tomprobert

Fair enough. I’d be interested to see the pictures you mention if you don’t mind sharing? I love the Lanc and it’s always good to have pictorial reference when someone says you’ve done it wrong Tom

Evening all, Time for a BUFF update.... With the school term being in full swing time at the bench has been a little limited, but the wings are now on the model is really starting to take shape. The spars I'd spent hours making previously meant the winds simply slid over them and resulted in a very solid union with the fuselage. The fit wasn't too bad, but in true vacform style the wing roots on the fuselage were shorter in length than the wings themselves, so there was a lot of building up and shaping with Milliput to level things out: IMG_1036 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Once under a quick lick of paint, the joins look pretty good and capture the shape of the real aircraft quite nicely: IMG_1053 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1051 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr We've now got something starting to resemble Boeing's finest: IMG_1047 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1049 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr As a size-reality check... that's a 1/24th Harrier in the final stages: IMG_1055 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Until next time, Tom

Looking good - it’s great to see some more progress. I hope you don’t mind me pointing this out, but the gear bays are actually black on the Lanc - maybe it’s not too late to give a good squirt in there..? Looking forward to more! Tom

I haven’t checked in for a while, Craig. There are some serious skills on show here and your metal work is exquisite. I really enjoyed catching up. Tom

Lovely job. Right on cue, one of Biggin Hill’s twin seaters has cruised over my house... such gorgeous machines and this model certainly does the real thing justice. Tom

Tasty. That engine alone looks like a superb model in itself. It looks like you could hop in, fire her up, and off she’d go. Wonderful. Tom

Bienvenido, Joseba! I have recently bought this kit from fellow forum member Erwin so will watch with interest - and inspiration... Tom

Beautifully done - lovely finish. I was holding out for the D model, but seeing this I may have to give in and get the J too. It’s a beauty.

They occasionally come up on eBay and the like, but usually go for a pretty high price. Frank Brown captured the look of the Lightning so well - it just sits right. When you consider it’s a vacform from over 20 years ago, the standard is superb. You never know, a fellow members may read this with one in their stash and may consider selling...

I take your point, but in my defence you said, "...we're long overdue an accurate EE Lightning in our scale..." I say we already have one - yes it's hard to find and not mainstream, but in terms of accuracy it's about as good as you can get. When the Trumpeter kit is sat alongside the Echelon example, the former looks like a mere caricature of the real thing.

We already have one. The Echelon Lightning is head and shoulders above the Trumpeter kit. Simply stunning. The problem is finding one you don’t need to re-mortgage your house for!

Many thanks, Michael. Hopefully I’ll still be able to get some building done, it’ll just be a lot slower due to work commitments. Still, the summer hols are only 12 school weeks away...

The last few sessions at the bench have focused on the vertical stabiliser. After the parts were removed from the backing sheet and sanded to the correct depth, I set about adding some internal bracing using 1mm plastic card. I left these protruding from the base, as these extensions will be inserted into the fuselage as an anchor. I also opened up and boxed in the distinctive intake on the leading edge of the fin: IMG_0986 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr After careful consultation of plans, I opened up two slots on the fuselage top so that the fin anchor points could slide into place: IMG_0991 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And hey presto - a fin that fits! IMG_0989 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr There'll be a quick lick of filler needed around the base, but the fit is excellent. This will probably be the last update for a while as I return to teaching on Tuesday - books to mark and lessons to plan will mean a lot less time at the bench... Tom

Cheers, Michael. Making the most of my Easter Holidays with no books to mark and lessons to plan. The dream will soon be over though as I return to school on Tuesday... progress will no doubt grind to a halt until the summer

I've had a bit of a marathon sanding and filling session over the last couple of days. As usual with these sorts of projects, I've used my trusty P38 automotive filler as it covers large areas well, dries quickly, and is very easy to sand. The only problem is, it creates an awful lot of dust, so to avoid getting on the wrong side of the good lady wife, the kitchen sink is the best place to tackle such tasks: IMG_0962 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm really pleased with how the main landing gear bays are shaping up: DSC_0121 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The left side bays have been blended in nicely after their move forward: DSC_0113 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've also made and added the ALQ-117 pods on either side of the nose: DSC_0114 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0117 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The tail turret has taken a lot of blending, and the panel detail will all need to be replaced here: DSC_0119 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr So here we are now - underside: DSC_0111 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And the upper side: DSC_0110 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr There's still a fair few blemishes to sort, and I also need to do a full re-scribe, but I think I might tackle the fin next and ensuring a strong join. Until next time, Tom