The English Electric Lightning

A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller
By Richard J. Caruana
SAM Publications
128 pages, softbound
IBSN 0-9533465-7-9

Reviewed by Robert Allen

Many non-Britons don’t realize the affection that many British enthusiasts and modelers have towards the English Electric Lightning. Because the aircraft only saw service with three air forces, and was never used in combat (discounting a ground attack sortie or two in Saudi Arabian service), it tends to be overlooked. To the British, though, as the only completely British supersonic fighter, one that saw first-line service with the RAF for 28 years, and one that was a spectacular performer at air shows, the Lightning is an icon second only to the Spitfire among British fighters. Although hampered by limited armament and the short range that is typical of British fighters, the Lightning was the best interceptor in the world upon its service introduction, and for many years afterwards, with a performance, especially its incredible climb rate, that compared with fighters introduced a quarter-century later. Caruana recounts how surprised the USAF was to encounter a fighter that could intercept its high-flying U-2s.

It makes sense, then, that the Lightning would be the first jet covered in Scale Aircraft Modeller in its Modeller’s Datafile series of aircraft books directed at the modeler. The title of this book is honest; although it does a decent job of giving the aircraft’s history, there are many other books on the Lightning that cover the aircraft’s development in greater detail. While there’s nothing specifically wrong with the photos included, there are also several other books that better cover the Lightning pictorially, especially in color – Ian Black’s The Last of the Lightnings and Lightning come to mind. What this book does very well is provide the type of information the modeler needs – the differences between various subtypes, detail shots and drawings, and color and markings information.

There’s a certain schizophrenic quality to the book, due to the historical chapters being written by Richard J. Caruana (who also provided the profiles and scale plans, all to a nice consistent 1/72^nd scale), and the chapters devoted to modeling being written by Richard J. Franks – something that only becomes clear if you read the small print.

After an 18-page potted history of the Lightning, which explains the political incompetence that hindered the aircraft’s development, the meat of the book starts, with a chapter detailing all RAF units that used the type. Fourteen pages of nicely done color profiles follow, with 42 aircraft showing the evolution of Lightning camouflage from the silver finish of early examples to the muted greys seen at the aircraft’s retirement. One of the best features of the book is the 28 drawings showing specific differences between sub-types, and how each can be modeled. One omission is in the caption to the drawing of the T.55, which omits to tell you that Matchbox made a kit of that specific variant!

The section that reviews the various kits of the Lightning is useful, telling what is wrong (and right) with the specific kits, but it’s also one of the more flawed parts of the book. A book called A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller really should tell you not only what is wrong with each kit, but also how to fix them in detail, which it doesn’t do. The most disappointing aspect of the modeling section is that Franks wasn’t able to get an example of several of the Lighting kits to give details of decal options etc., including the Airfix F.3 and Matchbox T.55. I find it impossible to believe that a British author, with the resources of SAM behind him, would not be easily able to find someone who had such common kits stashed away in the attic. We’re not talking some cottage industry manufacturer here – I can think of three of four people in IPMS Seattle who would be able to give him that information. Such sloppy research is inexcusable, and is, unfortunately, all too typical of Scale Aviation Modeller in general.

The cockpit drawings are comprehensive and extremely good, and the color detail shots are passable, although several walkarounds on the Internet have similar photos reproduced in greater clarity and size. One wonders why four pages were wasted on the Short S.B.5, despite it being part of the Lightning story, when no mass-produced injection-molded kit of it exists.

The section on camouflage and markings is also useful, although the absence of a drawing showing the various demarcation lines on the later grey schemes is curious. One thing I did not realize is that modern RAF Dark Green is equivalent to FS 34064, rather than FS 34079, which WW2 RAF Dark Green was equal to. A listing of applicable paints lists all the –4079 paints as substitutes, so the difference can’t be that great.

The last page of the book folds out to reveal 1/72^nd scale plans of all versions of the Lightning.

The English Electric Lightning: A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller is hardly the definitive book on the type, but it is a very useful addition to the library, especially for the modeler. One drawback is the price. Although listed at £14.99 in Britain, which seems reasonable for a book with high quality glossy paper, even if it is a softback, it seems to be selling for about $40 to $45 in the USA, which is exorbitant. My advice – if you can find it for about $US 30, go for it, but otherwise leave it on the shelf.