1:144 Westland Lysander

[ajmm]

This is a 1/144 Westland Lysander Mk.II from the small Japanese resin manufacturer FoxOne Studios. I built this as part of the RAF 100 GB on Kampfgruppe 144 (see full WIP thread here) but am reposting here as I've only seen one of these built up before and it might interest a few people...

 

 

This is the Mk.II kit, but FoxOne also do a Mk.I and a Mk.IIISD boxing. I have both and am tempted to get cracking on the next!

 

 

The kit has one of the most detailed and spectacular interiors of any kit I've yet built in this scale. No, none of it can be seen.

 

 

 

The resin is generally very nice and fit is ok. I replaced some of the kit parts as they seemed quite clunky and over scale - I added some aerials of my own, put the messenger hook on from stretched sprue and devising the gunsight that sits on the nose. For this I cut up some 1:700 ship railings and fettled to taste. I also added some etch to the wheels but these aren't very accurate and I may yet do something to improve this.

 

 

All in all I very much enjoyed this build.

 

 

It was taxing at times but nothing offputting, but builds into a good representation of a Lysander with the right stance on the ground. There are some clunky elements to it, but it was fun.

 

 

Yep - surface detail is a bit heavy. But so what. I will very rarely get as close to this as the camera lens is here, and from a respectable, normal distance the recessed detail looks rather nice to my eye. I avoided doing any sort of washes or weathering though - felt that really could ruin the party for everyone. Kept it to a few smudges with pastels.

 

 

One thing I'm very glad of is that I devised my own scheme for this. The kit comes with some very dreary decals for a training unit based in Scotland. I built mine as a 13 Squadron kit based in France in 1940. The Lysanders took a terrible punishment in trying to observe the Wehrmacht moving through the Ardennes and were soon withdrawn from France, but I was drawn (like a scale modelling magpie) to the unusual roundel. All decals from the spares box. I intend to have a Battle of France shelf one day and this will go front, centre among a Squadron of Sweet Hurricanes, a yet to be released Blenheim or two, and perhaps the odd Zvezda Fairey Battle (and if you want to know what the modelling deities among us can do with that kit, look here - yep it's 144 alright). 

 

 

Finally, with a rather small human and an SEAC Hurricane I'm working on, I'm impressed at how large the Lizzie was. Oh and a 1:1 tupenny.

 

 

Thanks - as ever - for looking.

 

Angus

Edited September 11, 2018 by ajmm

[Max Headroom]

Wow! Never heard of this manufacturer but will check them out.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Trevor

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Wow is Right  That is some impressive work in that scale. 

[Alpha Delta 210]

Amazing build of one of my favourite types.

[Paul J]

Cute. Didn't know the kit existed!!!

[RMCS]

Wow

[stevej60]

Superb work Angus,especially given the scale.

[Murdo]

Ooooooooh! That's superb!     

 

     

 

 

I didn't know such a kit existed!

 

I want one...