Lawrence Designs and Models (LDM) product list, brass masters, and other info.

[Farmer matt]

This aims to be a resource for information about the white-metal kits produced by Lawrence Designs and Models (LDM) in the 1970s /80s. Some of this information was included in my first WIP thread, which I have edited to reflect this post.

This listing is revised and corrected in a couple of places.

Thankyou for looking,

Matt

 

ldm01 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm02 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

LDM FULL PRODUCT LISTING

 

1:48 AIRCRAFT

 

1. PITTS S2A.  ROTHMANS. supplied as fully finished model only.

1b.* PITTS S2A.  JUBILEE DUO, G-BECM

1a.* PITTS S2A.  ROYAL JORDANIAN FALCONS , JY-RJJ

2. CIERVA C30A.  G-ACWR, AP507, D-EKOP

2a. CIERVA C30A.  G-ACWR, K4232.  revised casting.

3. COMPER SWIFT.  G-ABUU, VT-ADO

3c. COMPER SWIFT.  G-ABUS. revised casting

4. PERCIVAL MEW GULL.  G-AEXF

4a.  PERCIVAL MEW GULL.  G-AEXF, ZS-AHM

5.  CHILTON DW1.  G-AESZ

6.  LEVIER COSMIC WIND.  G-ARUL, N21C, N22C

7.  PAYNE KNIGHT TWISTER.  N5DF

8.  MILES HAWK SPEED SIX.  G-ADGP.  withdrawn from catalogue at some stage.

9. PITTS S1S.  MARLBORO.  believed supplied as fully finished model only.

9.  PITTS S1S.  DUNLOP.  G-BOOK

10.  POU DE CIEL.  G-AEGD

11.  CAUDRON C460.  C6907, C6909

12.  DH71 TIGER MOTH monoplane.  G-EBQU

13A.  DH82A TIGER MOTH (CIVIL).  G-ACDC

13B.  DH82A  TIGER MOTH (RAF).  BB726

14.  CHRISTEN EAGLE I.  N41, 42, 43ET

15.  FOURNIER RF4.  SKYHAWKS  G-AVNZ

16.  WALTER EXTRA 230.  JAGUAR  G-XTRA

17.  MILES M14 MAGISTER.  F6382, V1075

18. SCHLEICHER ASK13. no decals included

19.  DEPERDUSSIN RACER. believed no decals included.

 

* note to the above, looking at images of the box art, it is evident that the initial kit release of the Pitts S2A in Jubilee Duo colours was numbered Ib. Additionaly despite being numbered 1a in the pricelist, the box for the later RJF issue is marked plain 1.

 

1:144 AIRCRAFT

 

TSR2. Supplied both as a kit and fully finished on plinth. Master known to have been sold on, and believed to have been used for further production.

 

DH88 COMET RACER. G-ACSS. supplied fully finished or as polished metal.  Master known to have been sold on, believed not re-used.

 

1:240 AIRCRAFT

 

DC3.  AMERICAN AIRLINES. supplied fully finished.

It is believed that this product was issued as a joint venture with Executive Display Models.

It has now been established that this model was produced and packed by LDM exclusively for EDM. A kit form was also produced, with Air Atlantique decals as well as American Airlines.

 

1:43 RECORD CARS

 

C1.  MALCOLM OLLEY JET CAR. 'PINK PANTHER'. Master believed to have been sold on and used for further production.

C2.  BARRY BOWLES ROCKET CAR. 'BLONDE BOMBSHELL'. Master believed to have been sold on and used for further production.

C3.  RICHARD NOBLE 'THRUST2' (early appearance). Master known to have been modified to reflect changes to the real car, and sold on for further production.

 

1:500 BROOCHES

BAe HAWK, various styles

 

DESKTOP MODELS

125mm wingspan, various scales.

These were supplied as polished metal, swivel mounted on a wood base. 

 

1. Airspeed Ambassador

2. Jodel Ambassadeur

3. Douglas DC3

4. DH91 Albatross

5. DHC Chipmunk

6. Bristol Brabazon

7. Vickers Wellington

8. Saro Princess

9. DH106 Comet 1.

Additionally to the above, masters are known to have been made for the following, again with 125mm wingspan.

It is unclear if these made it to production or release.

Avro Lancaster, Boeing B17, Bristol Blenheim, Bristol Brittania, Lockheed Constellation, Shorts Sunderland.

 

 

Important note

LDM ceased trading in around 1996. Neither address has any current connection with the business or the family.

 

Important note concerning recent activity.

The masters for the C30 and Pou de Ciel were purchased by a third party in 2022, with the intention of updating the product for future issue, possibly in resin. To my knowledge this has yet to occur.

SEPERATELY to the above, the C30 and Comper Swift have been remoulded from kit parts, and reissued in white metal as 'replicas' in 2023 by RetroToySpares. It seems likely that further items will receive this treatment.

 

 

[Farmer matt]

GALLERY

 

125 SERIES AS SUPPLIED

125.5 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

125 SERIES MASTERS

125.1 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

125.2 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

125.3 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

125.4 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

[Farmer matt]

GALLERY

Incomplete masters of some of the 1:48 aircraft kits

 

ldm1.pittss2a by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm2.ciervac30a by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm2,ciervac30a by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

chilton by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

LDM5. Chilton DW1

 

 

LDM6 Cosmic Wind

 

LDM7 Payne Knight Twister

 

ldm7.knighttwister by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

ldmpou by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

LDM10. Pou de Ciel. Note the darker upper wing is the correct one for the kit, and the wheels pictured are actually from the C30.

ldm11,caudron by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm11.caudron by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

ldm12.dh71 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

dh71master1 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

dh71master2 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

tmothmaster by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

LDM13.DH82a Tiger Moth

 

 

ldm14.christeneagle by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm15,fournierrf4 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm15.fournierrf4 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm16.extra230 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

ldm16,extra230 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

magunder by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

LDM17. Miles Magister

 

mag by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

LDM17.Miles Magister

 

ldm18.ask13 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

ldm19.deperdussin by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 15 by Farmer matt
New photos

[Farmer matt]

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

brooch by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

Supplied with various numbers of Hawks, and either plated or painted in a colour that was obviously chosen entirely at random (ie no licence).

 

 

Thankyou for your interest, if you have any LDM items please feel free to share them in this thread.

 

Matt

[Kitkent]

I didn’t realise they made so much! I remember the dragsters etc. but I only bought and made the 1/48 Mew Gull which I was very pleased with,I remember the adverts too in Scale Models! Chris.

[Troy Smith]

On 02/10/2022 at 18:20, Farmer matt said:

This aims to be a resource for information about the white-metal kits produced by Lawrence Designs and Models (LDM) in the 1970s /80s

I have most Scale Models magazine from 78-82,  do you want  photos of LDM models builds, I know they did review and build various kits,  eg I have too hand Dec 1980, Cosmic Wind review, and  a short build review of Chilton DW1  for example. 

the mags are long OOP and are a real time capsule.

cheers

T

[Farmer matt]

@Troy Smith the reviews would be interesting to see, yes please. I remember the Pitts and C30 got a front cover once too.

Also the ads which were quite regular. 

Thanks,

Matt

[Kitkent]

As requested! Chris.A small ad in Scale Models 1993.

 

[Farmer matt]

BIOGRAPHY.  BRIAN LAWRENCE AND LDM

 

Brian was born in 1938, and grew up in suburban Ewell near Epsom in Surrey. A lifelong aviation enthusiast, as a teenager he joined the Air Cadets and the local model club, as well as campaigning self-built control line racers.

On leaving school, he was apprenticed to Vickers at Weybridge, and in a sign of very different times I recall seeing a letter from Vickers to my grandfather asking his permission for them to employ his son. As an apprentices' project, Brian was involved in the design of a twin-boom pusher light aircraft christened Velvette which progressed at least as far as a 1/8 scale wind tunnel model. He remained at Vickers working in the drawing office until the cancellation of TSR2 brought redundancy in 1965.

Despite being newly married, Brian next decamped to the USA for a spell working for Lockheed on the C5 Galaxy. On returning to the UK, he took a short term contract for detail design work on the Sigma sports glider, which soon led to his becoming works manager and seeing the build through to completion.

The long hours and stress had taken a toll however, and Brian then chose to leave the aviation industry and set up his own business as a freelance pattern maker and draftsman. So, in around 1973 the spare room of the family home in Worcester Park became a workshop, and LDM was born. It is not clear if Brian intended to specialise in making brass masters for the then blossoming white metal kit industry, but that soon became the core of the business.

Quickly gaining a reputation for good quality accurate patterns, Brian modelled a huge variety of subjects from battleships to dolls house furniture, whilst also providing artwork for photoetch, decals and instruction sheets when required. His many customers included Pirate Models, Transport Replicas, Langley Miniatures, Phoenix, and Motorkits. 

Brian put a lot of effort in to research, and had a healthy mistrust of published plans and dimensions, seeking to measure and photograph subjects for himself whenever possible. Luckily he was adept at securing the various permissions and access often neccesary. Sometimes this could bring unexpected rewards, such as when preparing the Western Models AstonMartin Lagonda he was given a test track passenger ride in one. To his later regret he declined the opportunity to swap seats.

Brian's own car history was rather less exotic, and slightly eccentric. A35 van, A40 Countryman, Daf44 with Dafomatic cvt, Datsun 120Y coupe, Colt Celeste.

What Brian really wanted to do was make model aeroplanes, and to that end he introduced his own range of kits, beginning with the Pitts S2A in 1977. That kit had its origins in a promotional run of built up models produced for Imperial Tobacco in Rothmans colours. The new range was well received, and was added to at a rate of roughly one per year. Some of the subjects chosen were perhaps less than mainstream, but sales were steady throughout despite the high price compared to plastic. Initially batches of built up examples were also produced, but the emphasis was on kit sales, with regular advertisements placed in magazines such a Scale Models. Castings were supplied by Western Models, ensuring high quality, whilst the waterslide decals were produced by KayLee from Brian's artwork.

In 1983, family and business moved to Warlingham, with Brian again utilising the spare room as a workshop. The domestic setting of the business caused surprise to some, not least a party of Japanese businessmen who had invited themselves for a factory tour. They remained impeccably polite throughout the experience, but were visibly bemused.

Towards the end of the 1980s, outside work began to dry up and Brian devoted more time to his own products. A planned range of 1/200 aircraft was thwarted by the introduction of a similar range be Western Models, which soured a hitherto cordial relationship with that concern. In response came the '125' series of desktop models to various scales. This never really caught on, and some of the range were probably not released to market.

Sadly, by about 1996 Brian was struggling to produce masters to his previous standards, and it also became apparent that his mental health was deterioating. This was confirmed by a diagnosis of Alzheimers, and brought sharply into focus when a lunchtime walk with his new puppy saw man and dog missing for 36 hours, before turning up several miles away in Putney.

Following a spell in a nursing home, Brian died in 2003 aged just 64.

Brian had always requested a sample of each model he produced, and a huge display cabinet remained in the hallway in tribute to his talents, until the erstwhile family home was sold in 2012.

 

Thankyou for your interest,

 

Matt

 

[Farmer matt]

 

 

[tempestfan]

This is a gorgeous thread, Matt - many thanks! I am very interested in kit history, and this is really precious as you write from first hand experience. I guess there is a gentleman called @TonyW who mostly populates the group build area who should see this if he hasn't. Let's see if we can get him in collecting LDM kits 🙂

[matti64]

Thank you for posting this history of your fathers life Matt. It  has always been intriguing  to me as to  who the people were behind  the kits that we would see reviewed in magazines in years past.  The pioneers, the ones who not just built kits but who made the kits for others to model, something far beyound what I could comprehendI have been fortunate enough to meet  among others Mr Doug Feeney of ID Models and C.A. (Tommy )Atkins    and  the perspectives that I gained on modelling  were revelatory. Thanks to your sharing  We now have  a glimps of your father, the man behind LDM. Thanks once again for sharing.

[TonyW]

Thanks for the post Matt, very interesting indeed.

 

LDM were not a company I was aware of back in the day, your post has changed that for the better.

[Farmer matt]

Thankyou for your kind comments.

Pattern making is a perhaps often overlooked aspect of this hobby, and sadly in its traditional form has now been made largely redundant by advances in computer design technology and 3d printing.

As I am sure @matti64 would have gleaned from his conversations with the talented gentlemen mentioned, creating a master for production requires a different approach to one-off scratchbuilding; something which may not be at first obvious.

The parts breakdown needs to take account of the requirements and limitations of the moulding and casting processes, as well as ensuring that assembly is repeatable by a third party. Sometimes a kit manufacturer will have a house style for construction which will affect the design. For example I recall discussions between Brian and Peter Cox of Pirate as to whether buses should be assembled chassis upward or roof down.

To my regret, I never really discussed the actual model making process with my father. However, I think that like a lot of human talents some people just 'can' do things , whereas the rest of us can only try.

 

Matt

[Farmer matt]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by Farmer matt
Added pic

[Farmer matt]

13A DH82a TIGER MOTH

 

The DH82a Tiger Moth was perhaps the best known type in the LDM range. It was also by far the most ambitious product in terms of complexity of construction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The civil and military versions were seperate boxings, although I assume only the decals were different. I had not realised that a choice of reds was provided for G-ACDC, interesting how only the darker sheets have yellowed.

 

Sadly instructions are not present.

 

Matt

 

 

[terryn]

Matt

 

I was delighted to come across this post.  I have the LDM Tiger Moth Military version and I've always been curious about it's origin.  I was always struck by the quality of the casting and seeing some of the masters was a delight.  I'd noticed in the past that some white metal kits had brass masters but looking and your pictures fills me with wonder.  How on earth were they made.  I suspect the skills and techniques may soon be lost to us as 3D Printings takes over.

 

My Tiger moth parts look identical to your's.  I don't have any decals with mine which is not a problem for me as if it is ever built it will probably be as a civilian version.  I would be tempted not to paint it and perhaps just put serial letters on it to emphases that it is made from white metal.

 

You must be very proud of your Father's achievement.

 

If you would like me to scan my instructions for you let me know.

 

Terry 

[Farmer matt]

@terryn Thankyou for for yoir interest Terry.

Sadly I fear you are correct about lost skills, I would not claim that CAD is not a skill in itself, but it is a tragedy that the practical aspects of technical drawing and craftsmanship are being swept away in the name of progress and convenience.

 

If you could pop a picture of the instructions and their artwork in to this thread I would much appreciate it, and a pic of the box art to show the variation from the one above would be nice.

 

Thanks,

Matt

[terryn]

Matt

 

I've had to re-learn how to use Flickr (something with which I think you will sympathise) so let's give this a try.  It should be my boxtop which is very similar to yours.  Pity about the brown parcel tape.

 

 

 

Terry

 

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by terryn

[terryn]

The instructions and Colour Scheme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[terryn]

Some Guide Notes for beginners to white metal modelling.

 

 

 

[terryn]

Finally a little gizmo I also found in the box.  It looks like a jig to get the rake of the interplanetary struts correct.  Clever.

 

 

Terry

 

[Farmer matt]

Excellent, thankyou for those @terryn.

 

I will have a read of them later, but it is the rigging which is the real deterrent to this for me. I have the little jig too which will help with the struts anyway. 

The guide notes were included in most of tbe kits, I did photo them but never got round to posting so thankyou for that too.

 

Matt

[Farmer matt]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stevehnz]

A fascinating thread this, thanks for sharing your Dad's history with us Matt. While not something I was ever into, the exchange rate would have seen to that anyway, I've long liked the look of a good quality white metal model. From your photos, these would have very much that.

Steve.