To be honest I think the campaign interface is the best LW mission builder out there at the moment.

You want to build an anti shipping mission? Start the convoy phase, there are two convoys already on the map to pick from. Build your strike package(s) in the 2D map then save the game as 'convoy mission 1'. You can't dictate how the RAF will respond, but that gives the mission great replayability because the RAF response will be similar each time, but it isn't guaranteed to be the same.

The same goes for strike missions against airfields or other targets. Choose August 12 (Adlertag phase), click your target, set up the raid (eg 130 He111 with 300 109s as escort), waypoints etc and save the game (I usually describe the target and composition in the savegame name eg BHillH100E300) and then play it. When you frag into the 3D mission you have complete freedom over which aircraft you want to fly, and whether you want to fly it from takeoff or later in the mission.

The great thing about it is, once you have loaded the game on the 2D map, if you want to change some of the mission parameters (waypoints, altitudes, aircraft composition, extra raids etc) you can very quickly do so, save it under a new name, and then you are away again!

I have to admit this isn't as straightforward for those who want to build missions from the RAF side. I do have a couple of good RAF mission savegames that were very easy to set up though.

If you choose the Adlertag phase, you are guaranteed the LW will send heavy raids against RDF facilities, Manston, Hawkinge, and Tangmere. Just make sure you choose to fly for a squadron based at the airfield you want to fly out of, and set it to 2 minute readyness, set it up and save the game. I have the following gamesaves set up:

Manston Scramble against Ju87s
Dover RDF defence against Ju87s
Dornier reconnaissance intercept
Tangmere patrol
Hawkinge patrol

If you choose the Blitz (final) phase of the campaign, you are guaranteed the LW will send heavy raids against your remaining 11 group airfields so the following missions were easy to set up:

Biggin Hill scramble
Big wing patrol over London (80+ Spits and Hurris)
Big wing patrol over Dover
Patrol over Eastchurch
Patrol over Thornley

The problem for using the campaign engine to build RAF missions is of course that you have no control over the LW AI and what raids it assigns. The trick for making sure you get the type of RAF mission you want is to save regularly, wait and see what LW raids develop after the save, and then go back to the save and set up your desired RAF mission. Clear as mud? What I mean is eg at 0710 on 12 August save the game (call it 'test'), then wait to see what raids develop eg you may see a big raid appear over calais and head for Tangmere at 0730. Go back to your save game and pause the action, and you can set up a fantastic Tangmere scramble mission.

By experimenting with the different phases of the campaign and using the savegame method, you can set up just about any LW or RAF mission your heart could desire, with that exciting element that no two missions will play exactly the same each time!

(Caveat: I have noticed a tendency in the past for the extensive use of savegames to result in the savegame file being corrupted and resulting in a game crash. I avoid this by not re-saving a save game under the same name, once I have created the mission I want.)