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Lockheed Twins Model 14 and 18


rob Lyttle

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I'd like to do a civilian version of my Special Hobby kit, and there's some confusion in my mind as to what my options are.

So many variations...!

The fuselage has 7 windows each side, plus the small ones.

There's 12 passenger seats +1.

I've got 2 engine options- Single 9 cylinder Cyclones and Twin Wasp P&W.

And 2 options for the fins....

Oh yes, and the tailplane is mounted high as in the first picture.

 

It's a C60 Lodestar and the supplied décor is for wartime British/ Norwegian transport in RAF type camo.

 

That's not my style.

I want to do bare metal.

I did a Beech 18 previously and really enjoyed the build and the finished plane.

Love these little planes- so stylish.

I am hoping for something along these lines...

2072155

 

440px-Lockheed_14

8 windows!?!

See what I mean?

My research suggests that other options could be Aer Lingus and KLM.

Any information or advice on available décor and Lockheed type is very welcome.

I'm not a stickler for true life accuracy at all costs, but I'd like to do a decent effort on the model.

😎

Edited by rob Lyttle
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Well to be honest if you would like to build a KLM or Aer Lingus machine you should have bought a Revell/MPM Hudson because they used the Lockheed 14 and the Hudson is basically the same plane minus the guns and glass nose

The Lodestar is a basically a lenghtened L14 with the tailplanes put higher on the fuselage.

Hence the difference on both pictures you posted.

You can convert your Lodestar but that is a lot of surgery, i would not even start such surgery with the Hudson available.

Or go for one of these options as the C60 is in fact a Lockheed 18.

https://www.shopdrawdecal.com/searchresults.asp?cat=1849

You can ignore some of the info as you were right about klm using them as they did in the west-indies...

https://www.aviationmegastore.com/lockheed-14-super-electra-aer-lingus-irish-airlines-cpl14lingus-classic-plane-cpl14lingus-airliner-modelling-kits/product/?action=prodinfo&art=140669

 

 

Cheers, Jan

Edited by janneman36
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Lockheed 10 and 12 Electras are small planes, something like the Beech 18 - another piece of cake.

Lockheed 14 and 18 are basically the single aircraft type - they share forward 70% of fuselage, whole wings (Lodestar landing flaps are bigger), engines and undercarriage.

But both kits are available on the 1/72 market - the choice is yours.

If you like the pre-war short fuselage L14 with low tailplane location - go for the new tool Revell/Italeri/MPM Hudson (there's also Airfix one, but it's an old tool). You just have to delete the dorsal turret and cover the nose glazing.

If you like the long fuselage L18 with tailplane above the fuselage - go for the new tool Special Hobby Lodestar with no mods required at all.

Shortening the L18 fuselage, modifying the tail and wing trailing edge to get the L14 is not worth bothering with.

Cheers

Michael

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Glad someone brought this up. I was looking at this awhile ago, but didn't do more than have two Airfix kits which I promtly sold and the revell kit I hoped to use. Also have the C-60 and XC-35 vac form. Wanted to a few early TCA, CP aircraft. L10 and L12 I'd like to find also in 1/72. I know they are rare. The Beech 18 needs a bit of work to really look good, still a nice model from the box. I'm just picky.

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3 hours ago, KRK4m said:

the long fuselage L18 with tailplane above the fuselage - go for the new tool Special Hobby Lodestar with no mods required at all.

Right.. thanks for all the feedback on this.

💥💥 Lodestar= Model 🔞💥💥

          Hudson= Model 14 +guns

 

So it's the Special Hobby C60 I've got,  so L18 it is!

 

The Shopdraw decals look perfect, but the postal costs to the UK are severe.

There's a model show this weekend with lots of traders so I'm going to have a good look around. See what I can find.

Edited by rob Lyttle
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The other point to add for those still thinking of the Airfix Hudson (conversion to Model 14 or not) is that it has separate elevators on each side of the fuselage, whereas on the real aircraft they traversed the entire span, with the portion of the tailcone underneath folding into the rear fuselage.

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3 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

they traversed the entire span, with the portion of the tailcone underneath folding into the rear fuselage.

.....as per the Beech 18, right?

 

But that doesn't apply to the Lodestar L18 though, does it?

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What the kit gives is right.  My boxing (BOAC) also provided a spare Hudson tail, which makes sense in this context.  A quick look at the respective drawings in Putnam's Lockheed points out that the trailing edge of the Hudson's elevators go straight across but the leading edge doesn't.  Not like Airfix, anyway.

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16 hours ago, janneman36 said:

if you would like to build a KLM or Aer Lingus machine you should have bought a Revell/MPM Hudson

@janneman36 if I want to do a L14 in the future, I take it that you're recommending the Revell over the Airfix version of the Hudson?

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MPM/Revell/Italeri kit is much better than Airfix, no question about it. Although the latter too could be bashed into a very respectable model, it is just not worth it. Besides, Airfix kit has only bomber glass nose and one also needs to shave off dorsal turret and to scratch build curved panel to cover the gap. MPM/Revell/Italeri kit saves a modeller all these trouble as it includes solid nose and blanking panel, although one has to either scratch build cabin interior or mask it with window curtains for airliner version. I think original Czech MPM edition also includes decals for British Airways Ltd. Super Electra G-AFGN and a conservatively dressed male figure of very distinguished appearance, waving with what appears to be a sheet of paper:wicked:? Cheers

Jure

Edited by Jure Miljevic
replaced incorrect airline name BOAC with British Airways Ltd.
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3 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

@janneman36 if I want to do a L14 in the future, I take it that you're recommending the Revell over the Airfix version of the Hudson?

Yes that was what i was trying to tell, better to take the Revell/mpm Hudson because of the detail but a Airfix one will do as well..

 

Love to see this aircraft build...

 

Cheers, Jan

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To complicate the matter still more there was also something like the hybrid L-14/L-18, i.e. the long fuselage variant with original tailplane and narrow-chord wing flaps. What's funny it was built by the... Japanese. Called Kawasaki Ki-56 it was widely used by the JAAF as troop transport during the WW2. Some 120 (plus similar number of original L-14s) were built by Kawasaki and (only the short-fuselage variant) Tachikawa.

Cheers

Michael

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59 minutes ago, KRK4m said:

funny it was built by the... Japanese.

Yes, Michael. It was with some surprise that I read about the license building etc by the Japanese.

Funny old world, isn't it?

 

I guess there are dedicated kits for these?

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I understood that the Japanese version also had the extended flaps.  However whereas the Model 14s were built under licence, the Ki56 was a Japanese development without Lockheed input (or so it is said).

Edited by Graham Boak
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AFAIK neither photos nor drawings of Ki-56 (developed independently from Lockheed, thus so different) show extended flaps. As these (flaps and tail) mods were introduced by Lockheed on FAA  (not Fleet Air Arm this time :)) demand I guess that the Japanese aviation authorities were not so careful about the flight safety features. Contrary to the L-18 the Ki-56 was the military plane only after all.

Cheers

Michael

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2 hours ago, Paul J said:

have built the Special Hobby Lodestar with Draw decals will post pics when I find them.

 

Definitely like to see those, Paul.

Post them on here if you haven't other plans for posting!

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  • 5 months later...

Just wanting to add that the Italeri boxing of the Hudson includes not only a civilian nose & a blank for the turret hole, but also a couple of different engine options on all those neatly-molded sprues.

 

Cheers, -Lars

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Hi @lars_opland and thanks for the info.

I have got up to speed with Lockheed Twins a bit, and the model options. 

The Italieri kit I think is the same as the revell, and they're both from the original MPM tool. 

 

So I have, so far, the MPM Special Hobby Lodestar, and the Revell Hudson, which share many parts. 

And the latest addition is the ancient Airfix Hudson! 

Unable to resist the challenge, I have started into the Airfix. 

Door opened, turret, front glazing, stand slot and astrodome all filled, elevator mod started, floor, rear bulkhead and door, and 3 seats installed and Ali foil going on.

IMG_20190316_230853

A simple kit compared to the MPM product. 

Very enjoyable trying to make something of it! 

I also have a couple of the big revell Ventura 1.48 kits, but that's another story, for sure! 

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On 11/10/2018 at 15:40, Graham Boak said:

What the kit gives is right.  My boxing (BOAC) also provided a spare Hudson tail, which makes sense in this context.  A quick look at the respective drawings in Putnam's Lockheed points out that the trailing edge of the Hudson's elevators go straight across but the leading edge doesn't.  Not like Airfix, anyway.

Hi Graham, and others... 

 

Just want to get opinions on the Model 14 tail end and elevators, as I have now set about the old Airfix Hudson kit for conversion. 

I have made the hinge - line straight and trimmed the fuselage tail down, as in the Beech 18 style. 

Is the elevator a straight parallel "plank"? 

So hard to find good reference, and drawings are confused. 

Here's what I have, along with the MPM Hudson tail piece 

IMG_20190317_210752

 

Edited by rob Lyttle
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