Ray S Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 (edited) Hello all! I have been a bit of a fan of the EE Lightning ever since around about 1970 when I was lucky enough to sit in the cockpit of a 74 Squadron plane in RAF Tengah, Singapore. As a young lad, the aircraft seemed huge, and certainly made a big impression on me. I have always liked to build Lightnings, including the old favourite Airfix 111 Squadron one. However, I have frequently failed with the metal airframe. Brush painted Humbrol 11 Silver Fox never quite looked right. A couple of years ago I built Airfix's F2A and tried Humbrol Metalcote Aluminium, which was nearer the mark, but not quite right. However, I did use Mr Metal Color for the nose ring, and it looked good, so I wondered if I could use the same technique on the whole plane. So I started the Sword T4. From the outset this was a test bed for the paint work, so I made no modifications, so please forgive things like the wrong instrument panel and the over long cable ducts on the fuselage sides. I also used photo etch on a plane for the first time ( I think!) and it was the first non mainstream injection moulded kit for a long time too. Enough waffle, here are the results: As I mentioned above, I used Mr Metal Color Aluminium for the wings, Stainless Steel for the fuselage and Iron for assorted panels. I do not have an airbrush, so it is all brush painted. First up, I polished the life out of the surfaces with Micromesh cloths all the way down to 12000 grit, the got an old brush (quite a large one) that had seen better days. I shook the pot of paint vigorously for a minute or two, then used the paint that had collected on the lid. I dabbed the brush into the paint, then really rubbed it hard onto the surface a few panels at a time. I did this a few times to get the wing finished, but as time went on, I got to shaking the paint more frequently and recharged the lid. By the time I had completed one surface, the paint was dry enough to buff up. I used a Kleenex tissue (other brands are available!) as my polishing cloth and soon had a nice shiny surface. I repainted the various panels with Iron using a smaller old brush and buffed them up too The whole plane took only about 1 hour to complete as far as the Natural Metal finish was concerned. I have to admit that the unpolished paint will look a mess, brush strokes everywhere, but it all magically goes away when you polish it up! The finish is quite hardwearing, but I did use linen gloved when handling the model. I have not varnished or weathered the plane, but may well do now I have taken these photographs. I think it is now too shiny a metal finish, but to my blinkered eyes it is one of the better finished I have had. I still need practice, before I attempt my 1/48th scale Airfix kit. Any comments or advice would be great. Thanks for looking, Ray. PS I thought the Sword kit was pretty good and did not have too many constructional issues with it, except for the wing angles - these do not droop enough! Edited November 25, 2016 by Ray S remove unwanted text 44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 (edited) That looks absolutely terrific. My favourite Lightning scheme too. Considering it is brush-painted the natural metal finish looks superb. I would never have thought one could achieve such a good metal finish with a brush. P.S. With regards the shine, I think the Firebirds kept their aircraft in pretty much tip top condition because of their public appearances so I think it is quite authentic. Edited November 25, 2016 by Meatbox8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 Very nice, great finish. Is this the 1/72nd or 1/48th scale kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Builder Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 Unbelievable work for a brush painted kit, I couldn't tell at all, as I thought it was airbrushed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 1 hour ago, Tbolt said: Very nice, great finish. Is this the 1/72nd or 1/48th scale kit? Hi Tbolt, it is the 1/72nd scale one. Thanks all for the kind comments, and Meatbox8, thanks for saying the finish is authentic to your mind. All the best, Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 Great work Ray, looks spot on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albamac Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 (edited) Hi Ray, That is one excellent Firebird. I was interested how you brush painted it as I don't have an airbrush and resort to can rattling for the metallic look. I agree the Firebird Team Lightnings were kept well polished as I remember seeing them when I were a young RAF airman in 1963. Happy days. Keep up the lovely work. albamac.......frustrated Norseman Edited November 25, 2016 by albamac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doozer1974 Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 I love that shiny finish! I've tried the Mr Color metal finishes, and although they buffed up lovely, I found they didn't react well with Microset and Microsol when it came to decalling - can I ask what you used when applying your decals? Cheers Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 That is a really stunning NMF - I don't think I could get close to that with an airbrush, let alone a paintbrush! Superb Frightning...!! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimrod54 Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 Lovely job Ray, that's a great metal finish. I made the same kit for the Lightning STGB a while ago, but it didn't look as good as this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 That's a superb finish on your Lightning, its uncanny since I did exactly the same with my Sword kit. But I probably should have shaken the bottle a little but more though like you said. It's a really good alternative if you haven't like myself got round to getting an airbrush. Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickandrews7 Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Looks superb as others said, and some great tips. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark4700 Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Wow, fantastic finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Simply awesome finish! Thanks for the info on the paints, I got some a while back as I was never convinced so much by Alclad, it seems to have more 'life' and looks slightly burnished. I tested some once and found they did rub off quite easily though, is there anything special you did to get them to stick? Also did you mask over them or paint the red before the metal paint? Sorry for all the questions it just looks really good! David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 She's a stunner, cracking work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 That looks really great. I wish I had read that about Mr Metal Colour before I went to Telford so I could have brought some back with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Stunning finish, that NMF is incredible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 45 minutes ago, woody37 said: Stunning finish, that NMF is incredible Ditto, quite superb, Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canberra kid Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Brilliant! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildeSau75 Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Cannot believe it's brush painted - top notch job. Cheers, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head in the clouds. Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 From where I am sat everything looks bang on, a very nice Lightning and one of the more attractive schemes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngaero Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 That is very very nice indeed. It's nice to see the trainer version, especially when it's finished to this degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Lovley build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain goat Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Amazing shine..!! Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 On 11/25/2016 at 7:59 PM, doozer1974 said: I love that shiny finish! I've tried the Mr Color metal finishes, and although they buffed up lovely, I found they didn't react well with Microset and Microsol when it came to decalling - can I ask what you used when applying your decals? Cheers Adam Adam, I had read that these did not like set and sol, so I only used water to settle the transfers down - that was fun because I found the water beaded and would not spread out! I eventually plopped lots of blobs onto the surface, placed the transfers down then wicked away the excess water with a tissue. It worked quite well. On 11/26/2016 at 10:23 AM, mirageiv said: Simply awesome finish! Thanks for the info on the paints, I got some a while back as I was never convinced so much by Alclad, it seems to have more 'life' and looks slightly burnished. I tested some once and found they did rub off quite easily though, is there anything special you did to get them to stick? Also did you mask over them or paint the red before the metal paint? Sorry for all the questions it just looks really good! David. David, I put the paint down straight onto unprimed plastic and it seems to bite into the plastic and stick that way. I did not mask the metal, I had previously brush painted the red. It seems like the paint sets properly after a while, so although I buffed it almost as soon as I had finished that part, it still left deposits on my white glove I was using to hold the plane afterwards. Not as much as before buffing though! I am still trying to pluck up courage to varnish the finish, but I may leave it until I have taken it to my model club first. I cannot stress enough about polishing the surfaces well first, anyone who ends up seeing this in the 'flesh' will realise that there could be some improvement on this one! Thanks to everyone who had commented on this, it is really appreciated. Kind regards, Ray 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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