EE P1B XA847

[Head in the clouds.]

XA847 is one of 3 pre production P1B's produced to test and evaluate the various systems and options required to get to the production stage of the EE Lightning. This particular example was used to test various configurations with different belly tanks and tail designs, although, I have been unable to find any photographs of XA847 in service with the more common early F1/3 tank and large tail configuration so I modelled her as she was displayed after her service life. XA847 was the first british aircraft to fly at Mach2 on 25 November 1958 and as such is said to have had a plate fixed to the fuselage to record this feat.

The kit is the 1/72 Whirlybird P1B kit which comes with several vertical tails but only 2 tank options, none or the F1/3 type, it would have been great if the longer, extended version tank was supplied allowing that version to be built, it had a more eye catching scheme and looked more like some of the later,proposed developments of the Lightning. The kit is resin with metal undercarriage and with care goes together well. While building it and just before painting, it's last flight was to the shelf of doom, I could not make my mind up on what to do about the panel lines, they looked way too deep. In the end I decided to leave them and just get it finished and I am glad I did.

Painted in the main with various Alclad and weathered with Tamiya paints and over glossed with Alclad Gloss and Flat, this precess went very well and I am pleased with the end result. Decals from the kit were discarded as they are the stick on type which I have heard said that they can curl up after time so a combination of decals from the scrap box and various Hannants sheets allowed me to cover most of what I needed.

Although this is a solid resin kit when I came to stand it on it's undercarriage for the first time it was very close to being a tail sitter which caught me by surprise, I think two more decals on the rear fuselage would have tipped the balance, it is that close. However, lady luck was with me today.

This is the second of my three shelf of doom kits that I decided to finish and to be fair it was not really any shortcoming in the kit that I could not surmount; no, it was more me making a decision on how far I wanted to work on this build so to that end what I have here is rare for me, an OOB build ( apart from the decals)! with no embellishments at all. What you see is what you get.

The other milestone for me on this build is  that it is my first diorama setting which I enjoyed doing and will now do more often. I present to you XA847 as she was displayed at either Farnborough or Binbrook (or both) before being taken away for preservation and eventual display at Hendon.

The fuselage has actually got a slight green tint to it but the photos do not show it very well, it is there though..promise.

Hope you like it and any comments welcome.😁

 

PS; as I was taking the picks I noticed a redundant hole in the fuselage spine that I did not fill, also I may make some minor changes to the metal matting but for today it stays.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SAT69]

I remember seeing pictures of the P1B with that tail configuration. Very nice model and an equally nice display.

[Head in the clouds.]

1 hour ago, SAT69 said:

Very nice model and an equally nice display.

Thank you, the real plane had a slight brown /green colour to it from being outside on display which I have tried to capture but my photography is not up to much.

[binbrook87]

That is superb 👍 Nice to see a P.1 for a change from the norm

[MarkSH]

I think you have captured the look of an aircraft 'in waiting for some TLC' particularly well and the discolouration to the airframe does show up nicely and is very effective. Great work.

Mark.

[Head in the clouds.]

26 minutes ago, binbrook87 said:

That is superb 👍 Nice to see a P.1 for a change from the norm

Thank you.

 

1 minute ago, MarkSH said:

I think you have captured the look of an aircraft 'in waiting for some TLC' particularly well and the discolouration to the airframe does show up nicely and is very effective. Great work.

Mark.

Cheers Mark, building prototypes and research airframes they are more often than not kept in pristine condition so weathering opportunities are few.

[Wulfman]

Excellent build , and very interesting, great stuff !

 

Wulfman

[Head in the clouds.]

2 hours ago, Wulfman said:

Excellent build , and very interesting, great stuff !

Thank you.

[F-32]

Wonderful, I've just taken delivery of the FlightCraft special 'British Military Test and Evaluation Aircraft The Golden Years 1945-1975' which features this aircraft, your build looks spot on!

 

I saw the aircraft at one of the Farnborough shows, early '90s I think

 

P1 by tony_inkster, on Flickr

[Head in the clouds.]

On 5/13/2020 at 1:59 PM, F-32 said:

Wonderful, I've just taken delivery of the FlightCraft special 'British Military Test and Evaluation Aircraft The Golden Years 1945-1975' which features this aircraft, your build looks spot on!

 

I saw the aircraft at one of the Farnborough shows, early '90s I think

 

Thank you F32. I too have that book and a good one it is too. I enjoy building the less fashionable prototypes and test aircraft but info and good pictures can be hard to come by so every one posted or found in a book is a big bonus.

[Ryan Lumb]

On 10/05/2020 at 08:20, Head in the clouds. said:

XA847 is one of 3 pre production P1B's produced to test and evaluate the various systems and options required to get to the production stage of the EE Lightning. This particular example was used to test various configurations with different belly tanks and tail designs, although, I have been unable to find any photographs of XA847 in service with the more common early F1/3 tank and large tail configuration so I modelled her as she was displayed after her service life. XA847 was the first british aircraft to fly at Mach2 on 25 November 1958 and as such is said to have had a plate fixed to the fuselage to record this feat.

The kit is the 1/72 Whirlybird P1B kit which comes with several vertical tails but only 2 tank options, none or the F1/3 type, it would have been great if the longer, extended version tank was supplied allowing that version to be built, it had a more eye catching scheme and looked more like some of the later,proposed developments of the Lightning. The kit is resin with metal undercarriage and with care goes together well. While building it and just before painting, it's last flight was to the shelf of doom, I could not make my mind up on what to do about the panel lines, they looked way too deep. In the end I decided to leave them and just get it finished and I am glad I did.

Painted in the main with various Alclad and weathered with Tamiya paints and over glossed with Alclad Gloss and Flat, this precess went very well and I am pleased with the end result. Decals from the kit were discarded as they are the stick on type which I have heard said that they can curl up after time so a combination of decals from the scrap box and various Hannants sheets allowed me to cover most of what I needed.

Although this is a solid resin kit when I came to stand it on it's undercarriage for the first time it was very close to being a tail sitter which caught me by surprise, I think two more decals on the rear fuselage would have tipped the balance, it is that close. However, lady luck was with me today.

This is the second of my three shelf of doom kits that I decided to finish and to be fair it was not really any shortcoming in the kit that I could not surmount; no, it was more me making a decision on how far I wanted to work on this build so to that end what I have here is rare for me, an OOB build ( apart from the decals)! with no embellishments at all. What you see is what you get.

The other milestone for me on this build is  that it is my first diorama setting which I enjoyed doing and will now do more often. I present to you XA847 as she was displayed at either Farnborough or Binbrook (or both) before being taken away for preservation and eventual display at Hendon.

The fuselage has actually got a slight green tint to it but the photos do not show it very well, it is there though..promise.

Hope you like it and any comments welcome.😁

 

PS; as I was taking the picks I noticed a redundant hole in the fuselage spine that I did not fill, also I may make some minor changes to the metal matting but for today it stays.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love what you have done with this kit it looks brilliant nicely done. The whirlybird kits are I think excellent, the amount of extra bits they come with is really nice. This kit I love because it includes the early and late fins then the small ventral fuel tank. Seeing this whirlybird kit looking this good is making me want to start mine now. Do you think its possible to add weight inside where the wings attach just behind the bottom engine blade to stop the possibility of it being a tail sitter? Also do you have any tips for a kit like this? I have never started a resin kit before so it's a new one for me but I have everything I need to get started so any advice will be greatly appreciated. 

[Head in the clouds.]

Hi Ryan. Thank you for your kind words and sorry for the late reply.

You raise a good point, mine only just stays on its front wheel. Regarding your questions of weight, there are some small areas around the cockpit where lead may be added but failing that carefully hollowing out areas within the airframe should suffice.

As with any cottage industry kit it is about checking for fit over and over as you do any sanding, which you will probably do and remembering small resin parts can be very delicate. One other thing, when you use CA glue to glue two resin items together it sticks almost immediately so take your time with placement of parts.

 

Good luck and I hope you enjoy the build.

 

[Johnson]

I was looking for information about the Whirlybird P.1B and came across your build/RFI. Very nice! Good build and display.

 

I may have to buy one!

 

Charlie