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I've been missing the building with all the painting and decals I've been doing lately so was looking forward to starting this from the stash (even though I have a couple of KUTAs I could restart that need decals, etc.)... It's a second hand kit, but everything seems in order - actually I think there's an extra piece that doesn't belong (the light grey bit at the top middle - oddly seems the same sprue colour). The kit has a couple of resin (I think) bits - the exhaust and pilots seat, and some colour photoetch. I've never built a Sword kit before but this may well be my first and last (more on that below). So the sprues don't contain any numbering (not a deal breaker) but the parts - well, there's no attachment 'pins'/sockets or anything - you have to align them up by eye! I made a start on the nose cone - it says to add weights to them (no amount specified) - I fitted a steel ball bearing in the nose and one in the rear section that attaches to, possibly I'll need to add more weights later, doesn't seem lots but I couldn't fit any more. I fixed them in place with some 2 part epoxy glue. I also decided to glue up the wing halves, but there was some serious injector marks that had to be taken care of first as they were getting in the way. So I can see this is going to be a 'fun' build. The only parts with and locator parts are effectively those stubby wing to fuselage parts and some dry fitting when the wings had dried showed they don't fit (so they'll need some modification)! The tailfin and rear wings also have no good strong attachment points which will be 'fun'. The part I'm dreading first though is getting the fuselage halves together they pretty much fit (a little plastic warpage but nothing some glue and clamping won't fix) but without connecting guide points it's going to be an engineering challenge (I'm thinking of building some bits of inner 'lip' on one side with plasticard to help hold it aligned whilst setting, but that's only half of it - I've also got to align and attach the cockpit (ok there's a tiny lip for that), the front radome/wheel-well part and the intake fan all at the same time so it all lines up. Any tips on this appreciated (I'm half tempted to ditch it / kit bash it with another Lightning kit - e.g. take the decals, PE and resin parts and attach them to another kit). Oh add to that I'm planning to try a BMF and this has all the hallmarks of turning into a nightmare project full of silver gluey finger prints!

First one for a while as work has meant little time at the model desk. Trumpeter English Electric F1 of the Air Fighting Development Squadron, RAF Coltishall, 1961. AFDS was the first Lightning unit and was used to understand how to use the Lightning in RAF service.