Coughlin, Geoff Cold War Aircraft in Scale: English Electric Lightning

The English Electric Lightning, the RAF's first supersonic fighter, entered service in 1960 and formed the backbone of Britain's air defenseas well as that of RAF Germanyuntil its retirement in 1988. It was an instant crowd-pleaser at airshows, thrilling spectators with its tremendous maneuverability and rate of climb; indeed, a vertical climb immediately after takeoff became the aircraft's trademark. During the Cold War, the Lightning served with numerous RAF squadrons and sported a wide variety of colorful squadron markingsmost notably the red-and-white livery of the "Firebirds" aerobatic team. As camouflage schemes became increasingly important, these eye-catching markings gave way first to tactical green-and-grey upper surfaces and later to various shades of grey, making the aircraft harder to spot visually during aerial combat. "Cold War Aircraft in Scale: English Electric Lightning" offers extensive reference materialincluding color profiles and close-up photosalong with several detailed step-by-step guides for building scale models that cover the wide range of liveries worn by this aircraft type. All common scales are addressed, with special attention paid to details that will help you refine your models of this legendary Cold War fighter.