Airfix Lightning

English Electric Lightning F.Mk 1A (Airfix 02010-3 - 1/72 scalle)

Built to 'Experimental Requirement 103' of 1947, which called for a research aircraft capable of transonic and low supersonic speed, the English Electric 'Project 1' first flew on the 4th of August 1954, piloted by Roland P. Beamont (1920-2001). Designed by William E.W. Petter (1908-1968) and originally just a research aircraft, it was soon realised the basic design of the P1 fulfilled much of Air Ministry specification F23/49, which called for a supersonic day fighter.

A redesign soon followed, and the P1 was soon developped into the English Electric Lightning day fighter. Entering service in 1959, it was one of the fastest and best aircraft of its time, though it would be continually plagued by a short range due to a limited fuel capacity, and continuing engine fire issues. Throughout its career, it served as an interceptor with the Royal Air Force, although later it also went on to serve with the Royal Saudi and Royal Kuwaiti Air Forces.

Although originally it wasn't intended to serve more than ten years, the Lightning was complemented, rather than replaced by the F-4 Phantom II. Eventually it was replaced in service by the Panavia Tornado F.3, and was finally retired in 1988.

XM192 was an early F.1A Lightning and only the 24th Lightning to be built, and first flew on the 25th of May, 1961. It was delivered to No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Air Force the 28th of June that year, where it continued to serve untill February 1965, when it was transferred to No. 192/226 OCU. It was last flown by the Wattisham Target Facilities Flight from 1970 untill 1973, when it was retired from service. Repainted in its No.111 colours, it served as a gate guardian untill the late 1980s.

When a new policy regarding gate guardian aircraft was adopted, XM192 was one of several aircraft threatened with scrapping, but one of the few who actually escaped the fate because of one thing: it was the Airfix Lightning, the aircraft depicted by the original Airfix model. It was acquired by a museum which later folded; nowadays the real Airfix Lightning stands at the Thorpe Camp Visitors Centre at Woodhall Spa, UK.

While the real Airfix Lightning survived, its mould didn't. It was converted to an F.3 mould in the early 1980s.
Nowadays it looks as if it will also survive the company that made it famous: Airfix, which has issued models since 1949, went into administration on the 30th of August 2006, together with its parent company Humbrol Ltd.