The 3-decker version ( Lightning Bolt - Phase 2B ):
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Notes:
The hangar bay was initially intended to hold a crane ( PM 5254 ), as a gantry, but, the wide unobstructed space caused outward bowing of the walls in the original — Phase 1 — version of the ship. Phase 2B added a horizontal tension truss ( seen above the captured Dark Invaders' spaceship ), to prevent the hangar bay from collapsing under the weight.
Interestingly, and somewhat disappointedly, my young nephew never fully embraced the Lightning Bolt as a playset, much preferring the allure of... Spy Team! While he did play with it, some, it never captured his imagination like it did mine. I chalk that up to the fact that his generation — Gen Z — didn't grow up in what I deem the "golden age" of sci-fi TV shows and toys, like I did, in the late 1970s and early 80s. Back then, Star Wars was a juggernaut, and spawned TV shows like Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Galactica. We also had reruns of Space 1999, Logan's Run, and, of course, Star Trek ( both the OG, and TNG, which was ongoing ). We also had Blade Runner, Alien, and Aliens, to turn to — to name a few ( remember Outland? ). Space, and sci-fi, was all the rage in those days. Lego, for instance, released its original space theme, which I mostly owned ( those moon plates! ). Boys play was all about swooshing ships, firing lasers, and landing on bases. Of all the dioramas and sets in my nephew's playroom, I did notice, however, males of my generation ( Gen X ), heading straight for The Lightning Bolt, as if to a lure — kind of awestruck: taking it in, getting it. It may also be that, in my nephew's specific case, he was definitely more interested in narrative play, whereas I enjoyed the construction and design aspects more ( as I always did ), reveling in projecting myself, visually, and in
the idea of the thing, drawing on established notions such as: a ship's bridge, hangar bay, engine room, docking platform, antenna array, reactors, imposing landing gear,... An entire sci-fi design vocabulary, acquired over many (formative) years of media exposure, both filmed and in print. Oh well...
Here the original ( aka. Phase 1 ):
Notice the misaligned decks, due to needing a lot of room to fit the PM 5254 crane, while not having enough plates to fit a fourth deck. Without the tensioning truss, the hangar bay had a tendency to collapse, especially if applying too much pressure on the hovercar's landing pad, above.