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It's fast! It's British! It's a Lightning!


giemme

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On 9/13/2020 at 1:11 PM, giemme said:

Cheers Cookie, very kind of you :thumbsup: 43°C????!!!! Heck, that's hot even for LA! I think it was just meant for me not to come this year - hopefully I'll be able to come next year, and maybe with a cooler weather .... 

Yes, next year will be better (I hope!) - the next weekend it was 116°F (47°C), and then here is a pic I took of the mountains from my driveway last Thursday:

IMG_20200910_185413

 

Sorry for the thread drift, and let's hope next year is mild and blue skies!

 

The 1/72 figures look incredible Giorgio, and I'm glad you had a good holiday with your family.

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So many wires spoiling the view Cookie, looks like the tangle under my bench for the dispooter.

 

Ah the view?

 

Spectacular and very sad thing to see, I hope you and yours stay out of that awful situation 

 

Kinda praying for you to be safe here (where it has become so chilly I have closed the window in this north facing room.)

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On 14/09/2020 at 15:11, phantom61 said:

Giorgio

 

nice job,  congratulations 

 

 👏👏👏

 

ciao 

Silvano

Grazie Silvano! :D :thumbsup:

On 14/09/2020 at 15:56, Biggles87 said:

Bill’s post about the PEC connectors has just reminded me. About 25 years ago there was a paint company called Gloy whose range  was aimed mostly at railway modellers who produced metallic colours and I bought their Metallic Blue and Metallic green, the green specifically for ejection seat PEC boxes and the blue for the equipment bay behind the cockpits of early F15s. I still have them and they are both still useable.

 

John 

John, thanks for mentioning the PEC connectors, I was able to find some useful pics on the web by searching those terms - now I think I have a clue on how to scratch build the thing :thumbsup:

On 16/09/2020 at 23:19, The Spadgent said:

Glad you had a nice time away. 😎 Those pilots look great. Excellent progress dear boy. 
Johnny

Cheers Johnny, glad you like them :thumbsup: 

11 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Yes, next year will be better (I hope!) - the next weekend it was 116°F (47°C), and then here is a pic I took of the mountains from my driveway last Thursday:

IMG_20200910_185413

 

Sorry for the thread drift, and let's hope next year is mild and blue skies!

 

The 1/72 figures look incredible Giorgio, and I'm glad you had a good holiday with your family.

Thanks Cookie :thumbsup:  47°C??? Holy cow! I experienced the same temperature two years ago during my trip in the States, but it was in the Death Valley!

The fires on the mountains are a very sad view, too - and I remember what's like being close to them, having passed near the Yosemite during the big fire: the smoke is everywhere, like a permanent low cloud.

38 minutes ago, perdu said:

Kinda praying for you to be safe here (where it has become so chilly I have closed the window in this north facing room.)

Same here (the praying, I mean, not the weather, as it's still quite hot here)

 

Ciao

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Hi everybody, here's a small update - I was able to manage some bench time only today, but I tried to progress enough to be able to complete the build within next WE. Let's see:

 

the AC needed chocks, so I scratch built some from sprue, shaping it with a triangular section (using my Dremel with a chopping drill) and dragging a razor saw across the length to reproduce the typical grooves

diorama23

 

Here they are, after priming, painting (Lifecolor Black) and drybrushing (Lifecolor Dark Grey and Light Gull Grey)

diorama24

 

The ropes were made from cotton thread, soaked in Aqua Gloss, twisted and weathered with a black tempera wash

diorama25

 

I guess I should have waited a bit more for the Aqua Gloss to harden, because some of the thread un-twisted. Anyway, here they are in place

diorama26

 

hey, look who's still around :D :winkgrin: 

diorama27

 

diorama28

 

Crew members: I airbrushed them with a mix of Lifecolor Matt Black and Matt French Blue, using my new PROCON Boy - I keep growing fond of this airbrush :) 

 

 

diorama29

 

Then I brush painted hands and faces, here's a small SBS: base color

diorama30

 

Highlights and shadows

diorama31

 

Hair (and a beard :D )

diorama32

 

The headset for the second from the left still needs to be painted; then of course I need to complete the painting of the uniforms.

I still need to scratch build two PEC connectors for the pilots, but other than that, I only need to place everything on the base.

 

As I said, I hope to get to completion by next WE; in the meantime, all comments welcome

 

Ciao

 

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10 hours ago, giemme said:

 

Hair (and a beard :D )

diorama32

 

I may be wrong but at the time period covered, unless you had a medical exemption a beard on a RAF station would have resulted in a short, loud meeting with the station warrant officer followed by a rapid trip to the barbershop.😬

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10 hours ago, giemme said:

Hi everybody, here's a small update - I was able to manage some bench time only today, but I tried to progress enough to be able to complete the build within next WE. Let's see:

 

the AC needed chocks, so I scratch built some from sprue, shaping it with a triangular section (using my Dremel with a chopping drill) and dragging a razor saw across the length to reproduce the typical grooves

diorama23

 

Here they are, after priming, painting (Lifecolor Black) and drybrushing (Lifecolor Dark Grey and Light Gull Grey)

diorama24

 

The ropes were made from cotton thread, soaked in Aqua Gloss, twisted and weathered with a black tempera wash

diorama25

 

I guess I should have waited a bit more for the Aqua Gloss to harden, because some of the thread un-twisted. Anyway, here they are in place

diorama26

 

hey, look who's still around :D :winkgrin: 

diorama27

 

diorama28

 

Crew members: I airbrushed them with a mix of Lifecolor Matt Black and Matt French Blue, using my new PROCON Boy - I keep growing fond of this airbrush :) 

 

 

diorama29

 

Then I brush painted hands and faces, here's a small SBS: base color

diorama30

 

Highlights and shadows

diorama31

 

Hair (and a beard :D )

diorama32

 

The headset for the second from the left still needs to be painted; then of course I need to complete the painting of the uniforms.

I still need to scratch build two PEC connectors for the pilots, but other than that, I only need to place everything on the base.

 

As I said, I hope to get to completion by next WE; in the meantime, all comments welcome

 

Ciao

 

 

Nice chocks Giorgio 👍

 

J7sukGk.jpg

 

JL4xf1u.jpg

 

Derek

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2 hours ago, CedB said:

Great chocks and crew Giorgio - impressive stuff :) 

Thanks Ced, glad you like them :thumbsup:

38 minutes ago, Riksbar said:

I may be wrong but at the time period covered, unless you had a medical exemption a beard on a RAF station would have resulted in a short, loud meeting with the station warrant officer followed by a rapid trip to the barbershop.😬

Thanks for mentioning that Riksbar :thumbsup: I think I'll go with medical exemption, the original figure has the beard molded in and I'm afraid that trying to remove it at this scale, I'd make a total mess. There actually is a colleague of mine that had such an exemption during his service: his face would swallow and turn bright red each time he tried shaving - sound plausible to me :winkgrin:

 

40 minutes ago, Derek B said:

Nice chocks Giorgio 👍

Thanks Derek :thumbsup: Is that you in the pics, or are they totally unrelated to you?

 

Ciao

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2 minutes ago, giemme said:

Thanks Ced, glad you like them :thumbsup:

Thanks for mentioning that Riksbar :thumbsup: I think I'll go with medical exemption, the original figure has the beard molded in and I'm afraid that trying to remove it at this scale, I'd make a total mess. There actually is a colleague of mine that had such an exemption during his service: his face would swallow and turn bright red each time he tried shaving - sound plausible to me :winkgrin:

 

Thanks Derek :thumbsup: Is that you in the pics, or are they totally unrelated to you?

 

Ciao

That is me in the picture (at the rear returning chocks after the run - this was November last year).

 

Cheers

 

Derek

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Very glad that you enjoyed your Hols Giorgio !!

Nice place, indeed, I used to choose my hollyday places after havin' a look at the airshow schedule...:whistle:

And then.... Ooooh look there will be an Airshow....:evil_laugh:

I was young Sir... I plead Not Guilty....

Impressive work on the figures !! At 1/72 it's a kind of bravery...

Puglia.... It's a place where one can find some of the italian finest wine is'nt it...

I learned it from a pugliese woman...

 

Hey @Cookenbacher, I hope that the situation is cooled down a bit now... The pic is impressive and so sad...

 

See @perdu, technical terms are a part of ourselves, we the technicians from AA...:rofl2::rofl2:

I used to save some unbearable technical terms...

So when I have a "Know it all" customer... Just to nail him down... Just in case... Not kind from me huh ?? :chair:

 

Sincerely.

CC

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1 hour ago, Derek B said:

That is me in the picture (at the rear returning chocks after the run - this was November last year).

Now you made me curious: was that an airshow? How are you involved in flying a Lightning, if I may ask? TIA

 

25 minutes ago, corsaircorp said:

Puglia.... It's a place where one can find some of the italian finest wine is'nt it...

Hard to go wrong with wine in Italy :winkgrin:  Some fine wines are from Puglia for sure, I wouldn't say the finest, though - are you sure you were attentively listening to that woman?  :winkgrin: :D  :D 

 

Ciao 

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14 minutes ago, giemme said:

Now you made me curious: was that an airshow? How are you involved in flying a Lightning, if I may ask? TIA

 

Ciao 

Hi Giorgio,

We may have probably already discussed this one...I am a (honorary) member of the Lightning Preservation Group (LPG) in the UK which owns three EE Lightning aircraft, two of which are maintained in running condition. Sadly, the fast taxi run which you can see in the images from November 2019s 'Twilight run' may well be the last time that such an event could take place.

Kindest regards

 

Derek

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3 hours ago, basket said:

Hi Gorgio .

Gorgeous work as usual.

Anyway , the chok ropes seem oversized to me ( in terms of diameter ) .

Keep on the  good job !

You are right there basket, the ropes are a bit oversized - and for some reason the pics make them look even more oversized. In real life they are actually quite acceptable, so I think I'll live with them. Thank you for the appreciation :thumbsup:

3 hours ago, Derek B said:

Hi Giorgio,

We may have probably already discussed this one...I am a (honorary) member of the Lightning Preservation Group (LPG) in the UK which owns three EE Lightning aircraft, two of which are maintained in running condition. Sadly, the fast taxi run which you can see in the images from November 2019s 'Twilight run' may well be the last time that such an event could take place.

Kindest regards

 

Derek

Thanks Derek - that is sad news indeed :( 

1 hour ago, Spookytooth said:

Nice chocks, and beard G.

In actual fact this build is coming along very nicely with just those few things left to do.

 

Stay safe.

 

Simon.

Cheers Simon, thank you :thumbsup:

1 hour ago, bbudde said:

Impressed Giorgio. That all looks fabulous. Nice stuff.

Cheers

Thanks Benedikt, glad you like it :thumbsup: 

 

Ciao

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10 hours ago, giemme said:

Now you made me curious: was that an airshow? How are you involved in flying a Lightning, if I may ask? TIA

 

Hard to go wrong with wine in Italy :winkgrin:  Some fine wines are from Puglia for sure, I wouldn't say the finest, though - are you sure you were attentively listening to that woman?  :winkgrin: :D  :D 

 

Ciao 

For sure, she was about to marry my brother...😆

But, the earth or other part of man anatomy...

In other words, my brother is not a clever guy...:rofl2:

I promise not to show your message to Jessica :rofl2::dinosaur:

CC

 

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9 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

Those little details are going to Make this Even more special than it already is. Bravo dear boy. 🤩👌

 

Johnny

Thanks Johnny, much appreciated :thumbsup:

9 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

For sure, she was about to marry my brother...😆

But, the earth or other part of man anatomy...

In other words, my brother is not a clever guy...:rofl2:

I promise not to show your message to Jessica :rofl2::dinosaur:

CC

 

You are a naughty boy, CC .... :rofl:  :rofl: 

 

Ciao

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23 hours ago, giemme said:

There actually is a colleague of mine that had such an exemption during his service:

 

My flying instructor actually did a solo crossing of the Atlantic in a sailing boat. He came back with a really bushy 'full set' (the FAA allowed 'full sets' ie beard and moustache, whereas in the RAF it was only the latter allowed) and looked very piratical! He somehow managed to persuade the doc that he'd developed a skin condition during the voyage and kept the beard for the rest of his career! From last year, beards are now allowed in the RAF as long as you get permisssion from your squadron commander! 

 

Anyways, great progress G, those chocks look brilliant, I'll need to up my game on the next base I build! All coming together really nicely!

 

Keith

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3 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

The temperatures have cooled and the air is only a little smokey now, thanks for the well wishes.

Hello, glad to hear that from far away over the atlantic. The weather forecast two weeks ago showed us just how wide your smoke was transformed here causing veil (cirostratus) clouds  in the whole circus towards us.  Hope that the brazilian won't kill that fragile system too soon. They are on the best way from what I saw so far.

Cheers Benedikt

Edited by bbudde
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On 22/09/2020 at 11:55, keefr22 said:

 

My flying instructor actually did a solo crossing of the Atlantic in a sailing boat. He came back with a really bushy 'full set' (the FAA allowed 'full sets' ie beard and moustache, whereas in the RAF it was only the latter allowed) and looked very piratical! He somehow managed to persuade the doc that he'd developed a skin condition during the voyage and kept the beard for the rest of his career! From last year, beards are now allowed in the RAF as long as you get permisssion from your squadron commander! 

 

Anyways, great progress G, those chocks look brilliant, I'll need to up my game on the next base I build! All coming together really nicely!

 

Keith

Thanks Keith, glad you like my effort :thumbsup: Thanks for the story too - I would have kept the full set after a solo crossing of the Atlantic too, sort of a proud sign! :D 

On 24/09/2020 at 20:03, Cookenbacher said:

Those scratched chocks turned out fantastic Giorgio.

 

The temperatures have cooled and the air is only a little smokey now, thanks for the well wishes.

Cheers Cookie, thank you :thumbsup: Glad to hear the weather is getting better over there - I hope the fires are tamed too

 

As anticipated, I was able to complete the diorama and the whole project - I actually completed it a few minutes ago. But first things first:

 

the crew painting was completed

diorama33

 

then I scratch built two PEC connectors from brass pipe, copper wire, 0.5mm plastic sheet, PE leftovers and masking tape, all glued with CA

diorama34

 

Here after the relevant painting and weathering

diorama35

 

and in place

diorama36

 

They are quite a crude approximation, but in the context I think they add some interest to the figures. Just, don't look too close! :frantic:  :D 

 

It was just a matter of placing the various bits on the base then:

 

diorama37

 

So the pilots are talking

diorama38

 

while these two blokes are working

diorama39

 

This other guy is fixing a missile, while the other is just looking

diorama40

 

and this project is eventually completed

diorama41

 

Proper RFI pics to follow, if and when :winkgrin: 

 

A huge thank you to everybody who followed, gave advice, encouraged and donated - details about that will be reported in the RFI thread

 

Stay tuned for the next project announcement :) 

 

All comments welcome, as usual

 

Ciao 

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