rob Lyttle Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Hi all. I'm now the proud owner of this magnificent box of tricks... And I'm looking at options for a civilian conversion. I am finding pics of various makeovers, Howard 250etc, and even the trike U/C version. Longer nose and long windows, and so on. Wouldn't want the build to turn into a nightmare.... So, is there much in the way of civilian options that are still quite close to the PV1 airframe? N I'm not fancying reshaped fuselage bottom, but I could prob hack away at some square windows. I'm looking at a picture of N5390N, but looks like the ventral gun position has been completely made over. Could even be a PV2 for all I know..... Anybody done a civvie conversion or got their eye on a viable project?? Ideas appreciated..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcrfan Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I have one sitting in stash but it will become a Lodestar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 Well, @dcrfan, that could be an interesting project in itself. I've developed a liking for the old Lockheed twins, after doing the little Beech 18 ( expeditor) But I'm on a steep learning curve! I've got the Lodestar kit by Special Hobby, but of course it's as a drab military version. But isn't the Ventura tail wrong for a Lodestars? Or are you a fearless kit modifier? And is it anywhere near the top of the stash pile?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcrfan Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 2 minutes ago, rob Lyttle said: Well, @dcrfan, that could be an interesting project in itself. I've developed a liking for the old Lockheed twins, after doing the little Beech 18 ( expeditor) But I'm on a steep learning curve! I've got the Lodestar kit by Special Hobby, but of course it's as a drab military version. But isn't the Ventura tail wrong for a Lodestars? Or are you a fearless kit modifier? And is it anywhere near the top of the stash pile?! Plastic in the kits is only provided to be cut, filed, sanded and generally remodelled. I also have a pair of Classic Airframes Hudsons so with the Ventura, I'm sure a Lodestar will arise. Actually I think the engine nacelles and cowlings will be the biggest hurdle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jure Miljevic Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) Hello A quick cross-check of the web and Lockheed twins book yielded this civilian PV-1 Ventura photos: Apart from N64001 above photos of two other straightforward Ventura conversions (N1508V and N52K) had been published in Air-Britain book but unfortunately I could not find them on www. Cheers Jure Edited January 12, 2019 by Jure Miljevic grammatical error corrected 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Hi Rob, Not that familer with the Ventura, but I like this......and you could foil it, which you seem to enjoy doing. Dennis bingapis.com photo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VH-USB Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, DMC said: Hi Rob, Not that familer with the Ventura, but I like this......and you could foil it, which you seem to enjoy doing. Dennis This is a L14 Super Electra. The plane is carrying the standard Lockheed factory color scheme/markings... red with black outlining. Tim Edited January 12, 2019 by VH-USB 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VH-USB Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) 22 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: Hi all. I'm now the proud owner of this magnificent box of tricks... And I'm looking at options for a civilian conversion. I am finding pics of various makeovers, Howard 250etc, and even the trike U/C version. Longer nose and long windows, and so on. Wouldn't want the build to turn into a nightmare.... So, is there much in the way of civilian options that are still quite close to the PV1 airframe? I'm not fancying reshaped fuselage bottom, but I could prob hack away at some square windows. I'm looking at a picture of N5390N, but looks like the ventral gun position has been completely made over. Could even be a PV2 for all I know..... Anybody done a civvie conversion or got their eye on a viable project?? Ideas appreciated..... If you are wanting information on civil Venturas I strongly suggest the book 'The Lockheed Twins' by Peter J. Marson. This book is the definitive study of twin-engine Lockheeds. Unfortunately, the book is OOP and used copies are a bit expensive. The cheapest I have seen of late is around US$86.00. But this is a fabulous book and well worth it. About a year after it's initial publication I purchased a brand new copy direct from the publisher (Air-Britain) for only US$20.00, a bargain as I recall the original price was around US$65. Must not have sold well, a pity as this book is a 'must' for any aviation library. Tim Edited January 12, 2019 by VH-USB 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyinoz Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 I bought one of those kits from home bargains cos it was cheap and I thought I could do a Howard 500 conversion. When I got all my research together I realised this was a major project with changes to wing engines nacelle and fuselage length making it infeasible for me. You CAN make a Super Ventura without too much trouble though... I just did not like the colour schemes that were available. I ended up selling the kit here in OZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 @VH-USB, I think I'll check with the public library and see if there's one in the system somewhere. Yes @wallyinoz , the Howard conversions I can see do look like a thorough makeover. But the Super Ventura idea sounds like a contender. I'm not a modeller that's obcessed with historical rightness at all costs. A fictional regional operation, or just a private owner enthusiast making something of a war surplus bargain. So, for example, my Beech 18 ended up in KLM livery, although they never had one. They should have, though.... Looks smart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_opland Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 Hi Rob, There were some relatively stock PV-1's used in Canada in civil roles, IIRC; forestry, photo surveying, etc. Internet image searches rely entirely on associated text & many photos are wrongly captioned, so the hunt will be a matter of trying every possibility. Even "Airplane; Canada" (...& the same, using every Province in turn...) could yield something that won't show up with more definitive search terms. It's a jungle out there & some useful images can ONLY be found by accident, while looking for something else... Cheers, -Lars 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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