Lockheed 14 any ideas to help using Airfix Hudson

[Team Aer Lingus]

Hi all thought it was time to put something on here I'm hoping to build an Aer Lingus Lockheed 14 using the Airfix Hudson kit as a basis for this conversion.

I have the Max decals sheet for the aircraft I know I have to fill the nose & rear turret but is there anything else I should look out for or conversion set that could help me any ideas would be greatly appreciated

[Paul J]

Maybe you should consider the Italeri kit that has the plastic of the MPM tooling in. This kit has all the bits you need. Solid nose, rear fuselage upper to blank the turret, etc.

[modelldoc]

Or have a look here:

http://www.plastik-modellbau.org/blog/neuheiten-vorgestellt-lockheed-hudson-mk-iii-von-revell/2013/#more-18989

The Hudson from Revell (really MPM) has also a solid nose and a part to cover the turret.

It's usefull, so it can be a Lockheed Super Electra coming up from this kit.

modelldoc

[Max Headroom]

The Airfix offering has rubbish engines and there are no Wright Cyclone replacements I can think of. The canopy is squashed - Airways did a replacement in the 80's so is pretty well extinct. The slots in the wing leading edges are represented by engraved oblongs and are in the wrong position anyway. On the plus side the passenger access door is correct for a civvie Hudson (rounded top as opposed to squared off on the military version).

As said above you will need to blank off the turret.

Revell's repop of the MPM Hudson family concentrates on the mk.1 - 3 Cyclone versions. It has both glazed and solid noses, a blanking plate for the dorsal turret and an indentation on the inside of the fuselage to drill out the 'eyebrow' windows aft of the passenger door (wrong for a civvie Hudson this time!).

I'm building this at the moment (stalled because for reasons too boring to mention here it is inaccessible), but as warned to me, is looking to be an absolute cow to fit together.

Whichever route you take, grit your teeth, take a dram of something and prepare to expand your Anglo Saxon vocabulary.!

Trevor

[Test Graham]

There are at least two options for the Cyclone engines/cowlings, from Flypast and from Red Roo.

Some Model 14s had a transparent tip to the nose: to allow the use of a DF loop, I believe. This is worth checking for the one you wish to do.

[Team Aer Lingus]

Thanks for all the advice I'm seriously thinking of cross kitting and seeing how that goes will be putting some pics up during the week as I've just purchased the Revell kit and hope to start on Tuesday

[The Turf Burner]

Take care with the Max decals. I tried to produce an Aer Lingus DC-3 (using the Esci kit) and those decals which did not fall apart stuck like a leach to the first bit of plastic they touched, which was not necessarily where I wanted them to go. Nothing would move them – short of sandpaper! Total disaster – kit now on the “shelf of doom” awaiting repainting (someday, perhaps, never).

Now, it could well have been my fault and the decals were years old – but take care. I suggest you scan the decals first and then use Micro liquid decal film.

Best of luck – look forward to progress reports.

[AAbshier]

Take care with the Max decals. I tried to produce an Aer Lingus DC-3 (using the Esci kit) and those decals which did not fall apart stuck like a leach to the first bit of plastic they touched, which was not necessarily where I wanted them to go. Nothing would move them – short of sandpaper! Total disaster – kit now on the “shelf of doom” awaiting repainting (someday, perhaps, never).

Now, it could well have been my fault and the decals were years old – but take care. I suggest you scan the decals first and then use Micro liquid decal film.

Best of luck – look forward to progress reports.

Sounds like the old Propagteam decals. I seem to recall that saliva (!) applied underneath the decal enabled it to slide and be positioned on the model. Thereafter your model will be known as a "spitting image" of the original.

I started an MPM Hudson and found it rather challenging. It can be done, but take your time.

Andy

Sarasota FL

[steverog]

The Max Decals sheets that I have were indeed produced by Propagteam. I've had some problems with them, but the use of liquid decal film first will help.

Steve.

[CliffB]

Hi Team Aer Lingus

Somewhere I think I've got an old Airfix Magazine conversion article. Happy to dig it out and scan it for you if it would still be of interest to you.

Cliff

[Test Graham]

Noe that the Airfix tailplane is wrong - the whole surface between the two fins moves, there is no fixed central part. MPM has it right.

[Max Headroom]

See my walkaround of the Hendon example

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234938084-lockheed-hudson/#entry1287001

Since I wrote the blurb to go with the pix I remembered that there are no guns in the nose.

Trevor

[garryrussell]

Year ago I saw an article coverting the Airfix to a 14 and TBh there was probably more work correcting the kit for the 'Hudson' parts than the conversion.

The Italeri one just has to be a better base.

[Ed Russell]

I'll second the idea of saliva for Propagteam decals, which I got from a curmudgeonly old kit retailer. There is a product which is basically artificial saliva which I was told also works.

[keefr22]

I'll second the idea of saliva for Propagteam decals, which I got from a curmudgeonly old kit retailer. There is a product which is basically artificial saliva which I was told also works.

And if you really don't want to spit on your model, I've found a drop or two of washing up liquid in the decal water also helps shift them...

[Team Aer Lingus]

Hoping to put up some pics this week thank you so much for all your replies and help much appreciated.