BAC Lightning F.6

[Jakko]

I’ve been painting thr Lightning now. First I sprayed it silver (about a month ago ), and after quite some thought on how to make it look like bare aluminium, I decided to paint random panels in silver mixed with a little bit of other colour, mainly gun metal, light grey and/or white. So far, I’ve gotten to this stage and I think it looks fairly good, though I’m not there yet:

 

[boatman]

Nicely done Jakko you have achived the panel colours great it really sets the plane off an it looks a good fit

 

[Jakko]

Thanks, good to read some confirmation that I’m on the right track All I need to do is paint about as many bits again as I’ve done now, and I think I can move on to the next stage (painting the tail fin etc.), then the decals.

 

[colin m]

the couple of reviews of this kit I read don’t mention such an obvious fit problem at all

Which is a little odd as a few of us on this forum found this problem out for ourselves. Maybe google doesn't like this forum !
But anyway, she is looking very nice at the moment. I like the effect of all the different panels you have created.

 

[Jakko]

Which is a little odd as a few of us on this forum found this problem out for ourselves.

I probably didn’t dig deep enough to find those posts, then ISTR I read a couple of reviews before deciding to buy the kit, but none of them pointed out this particular problem. Not that it would have stopped me buying it, but it would have saved me a fair amount of time trying to work out what was interfering with fit.

But anyway, she is looking very nice at the moment. I like the effect of all the different panels you have created.

Cheers

 

[Deleted member 4539]

Great paintwork with the different panels.

 

[Jakko]

Not different enough yet

 

[Jakko]

Damned paint incompatibility … !

I had the different panels done to my satisfaction, and painted the fin, upper nose and cockpit canopy matt black. Because I thought the finish might be a bit rough for all the decals to go onto this model (it comes with what seems like a full set of stencilling), I sprayed a coat of gloss varnish from a spraying can over it. See the result:



It looks like all the silver base paint wrinkled slightly, and some of the paints I put over it did so even more. The black on the canopy didn’t, but the silver below it caused the extreme chipping effect shown in the photo — that this isn’t the black paint’s fault is obvious because the tail fin looks fine.

Anyway, I’ve decided to go with it — I absolutely don’t feel like stripping the model and repainting all of it, and kind of hope that a layer of matt varnish later on will solve things.

So I then proceeded to begin applying the decals. Here’s the lines on the left wing, which is all I’ve done so far because I needed to leave them to dry before I could begin on the other side.



Airfix provides decals for the red and yellow bits you can see, but I felt that painting these would be simpler.

 

[scottie3158]

Jakko,
That's a bummer sorry to see this reaction with the paint.

 

[Jakko]

On the positive side, it helps make the panels appear different

 

[boatman]

OH that's a pity as the model was comin on nice. Before I spray any thing I always spray the paints an varnishs on a test bit over each other to see if they will attack as I found it can happen quite easy

 

[Jakko]

That’s what I should have done, yes … but of course, only in hindsight did I realise that although I’ve used this particular varnish a lot before, it was never over most of the paint brands I used on this particular model

 

[Jim R]

Hi Jakko
Sorry I'm late in on this. Looks like it has fought you all the way. Real shame about the paint reaction. I like the various silvers on the panels - adds interest. Despite everything it actually has turned out well.
jim

 

[boatman]

That’s what I should have done, yes … but of course, only in hindsight did I realise that although I’ve used this particular varnish a lot before, it was never over most of the paint brands I used on this particular model

Well as you have found out it happens. As I found out the same way an I make sure now by test bits as they keep bringing out different types of paint an varnishes to me anyway

its like a minefield.An on big models ships like I build an scale planes I test an test to make sure there will be no problems I know it can be a bit boring but it can save a heck of an exspnsive model from goin wrong an seein a heck of a lot of work go up the shoot any way hope things get better for you on this build as the lighting is one of my fav aircraft
an i'll be watching how the build goes

 

[Jakko]

Thanks, guys Because its a big close-up, the first photo makes it look a lot worse than it does on the actual model. The effect is most noticeable on the panel you can see below the cockpit, plus one or two others I painted in the same mixture, but it’s not as bad on most others.

By now I’ve got the lines on the other wing as well, plus the squadron flashes on the sides of the nose, but those fit poorly because of the bulges that the lower parts need to go over. Once I’ve got those down (probably still more Micro Sol needed than I already brushed onto them ) the rest should be straightforward, if probably a bit dull due to the large amount of stencilling on the plane. Then all I need to do is build a nice flying base.

 

[Durk]

(probably still more Micro Sol needed than I already brushed onto them )

Just don't sniff too much of it Jakko.

Sorry about your mishap, but looking forward to see this completed and good luck with bringing it to a good end!

 

[Jakko]

Just don't sniff too much of it Jakko.

Does that even have a smell? I’ve never noticed …

Sorry about your mishap, but looking forward to see this completed and good luck with bringing it to a good end!

It’s unlikely to get any worse, I suppose, so I guess I’m on fairly safe ground

 

[Jakko]

More bad luck, though now probably a blessing in disguise. While putting on decals, I broke the pitot tube — that’s an accident waiting to happen with almost any aircraft model, of course — so I had to fashion a replacement. First I cut off the remains and drilled a hole horizontally into the lower lip of the air intake:



Because the wheels on my model are up, I could drill into the front wheel well for added strength. Then I cut a length of 0.6 mm steel florist wire, filed one end flat and inserted the other into the hole:



It’s not glued in yet because I’ll leave it off until I finish with these decals By now I have all the recognition markings on, plus the wing stripes, and need to start on the rest of the stencilling when the others have dried (so probably tomorrow).

 

[Ian M]

I have made many a pilot tube out of brass tube and wire for the same reason.
Now I tend to leave them off until the last moment.

 

[boatman]

I have made many a pilot tube out of brass tube and wire for the same reason.
Now I tend to leave them off until the last moment.

Like Ian said but I also leave this type of item till .last an I use very thin piano wire as it will bend an flex without breaking