MATCHBOX 1:72 BAC LIGHTNING

 

Reviewer: Paulo Ivo Teixeira (contact via SMAKR webmaster)
Kit Review submitted:  4 September 2009

Kit Details:

Matchbox B.A.C. Lightning F.6/F.2A 1/72 scale, kint # PK-114 from 1975.  From e-Bay for 12.96 GB pounds incl. p&p, in March 2006. Old-style, end-opening trademark Matchbox package with window and painting instructions on the back. This is actually a hardish one to snap up on e-Bay, it took me several attempts.

Aircraft History:

There are already several excellent reviews of Lightning kits on these pages so I won't bother you with yet another potted history of this remarkable aircraft. Suffice it to say the F.2A is an F.2 partially upgraded to F.6 standard, with kinked wings, overwing fuel tanks and a big belly, but virtually unchanged avionics and the same armament of twin Aden cannon on the nose plus two Firestreak missiles. 31 F.2A's were built. As for the F.6, it is the definitive Lightning, at least in UK service: though built in smaller numbers (39) than the leaner F.3 (70), it is photos of the F.6 that come up most often in books and on the internet.

The Kit:

56 injection-moulded parts in three sprues, one black, one white, one light grey, plus one clear in a separate sprue. All parts on sprues despite age of kit - I wonder why some manufacturers don't seem to be able to manage this (Airfix, are you reading this?). As is usual with Matchbox, there was no flash, just a few seams requiring cleaning with a modeller's knife. Very heavy raised panel lines, recessed control surfaces. Virtually no sink marks or ejector pin marks (again, why can't other manufacturers manage this?).

This kit was actually the subject of a very thorough and informative Inbox Review by Kevan Vogler, to which I refer readers for details. 

Instructions:

Usual Matchbox fare: a narrow strip of paper printed in landscape orientation and folded in three, featuring: brief history of aircraft in five languages, general assembly instructions, explanation of symbols, ten clear construction steps including colour callouts, detail painting guide. A nice touch is instructions on how to use the display stand, which is of the ball-and-socket variety. Painting instructions (3-views) on back of box.

Colour Options:

Choice of two aircraft: one natural metal F.6 of RAF 74 Squadron, Singapore, August 1970; and one medium/dark green over natural metal F.2A of RAF 92 Squadron, Gutersloh, West Germany, June 1974. 

Options:

Wheels up or down, then:

Construction:

Since I was doing the F.2A, I started by filling the cannon muzzles on the belly tank. Unfortunately there are also prominent blisters on the sides of said tank, which only apply to the F.6, but I couldn't think of any easy way to remove them, so I just let them be. 

I then started work on the cockpit. The side walls, tub and control stick were painted flat black (Hu 33), as was the pilot's seat, with olive drab (Hu 66) cushions. Some moulded-on seat bels were painted slate grey FS 34159 (Hu 31) as per the instructions. I also added ejection seat rings made with two braided strands of fine copper wire painted black (Hu 33) and yellow (Hu 69). These were affixed just below the headrest with a dollop of Revell putty, which was then painted bright red (Hu 19) to match photos. Actually I left off attaching the seat to the tub until the model was nearly finished, at which point I realised the canopy would not fit! I solved this by filing about 1 mm off the bottom of the seat and pinching the ejection seat rings together, as they were too outstanding. Small dots of satin white (Hu 130) were applied to the side consoles and to the instrument panel with a 00 brush, to simulate dials.

In the meantime the arresting hook, undercarriage and wheels had been painted silver (Hu 11), the wheels flat black. The wings are in two parts, upper and lower, which thankfully joint rather discreetly, along panel lines, and would only require minor filling with white glue. I plated the bottom of the the upper wing halves with aluminium foil, as these would be the insides of the main undercarriage bays. Aluminium foil was also applied to the interior surfaces of all undercarriage bay doors, both nose and main, as well as to the outside of the nose intake ring; the inside was painted silver (Hu 11) and the nose cone slate grey FS34159 (Hu 31). The exhaust cans were painted flat black inside and gunmetal (Hu 53) outside; the ring that holds them in place was done in silver (Hu 11).

The canopy was cemented into one of the fuselage halves (I forget which, but I just followed the instructions here). Some weight, as is usual for me in the form of lead chippings embedded in plasticine, was placed behind the cockpit, so it would not be visible thought the nose intake. The fuselage halves then went together well. The tailfin is moulded integrally on one of them, so just a little white glue was used to fill a gap where it joins the other fuselage half. Then the wings and tailplanes were glued on. There were widish gaps along the wingroots on the wing undersides that required application of Revell putty and subsequent sanding. 

I then thought better to get most of the painting done before attaching either the nose intake ring or the exhaust. Which immediately prompted the question: this aircraft is supposed to be green on top with natural metal undersides; but what shade of green? Internet searches were not much help: the colour was vaguely described as "dark green", but also as being unique to F.2A Lightnings based in Germany, which apparently would rule out BS641, i.e., Hu 163 (the usual Dark Green of RAF planes). The instruction sheet prescribed a Humbrol Authentic colour which translated as modern Hu 30. Photos on www.airliners.net were just as inconclusive: the older, poor-quality ones showed a very dark green which could be any of the above, whereas the better, newer photos (mostly of heavily-weathered airframes) show a much lighter, browner, hue, and very dull aluminium undersides. My favourite photos, however, are of a beautifully preserved F.2A at the Museum of Flight in East Lothian, Scotland. This wears a deep, warm green that I matched approximately to marine green FS34097 (Hu 105). So this was my choice of colour, although perhaps not entirely accurate. Indeed, later reviews of aftermarket decals and of the Trumpeter F.2A again quote FS34079, which is basically BS641 - a much darker green and a much more likely colour for a RAF machine. Still, I don't regret my choice - were I to build it again I'd probably pick Hu 163, but hey it's my plane and I think it looks happy in its lighter, livelier green! :-) 

Now I wanted to spray the undersides with Tamiya Silver Leaf to avoid brush marks. Since I didn't want to mask the silver, I had to first paint all the green and then painstakingly mask it all with lots of tape. A rather messy affair but it worked well, with very little seepage/overspray. The ventral fins have green lower edges and were painted separately.

The anti-glare panel fore of the cockpit was done in flat black (Hu 33). The missiles (Firestreak for the F.2A, Red top for the F.6) are in two (hollow) halves, so you can add some realism by drilling the rear of them to simulate the exhaust, which is easily done. They were then painted marine green FS34097 (Hu 105), with insignia red (Hu 174) noses. The latter colour was also used 
around the cannon muzzles on the nose, again to match photos of the F.2A in the Museum of Flight - but not of any operational machines, so it's probably not accurate, but hey it sure looks nice! :) I added three thin black decal strips from spares around the bodies of the missiles, as photos seem to show such dark rings.

No decals were provided for the wing walkways. Thankfully there are (oversized!) parallel ridges forming a "furrow" where these lines should be. So I just ran the tip of a permanent black marker pen along this furrow and got a nearly perfect result. Nor are there decals for the yellow "dashed lines around the rear of the fuselage. Instead there were provided as (HUGE) raised detail. Well, again, it was easy to paint these - I used trainer yellow (Hu 24).

The canopy frame was painted flat black. A very narrow yellow (Hu 69) sealant strip along the rear part of the glass-frame join was painted with a 00 brush. (Lightning aficionados will have noted the the extent and position of the sealant strip varies considerably from one machine to the next, so I exercised some poetic freedom here.) Canopy fit was unusually good! Finally, wingtip lights were coloured green (right) and red (left) with marker pens on a flat white (Hu 34) base. Last to go on (after decalling) was the nose pitot.


© Paulo Ivo Teixeira 2009

Decals:

A very small sheet with basically national and squadron insignias and a minimal anount of (mostly illegible) stencilling. Still, very good adhesion properties and excellent conformity with the grotesquely overdone surface detail. My only gripes are that the red in the RAF roundels is a bit faded - it is actually a very deep pink - and that one of the fin flashes is slightly misshapen. Still, nothing a bit of paint couldn't cure!

Accuracy:

Again I refer to Kevan Vogler's extensive Inbox Review. In short, I've also built the Airfix and the Frog single-seat Lightnings available in 1/72 scale (both reviewed on SMAKR, by myself and others) and this seems to be the best of the bunch. I've read wonders about the newest Trumpeter Lightnings, but am not sure I'll be trying any of them, as they are rather pricey.


© Paulo Ivo Teixeira 2009

Conclusions:

This was my third Lightning, and my favourite so far. Certainly not up to modern standards, but a fun and easy build of reasonable accuracy.


© Paulo Ivo Teixeira 2009

References:


© Paulo Ivo Teixeira 2009

 

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