The almost predictable Lightning

[PR19_Kit]

Well, almost predictable from me anyway.  

As related elsewhere I've started work on one of my Airfix Lightning F2A kits, and I'm VERY impressed with it. Hardly needs any filing or sanding anywhere and is superbly engineered. The way the little fairing at the back of the cockpit interior fits EXACTLY onto the forward end end of the fuselage spine is a case in point, magnificently moulded.

Anyway the plan was to make a PR version with longer wings. Wow, what a surprise.   I eschewed the ugly PR fit that the Saudis bought for four of their Frightenings and decided to put the cameras in the forward end of the belly tank only, where the ADEN cannon go on the F6 variant, and more of that later in the thread as I build it. Naturally it would need extended wings to get up higher   and I planned to saw up one of my other F2As and add an extension with a lesser sweep back angle from the notches outward, looking a bit like the planned swing-wing Naval Lightning but with fixed outer bits and starting further outboard. So I got this far :-




After a mammoth sawing, filing, fettling and fitting session y'day I'd assembled all the sawn up bits from the 2nd kit, for just one wing I might add, and glued it altogether and let it dry overnight. This morning I checked it out plugged into the fuselage to see how it looked......................

DISASTER!

An 'Epic Fail' to use a term I've picked up from a Canadian railway modeller I know. It looked really terrible, as if some extra bits had been tagged onto the wing tips, which is what it was of course, but it didn't work at all.

So the Lightning PR7 is going to have standard wings, but maybe I'll add a rocket booster or something. Or maybe not, we'll see as things progress.

Of course I've now got an F2A kit with only one wing, and ANOTHER F2A kit with only one wing too, as I had to use a good one to replace the terminally wrecked original.

What do you do with two Lightning F2As with only their starboard wings??? 

[zenrat]

You use one to make a zwilling with another complete kit and use the other to make a land speed record car.

[Captain Canada]

Too bad it didn't work out....what's in the picture, just the standard wings ? It would be nice to see a pic of the epic failure set of wings, so we can opine.

The Lightning wing looks like it's surface area can be enlarged by bringing the leading edge forward just after the kink.

And as for having a pair of fuselage with no wings, I'd say VG is the way to go there. A pair of naval birds. Make that naval PR birds.

[eatthis]

re the rocket booster idea if you have a tsr2 ms (the manga special edition thing) that comes with 3 boosters, 1 for each wing and 1 that fits flush on the vert stab

[TallEng]

Oh that's a bit worrying   if you can't pull off an wing extension job,
What hope have we mere mortals? We'll just have to turn to

Two thoughts, you could Vigganise one of the fuselages (Assuming you've a handy Viggan)
By adding the Viggan's wings to the Lightning Fuselage.
And for the PR version would it be possible using the various pieces of wing you've got
To Hunterise the wing? ( just tried that.... and any extension of wing length just doesn't work )
Perhaps you could just get away with a Hunterlike leading edge extension for more area/fuel
Speaking of which you could also extend the belly tank for more fuel/bigger camera fit?
Like this;


Regards
Keith

[Gondor]

That's bad news kit 

Gondor

[sandiego89]

Could you mount one wing upside down?  Of course you would have to fill in the wheel well and rescribe a bit. 

[PR19_Kit]

LOTS of good ideas there guys, thanks so much. 

I'll draw my wing extensions plans for you Cap'n, in a fit of pique I snapped the modified one in half and binned it.

LOVE the idea about the fin mounted rocket booster Mr eathis, and I have one of the Manga TSR2s too, in gact I think I have two of them!

'Hunterising' the wing was pretty much what I was trying to do anyway Keith, but in a more drastic fashion. I'd had the extended belly tank in mind for a future build, so how did you do yours? It looks pretty darn good for sure. And I like the idea of Viggen wings too, or maybe something totally different instead. F-15 wings maybe? F-4 wings? I almost wrote 'F-104 wings' but that's patently STUPID! 

[PR19_Kit]

Here's the drawing of the 'Epic Fail'.

[TallEng]

Ref 'How did you do that' in order to save clogging up Kit's post
With unnecessary  posts I've uploaded a modified version of my original
Lightning with extended belly tank ( See above) .

Regards
Keith

[eatthis]

would f104 wings marry up to the wintips/outer wing of the lightning anywhere?
ps i lengthened my belly tank by chopping and moving the front then filling the resulting gap with a big drop tank (i THINK it was off a 32 scale f4 but im not sure)

[PR19_Kit]

Thanks for that Keith and eathis, I'll try those ideas when I build my long tank Lightning.

I had a look at the F-104 wing as an extension but it has tapered leading and trailing edges and it's too darn small really. I'm OK with the standard wings on the PR7, a rocket booster and the colour scheme will make it different enough I reckon.

[Thorvic]

What do you do with two Lightning F2As with only their starboard wings??? 

Well you could ask if anybody has the spare upper wings after using the AlleyCat F1/F3 conversion and use plastic card to replicate the lwer wing.

You could also ask the infamous Airfix spares dept 

[PR19_Kit]

What do you do with two Lightning F2As with only their starboard wings??? 

Well you could ask if anybody has the spare upper wings after using the AlleyCat F1/F3 conversion and use plastic card to replicate the lwer wing.

You could also ask the infamous Airfix spares dept 

Ah, yes, presumably I'd still need some of the F2A wing to use an AlleyKat conversion, would I? I haven't looked at it in any detail as yet.

I don't think I've EVER used Airfix's Spares Dept., why are they infamous?

[McColm]

The Almighty One makes mistakes as well, so there is hope for me.
You could build a stretched  fuselage version, if you have a set of RA-5C wings or Mirage wings. I've always thought that the Lightning should of had a delta wing fitted. Could look good with a T-tail.