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Trumpeter 1.32nd EE Lightning Yes or No ?


keith in the uk

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I have had this kit in the stash since it was first released and like many others was pleased that we now had a 1.32nd scale injection moulded kit of the Lightning however since reading about the many faults concerning this kit i am now beginning to wonder if its worth while spending a small fortune on upgrades for this kit despite spending £ 90.00 when first released 😬 If the kit was a good basis from the start i would have no problem with spending money on upgrades but because this kit needs so much work to correct the faults and from what i have read there are many is it worth my while when it could still end up looking like a Turkey ?  ££££ = :poop:? Over to you chaps as the Clash once sang Should i stay or should i go ?

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From memory, it's a kit with some substantial flaws from a point of view of shape, but unless you can get hold of a 1:32 Echelon kit, it's the only game in town.  If you've got it, you should build it, as it'll look like a Lightning, just one with a slightly weird shaped cockpit and too deep a depression between the engines.  @Iain Ogilvie was working on some corrections, but I'm not 100% sure where he got to with it, as I lost touch with his progress :hmmm:

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9 minutes ago, Mike said:

From memory, it's a kit with some substantial flaws from a point of view of shape, but unless you can get hold of a 1:32 Echelon kit, it's the only game in town.  If you've got it, you should build it, as it'll look like a Lightning, just one with a slightly weird shaped cockpit and too deep a depression between the engines.  @Iain Ogilvie was working on some corrections, but I'm not 100% sure where he got to with it, as I lost touch with his progress :hmmm:

 

@Mike and @keith in the uk  I think @Iain Ogilvie project ran out of steam as I was following but have not seen anything for a long time now.  Can't blame him as I think it was getting to the stage of buy the kit, throw away the parts and make a start from there.  I'd love to be proved wrong - again !!

 

For me the very worst part of the two Trumpeter kits is the cockpit canopy as that's where my eye goes first when its down to Lightnings.  To some extent that's now resolved by the resin parts from @Ali62.  I got two for the two kits in my stash and well worth it.  I'd live with the rest of the errors I suppose.  

 

Linky web thing:- 

 

https://aerocraftmodels.bigcartel.com/product/english-electric-lightning-replacement-canopy-set-for-1-32-trumpeter-kit

 

@Icelandic Fine Art were/are doing a project as I recall and Alan may produce a 1/32 Lightning in the future.  

 

As for a mainstream 1/32 Moulded kit I think the wait will be about as long as we have had for a UK Spey engined F-4 Phantom. :(

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See the way i see it is accept the kit for what it is or be prepared to modify the kit to make the wrongs right. Now how much you modify is your choice either effort or cash (making it an expensive kit). I've seen many a kit at shows over the years and some are great unmodified. Choices choices. I think you should sell it to me for £15 for the greater good of modelling. I'll send you photos when it's done.

 

Alan P will be along and offer you £20 and he'll build it in 2 weeks.

 

Steve.

 

Edited by speedy
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55 minutes ago, speedy said:

See the way i see it is accept the kit for what it is or be prepared to modify the kit to make the wrongs right. Now how much you modify is your choice either effort or cash (making it an expensive kit). I've seen many a kit at shows over the years and some are great unmodified. Choices choices. I think you should sell it to me for £15 for the greater good of modelling. I'll send you photos when it's done.

 

Alan P will be along and offer you £20 and he'll build it in 2 weeks.

 

Steve.

 

Oh Speedy , you are awful , but i like you .  😀

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As mentioned above, a resin replacement canopy does a huge amount to improve the look of the cockpit area. 
 

Another very simple but effective modification is to remove 2mm from the main gear legs. This improves the overall stance of the model and makes it look like it ‘sits’ right. 
 

The other shape errors are easy to overlook and unless it’s sat next to the Echelon kit, it’s quite acceptable. If it looks like a duck and quacks…

 

At the end of the day only you can be the judge if whether it’s worth building, but it’s so easy to get bogged down with correcting every last error (whether perceived or actual reality) that it’s unlikely it’ll ever get finished. Just built it and enjoy it - I’ve done 3 and they go together like Lego. 

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The question remains, How can manufacturers keep getting so many kits wrong? it's not as if there aren't any Lightnings around.

Suspicious people might consider collaboration between them and aftermarket types. Surely not?

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Thank you every one for your input so far 👍 It seems to be the opinion that the kit is worth building despite its many flaws .

My plan now is to correct the length by 5mm as suggested , sort out the belly tank shape , reposition the nose gear wheel bay and main wheel bay positions , replace the canopy with the after market option ,and cockpit depth, and correct the undercarriage legs / wheels.

What i need now is a decent set of 1.32nd scale plans for the F1 / F3 mark so if any body can help me out there it would be very much appreciated.

:goodjob:

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I sent Alan Wilson some photos last May for the Lightning, but I have not heard from him since August. No idea how his mouldings are going. He was due to start casting after the heatwave last year, but was doing around 5 different aircraft at the time.

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I think I read that the Trumpy effort is based on some scale-drawings that have been heavily criticized for accuracy since they were published. Personally, my attitude to kits is one of  "accuracy is great, but ain't the end of the world..."

 

As other folks have stated, it will look very much like a big Lightning once it's in your display cabinet and I think that's a good thing. Of course, the fact that I've bought a LOAD of after-marche for my Frightening does not enter into this equation!

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris.  

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OK - who mentioned Trumpeter Lightnings?    

 

Yes - I got really burned out on the project - but it's not completely dead and the patterns have been out over the last month for a coat of looking at.

 

I'm doing the Norwegian Blue variants...

 

48b427_59912554711a4bbebec67ac37d3205e5~

 

Iain

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On 23/01/2023 at 16:41, spruecutter96 said:

I think I read that the Trumpy effort is based on some scale-drawings that have been heavily criticized for accuracy since they were published. Personally, my attitude to kits is one of  "accuracy is great, but ain't the end of the world..."

 

As other folks have stated, it will look very much like a big Lightning once it's in your display cabinet and I think that's a good thing. Of course, the fact that I've bought a LOAD of after-marche for my Frightening does not enter into this equation!

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris.  

Oh.... looks to me that some people at Trumpeter/HB should pay  more attention to details on their SCALE  models, since there are several Trump/HB fails in their kits like EE Lightnings, A-7s, F-100s, F-14s, F-105s, etc...

 

SouthViper from Brazil 

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The woe is me brigade will constantly find more faults. The glass half full modellers realise that with the Aerocraft canopies (I've bought two sets and they're super), a reworked belly tank, extended inner nose ring, and 4mm fuselage plug (or, quicker, just moving the mainplane back 3mm) will make it look 97% like a Lightning

As for AM, I would avoid Aires and just stick to Aerocraft, Eduard and - optionally - ResKit. I have not bought the ResKit jetpipes so can't say whether they fit without taking out the excessive hourglass pinch.  

 

I've seen OOB examples built up and these were still impressive. You can't beat the heft of 1/32, but if someone's going to lose sleep over any errors they should sell the Trumpeter — and there are plenty who would give you one hell of a lot more than £20 for it —buy and build the Airfix 1/48 kit. 

 

Tony 

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On 1/31/2023 at 7:30 AM, SouthViper said:

Oh.... looks to me that some people at Trumpeter/HB should pay  more attention to details on their SCALE  models, since there are several Trump/HB fails in their kits like EE Lightnings, A-7s, F-100s, F-14s, F-105s, etc...

.... Or maybe we should count ourselves lucky that Trumpeter and Hobbyboss regularly make 1/32 kits that no other manufacturer would even CONSIDER producing? I think we should appreciate their efforts a bit more.

 

Chris.  

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What about the rumour that Trumpeter reworks the mold?

I noticed that the EE Lightning is available on Ebay from China again.

It wasn´t for years and I think I remember it was somewhere said it is available because Trumpeter reworks the mold. 

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8 hours ago, spruecutter96 said:

.... Or maybe we should count ourselves lucky that Trumpeter and Hobbyboss regularly make 1/32 kits that no other manufacturer would even CONSIDER producing? I think we should appreciate their efforts a bit more.

 

Chris.  

Well, at first I should agree with you.

However, it is the kit makers who first take on the work and consequences of coming up with a good product for which WE the consumers will have to PAY for the product.

By this I mean that, according to the laws of the market, we consumers have the right to demand the due provision of a service for which we pay for.

And, believe it or not, it is this Law that governs the world market. Although sometimes even large and well-known Japanese manufacturers of SCALE MODELS make small design mistakes, these facts are exceptions to the rule !

And I think that it was not because of these exceptions that they conquered the world markets. Fortunately we also have manufacturers like Kinetic with their sensational example of the "saga" of their F-16 1/48 kit. All of this, being weighed, allows me to be right when complaining positively about any product or service provided by any company or person, without incurring any kind of prejudice or fear.

Forgive me if I stretched here. greetings SouthViper from Brazil

 

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What gets me about companies that get it wrong, particularly Trumpeter, is their inconsistency. They have an A team (eg 262) and a just-chuck-it-together B team. The latter 'poison the well' for future companies to consider releasing a similar product TO PEOPLE LIKE US. Little 13 yo Johnny will be delighted with his Lightning this Xmas because he will not see its faults but we will.

How difficult can it be to get it right? All of us here on this site will be willing to donate plans, photos etc. to anyone capable of making a model for us. Why do they continue to strike out by themselves and get it wrong?

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On 2/2/2023 at 2:13 PM, SC2015 said:

What about the rumour that Trumpeter reworks the mold?

I noticed that the EE Lightning is available on Ebay from China again.

It wasn´t for years and I think I remember it was somewhere said it is available because Trumpeter reworks the mold. 

 

We should be so lucky. I wouldn't be surprised if they just left out the metal legs in the re-pops but the rest remains exactly the same. 

 

I'd rather have the warts and all Chinese kit than nothing. But a 1/24th Airfix rendering would certainly excite.

 

Tony

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