Jinxman Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 A project that cost the UK taxpayer more than the costs of the Saunders Roe Princess and the Bristol Brabazon put together, and by the time it made its first flight the English Electric Lightning was already in operational service. However, a magnificent looking airframe for all that, looking more engine than fuselage, and as shiny as you could wish for. The second of only two airframes survives, and is currently displayed at the RAF Museum in Cosford. Having picked up a cheap Dragon Models vacform at the Cosford show and seeing the GB, it had to be done. 😀 The kit is basic, and it came without a canopy to boot. As pointed out to me by @BritJet the kit is smaller than the Maintrack and Whirlybird kits - with a bit of checking it's because it scales out about 1/78 rather than 1/72. Planned to sit on an old Frog stand, in-flight, and so no need for u/c, open canopy, or engine inlets open! (Chicken that I am). 🐓 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 I was hoping that this GB might unearth some exotic kit builds and this Bristol 188 hits the mark perfectly! Well done Jinxman, this will be one to watch and follow as the weeks roll on. Cheers and warm welcome.. Dave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 Brrrrrr-ave man! Looking forward to this. If you need a canopy I might have a vacform spare kicking around... (If you need any notes on the pitfalls of the kit I did a build here) Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted July 29, 2019 Author Share Posted July 29, 2019 40 minutes ago, AdrianMF said: Brrrrrr-ave man! Looking forward to this. If you need a canopy I might have a vacform spare kicking around... (If you need any notes on the pitfalls of the kit I did a build here) Regards, Adrian Hi Adrian, Brave? - more like bonkers I reckon. I was looking at your build earlier on today, and I have browsed it before - hence my decision to chicken out on all the fiddly bits! I looked at the plastic again today, and then your wip & rfi - something to aspire to. 😁 Thanks for the offer of the canopy I may take you up on it once my willpower starts to disappear... next Monday perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 My first dabble with the plastic - the parts I shall be using have been cut out. The backing sheet hasn't been fully sanded down so as to match up with the plans and dimensions I have. The acrylic tube will be used for the engine nacelles, which don't seem to be a very accurate shape from the kit itself - they have some odd sort of area-ruled shape which the original didn't have. A big thank you to @BritJet for reference material and the artwork for the decals, and @Bungled for the old Triang stand that will be used to display the in-flight aeroplane. Now I've got some bits it'll be time to think about how it is all going to fit together. 😀 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Great start... that's a lot of prep work, however richly deserved for such a lovely subject. I love that stand, I might try to scrounge one for my Whittle Frog GB build as I'm struggling to mount it any other way. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 19 hours ago, Jinxman said: acrylic tube will be used for the engine nacelles, which don't seem to be a very accurate shape from the kit I would be wary of using straight tube. The real nacelles from photos have a definite bulge at the front. On a different topic, I found the leftover vac form canopies from my build, so PM me your address and they will be in the post Monday/Tuesday. I thought I had kept the master but I must have binned it - I didn’t think I’d see another one of these built! Regards, Adrian 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 6 hours ago, AdrianMF said: I would be wary of using straight tube. The real nacelles from photos have a definite bulge at the front. On a different topic, I found the leftover vac form canopies from my build, so PM me your address and they will be in the post Monday/Tuesday. I thought I had kept the master but I must have binned it - I didn’t think I’d see another one of these built! Regards, Adrian Hi Adrian - definitely a different section on the front of the nacelles vs the rear on XF926 at Cosford, and the different coloured centre section seems to be angled to join the two. However I'm not so sure about '923, looking at b&w photos from 60 years ago. 🤔 There were quite a few alterations during development, so it would be nice to know for certain. In either case the plastic in the kit is too 'shaped' to look right to my eye. No doubt it will work its way out during the gluing and priming. 🙂 ...hopefully.. PM on its way for the canopies - many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted August 11, 2019 Author Share Posted August 11, 2019 Not a fat lot of progress here - perfectly in keeping with the original project! I spent some time at RAF Cosford getting a feel for the airframe. Worth it as I have a better idea of the nacelle shapes, and there are some subtle curves to (possibly) replicate on the fuselage. Wings, tailplane, and some made-up bulkheads have been glued, and liberal amounts of superglue used to build up surfaces where they are a bit short on length - all a bit industrial at this stage. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted August 13, 2019 Share Posted August 13, 2019 How nice would it be to take a short drive and end up spending an enjoyable day at Cosfotd? Wish I could say that! Cheers.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 1, 2019 Author Share Posted September 1, 2019 It's been a while, other GBs are now out of the way build-wise, and a little bit of progress here. I really should have ditched the tailplane and wings from the kit - it would have been easier starting with bits of card that I could have cut to the correct shape, albeit they would still have had to be profiled to the correct curvature. A few bits appropriated from the spares box for the cockpit, cleaned up thanks to Mr Muscle. Sprue will be used to shape the fairings on the nacelles and the ailerons. Still thinking over the nacelle solution - I think the front parts might be able to be done using the kit plastic, (I don't learn 😀). Tailplane shape is now ok - just knocking up the bits on the top and bottom that are on the real thing. The fuselage is awaiting mating with the wing - once the wing looks near enough. Nose has been packed with milliput to hold some brass tube to reduce handling of the plastic later on, and support the re-profiling once everything is together. Various bulkheads in place, and an extra skin mid-fuselage to allow for some re-shaping to imitate the area-ruling around the wing. Still industrial at this stage.... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 Welcome back Jinxman, no need for apologies as we are all time limited and GB overloaded so I’ll join you on both fronts there. This will be a stunner, so take the time to get it right, chances are you’ll never build another! Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 1, 2019 Author Share Posted September 1, 2019 16 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said: Welcome back Jinxman, no need for apologies as we are all time limited and GB overloaded so I’ll join you on both fronts there. This will be a stunner, so take the time to get it right, chances are you’ll never build another! Not a cat in hell's chance of me touching another..... unless I knocked up some masters, and cast some copies. No stop it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 Ahhh the delights of vacform modelling. Just remember no injection moulded kit will match the final sense of satisfaction. Keep going, we're enjoying it. Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 8, 2019 Author Share Posted September 8, 2019 Plodding on whilst listening to TMS..... The tailplane has had fillets and vertical surface fashioned, a coat of primer, and needs a bit of touching up. The wing is getting there, another session of tidying and it will be close enough to fit to the fuselage, which can then be joined up. The fuselage had a bit of shaping to replicate the 'pinched' area. A few small pitots, pull cords, and wing fairings have been started to fill in gaps whist stuff drys - overall it's progressing. 😀 Cheers 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Good progress Scotty.. slow and steady works for most builds and I do scratch my head at those that manage to build kits so quickly and so well. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 9, 2019 Author Share Posted September 9, 2019 4 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said: Good progress Scotty.. slow and steady works for most builds and I do scratch my head at those that manage to build kits so quickly and so well. I agree - I'm a plodder, I just tootle along. Depends on the build, but if I see something on a photo or video I'll probably try and replicate it. Blitzbuild GBs are good in this respect - just get on and finish the thing. 😀 (Choose the right kit first though.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 The detailing is looking splendid! Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 11, 2019 Author Share Posted September 11, 2019 Just now, AdrianMF said: It is looking splendid! Thanks...and what little hair I did have seems to have departed. Can't say I wasn't warned though. 😀 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 A great little project. Keep up the good work dude. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 15, 2019 Author Share Posted September 15, 2019 Ashes series done - might get a bit more of a move-on now - fantastic listening & summer of cricket...😀 More plodding has meant the fuselage is buttoned up, though there is an alignment issue somewhere as something is out of square - once it's got a squirt of primer on we'll have a look. Nacelles have been progressed - kit parts for the fronts, one with a replacement 'nose' as it was egg-shaped, and turned/sanded for the rest. The acrylic I had planned to use was a little intractable, styrene is much easier to work with. The front fans are Matchbox Fw190 parts from the spares box, and the intake bullets are fashioned from spares-box bits, with a bit of acrylic/milliput. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 Starting to look like the real thing. I'm glad you are attending to the shape of the engines as they are not simple 'tubes ' Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 16, 2019 Author Share Posted September 16, 2019 6 hours ago, Colin W said: Starting to look like the real thing. I'm glad you are attending to the shape of the engines as they are not simple 'tubes ' Colin It took a while to get the shape to a point where I think it is close. Once it is all buttoned up we'll see if it looks the part.....😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 Always nice when things start to resemble the real thing and it’s all coming together quite well indeed. There’s obviously a lot of work going on with this build so it will be very rewarding once it’s all completed - a pretty obvious statement I know! Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 Modelling skills aplenty. Respect. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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