Airfix 1/48 Lightning - No more production?

[RMP2]

I was hoping to eventually knock up a little family of these things but I see they are being advertised on ebay etc for £65+ which is a bit daft to me, they're not exactly a great kit, just rare.

Anyway... would anyone happen to know if that's it from Airfix for these now or will there be another release or retool etc? Its a bit iconic and I suspect a good seller, so would make sense especially in 48th

[Stephen]

The Lightning kits are reissued periodically , I would imagine there'll be another reissue within the next couple of years. The Lightnings  were superb toolings ,it would make no sense to get rid of them.

Edited July 24, 2021 by Stephen

[Rob G]

I'm OK for Lightnings, thanks. 

 

 

One day, I'll make a start on them. I'm sure that Airfix will reissue them in due course, in the meantime there's lots of them at swap meets (admittedly a bit hard to get to right now) and in Eduard boxes, with resin and etch (iirc), as well. 

 

If you want a whole family of them, may I suggest the recent 1/72th Airfix kits? Smaller, cheaper, and easier to procure and store. Whatever you do, don't be tempted by the Trumpeter ones. 

[RMP2]

9 hours ago, Rob G said:

I'm OK for Lightnings, thanks.

 

Ha! As bad as me with Jaguars and British Phantoms.
I have myself to blame re the Lightnings, giving them away doesn't do much for the stash. Doh!

 

1/72 just isn't my thing I'm afraid. Mainly wanting a line up of RAF Phantoms & Lightnings in various schemes/marques and a cluster of Jags in their various forms/nationalities. Maybe the same with 104s too, just need one more of those I think.

[Rob G]

Jags I have, but not many. If you'd asked about Brit Phantoms (mostly 72nd though) ... it's a disease, I tells ya, a disease! 

[Lord Riot]

Amazing stash! 

[aerotechi]

On 7/25/2021 at 12:50 AM, Rob G said:

Whatever you do, don't be tempted by the Trumpeter ones.

What’s wrong with the trumpeter ones? I have the airfix F6 already made (It’s one of my best) and acquired a trumpeter in a job lot. 

[Rob G]

An easier question to answer would be "What's right with the Trumpeter ones?", the answer being "Not much". There's critiques all over the place, including here. Like most Trumpeter kits, they build well, but they only coincidentally look like Lightnings.

[Jabba]

1 hour ago, Rob G said:

An easier question to answer would be "What's right with the Trumpeter ones?", the answer being "Not much". There's critiques all over the place, including here. Like most Trumpeter kits, they build well, but they only coincidentally look like Lightnings.

 

The real bad point is the "Barbie Doll" shaped fuselage around the exhausts

[exdraken]

Have you tried the Wanted section?

I tried to sell one for stash reduction on ebay last week for ~40€ and it did not sell.

 

I fear shipping to the post Brexit UK would be prohibitive though...

 

[Hook]

3 hours ago, aerotechi said:

What’s wrong with the trumpeter ones? 

They aren't shaped like a Lightning, basically.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Dr. Quack]

So that's why I couldn't find one.........they're all in Rob G`s stash!😁

S`ok. I got one on evil bay ...... seems to be a drip feed supply trickling through there. Prices vary enormously from fair (auction) to Laugh-Out-Loud exorbitant (Buy it now).

Q

[tempestfan]

9 minutes ago, Dr. Quack said:

.they're all in Rob G`s stash!😁

Not all of them 😇

[RichG]

 

The Airfix 1:48 English Electric Lightning F.2A/F.6  (No. A09178 ) was first issued in 1997 and then reissued with new markings and box art as below  in 2012; this particular kit was most recently in the Airfix catalogue in 2015. The Airfix 1:48 English Electric Lightning F.1/F.1A/F.3 (No. A09179) - also first issued in 1997 - and again re-released with new markings and stunning new box art in 2015. This beauty was in the Airfix catalogue up to 2019 (although possibly no longer in production by then and getting rarer).

 

 

Eduard also issued a limited edition of the kit as an F.1A/F.2 with additional parts and new markings.. 

 

Peoples' definition of "a great kit" will vary, but these kits were regarded as state of the art when first issued and far in advance of anything Airfix had produced at that time and they are still excellent kits. Possibly lacking in cockpit detail, but well catered for in that department by several after market upgrades. Airfix generally seem to rotate subjects in and out every few years but as a staple of the Airfix range and an iconic British jet I would fully expect to see them return in one form or another in the next couple of years. Moral of good kits is 'get 'em while you can or risk paying a premium later'!  

 

Rich

 

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by RichG

[SleeperService]

This very subject has been ongoing in a FB Group and the consensus is that Airfix are doing the Hasegawa thing. Release a kit, let it rest for a while then re-release with different schemes. If true I'm in a quandary as either

 

• We'll be subjected to endless 'I told you's by Mr Annoying.
• We'll bank on a re-release that then doesn't happen.

Decisions, decisions.

 

Frankly @RMP2 I'd strongly suggest a search or ask on BM before buying a Trumpy or HB kit. Some are good, many are bad, and some praised as good aren't. Stick a decent cockpit in the Airfix 48th take care assembling it and you can get a beautiful model. Aires wheel wells will make you go mad I used them once and the model is in the 4Boxes of Doom until my therapy gets me to a state to carry on. If you want a Trainer go for the Neomega conversion, the Sword kit can be improved but Airfix is easier. Nearly forgot I highly recommend a metal pitot tube. I swear the plastic kit part will break just by being looked at too closely. 

[RMP2]

47 minutes ago, SleeperService said:

This very subject has been ongoing in a FB Group and the consensus is that Airfix are doing the Hasegawa thing. Release a kit, let it rest for a while then re-release with different schemes. If true I'm in a quandary as either

 

• We'll be subjected to endless 'I told you's by Mr Annoying.
• We'll bank on a re-release that then doesn't happen.

Decisions, decisions.

 

Frankly @RMP2 I'd strongly suggest a search or ask on BM before buying a Trumpy or HB kit. Some are good, many are bad, and some praised as good aren't. Stick a decent cockpit in the Airfix 48th take care assembling it and you can get a beautiful model. Aires wheel wells will make you go mad I used them once and the model is in the 4Boxes of Doom until my therapy gets me to a state to carry on. If you want a Trainer go for the Neomega conversion, the Sword kit can be improved but Airfix is easier. Nearly forgot I highly recommend a metal pitot tube. I swear the plastic kit part will break just by being looked at too closely. 

 

Mate, we are so on the same page.

 

Thanks to this post and the lovely folk on here I now have two kits in my hands, both at a sensible price. Shout out to @franky boy and @Julien  there. Much appreciated guys, will do them justice.

Given its age and accuracy it is far from a bad kit, just a tad basic, which is very fortunate given what the aircraft was and means to me and how I get bogged down with things like KH Jags. Bit weird I got more response from this post than my (now slightly old) Wanted Ad tbh, but whatever works. Just need one more for the line up that I would like:
Binbrook camo F6 (got n finished), Red spine n tailed grey F6 (now in the stash), Blue spine n tailed silver F6 (also now in the stash). Which just leaves a German based (I cant spell Ghuttesloh)  Green over silver F2.

As for resin wheel wells... not my bag. I do like one of a selection of an airframe to be a little opened up, so have a resin spine avionics thingy for one of them, might look into a little more but aside from pitots, not sure they need much especially with the later Cartograph decals which I have a spare 95% of. Cockpit wise I can deal with just a decent seat in each of these I reckon as so much is not seen. But ladders.... got to have a ladder if the canopy is open, that is LAW.

Annoyingly (sort of) the best one I made or the one I was most happy with I built and gave away to a friend for his 50th. I always take a tube of superglue with me when I visit and look longingly at the vertical thing on its oak stand. Big Sigh... worth it though.

 

ps - Talking of pitots, my Father has one from a Lightning, a 1:1 genuine thing. I had forgotten about that. We got a fair few interesting bits from Nigel Spurs yard in Eagle, near Lincoln back in the day. Wish there were still places like that, but the market and prices have gone mental for such things over the years.

Edited July 28, 2021 by RMP2

[Filler]

11 hours ago, SleeperService said:

If you want a Trainer go for the Neomega conversion, the Sword kit can be improved but Airfix is easier.

That’s not good to read. I recently bought a Sword T5. What is wrong and what needs improving?

 

I paid £35 for it. I see the Neomega set is £32 plus postage and the Airfix kit usually goes for 60 odd these days. So I guess that gives me 60 quid to improve the Sword kit and break even.

[exdraken]

23 minutes ago, Filler said:

That’s not good to read. I recently bought a Sword T5. What is wrong and what needs improving?

I would second that as well!

The Sword kit is more difficult to build, but it is equally fantastic! If one wants, there is a great resin pit out for it!

 

 

[Paul Thompson]

A few Airfix 1/48th Lightnings on Ebay at the moment, most around £20 -30, the odd one for stupid prices. When it was first issued IIRC it was about £24.00. Early issues had the finest part of the wingtips warped a bit but that was fixed in later issues, and the only things I ever read said against it was the simplicity of the cockpit, which as said abov is well enough fixed with an aftermarket seat, or some dressing up of the original.

 

Regarding T4/5 conversions, there was also the CMK version. Maybe I got a bad one, but based on my experience, avoid - lots of detail but major warping of the main components and canopy, not readily fixable with hot water. The Aeroclub conversion was nice, injection plastic and white metal. IIRC some of it was later replaced by components from the Neomega kit.  I should know, I used one, but my memory is ................................  what was I saying?

 

I don't yet have a Sword Lightning but have built some of their kits from the same period and don't think there should be much of a problem - perhaps just check the cable ducts are the right length for the version you want.

 

Paul.

[RMP2]

I've not seen any that cheap on Ebay for a long time. I'll take a look again

[RMP2]

Ah. 20-30 quid I see are unfinished auctions 😉

[Paul Thompson]

13 minutes ago, RMP2 said:

Ah. 20-30 quid I see are unfinished auctions 😉

Okay, I was being optimistic perhaps, but it does happen sometimes.

 

Paul.

[SleeperService]

11 hours ago, Filler said:

That’s not good to read. I recently bought a Sword T5. What is wrong and what needs improving?

 

I paid £35 for it. I see the Neomega set is £32 plus postage and the Airfix kit usually goes for 60 odd these days. So I guess that gives me 60 quid to improve the Sword kit and break even.

 

11 hours ago, exdraken said:

I would second that as well!

The Sword kit is more difficult to build, but it is equally fantastic! If one wants, there is a great resin pit out for it!

 

 

I could have worded that better I think. OK my main issue is the plastic used - it's very hard and brittle, it certainly doesn't take scribing well. Not a problem but on mine there are several places where panel lines don't meet and are rather visible. The moulds must be mirror-finished which caused issues with paint pulling back from edges. I got round that by going over the exterior parts with steel wool to key them. There have been comments about the plastic not reacting well to glue which is down to the smooth surface I think. A quick rub down with fine paper made it much easier to get a solid bond. Take it easy and test fit and it will assemble much more easily, I remove locating pins on kits like that always.

 

The cockpit is the same in both kits and lacks much detail, if canopy is opened it will be very obvious, It's more T.5 than T.4 but needs some TLC. Especially next to an Airfix one, even more so if that has an after market cockpit in. 

I think the rear end is a bit narrow too but I can't remember details so I need to find my notes. Oh and take care assembling the under carriage, it's not as flexible as the Airfix plastic so will snap easily and be difficult to repair.

 

Personally I think £60 for the base kit is a bit much, doubly so if it's got old decals in, the newer Cartograph sheets are a thousand times better. Somebody mentioned tyres you can spend the cash if you wish but the real ones are quite bare and were also replaced frequently. If you have an ancient decal sheet there is an after market stencil sheet around so not a show stopper. I've found that under table sales at shows often reveal a Lightning or two for reasonable money if BM can't supply.    

[davecov]

10 hours ago, Paul Thompson said:

Okay, I was being optimistic perhaps, but it does happen sometimes.

 

Paul.

I bought one second hand last year for £23 including postage. All inner bags were sealed and it also came with Eduard PE, Aeroclub Canopy, Aeroclub White Metal U/C Legs and Aeroclub Nose Ring.

I realise that I had been lucky but it really does happen sometimes. However, eBay is a game of swings and roundabouts as the money I saved on that was blown by paying over the odds for an Airfix 1/32 car!

Dave

[RMP2]

7 hours ago, davecov said:

I bought one second hand last year for £23 including postage. All inner bags were sealed and it also came with Eduard PE, Aeroclub Canopy, Aeroclub White Metal U/C Legs and Aeroclub Nose Ring.

I realise that I had been lucky but it really does happen sometimes. However, eBay is a game of swings and roundabouts as the money I saved on that was blown by paying over the odds for an Airfix 1/32 car!

Dave

 

It all a bit reminiscent of high priced Phantom FGR2s before Revell rereleased and gazumped the Hasegawa casher inners.

I've two F2/F6s to be getting on with, hopefully another release of the Lightning range will see me the last one I want, certainly no rush now anyway.