Greased Lightning, Chain Lightning, White Lightning, or something

philp · January 19, 2009, 09:03:16 PM

So, got the old Airfix 72nd EE Lightning. Still trying to work out some of the design.
Got to get rid of the belly tank and repair the big hole that will leave. No wings. Cut down the tailfin. Add the outrigger spats (thanks to BDB). Make single wheel for front or go duel? Keep ejection seat? Find someone to do some sponsor decals. Oh, and figure out which name to give her.

See, nothing to it.

This is going to be fun.

pyro-manic · January 19, 2009, 09:35:02 PM

White Lightning gives you a brilliant excuse to do crazy decals for the sponsor.

It's very cheap, nasty cider, principally drunk by teenagers in parks.

jcf · January 19, 2009, 10:13:45 PM

Quote from: pyro-manic on January 19, 2009, 09:35:02 PM
White Lightning gives you a brilliant excuse to do crazy decals for the sponsor.

It's very cheap, nasty cider, principally drunk by teenagers in parks.

In the US 'White Lightning' is a very old name for corn squeezins', that is illegally produced,
sure to make ya blind, 180 proof Hillbilly moonshine.

'Course nowdays they call it an 'alternative fuel'.

Jon

jcf · January 19, 2009, 10:22:39 PM

Phil,
I still have the artwork I knocked up for my Bluebird Lightning and now that the build is a go, I will be finishing up the various sponsor art we discussed previously.

I'll be doing it as vector art in Illustrator so scaling down to 1/72 is a snap.

Jon

philp · January 19, 2009, 11:39:36 PM

Thanks Jon.

Love the profile but I still think I will go with the traditional LSR look with the spats to the rear and the nose wheel mounted in the nose gear well. Still debating on how to mount the spats. Either use a section of he wing or stabilizer or just go with a strut type system. Are you going with a T-Tail type look?

Was wondering about the Moonshine factor with the White Lightning name. Really like the Greased Lightning but that belonged to a record setting B-58 and since my build falls about the same timeframe, it probably wouldn't be used.

Also like your color scheme. That is still one area I have no idea yet. Like the green and gold look from BP (plus they were my High School colors) or maybe go with my College colors for blue and gold. Hmm... maybe Raspberry Ripple. I like that idea.

Hobbes · January 20, 2009, 02:06:32 AM

How about naming it Lightning Rod?

puddingwrestler · January 20, 2009, 02:20:36 AM

Jeezuz - Cider in a plastic bottle? Man, you know grog is going to be bad when it's in a plastic bottle...

If you call it 'Lightning Rod' you are more or less honour bound to give it a 60s Ed Roth/Darryl Starbird show rod style bubble top, chrome double or triple super chargers sticking out, a model T ford grille and a set of big-an-little wheels. And tesla coils. Cause you know, they make lightning. Which is what all 60s show cars are about. Stupid gimmicks.

Hows about going slightly outside the box and naming it Thor - God o' Lightning, or possibly after his goat-drawn chariot - I'm not sure if it had a name though.

philp · January 20, 2009, 07:49:25 AM

PW,
Like how your thinking but Thor was the God of Thunder. Aztecs had a god of Lightning and the Romans but neither of their names roll off the tongue.

Still like the name Thor as you gotta have Lightning to make Thunder. Any other "God" names fit in the theme, maybe a god of speed?

jcf · January 20, 2009, 08:33:14 AM

Quote from: philp on January 20, 2009, 07:49:25 AM
maybe a god of speed?

Ya mean, aside from Mercury?

Something to bear in mind is that the terms thunderbolt and lightning-bolt are historically interchangeable, so a god that
threw lightning (Zeus, Indra, Tlaloc etc) is a possibility.

Traditional LSR layout?

Is there such a thing?
The tricycle layout was a 1960s development, Breedlove was actually the first to use the then 'new' layout.
Thrust SSC is a reversed tricycle. The only other trike to hold the ultimate speed record was the Blue Flame rocket car.
The majority of the LSR machines have been four-wheeled.

http://www.bluebird-electric.net/land_speed_records.htm

Jon

philp · January 20, 2009, 08:47:18 AM

Jon,
Blue Flame was probably my biggest influence into LSR. The Estes rocket on 3 wheels look just looked doable, even in my youth.
Debating whether to base my build in mid to late 70's when a lot of Lightnings were phased out or late 60's early 70's with RAF support for the project.

Did anyone here do a Raspberry Ripple profile for the Lightning?

Mossie · January 20, 2009, 01:27:51 PM

Jennings did one, can't find it here but Madoc has it downloaded onto his site:
http://www.madoc.us/profiles.html

Hobbes · January 20, 2009, 01:31:04 PM

Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on January 20, 2009, 08:33:14 AM
Traditional LSR layout? Is there such a thing?
The tricycle layout was a 1960s development, Breedlove was actually the first to use the then 'new' layout.
Thrust SSC is a reversed tricycle. The only other trike to hold the ultimate speed record was the Blue Flame rocket car.
The majority of the LSR machines have been four-wheeled.

Actually, both Blue Flame and Thrust SSC have four wheels. On Blue Flame they're side by side, on Thrust SSC they're one in front of the other.

philp · January 20, 2009, 01:49:14 PM

Quote from: Mossie on January 20, 2009, 01:27:51 PM
Jennings did one, can't find it here but Madoc has it downloaded onto his site:
http://www.madoc.us/profiles.html

Thanks, I am liking this better and better.
"Raspberry Lightning" (Ok, probably not that name)

Mossie · January 20, 2009, 02:55:57 PM

Quote from: Hobbes on January 20, 2009, 01:31:04 PM
Actually, both Blue Flame and Thrust SSC have four wheels. On Blue Flame they're side by side, on Thrust SSC they're one in front of the other.

Yeah, here's the Mini testbed for Thrust SSC's steering, the scale proportions between the wheels where identical between the two.

The design team called Thrust SSC the 'Worlds Fastest Forklift Truck' because of it's rear wheel steering. It was necessary because of the cars configuration, they couldn't put the steering in the nacelles & they believed a similar set up at the front would cause the front end to 'dig in' at very high speeds. It meant SSC was very difficult to drive & the steering designer copped a lot of flack. Ultimately, it worked & the tricycle style was indeed shown to have the problems the SSC team foresaw; The Spirit of America Team used the tricycle layout & suffered the problem of 'digging in'.

On another note, Craig Breadlove's record in the very first Spirit of America was initially unrecognised for two reasons. Firstly, it's wheels weren't directly driven, secondly, it was a tricycle. It wasn't accepted by the FIA, but the motorcycle racing governing body did. In time, the rules for the absolute LSR were re-hashed & Breadlove was granted the record in retrospect. This also meant that Donald Campbell in Bluebird CN7, lost the title for absolute Land Speed Record, but he had always been dissapointed that he couldn't beat Craig Breadlove's time.

jcf · January 20, 2009, 03:43:16 PM

Quote from: Hobbes on January 20, 2009, 01:31:04 PM
Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on January 20, 2009, 08:33:14 AM
Traditional LSR layout? Is there such a thing?
The tricycle layout was a 1960s development, Breedlove was actually the first to use the then 'new' layout.
Thrust SSC is a reversed tricycle. The only other trike to hold the ultimate speed record was the Blue Flame rocket car.
The majority of the LSR machines have been four-wheeled.

Actually, both Blue Flame and Thrust SSC have four wheels. On Blue Flame they're side by side, on Thrust SSC they're one in front of the other.

I'm aware of that, however the net effect is of a tricycle layout.

Jon