1/48 Aeroclub English Electric/BAC Lightning F6

by Darius Aibara

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Way back in 1988, I was a graduate engineer working for a UK Government Agency that, amongst other things, managed construction at UK military bases.  I was on a training course for Airfield Pavement Site Control and part of the course involved a visit to RAF Waddington to see the hanger and pavement construction works for the soon to be introduced RAF E3 Sentry aircraft.   Some trenching works were being done to the taxiway and we were listening to a fascinating talk about trench construction when two RAF Lightnings did a low level high speed pass straight down the main runway -
and then did it again.  I can remember the sight and sound of that to this day - unlike the lecture on trenches. 
I was into 1:48 scale aircraft modelling at the time but had to wait a few years before a reasonable quarter scale kit of the Lightning was available - the Aeroclub mixed media kit (the Airfix kit was way in the future).  This comprised vac-formed fuselage, main wing centre panels, fuel tanks and canopy, injection moulded tailplanes, fin, cockpit tub, wing leading and trailing edges, white metal intake ring, exhaust, undercarriage and cockpit
details, plus a very nice decal sheet with markings for Nos. 5 and 11 Squadrons RAF.

Click on images below to see larger images

The vac-formed fuselage parts were cut from the backing plastic and sanded on a sheet of wet-n-dry placed on a piece of glass shelving (from an old fridge).  The wing centre panels just need to be cut away and lightly sanded as the injection moulded leading and trailing edge parts are profiled to accept the vac-formed elements with minimal preparation.  I used filler to blend in the metal intake ring and exhaust pieces and when this is sanded you get a very nice polished metal effect from the "polished metal".  The rest of the assembly is like an injection moulded kit and I used Halfords
grey spray auto primer to prepare the model for painting.  I used SNJ "spray metal" for the undersides and then brush painted the camouflage colours using Humbrol enamel.  The Aeroclub decals were used to represent an F6 of No. 11 Squadron RAF based at RAF Binbrook circa 1978.
Don't listen to Mario - the F6 is a superb looking aircraft!!!!!!

Darius

Photos and text © by Darius Aibara