1/72 3d Printed English Electric "Super" Lightning P.8 Concept

[scautomoton]

So this is the latest instalment of my ongoing F.155T collection. I wasn't going to do this one for a while since a) I wanted to knock out a few from The Stash, and b) there are other submissions to this Operational Requirement I find more interesting. However, I was reading Dan Sharp's excellent book, Cold War Interceptor, and the comment that the P.8 was supposed to carry over much of the P.1 got me thinking. So I designed around using the latest Airfix Lightning kit as a donor, the intention being to use as many of the existing parts as possible. As usual Fusion fought me most of the way, and the total design time ended up being similar to that of the AW.169 I did. Mainly because Fusion is a pig. But also because Fusion is a pig! Next time I'm using Solidworks, hopefully there'll be less swearing involved. But similar amounts of wine

As it stands the parts donated from the Airfix kit are as follows:

Cockpit
Seat
Compressor face
Exhaust internals
Wings & bits
Elevators
Tail fin
Front landing gear
Main wheels
Airbrakes & bits
Missiles
Various decals

I tried to keep parts fettling to a minimum, but the cockpit needed some finessing in order to be usable. Everything else is 3d printed (or vacuformed for the canopy).

I've presented it as an alternate timeline F.3. It seems plausible that someone at The Ministry may have had the sense to go for the cheap option of an upgraded Lightning. Timing could have introduced it as a significantly more upgraded F.3 than what we all know and love. In my case I went with XP696 from 226 OCU. Mainly because I had the decals kicking about, and I also like the scheme. Since every image I've found of the real XP696 shows it in immaculate condition, I've gone with the same, and have not weathered it at all. I took note of a comment by R. Beamont in one of my books about the P.8 needing more visibility, hence the canopy design being more akin to the P.1. I made one serious boo-boo when painting, and that was getting some semi-gloss overspray on the inside of the windscreen, which is damned annoying. Otherwise I'm generally happy with it.

Kit - My own 3d print design plus donor 1/72 Airfix Lightning F.6
Extras - Master Lightning pitot; Random Etch from the spares bin for the Ejector Seat, Spare TSR-2 Etch for the cockpit (due to the amount of trimming meaning the Lighting instrument panel etch wouldn't fit anymore)
3d Print - Erm, about half of it?....
Vac Forming - 3d printed mould for my own canopy
Scratchbuilding - just some brackets to mount the canopy (try not to look too closely!)
Primer - Mr Surfacer 500 and 1200 grey, Mr Base White 1000
Paint - Alclad II Aluminium, Dull Aluminium, White Aluminium, Magnesium, Chrome for Plastic, Stainless Steel; Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black, X-2 White, X-11 Chrome Silver, X-9 Brown, XF-16 Flat Aluminium, XF-83 Medium Sea Grey 2 (RAF); Mr Gunze Aqeous 8 Silver, 52 Olive Drab, 77 Tyre Black, 27 Tan, 61 IJN Gray (Mitsubishi), 338 Light Grey, 21 Off-White
Weathering - Tamiya Weathering Master Burnt Red, Burnt Blue, Silver, Gunmetal, Soot
Varnish/Finish - Tamiya X-35 Semi-Gloss Clear; Intermediate Gauzy Agent, Gloss Coat Gauzy Agent; Lashings of Micro Set!
Decals - Some from the Airfix kit, some from spares

Right! On to the good stuff, PICTURES!!!! (apologies for the washed out colour in some, the sunlight was going, I have a crap phone camera, and I've not got enough mobile lamps in the house!)















And bonus pic for perspective, here she is side-by-side with an F.2A

[Gondor]

That looks very nice. Would parts from a Ligtning F2A do instead of from an F6?

Gondor

[scautomoton]

Yes, either F.6 or F.2A. The F.6 just has an extra sprue with the overwing tanks and the different belly.

The good thing is it leaves you with a perfect excuse to build a swing-wing F.7 proposal from the left over bits........

[Martin H]

aww come on! now your just showing off.     

Seriously, very nice indeed..

[Glenn Gilbertson]

That looks excellent!

[comrade harps]

That's truly impressive 

[KiwiZac]

Oh my! Congratulations, what a beauty!

[kitbasher]

Ooh, that's first class 

My own, far more basic, stab at a P.8 is elsewhere on the forum, andIIRC there's pics of at least one other but I can't find it/them.

[Gondor]

Yes, either F.6 or F.2A. The F.6 just has an extra sprue with the overwing tanks and the different belly.

The good thing is it leaves you with a perfect excuse to build a swing-wing F.7 proposal from the left over bits........

Like this?



Saying that I have also a couple of modern Airfix Lightnings that I have started converting to two-seaters so I have plenty of bits in the spares box.

Gondor

[chrisonord]

Wow, I am liking that 

[NARSES2]

That's truly impressive 

Very much so   

[Old Wombat]

Pretty much agree with every comment from this quote ...

aww come on! now your just showing off.     

Seriously, very nice indeed..

... down!    

[PR19_Kit]

I never could figure out how they found room to put the retracted main gear in the P.8. There's just got be some chunk of the lower Avon in the way.

[scautomoton]

I never could figure out how they found room to put the retracted main gear in the P.8. There's just got be some chunk of the lower Avon in the way.

It's snug, but a slight rotation of the main landing gear would see the wheels tuck up with not much to spare. It's a very clever use of the area ruled bulge, and leaves all that vacant wing volume for fuel.

[PR19_Kit]

Oh right, the area rule bulge would make all the difference of course.