyneham on 22 Jul 66 whilst attempting to reproduce a fault that only appeared on the take off run!! Beware - Lightning F1s had no cable ducts along the sides LightningBoy

My model depicts an English Electric Lightning Mk 2A of 19 Sqn as flown from RAF Gutersloh in 1972 as shown in the photographs below. On 12 Dec 62, XN781(c/n 95134) was first flown (as an F2) by TMS Ferguson from English Electric Salmesbury. It was delivered to 19 Sqn on 15 Mar 63 and was marked as ‘J’. Along with many others, on 13 Sep 66 XN793 was returned to BAC Warton for conversion to F2A standard, very similar to the F6 only with guns!!! It was returned to 19 Sqn as an F2A on 1 May 69, this time marked as ‘B’. On 1 Apr 77, XN781 was ‘Struck Off Charge’ and on 5 Apr 77 was flown to RAF Leuchars to be used as an airfield decoy for which it received the maintenance serial number 8538M. Dismantled and subsequently moved to Withington, XN781 was scrapped in 1990. LightningBoy