I'm gonna build an EE Lightning

[pyro-manic]

There's a good little story in the Aeroplane Icons "Lightning" mook (I'm sure it's been published elsewhere too) from an ETPS pilot about a rather hairy situation he got into with an Italian student in a T.4 over the channel. He told the student to turn and head for home, only to discover a couple of minutes later they were still in full reheat, supersonic and heading for France. Cue a zoom-climb to 60,000 feet followed by a very long, painful glide to land at a closed airfield, with the fuel running out while taxi-ing off the runway.

EDIT: The ETPS Lightings looked gorgeous, too - BMF with red spine and various wing parts (tips or leading edges).

[PR19_Kit]

If he was Italian he WAS heading for home. 

[Captain Canada]

This is how I get myself in trouble. I think I'm going to build one model. Pick a scheme....then I start over-thinking....one in NMF as an early interceptor. One as a later era.....one in camo as an Air-Div bird in europe.....still leaning towards  NMF. And they do look so good with red trim.....

[MadJack76]

I'd say go with the red-trim.  It looks good, it's easy to paint so you can't lose.

[rickshaw]

Just reading "Battle Flight".  Some very interesting (and for the first time clear and full) descriptions of alternative weapons fits on the Lightning.  Fills in a lot of gaps in my knowledge and has given me a few ideas for the future. 

[Daryl J.]

A Lightning?   (rubs hands happily together)

Have at it.   

Might I recommend Aeroclub's metal nose parts?

[Mossie]

This is how I get myself in trouble. I think I'm going to build one model. Pick a scheme....then I start over-thinking....one in NMF as an early interceptor. One as a later era.....one in camo as an Air-Div bird in europe.....still leaning towards  NMF. And they do look so good with red trim.....

There's an easy answer to that, build one, then pick up several of the new Airfix kit when it comes out later in the year!

[Captain Canada]

Haha....Good call Mossie ! If I'm back up Hamilton way I'll grab an F.1 or whatever the earlier kit is. These big Airfix kits are beautiful if you ask me....

What is the Aeroclub metal part ? why is it better ?

As for the alternate weapons fit...what were they ? I was thinking Genie if I do go that era

[Mossie]

Airfix did the F.3, which I think is the earliest version available?  That's the version that was touted for the Genie.

The Aeroclub parts are a nose ring and shock cone.  The Lighting kits need plenty of nose weight and will tail sit without it, the Aeroclub parts offer an easy way of adding this.

Firestreak and Red Top were the real world choices and should come in the kit.  The RAF evaluated early US missiles in the period (there's a piece in Battle Flight that I'll dig it out), but they came up wanting.  Sparrow would give a different look being a similar size to Firestreak and Red Top.

[pyro-manic]

Just to point out, I believe Captain Canada is building the 1:48 kit. Airfix did do an F.1/2/3 in 1:48, but it's OOP and has been for a long time.

[Mossie]

Genies might be more difficult then, getting hold of an early Lightning may be also be difficult in either scale.

Had a look in Battle Flight, it mentioned five types were evaluated to replace Firestreak/Blue Jay Mk.1:

AIM-4 Falcon.  Crap, basically.  Six would be required to ensure the same chance of a kill as two Firestreak and this would incur weight and drag penalties.
AIM-9 Sidewinder.  Early versions evaluated, wasn't felt to offer any further capability over Firestreak.
AIM-7 Sparrow.  The favoured conventional US option, but required a lot of extra equipment that they would have struggled to fit in the Lightning's nose.  Due to this, IR versions were offered, although this degraded it's performance in a simillar manner to AIM-4.  A better option was to use the improved seeker touted for Red Top (Canadian link here, this was also meant to equip the Arrow), but it came to nothing.
Red Top/Blue Vesta.  Blue Vesta, (the early development of Red Top) was criticised, it had larger fins and was heavy.  This criticism was taken in and Red Top entered service.
AIR-2 Genie.  Felt to offer the best chance of a kill.  The UK wanted this quite strongly, the problem being it was too expensive per round.  Only one would have been carried per aircraft, with either a Matra rocket pod or dummy round carried on the opposite side to eliminate asymmetry.  Quite a lot of work was done on this before that conclusion was reached.

Whiff wise, any are possible, but if you want something with a little real world bite I'd go with Genie or Sparrow (possibly with the Red Top seeker).  Another option that might look a little different is Blue Dolphin, a radar version of Red Top.  Basically replace the IR seeker with a pointed cap, much like Sparrow.

[Captain Canada]

Pretty sure the dude in Hamilton has the early F.1 kit. Might as well build a silver one and a com one 

Thanks for the info on the armament. I'll print that off and throw it in the box for future reference

[Mossie]

Found a pic of the Infrared Sparrow.  My guess is the Red Top seeker would look pretty much identical, it's virtually the same:
http://www.air-and-space.com/20070329%20Pt%20Mugu/_BEL8351%20AIM-7%20Sparrow-IR%20Sparrow%20III%20l.jpg
http://www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/redtop.htm

[Captain Canada]

Hmmm...interesting ! Thanks. Sure changes the look of the Sparrow and would be a fun way to subtely mod the a/c eh ?

[Mossie]

Does look slightly odd.  How about a Soviet style mix of IR and radar?  You could also do the same with a Red Top/Blue Dolphin mix.