Lockheed PV1 and Lodestar in 1.48 (Civil) )

[Dogleg]

Thanks @rob Lyttle - when mine arrives I’ll check for the plate. 

[rob Lyttle]

So these are the tailplane pieces.... 

Disassembling already under way. I'm taking the elevators off with a straight cut - there's a piece still attached at the outboard end which needs to be removed and messed around with.... see later 😎

This is the inboard face of one of the verticals.... 

While the rudder pieces are being removed, the area inside the pencil lines needs to go. 

.... and the rudder pieces from the outboard side of the fin need to come off too. 

As the number of bits increases, the scope for mix ups and losses increases - some might say "exponentially" 🤭- and it's worth sticking some together, and def tackle only one fin at a time. 

The challenge here is to inject some structural integrity into the assembly. All the panels are two-sided with hollows inside. Adequate I guess while nothing is cut or altered, but not good enough for this adventure in plastic bashing. 

The outboard tailplane tips are moulded on the fin outer.... 

.... and there's a hollow slot in the piece viewing from inside - the one in front has a strip of 1mm stock shaped a little and pushed in to the max. 

The plan is to get the strip built into the horizontal tailplane assembly and then it'll glue right in there adding a bit of stability and structure to these joints. 

So next..... 

.... Two strips of the 1mm embedded and also two tapering rear spars to fill the gap along the hinge line. Dry fitting and much testing is called for with these, because the joint of the tailplane to the fuselage rear is spot on as supplied, and does not want to be messed up with a too-thick tailplane. 

This joint..... 

Too tall a spar strip will cause havoc with this 

A good time for eyeballing the alignment of the tailplane with the wings and judicious use of files to adjust any tendency for the fuselage surface to throw the horizontal tailplane off at a tilt. 

So here's one good fin joint glued up, and the 2nd can be started. 

...... except for one thing, and I'll have that little rascal sorted and documented ready for the next post 😇........ Probly 

 

[rob Lyttle]

The outstanding item on the tailplane assembly is the bit that came off with the elevators and needs to be attached to the fixed tailplane.... In fact there's 2 of them. These little parts.... 

 On the right is one that's still attached, and on the left is the shape a bit wider and twice..... I've run out of description power, but you can see what it is! 

So another strip of the 1mm stock is fitted into the slot 

.... and the double sided bit sits on it! 

A bit of tinkering and faffing about is required to fit in snug where the rudder used to be and leave just the right clearance for the completed elevators to fit in. The final blending in to the tailplane surfaces can be done when the glue is set. 

Referring to the 1st photo above, the stupid lettering by Revell on the surface of the elevator has again been removed, eradicated, wiped off the face of the earth, oblivion-ised.🙄

One more to do 

[rob Lyttle]

Pressing on with the tailplane assembly, and we're getting somewhere, 

This is a test fit for the elevators as they need to fit correctly between the fuselage endpiece and the homemade outer ends. So far so good 😇 That's the kind of position I'm hoping for with the elevators. 

Ah..... I forgot to mention, I blanked off the gaps at the leading edges of the elevators before proceeding. This is them being glued onto a strip of thin white styrene.... 

The panels taper towards the outboard ends and all the extra can be filed away once the glue is well set. 

 

It all prevents any gaps appearing along the hinge lines with the elevators deployed. 

So then it's a matter of foiling the various surfaces and it's much easier with the piece in hand rather than attached to the airframe 🤭

The horizontals are easy with the nice straight leading edges. It's preferable to keep the end of the foil away from the exposed edges like a leading edge. For each main blade the foil starts at the hinge line, comes right forward and around the leading edge and back under to the hinge line. 

Same with the elevators. 

Out of the question with the Lockheed vertical fins though. Not a straight line anywhere to be seen! Or the outboard tips of the tailplane... 

 

Anyway, it's all foiled up now apart from the rudder pieces. Altogether 16 faces, I make it on the assembly as pictured 

It's now fixed to the fuselage and looks OK 👍

Looking like a Lockheed 

[marvinneko]

Wow. ok, so this is what's required to make elevators and rudders separated. Good reference.

[rob Lyttle]

40 minutes ago, marvinneko said:

Wow. ok, so this is what's required to make elevators and rudders separated. Good reference.

It's a bit of a palaver with these tails, but I think it's worth the effort, and this is the scale to be trying it out on. 

Must admit that I do like to get some movement on the things that move on a plane. Kind of animates the model's appearance a bit. 

[marvinneko]

1 minute ago, rob Lyttle said:

It's a bit of a palaver with these tails, but I think it's worth the effort, and this is the scale to be trying it out on. 

Must admit that I do like to get some movement on the things that move on a plane. Kind of animates the model's appearance a bit. 

 

Agree absolutely. I wanted to do the same on my Ventura so your work is helpful. It's easier to imagine than to do, as I am learning. Your work is impressive!

[Dogleg]

@rob Lyttle - great work and a fantastic ‘how to’ resource.

 

When applying the sticky aluminium foil, are you using small strips butted up against each other, or full width pieces? Looking to practice on something like a P-47 before attempting a big bird. 
 

If you’ve already documented your approach elsewhere, apologies - just tell me where to go (in the politest terms!).

[rob Lyttle]

I've documented a few on here that might be useful for an insight into the process.... 

Basically big flat or single curved surfaces can go in one hit, compound curves ie curved both ways or rounded are the big challenge for this process and need to be done in smaller size sections. 

Take a read through if you like.... There's more on here somewhere. Not everyone's cup of tea but I certainly enjoy the process 

[Dogleg]

Thanks @rob Lyttle - I tried a small piece on a tailplane …looked great and rivet/panel details really showed up with a little burnishing. Very satisfying. 

[rob Lyttle]

I borrowed the props from the Ventura for a couple of pictures.The kit's props are in fact ideal for a Lockheed Lodestar, the Ventura's prop blades should be more paddle-shaped than these.

 

Main wheel gear is all fitted, and I have two nacelle outside panels made of pie-dish aluminium yet to fit.

Other outstanding items are a passenger door, cargo hatch, rudder parts to attach, aerials and pitot tubes....blah blah.....🥳 

But she's getting there!

I spent quite a bit of time on the fabrication of a tailwheel.The kit's version is too small according to my drawings.AND I've misled the leg, AND the retractable assembly on the Ventura is all wrong for the Lodestar.

This is a Hudson tailwheel, very much the same as what the Lodestar requires...

 

 

I've got this so far....

 

AND it even casters....

Still a length of Ali tube axle sticking out one side, but I think the stance of the plane is looking fairly okay with it fitted.

Good to see her up on feet, after all this time 👍

[rob Lyttle]

Let me do a little recap of the nacelle situation under the wings as it was some considerable time ago that I came up with a plan.... 

With the kit nacelle sides omitted completely, the well shape moulded onto the wing panel was reshaped somewhat with the sides starting to curve. Then the inboard sides were cut from 1mm stock, curved a bit and glued to the edge of the new shaped nacelle, and that semicircular cross-piece added at the spar position. The end of the nacelle which is actually on the flap, was cut off and the new, smaller fairing scratch built on the flap.

 A balsa wood plug was fashioned (before the inner pieces were attached to the nacelles...) to take the shape so that pie-dish Ali could be shaped over it.... 

 

The idea is that the Ali part glues to the nacelle and completes the shape, leaving the space for the u/c leg and tyre to retract. 

Right, so far so good. 

So I'm looking at my Ali formed pieces and weighing up my options for attachment when I noticed a convenient similarity with the corners of my favourite source of styrene scratch plastic..... The Muller Corner yogurt pot! 

 

So I thought about a styrene piece for the outer side, and cut one out to try. Not long enough, but an extra bit could be scarfed on easily enough. But then I'd have to metalise the skinny plastic. 

So the next bright idea 🤔 was to laminate the styrene shape to the Ali piece, plastic inside, which gives me plastic surfaces to glue together AND Ali metal on the outside. 

Well, you gotta try these things!!

My first effort was done with micro Kristal Klear, more or less a fancy PVA white glue. Slow to dry in this situation with 2 very non-absorbant surfaces but it set overnight OK.. 

I think it works as a solution to the nacelle situation. The combined thickness of the 2 materials is still very small and adds no significant size to the finished nacelle. 

I'm going to do another for the other nacelle and have a go at fixing them on. 

😎

[rob Lyttle]

Ah, here's quite a good pic from Jan 2021 of the nacelle in development... 

That means my pie-dish Ali piece and my balsa plug have been lying around for 2 years and I still haven't lost them! 😇

Shamefully long time to be set aside though, must admit 

[rob Lyttle]

Hi @dcrfan, how's things??

Have you any progress to report on your Lodestar project? 

You've probably noticed that Dennis @DMChas had to pack it in with the modelling. His company is much missed, I got to say.

I'm now the keeper of his PV1 kit conversion project, and I've been having a good look at the state of play in that box too. Starting to feel familiar with the whole thing 😋

[rob Lyttle]

On 20/02/2023 at 20:37, Dogleg said:

I tried a small piece on a tailplane …

Well, it's a useful method, or technique, to have available, even if it's just for details on jet pipes or car bumpers etc. 

No going back now, Dogleg ‼️😀

[rob Lyttle]

Some steps forward and steps backward going on. 

For a start the laminated Ali and plastic was a fail. Glue didn't work on the metal, but I'd glued the piece onto the nacelle and that worked. So basically the Ali layer peeled off. 

Oh well.... 

Then I had another insight into the exhaust pipe and fairing that runs along the outside of the nacelle. 

This thing.... 

 

Looking at my yogurt pot moulding, I could see the possibility of making such a piece. 

Worth a try, I thought to myself.... 

So while I had the opportunity for a plastic to plastic joint I went for it. Then a hole drilled at a rakish angle that can take a shaped piece of Ali tube (just pushed in dry fit style here) 

So that leaves a few loose ends to tidy up - last piece of styrene at the rear of the nacelle, and somehow metalize this lot to match. I still have the Ali outside layer but the exhaust assembly is now in the way. 

Some kind of long term planning might be advantageous here 😋

Hey ho 

[rob Lyttle]

Now then, aside from a final decision on the decor for the Lodestar and a couple of fiddly bits here and there (like the passenger door for instance....😛🤭), I'm just about done on this one. I hope to get her along to the Poole Vikings Model show next Saturday on our club table.

But instead of setting about these last few items, which would be the sensible way to go about it, I've been having a good sort-out in the NEXT ONE.

You recall that BM colleague and friend @DMC Dennis was doing a parallel build and cooperation was plentiful between us including the sharing of a 4-set of resin engines.

Well, Dennis had to pack in with the modelling regrettably but entrusted me with the project, and sent me the whole kit-and-caboodle, plus several extras in the way of tools and stuff that Modellers use and like.

So on the one hand, I'm familiar with the contents - 2nd one is always easier isn't it??😊

On the other hand, Dennis set about some things in a different way. Always a keen vacform maker, this was his tendency for solving the riddles of modifications 

So it's not that straightforward to take over.... But I'm getting there.

Fuselage sides looking familiar,

 

 

Turret and Astrodome positions were already blanked off,and the ventral gun position too.

I remember his decision to cut the tail end clean off and vacform a new tail. I was more than a little hesitant about this radical procedure.

But sure enough.....

This is the kit horizontal tailplane clipped in position. The fit is perfect!

There's also a tailwheel attachment tube built in

There's an interior for the passenger cabin with a full complement of upholstery - chairs vacform + scratch.

Now, the entire nose section is following a different path too. We had a discussion about the shape under the nose and reaching back underneath. It struck me as I completed the fuselage assembly that it looked a bit boxy compared to some Lodestar photos. We thought it might have been modified to accommodate the bomb aiming window which, let's face it, HAS to be flat.

Apart from some fairly heavy sanding on the "corners"I left the subject there.

Not Dennis, though!

The vacform gear was out again 😎

The kit front panels are chopped to remove the underside and a replacement panel vacformed in a typical Lockheed rounded style. Also intrinsic to this piece is a new nosecone,- I think you know how that was fabricated - doing away with the transparency which requires so much sanding.

 

Is that enough for a moment....?😎

[Thom216]

It's always interesting to see how other modelers address the same kits and whatever foibles may come with them.

 

I like the exhaust work. Very nice.

[rob Lyttle]

Just going back to my 1st Lodestar build, I've got a passenger door made,

It's a piece of 1mm stock that has been persuaded into a permanent curve.A frame has been fabricated from sprue stretched over a brush handle, and I've opted for a brass wire hinge system. It is adjustable and resilient. All that's needed for hanging is a pair of holes through the fuselage by the doorway. The real thing appears to be Hung this way,- that is, the pivot axis is forward of the opening and the the hinge arms have length, so keeping the curve of the door clear of the fuselage side.

 

 

Something else has been bugging me ever since I started planning the livery style and especially the airline title above the window line. It's those ventilation pips that I made.

They are too low, I think. They need to be above that panel line.

I've actually been trying to sort them out early on the 2nd airframe, while the fuselage pieces are still in hand and internal access is freely available.

So I bit the bullet and removed them. Not that hard once started, they're just some styrene pips under foil patches. Damage to the metal fuselage was minimal to nil, and a strip of Ali foil at 7mm wide is applied over the top along the whole window line. 

New vents can be added as and when required. The other side needs redoing too. Quite difficult to get a definite position for these things but I'll be aiming for just above that panel line rather than below .

 

One more lucky find, in the bottom of a box I seldom look in. I think it could be useful along side the luggage hatch up front.

Looks like an RAF guy - I can't even remember getting this set - but I think he can be civil-ised if necessary.,😎

[dcrfan]

On 4/11/2023 at 9:28 AM, rob Lyttle said:

 

There's an interior for the passenger cabin with a full complement of upholstery - chairs vacform + scratch.

 

 

 

Great work but no drinks trolley on that flight😒

[rob Lyttle]

6 hours ago, dcrfan said:

no drinks trolley on that fligh

Yes, it's rather tightly packed in the cabin! I have adjusted the back 2 seats by removing the outboard armrests which gave room to separate them a little. But I left the rest in place, knowing how limited the general view is in the cabin. 

It's the seat backs and headrests that will be noticeable so I opted for the brighter colour scheme rather than any particular reference material. 

It's a relief to be getting the 1st airframe close to the finish line 😇👍

[rob Lyttle]

There's a potential at some point for another Lodestar, this time in 1.72, but I won't be rushing into it.

I've had this vacform kit for a while now..... not that long really 🤩,

It requires an Airfix Hudson donor kit for several parts. Well, I got one at a show today, plus a couple of other bargains....

I've already done battle with the ancient Hudson kit,  solved the 2part elevator crisis (!), rivets rash, hinged toy surfaces, the lot. So I know what I'm contending with 😡

Must say though, the transparency parts are looking good,and undimpled! 

Anyway, pleased to have the necessary components for another Lodestar

 

Yeah, Monogram F101 Voodoo 2seater though.....been trying to get my hands on one of these bad boys for YEARS!,😍

[marvinneko]

6 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

There's a potential at some point for another Lodestar, this time in 1.72, but I won't be rushing into it.

I've had this vacform kit for a while now..... not that long really 🤩,

 

I think I got that very vacform kit "free" with a partially completed minicraft Ventura I bought for $5 at a show recently. My intent was to restore the Ventura like a brigbeale project.

 

The surprise Lodestar conversion parts reminded me of your work here but I would need a Hudson... and a lot more confidence  

[rob Lyttle]

15 hours ago, marvinneko said:

but I would need a Hudson.

Well, it's always worth keeping a look out for one at a good price. It's not a good kit to build, really shows it's aged origins. Rivets, toylike pivoting ailerons, bad cowling shape and of course the disastrous elevator mistake. A Hudson and an L14 Super Electra should have a single elevator right across. You will find quite a lot of reference material showing 2 separate elevators though and I think it's because so many pundits have used an Airfix Hudson kit as a reference for their material 🙄

 

The Minicraft Ventura is a much better kit with fine surface details.. There's one significant error though, if you don't mind me pointing it out..... 

The demarcation of the rudders on the fin pieces is way off. There's far too much rudder and not enough fixed fin. If you take a look, you'll see what I mean. 

If you have a mind to, it's well worth filling the existing grooves while the pieces are flat on the table and scratching new ones into the surface. 

I found that stretched sprue glued in nicely, then sanded down flat, draw the new zigzag lines and set about them with a straightedge ruler and a Stanley knife. 

[marvinneko]

3 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Well, it's always worth keeping a look out for one at a good price. It's not a good kit to build, really shows it's aged origins. Rivets, toylike pivoting ailerons, bad cowling shape and of course the disastrous elevator mistake. A Hudson and an L14 Super Electra should have a single elevator right across. You will find quite a lot of reference material showing 2 separate elevators though and I think it's because so many pundits have used an Airfix Hudson kit as a reference for their material 🙄

 

The Minicraft Ventura is a much better kit with fine surface details.. There's one significant error though, if you don't mind me pointing it out..... 

The demarcation of the rudders on the fin pieces is way off. There's far too much rudder and not enough fixed fin. If you take a look, you'll see what I mean. 

If you have a mind to, it's well worth filling the existing grooves while the pieces are flat on the table and scratching new ones into the surface. 

I found that stretched sprue glued in nicely, then sanded down flat, draw the new zigzag lines and set about them with a straightedge ruler and a Stanley knife. 

Thanks for that awesome advice! I have an itch to collect more of the Venturas (and lookout for hudsons) at upcoming shows.