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Britain's True Interceptor - EE/BAC Lightning, 1-48th Aeroclub's F6 FINISHED


MADMUSKY

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A BIG thanks to fellow member keith in the uk, I can go ahead with my original chosen subject for this Group Build, Aeroclub's BAC Lightning F6.

 

The Box

BOX

 

The contents (ignore the decals, from Aeroclubs F3 version)

FULL KIT

 

The offending Yellow canopy on the bottom and replacement from keith in the uk top,

CANOPIES

 

This will be out the box build, I might replace the Ejection seat with an Aftermarket one, markings for this will be 11 Sqn RAF Leuchars.

 

Darren

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MADMUSKY
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1 hour ago, Col. said:

Glad to see you can now join us with this one Darren :thumbsup:

Cheers Col

 

So on with the build.

Firstly I separated the fuselage in to 2 pieces,  and with a fine Sharpie marker I marked around the fuselage, then with a new blade I scored at a 45 degree angle around the fuselage.

20201114_185028

 

I carefully snapped off the waste plastic and went onto the sanding board, carefully sanding away taking care not to sand too much away. Note I keep the ends on at this stage, this keeps the rigidity when I apply downward pressure during the sanding. 

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Finally happy with the sanding I taped it together and added the nose ring and rear end............no gaps😀

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Note the step at the bottom of the nose ring

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Lucky enough I have several Aeroclub nose rings, this one is too large and will not fit, its just a case of sanding the white metal down behind the nose ring until it fits in snuggly .

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The white metal rear end is a different matter!!! way too big, again I have several of these so just a case of finding one that will match up.

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I fitted the rear end of an Airfix kit, fits beautifully when looking from the side.

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But compared with the Aeroclub fuselage its too pinched in when looking from the rear 😧

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That's all for now

 

Darren

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Just a small update

been watching the F1 and BTCC all day (lazy day)

 

Got the nose ring and tail end sanded down so they fit snuggly, the tail ring sits slightly proud of the fuselage but this will be blended in better later on.

20201115_134717

 

Still to check everything still fits when the intake trucking with the bullet radar/nose gear bay is attached to the nose ring and and pipes to the rear end.

 

Darren

 

 

 

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19 hours ago, Shorty84 said:

Hi Darren,

 

nice to see a vac-formed kit being built. The Lightning is such a classic type and I'm really interested to see how the Aeroclub kit goes together.

 

Cheers

Markus

 

Glad your following along Markus

Vac-form kits can be quite challenging, but once you've done a couple they get slightly easier. We've got used to Tamiya "shake n bake" style kits, so sometimes it good to have to put the hard work it to get the end result.

I've built several Aeroclub Lightnings over the years and enjoy them (so much so I snap them up when being sold at reasonable prices). I like Aeroclub's Lightning, to me it has better proportions than the Airfix Lightning, ok it doesn't have the fine engraved panel lines but its not as anaemic in the fuselage department and the belly tank has better shape to me. Also Aeroclub got the complex leading edge angle bang on, Airfix is a little too straight.

I've built several companies Vac-form kits and I rank Aeroclub and Dynavector as really good quality, Airways, Formaplane require a lot of work, I've got a couple of Sanger kits (Hampden, Beaufort) but these will stay in the box (crude moulding that don't match and some of the most basic metal parts that don't resemble the parts there meant to be)

But if you put the work you get good results.

 

Below is my Aeroclub F1 its just waiting on me cutting out the canopy but I'll leave it until I'm ready to do the canopy for this one, that's the hardest part for me........1 wrong cut and its ruined😢

 

20201116_201709

 

Darren

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On 11/17/2020 at 5:43 AM, CliffB said:

It's a rare treat to see a vacform being built Darren, especially one in a larger scale.  I'm looking forward to seeing how you deal with the cockpit :popcorn:

 

Cheers

Cockpit is a simple affair not many parts, not really accurate but it will do since you wont see a lot of it with the canopy on,

Consists of 9 white metal parts and 2 resin parts

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A little clean up and assembled, I wont be using the Aeroclub ejection seat as I've an Aires resin seat for this build. Just paint and it's ready for installation.

20201121_151506

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Decided to cut out a few vents, particularly the large one on the left side fuselage

20201121_130131

 

replaced it with some evergreen tubing, some clean up to do but looks a lot better. The other vents and holes blanked off inside.

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Added some of the internal supports, and cut out front gear bay and cockpit area. The blobs of  filler you can see on the inside of each fuselage is for drilling out the guns, giving them more depth.

20201121_152051

 

That's all for now., get cracking on later tonight with intake trunking and rear end.

 

Darren

 

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Another small update

So got the intake trunking and rear exhaust trunking together last night but forgot to take photos, here they are assembled.

20201122_115501

 

and sitting in the fuselage

20201122_121037

 

I drilled out the gun openings

20201122_120456 (2)

Since RAF Leuchars Sqns (11 and 23) was the first to receive gun packs on their F6's, I was going to do an 11 Sqn machine but since checking my references I've noticed a difference between the kit and the real thing.

Firstly early gun openings

20201122_122924

 

23Sdn-XR756-M_F_Martin1200-1200x705

 

And later on version with muzzle flash deflectors added

Untitled-16 (2)

 

What I have, gun opening set back slightly than the fuselage and a panel line around it as in the later version.

This is still 100% better than the Airfix attempt at gun opening.

20201122_130353

 

Options I have:

1. leave as is

2. I have some etch muzzle flash deflectors lying around(ETCH is my Kryptonite😧)

3. Fill it in and sand of gun bulge, and go for a belly tank  version

4. Cut out the triangular opening, insert a correct size tubing and fill around it, then when dry sand back to hopefully get the correct opening.

 

Not sure what to do, maybe I'm getting a bit hung up on details rather than cracking on and enjoying the build 🤔

 

Darren

 

 

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How much will the incorrection annoy you in the future once this one is finished and in your display cabinet Darren?

Personally I'd try the etch first, perhaps even trying to replicate the metal parts in plastic, then give the replacement tubing option a go - that sounds like increasing degrees of complexity and effort to me.

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26 minutes ago, Col. said:

How much will the incorrection annoy you in the future once this one is finished and in your display cabinet Darren?

Personally I'd try the etch first, perhaps even trying to replicate the metal parts in plastic, then give the replacement tubing option a go - that sounds like increasing degrees of complexity and effort to me.

It wont annoy too much (says that now but don't want to suffer from "Should've done that" later on) I think your right, I'll try the Etch first and take it from there.

 

Darren

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Latest work

Dry fit

Dry fit

Dry fit

Dry fit

Having the sub assemblies installed and taped up, found I had some issues 🤔.......to many gaps/mis-alignment 😬. Time to find out why?

Front end:

intake trunking to nose ring off to an angle, so remove from the ring and bullet nose gear section, touch up and re-glue. Problem is with taking it apart I've lost the moulded slot for the ring to attach!!!, so my solution is to use a strip of 5mm thin paper masking tape with a bead of thick super glue weld underneath. This forms a good bond....all's straight.

Rear end:

It too was crooked but an easy fix, I just roughly shaped the engine face bulkhead to the Fuselage curves, thus allowing the white metal ring tight as possible and can be in out in and out easier. Great sorted.....but I found that the rear fuselage was now sitting below the white metal rear ring!!!. All that required was some various different thickness plastic strips to lift up.

 

 

Nose ring apart touched up, the top intake trunking is after separation, below is as it should be. Rough shape cut out on engine face bulkhead

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The repair, its better to use thinner paper type for this and not the Tamiya tape on the left

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The rear packing added.

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The results, This brings the fuselage sides in line with the metal ring,

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But revealed this, as long as all the way round the fuselage aligns with the ring i can live with it.

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from above revealed another issues, the slot for the tail was off centre.

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A few cuts later

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The front I'm happy with, enough plastic to blend in

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The only gap, easily shimmed (not the best pic)

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The final results, 

20201123_192439

 

Next time will be to to it all over again but with the cockpit tub installed. 

 

Darren

 

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With the cockpit installed, it was time to finally put together.

Cockpit installed

20201125_205116

 

once buttoned up it was put aside for a day to set, it was time to start on the wings

The wings 

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once cut out, along with the 3 resin parts making up the rest of the wing. The fuselage behind has had a coat of Halfords primer, still work to be done.

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The completed wings, some clean up required then a coat of primer to see what they look like

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Couldn't resist

Taped the wings to the fuselage along with the tail, finished the cockpit, just the seat to go.

20201129_131652

 

Only a test fit, but beginning to see the end result. A few more bits and pieces to add to the fuselage, ejection seat, then I've got to tackle the canopy(dread this...one wrong cut).

More fettling and sanding ahead, my original idea was to do a 11 Sqn, RAF Leuchars but now I'm not sure what scheme to do?  Saudi two tone brown is different.

 

Darren  

 

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On 29/11/2020 at 14:37, MADMUSKY said:

along with the 3 resin parts making up the rest of the wing.

Not resin, it's injection moulded plastic.   

Not seen @John Aero on here recently, but I'm sure he'd enjoy watching this.   

The best Aeroclub kit I have seen was the Canberra,  I gave a low whistle when I finally got one hand had a close look, really impressive multimedia package.   I also have a couple of Hunters stashed.

 

Great wirk, really enjoyed seeing this being done. 

On 29/11/2020 at 14:37, MADMUSKY said:

Saudi two tone brown is different.

Hmm.  happy to be proved wrong, but putting Saudi Lightning Fighter into google images gets profiles and models in desert scheme, all the photos show natural metal. 

Though, this build

 

says there were two in camo.....  I assume as an experiment.

 

cheers

T

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry there has been no updates for a couple of weeks.

The Father in Law has been unwell for the last 2 weeks and unfortunately he passed away on Friday. I will get back to this at some point in the next week or so.

 

Darren

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Sorry to hear that Darren. Take your time and come back to this one when you feel like it. We'll be here with the usual banter and support whenever you need it.

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  • 1 month later...

Hope to get back to this starting this weekend, got 2 weeks holiday from Friday so plenty of time.

 

On 11/30/2020 at 5:40 PM, Troy Smith said:

Not resin, it's injection moulded plastic.   

Not seen @John Aero on here recently, but I'm sure he'd enjoy watching this.   

The best Aeroclub kit I have seen was the Canberra,  I gave a low whistle when I finally got one hand had a close look, really impressive multimedia package.   I also have a couple of Hunters stashed.

 

Great wirk, really enjoyed seeing this being done. 

Hmm.  happy to be proved wrong, but putting Saudi Lightning Fighter into google images gets profiles and models in desert scheme, all the photos show natural metal. 

Though, this build

 

says there were two in camo.....  I assume as an experiment.

 

cheers

T

Yeah I know it's not resin, Its some of the toughest plastic to sand down. Being the tan colour I've just got used to calling it resin.

 

Yeah I googled it too but no pictures, only built models. The decal sheet says its similar to the scheme on the gate guardian, so without any proof pictures of an operational one I think I might just  leave it. A good ole RAF camo version me thinks, maybe a Grey machine, never done a grey lightning before.

 

Darren

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Back to it,

I wasn't really happy with the nose ring connection and panel placement, so I decided to correct this. I glued small Evergreen rod strips in place, when soft pushed firmly down to ensure no gaps.

 

20210131_204442

 

20210131_204548 (1)

 

added the tail

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Whilst waiting on this to dry, I started to assemble the over wing tanks,

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Once it was dry it was sanded down, I'm a lot happy with it now,

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New panel lines scribed, you can make out the old panel lines for comparison.

 

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Under a coat of primer, a sand down to take the sharp edges required to match the others.

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Started the wings again, a coat of primer reveals the flaws

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That's all for now

Still a lot to do

 

Darren

 

 

 

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