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Lockheed Twins (and a CONNIE ) Civvies


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I have a bit of an enthusiasm at the moment for these twin - tailed, twin - engined planes from the Lockheed Co. 

They played a major role in taking the makers from the brink of collapse and closure right up to the top of the global plane - making industry. 

The more I find out about them, the more I like them. 

 

I've got a collection of kits to work on, and I don't think it's all going to be in one nonstop frenzy of plastic bashing. 

But there could be a fair bit of Lockheed ahead for me and my tube of glue. 

Here's what I've got, so far... 

IMG_20190406_171521

 

IMG_20190221_000943

 

IMG_20190310_222121

(I know...!) 

And I got 2 of these boxes of joy... 

Revell Ventura 1.48 box

 

So, the idea is to put anything I do in this ongoing project on here, and thus keep it all in one place. 

 

I'm not visualising anything military with these, apart possibly from the 2nd Ventura, maybe... 

 

This sums up the vision I have of what I'm trying to achieve... 

A19900678000cp01

 

Silver Birds! 

I've made a start on the Airfix Hudson kit (!) to be an L14, and I've been knocking 7 bells out of a PV1 to civilian-ise it without trying to make a fancy Howard 500 conversion. 

I took a few pictures on the way, and I'll get the progress so far on here as time permits. 

There's a Curtiss C46 on the bench right now, waiting patiently for progress and completion, and she's put up with quite a lot of me fooling around with the Lockheeds already! 

Edited by rob Lyttle
Connie
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Great aircraft! I am currently building the Special Hobby Hudson. To be finished as a wartime BOAC aircraft - camouflaged and with civil markings. Not the easiest kits to put together...

 

Nils

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For the benefit of interested souls, there's a Lockheed Group Build starting on the 13th...

 

Can't argue with your taste, Rob.  I've got evil schemes rolling around in the back of my mind, and a 1/48 Lodestar fuselage wanting to get friendly with some Ventura/Hudson parts.  I was just at a show over the weekend (and yesterday looking at someone's for sale list) and managed to avoid some Lockheed twin temptation.  Come to think of it, I did get a Lockheed quad, though- finally got the P-3 Orion I've been wanting for lo these many years!

 

I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread- and may even harrass gently nudge you if you get too distracted!

 

bob

 

p.s. I did buy an Airfix Short Skyvan, though- not exactly in the same class when it comes to curvaceousness...

Edited by gingerbob
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Interesting, subject matter that doesn't get done here too often (now don't get me wrong I love Me 109s and Spitfires, but these days I prefer the less trodden path so to speak) You just have to add an Electra into the build. (the L-10 not the L-188)

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1 hour ago, Marklo said:

You just have to add an Electra into the build. (the L-10 

I wouldn't mind having a go at one of these, although kits are not common. 

At that size I think I'd prefer 1.48. 

 

Here's the similar culprit that steered me in this general direction... a Beech 18

IMG_20180411_141605

 

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6 hours ago, Vingtor said:

I am currently building the Special Hobby Hudson.

I think that's basically what I've got in the revell box @Vingtor

Comparing it with the MPM special hobby Lodestar, several sprues are identical and from the same tooling. 

It seems that the real aircraft shared something like 70% components. 

 

Yes, an awful lot of fiddly interior bits included, most of which will never be seen again! 

 

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7 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

I think that's basically what I've got in the revell box @Vingtor

Comparing it with the MPM special hobby Lodestar, several sprues are identical and from the same tooling. 

It seems that the real aircraft shared something like 70% components.

The Revell, Italeri and MPM Hudsons are all basically the same kit, manufactured by MPM / Special Hobby.

 

Also the Lodestar is more or less the same kit, with a new fuselage, though. Special Hobby did a shortcut with the Lodestar wings, just supplying an etched metal bit for the increases inner wing extension. This will give an incorrect wing cross section. I had to fill up with milliput when I built my Lodestar some years ago. For my next Lodestar model I think I will use the wings from a Minicraft Ventura kit (as the wings are the same), but with engine and undercarriage fairings from the Lodestar kit.

 

Nils

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On 08/04/2019 at 01:43, rob Lyttle said:

Silver Birds!

You’re always choosing an unusual planes for your builds, and always silver 🙂 Have a nice build, Rob!

 

Cheers! 😎

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That's good info @Vingtor, thanks for that.

So the plastic wing is right for the L14 /Hudson, and then the etch strip is to make the bigger L18 /Lodestar wing, which is the same as the Ventura. 

Right?? 

I really want to get to grips with the big Fowler flaps on these, especially on the 1.48 scale Ventura. 

It's one of the defining features of the series of Planes. And that "extra bit" is right there! 

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The Lodestar wing is basically a Hudson (or Lockheed 14) wing, with an expanded inner section chord. The Hudson has a straight trailing edge while the Lodestar has a kinked one.

The Ventura has the Lodestar wing, with new (larger) engine fairing and wheel housing.

Here are some photos of my Lodestar build, some 10 years old.

 

Lodestar_57_small.jpg

 

Lodestar_58_small.jpg

 

Lodestar_59_small.jpg

 

Lodestar_60_small.jpg

 

Note also that the MPM / Special Model wheel wells are too shallow. The depth should go all the way into the engine fairing, not just level with the lower wing surface. I fixed this on my Lodestar model, scratchbuilding new wheel well interiors. But I didn't bother with my current Hudson model.

 

Nils

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Still researching my options with these, and here's what I've got. 

The L14 was militarised (very quickly!) 

for the RAF, RCAF, RAAF etc and named Hudson. 6 mks for maritime and transport 

Lockheed developed the L18 with 75 %

parts share. 

Slight increase in the inner wing chord, as detailed clearly by Vingtor, and longer fuselage. The RAF called these transports Lodestar. 

OK now here's the thing... 

"At the request of the British, Vega developed a military version of the Model 18 series which was employed by the RAF as the Ventura. (also as B34, B37, and PV1)" 

That is saying the Lodestar and Ventura are, while not identical, very much of one type. 

Then with a major redesign of the PV1 they produced the PV2 Harpoon... Wings, fuselage, fins all different and 2 R2800 engines. 

 

This leaves me wondering about my civil options for the Ventura. 

Many were extensively made over by Howard, with more or less a whole new fuselage. Nightmare from a modelling point of view! 

Several pictures of civilian-ised airframes with the telltale bulge under, where the gun position was 

Canadian planes for one, and Alaska. 

Who else knocked these warsurplus planes back into civvy transports? 

Passenger planes with the gun bay bulge still there. 

How easy was it to do in reality, and how easy is it to do on a model? 

 

Well, let's find out.... 

😎

 

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1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

I have a Classic Airframes Hudson to do in the stash 

 

I'll look forward to that Chris. 

That's probably a decent sort of kit. 

Similar to the MPM /revell product?? 

The old Airfix kit is not really recommended other than as a labour of love! 

Although that's kind of what we do anyway. 

I'm well pleased with the 1.48 ventura kit.  It's a big box of quality stuff, and yet they're getting sold off cheap. 

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8 minutes ago, rob Lyttle said:

When they say about leaving the wing intact, is it those vents in the l. e they are talking about?? 

46673786485_d3befeae4b_b.jpg

Don't see them in the commercial types much. 

I suppose too that they refer to those anti-stall slots. Lear modified the trailing edge, but that was on the PV-2, not the PV-1.

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21 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

 

I'll look forward to that Chris. 

That's probably a decent sort of kit. 

Similar to the MPM /revell product?? 

The old Airfix kit is not really recommended other than as a labour of love! 

Although that's kind of what we do anyway. 

I'm well pleased with the 1.48 ventura kit.  It's a big box of quality stuff, and yet they're getting sold off cheap. 

Hi Rob

Yes it does look a nice kit, but will be a while before I start it. Although, now I have seen this thread, I now want to get the Revell/MPM kit.  I would like to do the Neville Chamberlain machine in a foil finish.  SWMBO is not going to be pleased Rob 😉

 

Keep up the good work fella

All the best

Chris

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  • 2 weeks later...

There is progress! 

I thought I'd better hold off for a few days till the Lockheed Group Build got underway as I'd started the Airfix kit already, but I wanted to duck under the 25%built rule. 

I d got a floor in and a rear wall with a toilet door, filled the various fuselage cutouts, and glued the halves together. 

IMG_20190316_230802

 

IMG_20190316_230853

 

So now the Tailplanes. 

Airfix have really messed with the elevators to make movable parts. The hinge line needs straightening, and I've made a new one piece elevator. 

IMG_20190316_230907

 

This is the MPM part for guidance and comparison... 

IMG_20190317_211816

 

IMG_20190318_215148

 

 

Now, here's the thing..... 

The L14 has the single full width elevator, but what about the Hudson??? 

I'm finding bits of information saying two separate elevators. 

For example... 

IMG_20190414_120307

 

IMG_20190414_212654

 

Opinions....?? 

Also, take a look at this, and can anyone confirm (or otherwise) that the plane is a Hudson, from the engine cowling or some such. 

img205v

 

Because that is definitely a single side elevator with a fixed centre section over the fuselage. 

It's just about impossible to find a good photo of this feature 

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Rob,

At least three photos in the Ian Allen Coastal Command book clearly show some  Hudsons with one continuous elevator.  Although the book is all photos from IWM collection, with their reference codes, I can't get the codes online to link.

HU 91237

CH 2429 (possibly linked below)

CM 6629

 

This is the only one I can prize out from IWM site.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210039

 

If I remember I'll bring the book to next Romsey meeting.

 

Cheers

Will

 

PS Found two more in the book, again from the rear and showing the Hudson was a tough old bird.  Hope you or someone else can find a way to view these.

CH 6721

CH 8731

 

Edited by malpaso
More photo refs
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