The almost predictable Lightning

[PR19_Kit]

The smaller tanks, ex F-104G items, are going to be hung under the outer wings from the same hardpoints used by the Saudi and Kuwaiti AFs. The normal missile/lower gun bays are filled up with cameras. 

I've also built some ex F-104 tip tanks, but they made the whole thing a bit too fussy looking.

[Steel Penguin]

green and grey look good to me as well Kit ( normal caveats apply). but look as good as ever.

[PR19_Kit]

OK, thanks for the judgements on the colour. It'll look different with the decals on of course, and I may get some of them done today.

IF I can fix my car's driver's side windscreen wiper, just what you need when it's bucketing down of course. 

[NARSES2]

Colours work for me Kit 

[zenrat]

Me too.  Clearing primer is one of my favourite tricks.

[PR19_Kit]

Sometimes things just turn out RIGHT! 

I'd always planned the PR9 to be with 4 (AC) Squadron, a] Because it was my Dad's unit before WWII b] because they'd be returning to their almost traditional role of tactical PR as they did flying Audaxes and Lysanders etc. and c] because they flew Swift FR5s in conjunction with 79 Sqdn. early in the 50s.

Now in modern times, post WWII, 4 (AC) carried their Squadron colours on the nose or either side of the roundel in the shape of a black and red diagonally split rectangle on a gold background with a gold lightning stripe through the middle. Oh hell, it's easier to post a pic...........



Lightning F2As and F6s carried their squadron colours either side of the nose mounted roundel, like this, as seen on the Airfix box lid :-



So I thought I'd combine the two and put the 4 (AC) Sqdn. colours either side of the roundel but of course they didn't exist in decal form anywhere as 4 (AC) Sqdn. never flew Lightnings in any shape or form. That meant I'd have to make them, so after hours of fiddling about with PaintShoPro I had my Squadron flashes drawn up, but they were TINY, like 4 mm wide maximum! To my mind the bits across the diagonal didn't look too much like lightning flashes but they were the only game in town so I printed them off.

While waiting for the varnish to dry I looked around for some underwing roundels as the kit ones are 3 colour and I wanted some 2 colour ones to go along with the low altutide scenario I had in my head. Lightnings had very small underwing roundels as the landing gear took up much of the wing undersurface, so looking for these things wasn't the work of a moment, but eventually I came across a small scrap of decal in amongst the VAST piles of them that I have filed away.

It was from a Harrier GR3 and they had small 2 colour underwing roundels too, EXACTLY the right size for what I needed, but even better, the sheet was for a 4 (AC) Sqdn. Harrier! 

There were the nose badges for the GR3 just waiting to be trimmed and placed either side of the nose roundels and they were MILES better than the one's I'd drawn up! RESULT!   

The sheet also included the circular '4' badge that I promptly trimmed off and placed on the extreme nose of the PR9.



How about that for a stroke of luck then? 

That last pic's about 4 times full size so you can see how small the badges are.

[Knightflyer]

That's looking excellent Kit....serendipity at it's best eh! 

[TallEng]

Yes, that does look good
Too late now I know, but I would have put the '4'
On the fin, as per their Sabre's and probably Hunter's too.

Regards
Keith

[PR19_Kit]

I've printed up a small Squadron crest for the fin, the one in a ring with a crown on the top and a motto 'In Futurum Videre' (To see into the Future) underneath, as below. Then I have to find some fin codes but I must only have about 3 million of them in my decal collection! 

[NARSES2]

Looking good Kit

[PR19_Kit]

Sometimes I think this stencillng lark can go too far.

The Airfix F2A and F6 kits are AWASH with stencil decals, almost 200 of the little blighters! I'm using some overwing tanks from an old FROG F6 but using decals for them from the Airfix F6 LTF Lightning, each tanks has SIXTEEN stencil decals, for goodness sake! 

My PR9 won't have that many because the LTF ones are white, to show up on my dark grey tanks, and some are so tiny I can't see them on the backing paper so can't grab them with the pincers to apply them, madness!

Normally I really enjoy the decal pase of a build, it's when the model becomes 'alive', but this is starting to be a real pain and I'm only about 1/4 of the way though this bit so far.

[Captain Canada]

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together ? Or just falls together !

[NARSES2]

Normally I really enjoy the decal pase of a build, it's when the model becomes 'alive', but this is starting to be a real pain and I'm only about 1/4 of the way though this bit so far.

I know what you mean Kit. I find the transfer stage not only brings a model to life but can also turn a model you are a bit iffy about into one you actually like 

As for stencils ? Most of my builds don't have many (are they a phenomenon of the jet age ?)  and even then some of them don't get used. To be honest they actually spoil the look of some models IMHO. Some of the models of Japanese F4's/F15's you see look like advertising billboards and just do not look right to my eye. Totally personal opinion and I know others will hold the opposite view and that's perfectly acceptable to me 

[PR19_Kit]

I'm doing the 'bare minimum' with the stencils on the PR9, it took me over an hour to do the 2nd overwing tank today, and I've only used 8-9 of the intended 16 stencils. Life's too short. 

[pyro-manic]

Sometimes they're needed, particularly on flat, boring schemes (eg most modern ones!) to break things up and add interest. They're much less needed on more interesting schemes. IMO, of course. I tend to to the "major" markings first - roundels, squadron badges, walkway/no step lines and so on - then add a few stencils at a time (starting with important ones like warning labels), and just stop when I think I've added enough.