1/72 Airfix Lightning F.2A - Flt Lt B.L. "Blight" Ightning

[Cookenbacher]

Here we go, my first Lightning. Thanks Col., Enzo and Mish - looking forward to learning lots with this one. Here's the box - no extras with this as I'd have no idea where to start:

I think I'll attempt the 92 Sqn jet with the blue tail.

Here's a pic I snapped of a Lightning in Pima, AZ last fall. Apparently, it's the only Lightning on display in the USA and is an ex-Saudi jet. I guess the 5 Sqn scheme is just for show - looks good though.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Cookenbacher

[Col.]

Nice one fella. Plenty 92 Sqn. machines going off in this GB so far and that's a pretty good kit out of the box.

[Tim Moff]

ooooh Cookenbacher - shiny - I have steered away from silver/shiny jets as I have read a lot of horror stories....so what the plan, this Alclad stuff ot Humbrol 11??!!

Good luck, will watch with interest!

[Enzo the Magnificent]

Welcome to the GB, Cookenbacher. To be honest there is no real need for any sort of extras with this kit. Just build it and have fun!

[Cookenbacher]

Col. - I was sort of hoping a few others would do this scheme, and I could lag behind a little and see how it's done. Is that cheating?

Tim - My big plan is to use Model Master buffing metalisers applied by brush using the same technique as for the Harrier exhausts, but on a much larger scale! (Scared face appropriate here too --> )

Enzo - Thank you sir, fun will be the goal!

[Hockeyboy76]

Mine will be a silver bird too. Can't for the life of me use an airbrush, may end up with a mix of polished enamels, bare foil & good old No 11. Looking forward to seeing your Model master ones. Are they good?

[Cookenbacher]

Here is a test of applying Aluminum metaliser by brush on a spare piece about 2 cm across:

I think that the MM metalisers must act a little like Alcad in that just looking at this piece on the sprue, it appeared nice and smooth. But, once the aluminum finish is on, you can see every imperfection. This picture is pretty zoomed in, the white paper background doesn't look smooth either. It's still gonna require a lot of sanding/polishing before applying.

Here is the link to where I picked up this tip:

http://www.essmc.org.au/Natural_Metal_Finish.html

I'm not sure how easy it is to get Model Master products in the UK though.

[nimrod54]

That's a useful tip Cookenbacher. Have you tried applying gloss black as a base coat? It could give you a smoother finish for the metalizer. I think I will try this method on the nose ring of my T4.

[Cookenbacher]

I think you're right Nimrod. The essmc article shows it going over bare plastic, but I think it requires a base coat if the plastic isn't perfectly smooth. I've done some more experimenting, and I think the metalizer needs an acrylic base coat rather than enamel - which seems counter-intuitive. The one above actually has a base coat of Klear/Future, but that doesn't go on thick enough to fill tiny scratches or gaps. I think I'm going to try two more experiments before deciding:

1. an enamel gloss base coat with a couple coats of future on top to protect it from the metalizer laquer

2. a gloss acrylic base coat

The first has the advantage of an enamel-plastic 'bond', but will require more steps to complete.

[giemme]

I think you're right Nimrod. The essmc article shows it going over bare plastic, but I think it requires a base coat if the plastic isn't perfectly smooth. I've done some more experimenting, and I think the metalizer needs an acrylic base coat rather than enamel - which seems counter-intuitive. The one above actually has a base coat of Klear/Future, but that doesn't go on thick enough to fill tiny scratches or gaps. I think I'm going to try two more experiments before deciding:

1. an enamel gloss base coat with a couple coats of future on top to protect it from the metalizer laquer

2. a gloss acrylic base coat

The first has the advantage of an enamel-plastic 'bond', but will require more steps to complete.

Cooken, if I may suggest something, here's what I do with Model Master Metalizers:

- primer

- acrylic gloss blue

- future or the likes of it

- metalizer.

I then buff it after a few minutes if I want an high shine, later if I want to get a softer effect.

I tested it with Burnt Metal, Steel and Titanium.

I've also tried with acrylic white, but the final effect is quite dull; another test I did was with flat black, it gives you that sort of weathered metal effect. Matter of fact, I'm thinking of using it in some selected areas of my current Phantom build.

Final note: in my previous build, RE2002, I used metalizers on bare plastic, but in addition to a not very good effect, I also had adhesion issues, i.e. metalizer coat coming off quite easily

Hope this could be of any help

Ciao

[Cookenbacher]

Thank you very much Giemme! I'll follow your advice. What primer do you use with acrylics? I've only done one model with acrylics (the ECR) and I used an enamel paint as a primer and it worked OK. Sometimes I prime with Tamiya rattle can, but it goes on so thick, and I don't think I'm ready to try and decant it for airbrushing.

PS - I'm enjoying your F-4 build immensely.

[giemme]

Primer: on my current build I'm using Vallejo Gray primer, sprayed from my airbrush without thinning it. I made a few test before using it on this model, seems to work pretty good.

Previously, I either used Tamiya rattle can (both white and gray), or a light gray enamel again with my airbrush.

With Tamiya rattle can you have to be very careful: as you said, it goes on very thick, so you should keep it at a distance, ending up using an awful lot of it even for small parts.

Enamel is good, but you have to thin it and I prefer to avoid (as much as possible) using that kind of thinner/colors.

Ciao

Edit: one thing I forgot to mention about using metalizers: I found easier to work with them/handle the model if you let all the various coat described in my previous post cure properly

Edited October 8, 2014 by giemme

[Cookenbacher]

Thanks again Giemme, grazie mille - I will click 'add to cart' on some Vallejo Grey primer.

[Duncan B]

Decanting from a rattle can is really easy. You will need a large diameter drinks straw (like you'd get from a fast food place), some blue tack or plasticine, a jar and some cling film. Shake the can, attach the straw to the rattle can nozzle using a blob of the blue tack, cover the jar with the cling film and push the end of the straw through it. Make sure everything is sealed and then start spraying into the jar. Let the propellent vent off from the paint before using it so don't put the jar top back on until that has stopped. It really is that simple.

Duncan B

[Cookenbacher]

Thanks for the tip Duncan! I think have everything you mentioned. What do you thin it with for airbrushing? Tamiya lacquer thinner?

[Duncan B]

Thanks for the tip Duncan! I think have everything you mentioned. What do you thin it with for airbrushing? Tamiya lacquer thinner?

No need to thin it as it is pre thinned already, but if you wanted to I guess you could use the acrylic thinners if it's acrylic primer your using.

Duncan B

p.s. don't wear your best shirt just in case the hose isn't sealed by the plasticine!

[Hockeyboy76]

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Cookenbacher]

Thanks Hockeyboy - I realized that this thread is long on chat, short on pics. Below are a couple pics of my failed metalizer experiments - posted for educational/precautionary tale purposes only and for proof that I don't have much of an ego.

I used the inside of the fuselage for the experiment because the Airfix plastic is a little pebbly and I wanted to see results on it specifically. The left is Humbrol enamel gloss blue, the right is Lifecolor acrylic gloss sea blue. That's a scrap Hasegawa drop tank in the middle - I sprayed it with a cheap craft store acrylic metallic silver many months ago, and brushed some aluminum metalizer over the front half the other day.

I allowed the acrylic and enamel paint to dry for 48 hours and then applied a coat of Future/Klear. I let that dry for 72 hours and then brushed on the metalizer. It ate through everything, down to the plastic in places.

I'm assuming that I didn't let the paint and/or future enough time to dry. Or it could be that the cheap craft store acrylic is made of sterner stuff. I probably would have not had any problems if I had sprayed the metalizer, but if I wanted to spray face melting lacquers, I think I'd go all that way and try alcad.

For now, my plan is to apply the metalizer by brush directly on the plastic after I sand/polish it with 1000 grit down to 12,000 grit. You can see where I've applied metalizer directly to plastic on the lower fuselage half on the far right side on top of the sink mark, and on the back of the intake cone below.

Now for some actual building! It may or may not be well known that Flt Lt F.R. Ightning had an identical twin brother, Flt Lt B.L. Ightning.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Cookenbacher

[Hockeyboy76]

The Ightning brothers, Known world wide for their ability to fly Lightnings without hands!!

Looking good, hope yours fits better than mine.

[nimrod54]

Now where have I seen that chap before. Interesting stuff with the metalizer, keep up the good work.

[giemme]

HI Cooken; sorry, I should have said that I only use metalizers with an airbrush. With the brush, the thinner that's already in the jar is way too aggressive; if you stick with the brush, it's a good idea to go as you said , smoothing down the surface as much as possible

Ciao

[Cookenbacher]

Hi Giemme, I realized that you sprayed your metalizer, and am grateful for the tips.

[Cookenbacher]

With Hockeyboy's and Oggy's builds in mind, I did a lot of dry fitting before putting the fuselage halves together. The fuselage nose could not fit around the internal intake piece, and the nose ring and exhaust nozzles were not flush with the fuselage. I ended up sanding down the edges of the compressor and turbine face plates and the edges of the intake as shown below highlighted in red.

There was still a gap though, and I decided to have it all on the bottom and keep the top seam as flush as possible. I also forgot to glue the forward belly tank portions on first. I have lots of clean up to do - top and bottom.

[Hockeyboy76]

Looking good dude.

[Duncan B]

The best way to get the jet pipes to fit flush is to shave off the internal rib that Airfix have moulded on to act as a stop for them but is actually too far back so holds them off the rear end of the kit.

Duncan B