Tamiya 1/100th BAC Lightning F6.

[ian lanc]

Hi guys,

Thought i'd put up an in box review of this rarely heard of Lighting in the scale of 1/100th. We've all seen the little 1/144 Revell Lightning and just lately these little kits are fetching £25 on ebay

What i say is don't bother and go for this little 1/100th kit it won't break the bank as you can get them from Hong Kong brand new for £6 and that includes the postage.

This kit was originally released around 1965 and came with a nice clear stand, but the new version has no stand, there are two different decals, one for RAF Binbrook and the other is Royal Saudi Air Force, as the norm with Tamiya decals they are superb.

The kit is quick and simple to build and it reminds me of the Trumpeter kit as theres not many parts to the kit

Both versions have to have upper wing fuel tanks as there are cut outs in the wings, these could be filled if you didn't want it with fuel tanks. The fuel tanks themselves are a very tight fit into the slots so theres no need to glue them in. At this scale all you get in interior detail in the seat which itself is bland though a bit of trick painting you make it look more acceptable. Part numbers A9 A10 A13 require fillering around the edges because the fit isn't that good. The wheeels have mold marks in them and need to be fillered and the wheel spats have holes going right through them. All the panel lines are recessed but the rear flaps are raised panel lines ! Canopy needs a bit of work to fit neatly to the fuselage and the canopy is quite clear itself.

I'm making one of these at the moment and i've just got the decals to apply and she'll be finished.

[B-17engineer]

Very cool Ian!

[vikingBerserker]

Nice.

[Lucky13]

The more I see of the Lightning, the more I love it! And I used to hate that bird!

[Airframes]

Nice! A useful little scale that, between 1/144th and 1/72nd. I built their Lightning and a Phantom about 25 years ago, and thought they were rather good looking, although I think the Lightning might be a touch short on length.

[ian lanc]

although I think the Lightning might be a touch short on length.

Terry. the kit came out in 1968 so i reckon it was quite a good effort and to look at the Frog Lightning shes a little gem.

[Airframes]

Not criticising it Ian, just pointing out that it appears a little short. It is indeed a little beaut when finished, and I also built around 6 of the Frog Lightnings, around 1969, which, at the time, I thought were marvellous.