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 ), 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! He did play with it, but it didn't capture his imagination like it did mine. I chalk that up to the fact that his generation — Gen Z — didn't grow up during what I deem the "golden age" of sci-fi TV shows, like I did, in the late 1970s and early 80s. Back then, Star Wars was something of a maelstrom, 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. Space and sci-fi was all the rage in those days. Of all the dioramas and sets in my nephew's playroom, I did notice males of my generation ( Gen X ), heading straight for The Lightning Bolt, however, 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 aspect more, 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, deflector shields, reactors, landing gears,... An entire sci-fi design vocabulary, acquired over many years of media exposure, both filmed and in print. Oh well...
Here the original ( aka. Phase 1 ):