BAC Thunder F.4

[rallymodeller]

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!

That thing is fecking awesome, looks just like a Lightning but then again it doesn't, perfect WIF. That SU-9 did the trick and I think I've got one in the stash i just may steal that idea.

One question though what is "area rule" ? Everybody was talking about it in the thread.

Area rule (or the "Coke-Bottle effect") used to be required to lessen transonic drag. NACA scientists under Dr. Richard Whitcomb determined that the total cross sectional area of an aircraft must effect a smooth curve from front to back, sort of like an egg. Now, because airplanes have to have wings and such, an egg shape just isn't possible. So to get around this, the fuselage of the aircraft is "pinched" over the wings to lessen the total cross section. This can best be seen in mid- to late-Fifties designs like the Phantom, the Hustler, the Thud and especially the F-102 Delta Dagger, where blisters were added to either side of the exhaust cone to alter the cross section as the Dagger didn't have enough room in the fuselage to pinch the waist.

Compare pictures of the YF-102 and the F-102A, and the YF-105 and F-105B to see how area rule changed their designs.

Thus endeth the lesson, and you may now return to your modeling. There will be a test Monday morning,  

[waynos]

Wow guys, I'm overwhelmed! Thank you all for massaging my ego so much! Still bits and bobs to do and I will try and get some better pictures up too when I can showing different views, from above it looks like a fat lightning with the circular fuselage but from the side its more shallow profile and nosewheel set further back (a property of the kit, not something I did on purpose) gives it a completely different character from the old Lightning.

Zen, I was coming here too to suggest (that somebody else builds!) a VG version!

wooksta, The reason the tail fin codes are wrong is because it is a decal sheet for that very 1988 Lightning you mention, I have single codes too but they are in black and I like the look of the white ones, that was all there was to the choice, a bit remiss of me I admit. I just thought 'what if' they did do that?  

Thanks for the advice on the nosewheel, also the cockpit is wide enough for the seat to lift straight out, I will try the wheel and then the seat if it doesn't work.

By coincidence, all the Lightning parts in this are also from the Novo kit as I felt it was better than the Matchbox one I also have. I also have the same kit in a very cheap papery all Russian box and moulded in an extremely odd colour of browny purply plastic which donated the second pair of Red Tops.

(thinks: I have just remembered that I have an SR.177 kit with METAL red tops! Hallelujah!)

After seeing the P.8 drawings with area rule I convinced myself, reasonably I think, that EE would take the opportunity to incorporate it on the P.6 if they got the go ahead to build it, but this reasoning was purely borne out of the fact that I didn't want to cut the thing in half after I'd started it.  

I'm wondering about a back story where perhaps the prototype P.6 was flown off against the production Lightning F.1 in 1960 and found to be lighter, more manouverable with a quicker rate of roll (due to weight distribution in the fuselage) and faster climbing (!!)l. Therefore the Lightning F.2 upgrade was introduced as planned but the F.3 and F.6 were cancelled with all the planned improvements for the Lightning F.3 transferred across to the P.6F which entered service in 1964 as the Thunder F.2, the armed standard P.6 entering service with a trials squadron in 1963 as the F.1. following the T.3 conversion trainer the new wing, weapons and belly tank developed for the Lightning F.6 were incorporated into the Thunder F.4 entering RAF service in 1967 and from 1965 Thunders are also bought by Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada and Austria (because they nearly bought Lightnings in the '80's so why not?). The swing wing version appears in 1972 and becomes a standard strike fighter throughout many NATO air forces.

edit; just balanced ONE metal red top on the canopy and it was enough to make it stand up properly, I'm so happy!  

[waynos]

Might be better using the seat/nosegear as those Maintrack missiles are totally oversized.

Yeah, I noticed that as soon as I held one up to the model, why is this game never straightforward?

I've left the metal missiles on for now but I will put the Novo ones back on once I have a metal nosewheel.

Is it me or do those maintrack red tops look more like Harpoons?

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Cannot add to anything the guys have said.

You've built an absolute gem of a model. Look forward to seeing it in the flesh at Telford.

I H-G