Tremblers Sword Lightning T.4

[Lord Riot]

I’d be tempted to give that tail a sanding before you respray it. I’ve encountered something similar and it does seem to help, a light sanding then a very smooth one to buff it out before you spray it again. 

[alhenderson]

37 minutes ago, Lord Riot said:

I’d be tempted to give that tail a sanding before you respray it. I’ve encountered something similar and it does seem to help, a light sanding then a very smooth one to buff it out before you spray it again. 

I have been going at it with a sanding sponge to make sure it's smooth. Trouble is, the fin isn't too secure so I don't want to go too hard and have it come off 😬

[alhenderson]

Some happy news to end the weekend!  Spent some time this morning gently rubbing the fin and spine with wet n dry (which was wet) to get rid of the marks from the tape.  Then lots of kitchen paper to protect the silver:

 

 

Two coats of Tamiya gloss black and I think we're back in the game:

 

 

Tiny bit of overspray on there which I'll sort out with a brush, no way I'm spraying near this again!  Also have some polishing powders on the way which I hope will help with the patchwork effect I'm looking for.  Not quite sure where to go next.  I have a bunch of PE to put on, decals and the likes of landing gear etc.  Might have to be the PE as there's no way I'm putting superglue near a decalled model.  Ideally I would have done it before paint, but if I had I don't think there would have been any left by now!

 

Onwards and upwards!

 

Al.

 

 

[alhenderson]

After finishing the weekend on a high, its been a slow week.  Been too busy with work and other stuff to get the Lightning out.  Plus I ordered some Uschi van Der Rosten polishing powders following some chat on social media somewhere, hoping that it would help my NMF.  Finally got a chance to put some on tonight.  Its good stuff, goes on easily, and is quite subtle in its effect, in certain lights you can't tell that its there, but in other lights the difference is quite obvious.

 

 

 

 

 

The two big-ish panels on the nose that are slightly different were done with the powder - I got 'Iron' and 'Chrome' (Steel was out of stock, sadly).  A number of the ones underneath also are, but there's also some Tamiya smoke in there along with other variations on silver/metal paints from the paint collection.  Its certainly breaking up the uniform appearance of the base coat, but its still not quite what I'm looking for.  Even when I look at the many examples of NMF lightnings in books I'm finding it hard to pin down exactly what it is I'm trying to recreate.  I think I see why people use foil.  Anyhow, I think maybe a few more panels of the powders and I'll move on to the daunting task of attaching some PE.  Except I somehow have a seam on the back end of the belly tank to take care of as well.  Not sure how I didn't notice that before!

 

If anyone reading has used these powders - any concerns or tips about putting decals and clear coats over them?

 

Al.

[alhenderson]

Having done a few panels with the powders, decided it was time to move on. Have the following to do: PE aerials etc, landing gear, missiles, re-attach ventral fin, decals, final weathering.

 

Since I don't want super glue anywhere near a decalled model, it's going to have to be the PE stuff first. But, since some of them are on the underside, it's going to have to be undercarriage before that. Easy, we have a plan!

 

Except...

 

 

There's next to nowhere to mount the front u/c to. There's a couple of mm where the u/c leg touches the ridges inside the bay. Not convinced it's going to be a good join, and even if it was, the leg isn't straight when both sides of the leg are in contact.  Would really like to improve this somehow but struggling to think how.

 

Don't think I can do anything with card. If I could extend the length of the leg so it goes further into the bay I might be able to attach it where the two sides taper together. Feels like I could use metal rods like I used on the wings, but the rods I have are not very thick or sturdy. Plastic would be better, a bit of sprue maybe? Grafting onto the leg might be tricky...

 

I thought I could make some quick progress this week, god knows I'm due some.. 😡

 

Al

 

[Gondor44]

If you are going to extend the nose undercarriage leg using a peice of sprue, may I suggest that you drill a hole into the top of the leg and the surface of the sprue you intend to add to it. Once the holes are drilled insert and glue a length of metal, rod/tube/pin or whatever you have to hand as this will give the joint strength.

 

Gondor

[alhenderson]

36 minutes ago, Gondor44 said:

If you are going to extend the nose undercarriage leg using a peice of sprue, may I suggest that you drill a hole into the top of the leg and the surface of the sprue you intend to add to it. Once the holes are drilled insert and glue a length of metal, rod/tube/pin or whatever you have to hand as this will give the joint strength.

 

Gondor

Thanks for that hint. The cross section of the u/c leg is quite small so not sure I could drill into it successfully.  At the moment, I'm planning to use some sprue goo to build up the bottom of the bay and then insert the leg into that before it's dry.. it's taking me ages to make the goo at the moment, keep adding sprue but it's still too runny. First time doing it, so prob being too cautious..

 

Al

[scautomoton]

I would recommend following the method used by @Giorgio N and making a small mounting tab within the wheel well. This is what I've done on mine.

[alhenderson]

Already nearly the end of the week, and very little done.  I have attached the nosewheel, though.  I ended up glueing a bit of brass rod onto it which reached far enough into the wheel bay to be glued in fairly firmly.

 

 

Bit of super glue on the brass end and some regular TET where the normal leg meets the wimpy attachment points and it's pretty solid

 

 

 

Also invested in a jig after trying to work out which paints I could use to prop her up. Daren't put any weight through the fin as I'm convinced it's going to make a bid for freedom. This MDF jig was £10 and does the job nicely. 

 

Also did the assembly of the main gear, going it'll be ready to go on tomorrow. When she can stand up I'll sort out the PE and the few other bits that need to go on, like the missile rail I knocked off a while back.

 

I'll finish this thing yet!!!

 

Al

 

 

 

[scautomoton]

where did you buy the jig? £10 is a bargain

[alhenderson]

I got the jig here: https://www.ebmahobby.co.uk/. £10 plus postage for one that perfectly suits this size of kit 👍

 

Al

[Mark H2]

On 03/01/2024 at 17:47, alhenderson said:

Well, the new year cheer didn't last very long. Did another coat of black last night to tidy up the tail, went up to check and it's happened again:

 

 

 

 

 

I can only imagine it's environment related. Temp round here has been somewhere around 8-10 degrees pretty constantly. I think the latest coat was done later in the day - my successful coat was earlier on. I can't imagine the temperature difference between the two being that big but I'm struggling to think what else is going on.

 

If it is that then I'm pretty much knackered for painting until it warms up - could be weeks or months. 

 

To add to the problems, the fin isn't far from coming off which will mean yet more filling and sanding when I reattach it 😡

 

Al

 

 

 

Google "Spray paint Blooming" might help

[alhenderson]

On 05/02/2024 at 05:45, scautomoton said:

I would recommend following the method used by @Giorgio N and making a small mounting tab within the wheel well. This is what I've done on mine.

@scautomoton @Giorgio N don't suppose you could point me at a thread or pictures of that approach? My attempt with extending the landing gear leg with a brass rod seemed to have worked, but the leg had just come away from the brass.  Have re glued it, but not convinced it's going to work 😟

 

Al

[scautomoton]

Giorgio's thread is called "It's fast! It's British! It's a Lightning!", read through it. It's a masterclass.

[Giorgio N]

Let me give credit where it's due: that great build is not from me but from @giemme, a different Giorgio.

We are both named Giorgio, we're both from Italy (even the same region) but he's the one who posts great WIP threads while I mainly chat about models and aircraft.. 

 

[alhenderson]

16 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

Let me give credit where it's due: that great build is not from me but from @giemme, a different Giorgio.

We are both named Giorgio, we're both from Italy (even the same region) but he's the one who posts great WIP threads while I mainly chat about models and aircraft.. 

 

That explains why I couldn't find anything by searching your name last night 🤣

[scautomoton]

Apologies, incorrectly remembered on my behalf

[alhenderson]

Made some decent progress this weekend. Would've made more if I hadn't spent so long reading the excellent build thread from @giemme as recommended by @Giorgio N and @scautomoton 🤣 Giorgio was clever, he spotted the problem with the front landing gear before even assembling the radar bullet. Sadly I wasn't even close to that well organised. There's a whole bunch of excellent stuff in there,  and it was heart warming to see that I'm not alone in some of the challenges of this kit.  It has pumped me to kick in and finish this thing 👊

 

First up, to start the weekend I put her up on her pins. That nervous moment when you finally find out if there's enough nose weight. Luckily there is. Less luckily, my nosewheel surgery didn't last very long 😟

 

 

 

The leg split from the brass rod when I was trying to attach the landing gear doors. I debated changing tack at this point, but instead opted for a bunch more super glue and trying again 🤞 if it happens again I'll have to reconsider.

 

Then made myself a list of the stuff to do to get her finished - some organisation is what I've been lacking lately! Thanks to that, I've done the following over the weekend:

 

o- painted the radar bullet RAF dark green

o- attached the front landing gear doors

o- pinned the missile pylon that came off earlier in the build, ready for re-attachment later

o- assembled and attached some of the PE aerials (i.e. the ones that did not disappear into the carpet!)

o- drill the pitot tube attachment ready to take the aftermarket replacement

 

That last item not fully complete yet, want to have the plastic attachment point glued on before I decal.  I really thought I might get to decals today, but have picked up some crappy cold so not feeling too great 😟  if it's decent night's sleep then might get to start decals tomorrow. See how much PE I break off in the process 🤣

 

To finish off the weekend, here she is standing proud

 

 

Al

 

 

[alhenderson]

Another chapter in the lightning T.4 saga (and it's beginning to feel like one!). Made a start with the decals which are going down nicely, just trying to be very careful but to break anything. And just like that...

 

 

That's the second time the nosewheel has come off. The joint between the plastic and the brass rod is a weak spot. I'm going to try and address this by fashioning a plastic plate to go into the wheel bay that will take the leg - much like @giemme did in his build - I've just got to do it whilst not trashing any decals!

 

The decal placement instructions also leave a lot to be desired. I think there are two sets of stencils - one for the silver machines and one for the grey camo, but they don't tell you which is which. Also, the panel lines shown on the plan don't match those on the kit - I remember that from my sword gannet. Means that I'm having to try and find picture references for the placement, which makes the whole process a lot slower. 

 

All part of the modelling fun! 

 

Al

 

[scautomoton]

Sounds like the gift that keeps on giving

[alhenderson]

5 minutes ago, scautomoton said:

Sounds like the gift that keeps on giving

I can't complain that Sword have not given me my money's worth here!

 

Al.

[alhenderson]

3rd attempt at securing the front wheel.. I have drilled a whole in a piece of plastic card but enough for the u/c to slot into, and fashioned that card to slot into the bay in roughly the right position. Hoping that a combination of sprue goo and glue will then hold it in position for the rest of eternity 🤞

 

Meanwhile, the front landing gear doors have also come off. Not surprising as they were only held on with their tiny locations tabs. These have been sanded off to allow for direct attachment to the fuselage.

 

 

Will get back to the decals eventually!

 

Al

[alhenderson]

End of weekend update. Got the nose wheel in place, with copious amounts of sprue goo. Doesn't look pretty, but seems fairly solid, here's hoping 🤞

 

 

Also have the landing gear doors back on so we're ready to recommence decals 🎉

 

Al

 

 

 

[alhenderson]

After a lovely weekend away in Barcelona, have had a couple of hours this week to finish off the decals, which leaves us here..

 

 

 

There are a load of stencils left on the sheet, but no idea where they're supposed to go. It's a bit frustrating, the stencil placement plan has a completely different set of panel lines to the kit, which leaves me digging around for photos from various angles.  There are also a load of stencils that don't even seem to be mentioned in the instructions 🤷‍♂️ some are for the camo schemes, but it's hard to work out what exactly W

Sword have in mind.

 

Still, I'm happy, looks decent. Now I need to transport her to the garage (very carefully!) fit a coat of gloss varnish and I can do some weathering. Not going to go mad, I really need to get this finished and I still have some bits to do like put on the pitot tube and sort out the PE FOD guard.

 

It's been a slog, but fingers crossed the end might be in sight.. 🤞

 

Al

 

[alhenderson]

Weather's been really cold here recently, plus we've got builders in so haven't had much chance to progress this.  Managed to steal 20 minutes this morning to get a gloss coat on the decals.  The Mr Hobby aqueous gloss has had an odd effect:

 

 

Its made it look a lot more 'grubby', but not really in a good way.  Luckily I only did under the wings and then stopped when I realised.  I had tried it on my paint mule gnat, but the finish on that is rubbish anyway so would not have noticed.

 

I then must have got thinner or something on my fingers:

 

 

Its not an exaggeration to say I'm well and truly fed up of this thing now.  I might abandon glossing and weathering entirely (wasn't going to go overboard anyway) - I have other gloss varnishes, but have never really used them so don't fancy chancing my arm there.  Guess I need to mask off the fingerprint and respray..

 

FFS.  There's a skip on the drive, this might be launched into it.. 😡

 

Al.