Subject: Re: BAC Lightning F.3 entry
From: "Steve Bamford" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 12:43:08 -0800

----- Original Message -----
From: <[email-masked]>
To: Steve Bamford <[email-masked]>
Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2002 4:55 AM
Subject: BAC Lightning F.3 entry

Hello Steve,

Since I've very much enjoyed the welcome comments to the ARC community with
my first entry, the Hunter, I thought I'll send in some pictures of another
RAF model on my shelf, the BAC Lightning F3. Compared to the grace of the
Hunter, the Lightning brings about the impression of sheer speed and power.

I initially intended to build an F1 aircraft from No. 145 (Shadow) Squadron,
226 OCU, from Coltishall in 1963, because their F1s then were all metal
airframes with a beautiful red and white painted fin and to me these looked
just great. I love military aircraft with interesting paint schemes.

What was intended to become an F1 had to be converted into an alternative
F3, simply because of sloppy research. When the fuselage was almost
finished, the fin and spine painted and decals applied, I realized, that my
F1 originally neither did have nose guns nor did it have the bulged covers
that run alongside the fuselage on later aircraft. Gunports were already
opened and refined,  I had given extra attention to these fuselage covers,
and to make it even worse, these were in the wrong length, too. (These
covers are of different lengths, depending on the Mk., earlier Mks had
shorter, later Mks longer covers). Sloppy research at its best !

Consequently I had to check files for an alternative aircraft requiring
minimal correction work, and I decided to turn the model into an F3 of No.
23 Squadron from RAF Leuchars. Warpaints No. 14 on the Lightning provided
some excellent background. This correction required fairing over the gun
ports, replace the rounded early fin with a squared later one and lengthen
these bulged covers, but: it still had a white and red fin. I've
cannibalized another still SEALED Airfix kit for the required parts.

With corrections completed, I've paied some extra attention to panel lines,
these were rather shallow in places and needed rescribing. I've also added
additional riveting, added a few lines and wires to the wheel wells and
partially replaced the landing gear with scratchbuilt components. Kit
exhaust nozzles were the white metal ones from Aeroclub and were taken from
my scrap box. (I've built an Aeroclub vacform Lightning few years ago - not
bad at all - but left my parrot unattended one evening - so I had a set of
extra white metal exhaust nozzles left! Don't worry, the parrot ist still
alive and modelling, see picture !)

Canopy was also replaced with an aftermarket item. The yellow trims around
the canopy windows were made from Tamyia tape. I cut a length of 6 mm wide
tape, airbrushed it yellow, then cut off very narrow strips with a new
scalpell blade. These strips adhere very well and can be easily curved. A
drop of Future fixes them for good.

Finish was done in various shades of Alclad and strips of aluminum foil on
sections of the intake and exhaust. Decals are a mix of Aeromaster and kit
decals.

Now, this kit does have fit problems and requires some patience, but after
all, I've very much enjoyed building this one and I think a finished
Lightning is a very rewarding model.

Hope you'll like it.

Lothar