English electric P.8

[Archibald]

Hello!!!

Frustrated in my atempts to make a Fairey Delta III, I chose to make another competitor to the F.155T : the P.8 from English Electric. It was a close derivative of the Lightning, but was also one of the first to be ruled out of the competition (with the Delta II close derivative and the P.1103). Of course, the Lightning took his revenge after the Sandystorm...

I recently bought a (crap) Lighning F3 from airfix, for seven euros (this explain why it is crap). My aim was to change it into a P.8, starting from Tony buttler book.

To do that, you have to change the canopy, undercarriage (on the flanc, not  under wing) and also scrap the ventral fuel tank (which is PART of the model, not a distinctive piece). I started yesterday...  
First I cut the ventral tank. This was a good idea because the hole left was used to glue the undercarriage. Then, I scrapped the dorsal spine to put a canopy for the NOSA. Then I glued sheets of paper on the hole left by the ventral tank, leaving only a narrow hole for the undercarriage.
I add a small plastic part on the hole, cut the legs of the undercarriage(too long, the fuselage is lower than the wings) and glued them.



Now the future P.8 sits on its modified undercarriage, and also have a second seat.
here's the result...  

[Archibald]

Other photo (yes, Its tony buttler book behind, and a Lightning F6).

[Archibald]

How making Red Dean (or Red Hebe) missiles from scratch.

I really wanted Red Dean or Red Hebe missiles on the P.8
I know the plane was not able to carry them (that's why it was rejected) but well I like this missile, and wanted the firestreaks for my P.1121. So...


From the left to the right : three stage of my scratchbuild Red Dean ( )

[retro_seventies]

great stuff archie - very inventive with the old ear wax busters too!    

[Archibald]

Merci... thanks to you now I know how saying "coton tige" in english (ear wax buster)
Others photos will follow when the beast is finish...
There's a pile of unexpensive (and a bit crap) Airfix 1/72 lightnings in the shop so this give me ideas...
The VG would be much difficult to make!!!! Do you have any idea of how putting a VG wing system in a Lightning kit ? More, the VG Lightning was exactly like the SU-7IG or Su-17 : only the end of the wings was moving so...    

[Archibald]

Oh I forgot something : the fin was apparently different, and Beamont added that "the plane need 50% more fin surface") so the P.8 will have probably a much bigger, triangular fin (from cardboard).  

[John Howling Mouse]

It looks so interesting sitting there on its new landing gear.

You are a brave modeller: keep up the good work, my friend.

[Archibald]

Merci very much!!!  I scrapped the dorsal spine and have a very bad moment : a big hole, the canopy alone, and nothing instead....aaaaaaargh!!! finally I manage to save the project after a fierce battle.  I glued the wings and tail, and added the enormous red deans on the wingtips : now I understand why Ee gave up in 1955
I also made a new fin in cardboard.

well the plane is now nearly finish, but the battery of the camera is dead... so no photos tonight!!! he stand on my table, side by side with my lightning F6...

[SimonR]

Keep going! It's going to be great.

[Archibald]

Here it is... the beast is nearly finish!!
it just missed the air brakes and landing gear doors... The size of the Red Dean is really impressive. According to Buttler they were 4.9m long, which means 6.8cm in 1/72 scale... mine are a bit too short (4mm). So just imagine!!!
With such monsters on the wingtips, my P.8 is really a... drag queen  

[Archibald]

Other picture...

[Archibald]

This view show the size of the Red Deans...  

[Archibald]

New pictures  

[Archibald]

English electric P.8

[Archibald]

P.8 again...