Phartycr0c Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) I'm genuinely shocked all the photos are still present in the thread what with being Photobucket and all that!!! Edited January 10, 2022 by Phartycr0c KiwiZac and Derek B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 10, 2022 Author Share Posted January 10, 2022 29 minutes ago, Phartycr0c said: I'm genuinely shocked all the photos are still present in the thread what with being Photobucket and all that!!! So am I , but perhaps not for much longer! (they still want their ransom before they ditch everything!). My current images will be courtesy of Imgur (for now at least). Derek Phartycr0c 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony in NZ Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 Oh great stuff.....I do love the Lightning (well there's very few early British jets I dont like...they are all pretty cool). But there is something special about these, I love watching the Brunty guys running their ones up on You Tube. So great so see them getting the attention they deserve Now how cool would it be to see an FGR-2 ground run? Although the US state Dept prob wont let you do it like they wont with our A-4K's still here Cheers Anthony Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 51 minutes ago, Anthony in NZ said: Oh great stuff.....I do love the Lightning (well there's very few early British jets I dont like...they are all pretty cool). But there is something special about these, I love watching the Brunty guys running their ones up on You Tube. So great so see them getting the attention they deserve Now how cool would it be to see an FGR-2 ground run? Although the US state Dept prob wont let you do it like they wont with our A-4K's still here Cheers Anthony Thank you Anthony. This aircraft is one that I have had association with most of my life...I served on them at RAF Binbrook from 1977 to 1982, then again at Bruntingthorpe LPG from 2013 to now (I am one of those guys who help to run them up - my main roles being packing and installing the brake chute and being part of the start crew). 1978, RAF Binbrook brake chute bay (I am on the right). 2019 LPG at Bruntingthorpe airfield (nothing changed in 41 years!). Derek Anthony in NZ, D.B. Andrus, Greg W and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 13 hours ago, Derek B said: Thank you Anthony. This aircraft is one that I have had association with most of my life...I served on them at RAF Binbrook from 1977 to 1982, then again at Bruntingthorpe LPG from 2013 to now Derek Hi Derek. Are the Lightnings still based at Bruntingthorpe? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, geedubelyer said: Hi Derek. Are the Lightnings still based at Bruntingthorpe? Cheers. Yes GW The last fast taxi we carried out was in November 2019 - unfortunately, this also happened to be our last, as a private car storage company now has lease of the airfield, which prevents us (and other aircraft) from using the runway. However, our two aircraft are still housed in our QRA shed and still regularly engine run, so they are still very much alive (most of the remaining classic cold war aircraft are now gathered together close to our QRA shed and now form a museum collection; some those still engine run as well). Derek Edited January 23, 2022 by Derek B monthebiff, geedubelyer and Greg W 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 1 minute ago, MARU5137 said: Hello Derek Hope 2022 is going well Dear Friend. Good to see you are back on track with the build. Looking through once again, you have done a Fantastic job on the cockpit et al.. I suppose you ( The Lightning Preservation Group & QRA Shed facility are still on the North side of the perimeter track ! ) must still be busy in between the Preservation work, modelling and real work too !! Hope to return to Bruntingthorpe to see whats left behind and say hello.. (did some cold war jets go to Cosford Air Museum?). keep up the good work there and everywhere !! Thank you for the kind words Maru, it is always a pleasure to hear from you my friend. Yes, the QRA shed is still located in the same place, but access to it is now changed. The big difference is that the other aircraft are now located next to it in what is now a separate enclosed museum park. The Buccanners went to the Cotswolds airfield (ex-RAF Kemble) and the VC-10 has also gone with all of the remaining large airliners being scrapped. Work is still on-going on the site, but I think that an open day will be planned at some point this year to allow the public to see the Lightnings (and maybe other aircraft) engine run). I personally have not been to Bruntingthorpe since the last fast taxi in November 2019 due to the pandemic, but may return again at some point in time? Kindest regards Derek geedubelyer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 Just to prove that I have actually done something, it's time for another update! With all of the cockpit component parts dismantled, cleaned up, shimmed, filled and sanded to retain their original pre-painted fit, it was time to assess if I wanted to do anything with them before I re-painted and assembled them. After reference to my Lightning information (primarily my Daco English Electric Lightening book and lots of other books and pictures), I concluded that most of the Trumpeter cockpit is largely a work of fiction which only barely represents what is present in the real aircraft cockpit (what is provided by the kit is largely the wrong shape, size, type, in the wrong position or a combination of all of these). My choice was to either scratch build a complete new cockpit interior (the most accurate option), or compromise and attempt to enhance or add to the kit parts - I opted for the latter. So, I 'threw some shapes' at it! The kit instrument panel again only represents some of the main dials and gauges appropriate to the EE Lightning F.Mk.6 aircraft. Therefore, I decided to upgrade this too by removing the kit switch detail from the left lower part of the panel, polishing it and replacing it with new more appropriate dials and switches (and a brake chute handle). Derek Greg W, Bobs Buckles, Uncarina and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 Great to see you at it again Derek! Barry Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 (edited) The instrument panel cowl needed some work as it was the wrong shape and had no (or incorrect) detail. An obvious feature not present in the kit cockpit are the cockpit warning panels which are in strip form on either side of the cockpit cowl sides, so I scratch built them. Below are some progress shots and comparison to another standard Trumpeter kit part for reference. The Cockpit Warning Panels (CWP) were built up from thin plastic sheet - I used the grip parts of the plier jaws to create a regular ridge pattern in the plastic strip. These ridges were then filed to regular stepped angles. These were then cut to the correct lengths and were glued onto thin plastic card, which was also glued around all sides. Once dry, the individual CWP panels were sanded down to the correct size and shapes. Some comparison shots of 'before' and 'after': The kit cockpit does not provide rudder pedals, so I made some. Below you can see where I have added a little more detail to the kit cockpit right console (anti-G valve and stop cock, light shroud and electrical panel). The left cockpit consul was altogether much more problematical! (see below). As can be seen, the throttle panel as supplied in the kit is positioned much too far aft. I could not live with this, as it positions everything incorrectly, looks wrong and will not allow other key features to be added, so some drastic rectification was required. I removed the throttle panel from the console and filed the corresponding vertical angled panel flush to form a single flat vertical panel. I then modified, detailed and re-shaped the throttle panel before I mounted it in its correct forward position. Once this was done, I could then fill the void below it with a plain panel, hide the fictitious shaped at the back of the cockpit side panel with a plain electrical flat panel and finally add scratch made throttle quadrants and AI radar controller plus a couple of other knobs and levers (these are key features which are missing from the kit). As the top of the angled cockpit seat bulkhead is a fairly prominent visual feature, I modified this area first to resemble more or less what would be expected to be seen in this area (see below). The top of the control column bears little resemblance to the real thing and is not angled correctly like it either, so I modified and detailed it to look something more like the way it should. Derek Edited February 28, 2022 by Derek B Landrotten Highlander, LSP_Kevin, Bobs Buckles and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share Posted February 27, 2022 Time to throw some paint on the parts to see if the detailing looked OK. I used an aerosol can of Halfords acrylic grey paint as my base coat. Luckily for me, the colour hue of the paint is not too far away from the dark admiralty grey that I needed, but it was a little lighter, which suited me fine, so this will be my final cockpit colour (I have since given it a second coat in order to get to some areas that I first didn't cover completely). Finally, the ejection seat. I attempted to do something about the very poor representation of the parachute, back pad and seat cushion (I did manage to reduce the size of the head pad below the upper ejection seat handle). However, it was so bad that I ripped out those areas of the seat and I will scratch build a new PSP, seat cushion, back pad, parachute and harness assembly. Derek Bobs Buckles, Seversky, Starfighter and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyJoe Posted March 10, 2022 Share Posted March 10, 2022 Nice work. I will be looking forward to seeing how you overcome some of the kit's short comings. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted March 10, 2022 Author Share Posted March 10, 2022 (edited) Ejection seat detailing sequence/progress. (Below) Liferaft Personal Survival Pack (PSP) completed and start of seat leather cushion. Seat cushion shaped and slot created (kit seat cushion shown above it). PSP and seat cushion assembled. The seat cushion has been shaped and scalloped to make it look used and sat on. Start of parachute pack. Test fit of parachute pack. Check fit of parachute pack, PSP and seat cushion. The parachute pack was covered in self adhesive aluminium foil (gas plumbers sealing tape). A single piece of thin copper wire was added around the parachute pack to represent the edge pack cover beading. The parachute pack cover material creases were impressed into the aluminium foil (which was the reason for covering it with foil in the first place). Using the same aluminium foil, pack cover closure flaps and opening elastics were fashioned and added to the parachute pack. The parachute was completed with the addition of a parachute pack opening rip cord cable. The assembled ejection seat Aircrew Equipment Assembly (AEA) and Survival Equipment assemblies so far. A parachute pack seat support has been added to the seat, which supports it as per the full size item. The square shaped grey plastic card is the start of the harness back pad assembly. Derek Edited March 10, 2022 by Derek B Victor K2, Smokey, LSP_Kevin and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbetty Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 looks very good! Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 A beautiful model emerging in its own right! Derek B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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