British aviation icon returns home: English Electric Lightning F.6 XP693 delivered as world's largest Airfix kit!

Are you ready to hear about a historic aviation story like no other? 

A story which links the Airfix company with one of its most successful kit subjects in the history of the brand? 

In a truly spectacular development for the UK historic aviation scene, one of the most famous English Electric Lightnings to have ever taken to Britain's skies has returned home once more and we are delighted to say that her arrival has been commemorated in unique Airfix style, a very large Airfix box for a 1 to 1 scale Lightning kit!

A Lightning bolt from the Past

The love of Airfix modelling is something which has touched many millions of people over the years and whether you are currently an active modeller, or have enjoyed the hobby in the past, the sight of the Airfix logo is instantly recognisable to so many people and will probably immediately take us to our happy place. Every Airfix range includes an impressive selection of kits which are faithfully scale representations of the aircraft (in this case) which inspired their inclusion, with some kits going on to earn an almost iconic status within the hobby over the years.

That was certainly the case back in 1963 when our first 1/72nd scale English Electric Lightning kit joined the range, our kit tribute to just about the most exciting aircraft in the world at that time and the pride of the modern Royal Air Force. As iconic as the Spitfire, but much faster, the Lightning was the aeroplane everyone dreamt of flying and must have been unequalled as a flying advert for RAF recruitment during its service years.

As we were delighted to learn recently, this love of the Airfix Lightning also extended to serving RAF officers and in particular, the Officer Commanding No.111 Squadron and future Air Vice-Marshal George Phillip Black, CB, OBE, AFC & Bar. With twelve pristine Lightnings under his command, he was more than happy to support an idea amongst squadron members to build several of the new Airfix kits and to paint them in the scheme they felt best reflected the awesome capabilities of the RAF's Mach 2 interceptor. The winning kit featured the iconic yellow and black of 'Treble One Squadron' and was put on display in the squadron crew room for all to admire.

Moving things forward to this year, Mr Black celebrates his 91st birthday this week (10th July) and his son, Ian Black, who will be known to many Airfix fans as himself a Lightning pilot and photographer/author of international repute (and guest judge of the inaugural Airfix Aviation Photo Awards), arranged a very special day for his father at the former RAF Binbrook, and airfield which is to this day, inextricably linked with the operation of the English Electric Lightning. Clearly, for an occasion such as this, a rather special delivery was going to be in order for his father and in what has turned out to be one of the best kept secrets in British historic aviation, an Airfix Lightning kit of gargantuan proportions duly arrived at the airfield, taking Mr Black right back to those memorable days as Officer Commanding No.111 Squadron.

A famous Lightning comes home

English Electric Lightning XP693 made her first flight back in June 1962 as an F.3 variant and would be retained by the British Aircraft Corporation to be used in development work. She would spend most of her flying career as a Test & Development aircraft, much loved by both BAC/BAe staff and enthusiasts alike by virtue of her stunning natural metal finish, one she retained throughout her career, a striking example of this ground-breaking British jet interceptor.

Her flying career ended in 1992 and she would later be sold to a private buyer in the civilian market and eventually on to a subsequent owner in South Africa, one of the famous aircraft in the collection at Thunder City. In recent years, she has been left outdoors awaiting something of an uncertain future, however, we are delighted to confirm that this future now looks incredibly positive and she is back home in the UK. Only recently, the aircraft arrived back in Britain and significantly, she had a big role to play as part of Mr Black senior's birthday celebrations.

In what has to be the most unique gift ever presented, Mr Black's birthday celebrations were coordinated to mark the arrival of Lightning XP693 to the former RAF Binbrook, where she will be reassembled and cared for by the passionate and knowledgeable group of enthusiasts who are now based at the airfield. Arriving by road in a shipping container, this container was like no other and proudly commemorated the association between Airfix and the Lightning by marking this as a 1:1 scale Airfix model kit. Our good friend Ian Black commented, "The Lightning has been disassembled into 5-6 parts to fit inside the 40 foot container, which we think must qualify it as the world largest “Airfix Lightning F.6“ kit".

This will be great news for Lightning aficionados across the country and will see this extremely famous 'Silver Lightning' returning to the UK and indeed to the spiritual home of this most famous of post war British aeroplanes. In addition to both the Mr Blacks, the event was attended by distinguished guests, RAF personnel past and present, Lightning enthusiasts and those to whom this magnificent aircraft will now pass into the care of, but as you can see from the pictures kindly sent to us by Ian, it proved to be a truly memorable occasion.

We would like to extend our sincerely thanks to Ian Black and his Lightning XP693 team for allowing us to play a small part in his father's significant birthday celebrations and for this unique tribute to the triumphant return of this British aviation icon. We wish the team every success for the future and look forward to producing a full Aerodrome article from Binbrook once the Lightning settles into her new home. Ian's love of the Airfix brand was instrumental in creating this story, one which we are proud to be associated with and we again extend our thanks to him.

We wonder if any Airfix fans managed to see this big kit's progress on its journey to Binbrook?