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Tim's Hasegawa Lightning - COMPLETED


theplasticsurgeon

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Joining you with this early Hasegawa Lightning.  Costing £7 on Ebay earlier this year.

Hasegawa-Lightning-F6.jpg

I'll be comparing this kit with the more recent Hasegawa/Revell an Frog offerings.  Which I've built.

 

Parts.

Has-Lightning-Parts.jpg

Decals,  I'm currently planning Firebirds, and as shiney as possible.  But definitely RAF.

Has-Lightning-Decals.jpg

And here the instructions.

Has-Lightning-Inst.jpg

This is my 21st EE Lightning build, I'll show you the rest later.

 

 

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I take a seat in the auditorium.  Of course, Hasegawa is not my choice, my choice is the new Airfix, but I hope that I will learn a lot about Lightning in this build.

 

B.R.

Serge

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Here my 1/72 Lightning form,  being presented in the order that I find the hosted images.

 

Airfix F1A, 5 Sqdn.  This model is metal foiled.

Airfix_LightningF1Aphoto3.jpg

 

Airfix F2A, 92 Sqdn.  This the definitive  big-belly Lightning.

Airfix_LightningF2Alpha.jpg

 

Airfix F3

Airfix_LightningF3.jpg

 

My Airfix FSW what-if.  Laminate plasticard wings.

Airfix_LightningFSW_RP.jpg

 

The more modern Hasegawa F6,  another that I'll be comparing with.

Hasegawa-Lightning-F6-74-Sqdn.jpg

 

Matchbox F2A, 92 Sqdn

Matchbox_LightningF2AflyingStbd.jpg

 

Matchbox F2A, 19 Sqdn, using leftover Airfix decals.

Matchbox_Lightning_F2A_(2).jpg

 

Matchbox F2A, 19 Sqdn

Matchbox_LightningF2A_FP.jpg

 

Matchbox F6, 23 Sqdn.

Matchbox_LightningF6_23Sqdn.jpg

 

Matchbox F6, 11 Sqdn

Matchbox_LightningFlagPort.jpg

 

Matchbox F6, Lightning Training Flight

Matchbox-Lightning-Grey-Stbd.jpg

 

Matchbox T5, with Airfix belly tank, 11 Sqdn.

Matchbox_LightningT5Stbd.jpg

 

Matchbox what-if. USAF stdb, US Navy port.

Matchbox_LightningUSAF.jpg

Matchbox_LightningUSNavy2.jpg

 

Matchbox what-if VG.  Two sets of wings.

Matchbox_LightningVGphoto2.jpg

Matchbox_LightningVGphoto3.jpg

 

Matchbox what-if T66.  Desert stbd 11 Sqdn. Arctic port.  5 Sqdn.

Matchbox_Lightning-T66_Stbd.jpg

Matchbox_Lightning-T66_FP.jpg

 

Revell F6, the newer Hasegawa.  23 Sqdn.

Revell_Lightning-F6_FP.jpg

 

Revell F6,  the old Frog.  Leuchars Lightning Target Facilities or Scottish Air Force.

Revell_Lightning_F6_FS.jpg

 

 

And now my Airfix 1/48th Lightnings.

 

F3,   29 Sqdn.

Airfix_Lightning_F3_(2).jpg

 

F6, 56 Sqdn

Airfix_Lightning_F6_(1).jpg

 

And a T4 conversion, 19 Sqdn.

Airfix_Lightning_T4stbd.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Are You have P.1 in You collection?

 

B.R.

Serge

 

UPD.

Understand. In my collection also not P.1 and it saddens me too, because without the prototype of Lightning - P.1 it is impossible to show the evolution of the family.

Edited by Aardvark
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Hi Serge

I suppose a P.1/P.1A would be possible - the old Frog kit claimed to be one, and Aeroclub did a conversion set for the Airfix F.1 I believe. According to Scalemates somebody called "Whirlybirds" also did one as recently as 2014. The problem would be actually finding one at a sensible price. Nice idea though.

 

Pete

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I still produce an F.3/1 conversion for this kit, unfortunately it costs more than your ebay bargain!

 

https://www.freightdogmodels.co.uk/featured/freightdog-1-72-bac-lightning-f-3-conversion-for-hasegawa-frog.html

 

Colin

 

Edited by Colin @ Freightdog Models
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2 hours ago, Colin @ Freightdog Models said:

I still produce an F.3/1 conversion for this kit, unfortunately it costs more than your ebay bargain!

 

https://www.freightdogmodels.co.uk/featured/freightdog-1-72-bac-lightning-f-3-conversion-for-hasegawa-frog.html

 

Colin

 

I hadn't known about that Colin, thanks - but I'll pass.  Might have come in handy for my T5 conversion though.

 

Right, onto business, and the first myth dispelled.  Spru comparison with the Frog Lightning

This Hasegawa kit,

Has-Lightning-Parts.jpg

Revell 1996 coppy of Frog.

IMG-20190824-191422.jpg

Not the same tool.  I'll compare panel lines etc during construction,  with the Revell - to see if they're likely from the same master.

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Ooh I like the look of this one. The Lightning is one of those planes I used to think was very cool when I was kid. That pointy nose I think.

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2 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

Spru comparison with the Frog Lightning

This Hasegawa kit,

Has-Lightning-Parts.jpg

Revell 1996 coppy of Frog.

IMG-20190824-191422.jpg

Not the same tool.  I'll compare panel lines etc during construction,  with the Revell - to see if they're likely from the same master.

The relationship between FROG and Hasegawa is not simple:

"By this time, the owner of the trademark was the firm “Rovex Industries Ltd.”, which was already actively working on the successor model, which was supposed to be the latest modification of the BAC “Lightning” F.Mk.6.  The development of the mold began in 1967, and in the FROG registry the model received the F201 index with preliminary inclusion in the Red Series.  It is possible that over time we would have seen a completely different “Lightning” under the FROG brand, but it was then that “Rovex” entered into a period of close cooperation with “Hasegawa”, having concluded an agreement to sell Japanese castings in their boxes.  To avoid the production of two identical models, the "Frog" project was rushed to close.


 As it turned out, the sales of repackaged castings could be a good profit.  The first edition under the box title “B.A.C.  Lightning F-6 Fighter ”was produced during 1968-1974.  In the FROG catalog, the model received the index F266 and was included in the Orange Series.  For the G1 box, a box art was developed with the image of a fighter from the RAF.  The decal and paint scheme retained the design options for the RAF and the Saudi Arabian Air Force, but with different serial numbers.  Over 7 years of sales, 165,000 castings were sold, some of which were repackaged by UPC (5082-100) for sale in the USA.  But not everything was so cloudless - an acute economic crisis soon led to the curtailment of cooperation with “Hasegawa”.


 Against the background of these events, the management of the company "Rovex Ltd."  (as it began to be called after the next renaming), decided to make a “knight's move”.  A copy of the Japanese mold was made on our own, and the F412 index was reserved for the “new” model and the development of a new decal with two RAF variants began.  The work was carried out during 1972-1973, but in the end the publication of this edition did not take place.

 They returned to this project in 1975, when the business for the British manufacturer, which changed its name to “Rovex Models and Hobbies” in 1974, was going nowhere worse.  Having signed a contract with the Soviet company “Novoexport” for the supply of molds, the British simultaneously began to produce models of the latest developments.  The third and final edition was produced in 35,000 copies.  The model was supplied in H1 packaging with new box art, but with paint schemes from the first edition.  The box name was changed to “B.A.C.  Lightning F-6 Interceptor Fighter ”, but the index and series in the FROG catalog remained the same."

 

"By creating their mold based on the model from Hasegawa (“BAC / English Electric Lightning F Mk.6”, JS-019), which went on sale in 1967, the developers at FROG did not engage in blind copying.  In addition to changing the arrangement of parts on the sprues, some changes were introduced.  First of all, the detailing of the cockpit was updated - the floor, dashboard and steering wheel were removed.  Instead, a new, more authentic pilot's seat appeared, and the figure itself became more “human”.  In addition, the emergency braking hook part, which was attached to the bottom of the fuselage aft, was removed - and in vain, this "highlight" was not found on all "Lightning" F.Mk.6."

from:

http://retromodels.ru/f266/

 

Besides, Revell did not copy FROG as far as I know, they just bought a certain amount of Lightning castings (as well as other models) from the Donetsk Toy Factory where these models were produced during the USSR period and after its collapse for some time, and if You look at the side of the Revell box, in theory You should see the inscription there: "Molded in Ukraine" what actually means made on Donetsk Toy Factory. 

😉

 

B.R.

Serge

 


 

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6 hours ago, Aardvark said:

Besides, Revell did not copy FROG as far as I know, they just bought a certain amount of Lightning castings (as well as other models) from the Donetsk Toy Factory where these models were produced during the USSR period and after its collapse for some time, and if You look at the side of the Revell box, in theory You should see the inscription there: "Molded in Ukraine" what actually means made on Donetsk Toy Factory. 

😉

 

B.R.

Serge

 


 

I still have the 1996 Revell Lightning box, and can confirm it does say "Made in Ukraine".  Which I hadn't previously noticed.

Edited at 19:30.

I've just checked and found the same on the Sea Vixen, and Skua boxes.

Both JSF (X32 and X35) kits are made in Italy,  Italeri connection.

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15 minutes ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

I still have the 1996 Revell Lightning box, and can confirm it does say "Made in Ukraine".  Which I hadn't previously noticed.

I wrote:

5 hours ago, Aardvark said:

in theory You should see the inscription there: "Molded in Ukraine"

because it made no sense for me to buy Revell Lightning for $ 15 or $ 20, while the plastic Lightning made a factory in my city and they were even sold in newsstands 😁 for $ 1 or $ 2., that's why I never held a box of Revell from Lightning in my hands, despite the fact that a stream of Revell poured into our city from 1994-1995, among which I fished for my collection F-101B, Ta-183, FJ-4B, Go.229, Me.1101B, Me.1099B...but of course Revell repack Lightning, Sea Vixen, Shackleton, Skya, Canberra  e.t.c in my city  they weren't taking it ... it just didn't make sense! 😁

But the local community of modelers certainly knew that the Donetsk Toy Factory was working under export contracts with Revell.😎

Much later, I was told what Shakespearean passions were then raging in the factory at the conclusion of that contract with Revell.

The fact is that in addition to Revell, the Poles also showed interest in the sales of Sea Vixen. They really wanted to start selling Sea Vixen earlier than Revell, but Revell's offer was more tempting for the locals in terms of money, and then after the last visit of the Poles to the factory, which ended in failure for the Poles, the mold on the Sea Vixen canopy  disappeared. She just disappeared without a trace, evaporated ... The Poles faded all suspicions, yeah. 😁 But the contract with Revell was signed, Sea Vixen had to be supplied ...in general, the locals had to order a new mold for the Sea Vixen 

canopy to fulfill the contract.

Therefore, the modern canopy in Sea Vixen is slightly different from that of the old FROG canopy.

 

B.R.

Serge

 

P.S.

Didn't I tell the story of Sea Vixen canopy  in the BM FROG topic?

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Today I've retrieved a Revell (Ex Hasegawa) and Revell (Ex Frog) Lightning models from my loft for comparison.

My plan for this build, is to pose just lifting off the runway - like this.  But with gear part way thru the retraction cycle.

Runway.jpg

According to GOOGLE, runway centrelines are 36 inches wide, and 120feet long sections, and I want my model to look like it's doing 150mph.

So I hope you approve how I've painted that block of MDF.

 

I've also retrieved my Revell (Ex Frog) instructions.  The two kits have different part numbers.

Panel-line detail is as good as identical.

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Shiny B)

Seeing this reminds me how cool the Thunder City jets including their Lightning looked in overall gloss black. Shame nobody did decals for them.

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Well, my plan was for SNJ,  but my starter set has well and truly settled, and won't mix.

Plan B, was the discovery of another tin of Humbrol 11 on my bench,  with better consistency than my previous.

Airbrushed this morning.

Silver11-P.jpg

and some areas polished with the SNJ polishing powder.

Silver11-S.jpg

 

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While the Lightning looked good in any scheme it always looked best in natural metal with colourful markings :speak_cool:  and old formula Humbrol 11 is good stuff!

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For anybody else with this kit - be VERY careful with the decals, or just replace them.

I lost the wing walkways, and have just inked them in.

I also lost the underwing serials, and all the black stripes on the belly.

The rest, I saved with a coat of Klear, and I'm feeling very fortunate about the result

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