24 October 2018
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Corgi English Electric Lightning F.6 XS927/N, RAF No 74 Squadron ‘The Tigers’, RAF Tengah, Singapore, 1969
Corgi English Electric Lightning F.6 XS927/N, RAF No 74 Squadron ‘The Tigers’, RAF Tengah, Singapore, 1969
Corgi English Electric Lightning F.6 XS927/N, RAF No 74 Squadron ‘The Tigers’, RAF Tengah, Singapore, 1969
PRICE: £131.99
REF: AA28402
SCALE: 1/48
When the English Electric Lightning entered RAF service with No 74 Squadron at Coltishall in June 1960, Britain had its first true supersonic interceptor.
The ultimate incarnation of the country’s first and only all British supersonic fighter aircraft was the F.6 variant, which addressed many of the issues associated with earlier Lightnings, whilst retaining the stellar performance of this magnificent aircraft.
Lightning F.6 XS927 made its maiden flight on 15th February 1967 and joined No 74 Squadron at Coltishall that April – this was the last F.6 to join the Squadron before it moved to RAF Tengah in Singapore.
The second of Corgi's releases at 1/48 scale of this truly magnificent aircraft is absolutely stunning in its No 74 Squadron 'The Tigers' livery.
The extra detail opportunities afforded at this larger scale have been fully implemented with a wealth of features incorporated. Starting at the front end, the model comes with an jet inlet cover to stop foreign objects entering the engine intake when the aircraft is stationary. Add to that the option to display the cockpit canopy open or closed by way of two separate parts (rather than incorporating clumsy non-scale hinges - clever!) and you can really see a pleasing level of detail inside, complete with a pilot figure ready for take off.
There is a cockpit ladder to add to the display on the ground too although please ignore the positioning of the ladder in our photo (left) - it should be hooked over the cockpit edge!
The undercarriage can be displayed either deployed for ground display or retracted should you wish to show the model off in flight, using the sturdy display stand included.
Moving to the rear of the aircraft, to match the inlet cover there is also an optional cover for the jet exhausts, again to prevent the ingress of undesirable objects. The one piece cover fits perfectly (as does the jet intake at the front of course).
This really is an absolutely fabulous model and is sure to sell out very quickly as these are already flying off the shelves (groan!) so don't delay placing an order if you want one. Corgi has a real winner on its hands here and this is right up there as one of the best of its releases in recent times.