rob Lyttle Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Here is the Academy wing... The extension piece doesn't need to be there on the bottom part. Time to commit.... The flap rails and channels are very undersized and need to be redone anyway. As for the fuselage, I've started making some windows, removed the top turret placement and filled the front gun positions. I'm leaving the PV1 door in place with a window inserted and the astrodome will stay. So this is an early civil adaptation as alluded to in Moa's previous post, complete with the ventral gun position bulge, and I think it's going to be a paint job all over, in some style or other. For a change....! 😎 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 3, 2019 Author Share Posted November 3, 2019 On 09/04/2019 at 08:14, gingerbob said: I did buy an Airfix Short Skyvan, though- @gingerbob a link to this archive film came up on the Old Belfast Photos fbook page. I hope it works.... Enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 3, 2019 Author Share Posted November 3, 2019 (edited) Some progress with the Academy Ventura. Precious little faffing about with the interior, just a cockpit section. The vertical Tailplanes were disastrously wrong in the demarcation between the fins and the rudders. I filled the moulding lines with stretched sprue, sanded them flat and scratched new hinge lines. I emphasised the outline by foiling the fins and leaving the rudders. Also a few other foil details, the access door and the cockpit roof. The clear canopy is a strange item.... Kind of bulged, even on the front line between the screens. I flattened it down a bit and added a line of stretched sprue right on the front to get a better straight line in profile, but even the side windows are slightly curved. There's little details being sorted out on the Lodestar.... I think I have the nacelles and intakes sorted to suit the P&W engines, and it's time to get her up and standing next. Loving the look of the Lodestar’s airframe. Just a bit longer than the L14, and not quite as........ Well, just a little more slim in proportion! I really fancy trying to make one in 1.48 out of the Revell Ventura PV1 kit Later - Portly..... That's the word I was looking for! Not quite as Portly as the L14. Super Electra. 😊🤔👌 Edited November 3, 2019 by rob Lyttle Addition 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 15 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: really fancy trying to make one in 1.48 out of the Revell Ventura PV1 kit As do I. Perhaps after the Flying Boat and Floatplane GB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 5, 2019 Author Share Posted November 5, 2019 There's an issue with the modified cowlings on the Lodestar that I'm trying to resolve. They're just a bit too big in diameter to fit on the nacelles and allow air to get to the intakes on top and bottom. The nearer one has the foil stripped off and the addon cooling flaps. It's been back in the drill and turned to reduce the diameter down level with the step I had turned previously. That leaves it a little short. Hmmmmm. Im wondering if I can extend the rear with thin strip added on the edge, or if I have enough plastic there to turn another little step for the cooling Gills. It's all getting a bit tricky..... The tailwheel is on, with a scratchbuilt leg and fork. I searched every sprue in the box! I'm sure it's supposed to be there right next to the wheel parts but..... If it was there, it's gone now. Anyway the part is very frail and breakable - like with the Hudson! - so I'm better off with a brass leg drilled in. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 5, 2019 Author Share Posted November 5, 2019 I've turned another step around the back rim of the cowling, and it didn't fall apart. And strips of yogurt pot, one each side, cut with some curve around the corner of the pot so that they sit slightly flared on the cowlings, to represent the Gills in an open position. There's tidying up and trimming to do, and redoing the Ali foil, but I think it's an improvement on what I had. 😇 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 5, 2019 Author Share Posted November 5, 2019 Port engine is fitted. I think that's the best I'm going to get. I went for a quick look around on the Seaplanes and Flying Boats GB...... Some great stuff going on, and I have one of these...... Just wondering if I should take a dive in, and try to knock it together before the deadline. Not that much to it, but the decals are a little skewed out of register..... Like I haven't got enough to do..... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolay Polyakov Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 15 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: Some great stuff going on, and I have one of these...... Yes, looks very promising, Rob... 👍 I love these old school Airfix boxes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 A bit of action on the Academy Ventura. Having come this far in dealing with the Fowler flaps on these Lockheeds, I reckoned it would be rather slack of me to omit this one from the procedure! While I had the bottom panel on the cutting mat I decided to remove part of the wheelwell roof to make the space where the wheel /tyre would retract into, and I made a corresponding shape in my rear spar. There was a bit of a panic as I started in with the glue when I noticed that the engine assembly had to go in the nacelle half first!! That was dramatic.... 😐 Anyway job done and I can work out the painting thing later. This is not the build sequence that I've got used to. I gotta get the thing assembled first, before the paint goes on. I got myself a tube of this Perfect Plastic Putty at the LMS. Holy Cow...... HOW GOOD IS THAT STUFF???!!! I fear nought with THAT tube in my box of things 💯 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 8, 2019 Author Share Posted November 8, 2019 Two up. The second one is always a bit easier Starting to look like a Lockheed Twin! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted November 8, 2019 Author Share Posted November 8, 2019 Running rails and flap mods are proceeding with the Ventura following the usual kind of procedures. Alignment is a key consideration when fitting the various extra parts... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Well, the Lockheeds have been on the back burner for a while now while I have been messing around with several other things,...... But they're definitely not forgotten, and I've been pondering how to proceed with decor and finish. The Academy Ventura has really grown on me as I fiddle around with it. Apart from the disastrous demarcations between the vertical fins and the rudders, the detailing and panel lines are great, and finely done. Well, I got some white primer sprayed on the entire airframe and spent some time sorting out a few little items that came to light. Then matt white by brush, thinned. And going over the etched panel lines with a blade and pencil so they're not lost, like a kind of preshading. I got the antiglare black panel painted on the nose, and I've been plotting where a side stripe would go, and weighing up the options. I've gone for yellow and possibly with a blue pinstripe along the top, taking the design cue from my Curtiss C46. Masking and painted windows and cheat lines is not a process I'm practiced at. My attempts at keeping the panels "alive" through the paintwork! I decided to peel off the masking to see what I got.... That's the state of play so far 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 @DMC Dennis, I meant to say, having done this in parallel with the MPM Lodestar, we have big problems with the nacelles and cowlings on top of the wings, under the wings, in front of the wings..... In respect of a full conversion of the Revell 1.48 PV1 kit to a Lodestar. Not insurmountable, but some creative thinking and hacking will be required. The alternatives.... Hmmm. I've already cut the window apertures in mine..... 😯 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 Here's the PV1 port nacelle... And the Lodestar.... We can take it that the main spar is in the same position. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 Pin stripe along one side.... Nerve racking, isn't it 🤯 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 10 hours ago, rob Lyttle said: I've already cut the window apertures in mine... Yikes! No fear then. Dennis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 It's the £100+ kits that would cause fear and trepidation for me. I think. I've never had one though, I'm only guessing!! A little bit more done, and I'm trying to figure out what decor to add. I'm going with de-icing boots, and the cowling fronts are painted in yellow. One is now fixed to the cowling. So the choices open to me are- 1. Transportes Aereos Bolivar, but I'd have to shorten it to Trans Aereos Bolivar 2. Scandinavian Airways System, which is included on the Italieri sheet for the civil Junkers Ju52 Lufthansa kit I just got... The yellow and blue linings would be very suitable for this already. 3. Just a plain, private owner, untitled aircraft much like I have now. None of these are true replicas of real planes, but that's never bothered me to the point of abandoning a project! Any of these will look pretty good on a Lockheed Twin. 🤔 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 I have a decision..... There was a bit of a squeeze under the wings. There's a piece to be applied to the flap when the time comes. I thought -1279 was a reasonable variation with the digits from -1267. I can redo the side registrations in the same way. So we have a warsurplus airframe bought for a song by TAB and done out with some seats and a few extra windows installed in their inimitable style of Aero-engineering. And the business plan is to go in direct competition with Lloyd Aereo Boliviano with their shiny Lodestars. The writing is quite big along the fuselage but it line up nicely with the cockpit windows, and these guys aren't going to buy a whole new set of slightly smaller giant stencils when they have that set already! 😎 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) The Academy Lockheed is coming on. They've used an unusual method to attach the wheel to the u/c leg and I'd blown it long ago by sticking the wheel halves together. So I made a couple of stub axles to suit the holes in the hubs, and filed a smaller diameter lug to fit the drilled out holes in the legs. All these Lockheeds should have a diagonal leg brace to the outboard side, so these were made up and stuck in drilled holes. The main legs went in and the braces trimmed and glued. Gave them plenty of time and then glued the wheels on, aligned the flat spots with the ground level, and left them. The tailwheel is retractable on the PV1 but the doors close again with the wheel down leaving very little difference in appearance with the L14 and L18. So now she's standing. Something I noticed on that picture that Moa posted months ago (I'll try to find it), were the exhaust pipes fitted along the side of the nacelles. The stubs I have fixed to the nacelles have outlet holes that I have drilled out to take some Ali tube, and I'm going to make some up and see what they look like. Also, the fitting of the flaps. I've filed 5 flat spots on the edge of the flap and fixed 5 little flat boards at an appropriate angle.... The idea is that they'll line up with the 5 rails under the wing and glue the mating flat surfaces neatly together. So, that's the vision of the procedure that's in my head...... I'll let you know how it goes 😇 Here's the picture I was talking about. Edited February 2, 2020 by rob Lyttle Pic 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 Research for flap positions has thrown up a couple of interesting pictures. Try this one to an ABPic... https://images.app.goo.gl/k9xPPrQR8fiAUR6r8 An early conversion straight from a PV1, complete with gun position bulge underneath the fuselage. The rail channels protruding from the edge of the flap are all equal in length and the flap is parallel front and back. Clear on this one too.... But I think I need to fit mine with less deflected angle as the inner rail channel is nearly hitting the ground . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 Tried a few mods while tinkering with the Ventura. I had another go fixing the flap on and I think this is a little bit better. There's a sliding back movement and an angle down movement going on with these and I'm not sure of the sequence of action. I also decided that I prefer the look of the plane without the de-icing boots. Especially if I was going to do them up around the Verticals. So, back to the white on the wings. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 Nice one Rob, i'm liking it a lot. It'll be a talking point in your line up for sure. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andwil Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 The flaps look much better like that. De-icing boots might be handy over the Andes in winter. AW 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 4 hours ago, Andwil said: De-icing boots might be handy over the Andes in winter Yes, I was changing my mind each way on that. In the end.... not having a precise aircraft to refer to in this case.... it came down to a personal preference. The Tailplane and fins were going to look a bit busy with all that going on, so I opted for the clean and simple look to enjoy the lines and shape of the plane. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 I'd say the PV1 Lockheed is about done. A delivery flight to La Paz Airport to join the team. So, a quick stock-take of the Lockheed Twins build marathon so far.... There's a few flaps and so on to finish off but I'm getting there. The Lodestar.... This one.... ..... has the door hung, and 1 more P&W cowling to sort. I'm holding off on the decor for this one until I get, or make, some genuine options for a finish. For P&W engined airframes there's some Australian, New Zealand and Canadian types. Also South African, but the one that I fancy is East African Airways Or......... Check out the flap action on that Super Electra!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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