1/72 NOVO Westland Lysander COMPLETED !

Hey Chris, here's one I shot at Oskosh in 2009. I'd never seen one or even knew they existed. Maybe this will help you as a reference of a cool looking aircraft!

Max

Hodakamax

I'd never seen one or even knew they existed.

Thanks Max,

Well . . .  You certainly couldn't miss seeing THAT one ! 

It is a kindof goofy looking aircraft - that's one of the things that attracted me to it. I think it was originally developed for recon and some stealth-type missions.  (plenty of info on Wiki)

Later on - it was used for other not-so-stealthy purposes - like the "Target Tug" scheme shown in your picture. 

Chris

Hello!

Well the purpose of that yellow-black  paint scheme is that you should actually MISS that plane - because it was a target tug! Of course I mean miss the tug when firing at the towed practice target.

As for the FROG/NOVO kits - some time ago it was about the only plastic kits you could get at all east of the iron curtain. I have built one of those babies AGAIN some time ago - with some tweaking they can look good:

More on my build here: http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/p/160029/1737888.aspx

Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

Ooooo - Very nice Beau Pawel !

Chris

It got better . . . 

Hi;

 Now see? I like all these little odd aircraft. Especially the STOL types .That's why I love the odd-ball seaplanes too . The Lysander has been high on my list , no matter where it comes from .  T.B.

Haven't seen a Novo kit in years, i had quite a few of them back in the 80's.

Nice subject, one of the main roles of the Lysander was landing and piucking up agents in occupied Europe. Looking forwartd to seeing what you can do with this. Canopy is certainly looking better.

The canopy is definately looking better.

Toshi

After a short session this evening . . . 

It's a little crude.  The lines outlining the interior fabric area are made up - but most of it will be covered up anyway.  I just wanted to give the impression in case anybody looks in there.

Pink/Red blotches with pencil lines drawn over.

The two white styrene pieces will go at the edge of the cockpit lip around the pilot and crewman's seats.

Next - a bit of framing with fine styrene rod.

Chris

Nicely done and your moving right along!

Toshi

Hey all,

I had a little time tonight so I thought I'd start the cockpit detail.  This is a beginning.

With the back of the canopy open, it will be easy to see inside the pit.  It just wouldnt look right without a little bit of the framing detail that is so prominent in the Lizzy's cockpit.  I won't be creating parts of the framing that will be covered, but there is a good amount that will be seen in through the open part and through the greenhouse glass.

First - drilling holes for the "posts"

Simple evergreen styrene rod stock trimmed to length . . .

*** EDIT ***

And here she is at the end of the evening

Fitting

and then adding several more members to the frame

Chris

Time for a little more card stock detailing, painting, and refinement of the cockpit parts.

First, some reference photos showed that the crew seat was not identical to the pilot's.  It was just a metal pan, with no back, and a few holes.  So - cut the seat off, cut off the back, carve a "dish" into what remains, and drill some holes.  Various boxes were added on either sidewall in the rear and to the pilot's area with cardstock. Wine bottle foil was used for seat harnesses fore and aft.  (Merlot in case you're wondering)  Here's the guts before insertion . . .

. . .  Adding it to the fuselage with the ammo tray in back and the IP in front

The fuselage buttoned up.

And a test fit of the canopy . . . yeah - I think it was worth the labor.  It can be seen.

Chris

Hey Chris, comments, cool work! and, my that thing is small! I'm keeping an eye on the project, Not many other Lysander projects to watch! LOL!

Max

Pretty nice work, especially in such a tight space.

Thanks Max and John,

Most of the interior detail work hasn't been that difficult. I think the hardest part was cutting and polishing the tiny little windows (about 1/8" x 3/16") in the rear of the fuselage.  They were super cloudy, rough, and didn't fit in the recesses very well. Probably wouldn't have been as much of a problem if they were larger - but it was hard just to hold them, much less work on them.  Glad I can call that part DONE !

Chris

Hi, Bossman-

A really nice save on the clear stuff, I didn't think it would be done that well. Good job.

Patrick

Whoa, that is tiny! That is some really nice detailing, Chris. Is it worth it, yer darn right it is!

I think I'll be keeping a closer eye on this one from now on.  :)

Just a little work goes a long way. Your interior is spruced up really nice and makes for a way more interesting model. Great job so far and I'm learning much. TY for taking the time to take us with you on this build Mate.

Thanks Patrick, Mike, and Jay Jay,

The pleasure is all mine.  This has been a fun little kit to work with, and I'm pleasantly surprised with how she's turning out.  

I got the landing gear on , the engine in the cowling, and finished a bit of seam and sink hole filling last night.  Should have more pics soon.  Definitely looking like a Lysander at this point.

This thing has a giant wingspan compared to the rest of the body.  Looks pretty strange !

Chris

I made a little more progress with the Lizzy over the last couple days.  

Landing gear was added - so she's standing on her own now.  Winglet bomb racks added to the LG.  Some joints filled at the underside seam, around the gear, and the cowling - which still needs more work.  

Holes were drilled for the scoop on the cowling,   in the tube on the underside, and in the front of the wheel spats for the lights that need to be added.

A few sink marks and unused holes needed to be filled in a few places.

And there's more fiddley-fixing/scratch building work to be done before I can jump into final assembly and painting.

. . .    but she's definitely looking like a Lysander.

Chris 

A bit more progress . . .

Earlier this week I slapped the first light coat of dark earth on the Lysander.  These are brush painted MM acrylics, slightly watered down with a few drops of tap water.  The first coat never looks very good, but with a few thin coats I don't get significant brush strokes.  So this is where she stood this morning before I jumped back into working.

Last night I did some surgery on the wing tabs that fit into the top of the canopy.  The Lysander has a tubular frame in this area - so the two big fat solid tabs didn't really work  (you might be able to make out the solid tabs in the post above this one).  So I drilled some holes in them and carved away with an exacto knife.   It doesn't look exactly like a Lysander frame, but I think it's an improvement and it seems like it will still hold everything in place.

Then this morning I Painted a few coats of lightened Sky S on the underside, painted the prop and hub, drilled out the end of the exhaust tube, and put on a second coat of dark earth.

The prop needed alot of work.  Lots of flash - and each blade had its own unique shape and length !   Some cutting and filing helped make the differences less obvious. 

The RAF Dark Green will go on soon.

Here's where she stands now:

Chris

That is looking fantastic, Chris!

I absolutely love the added details.

Hello!

Nice idea on the tabs! While the kit might be old, looks like it's going to be a very nice model. Every time I see something like your paint job, makes me vow to improve my brush painting skill! Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

Thanks Mike !

It's been fun working on it.

And Thanks Pawel !

Even in these pics - the painting looks rather coarse to me.  It still screams out "I'm a plastic model"  But at this point I don't really expect it to look that good.  It will look alot better after I refine some of the lines, and do all the other things to finish the finish.

I was thinking about it today . . .   With the way the wings join to this kit at the canopy - I think it will be easiest to complete all the painting and finishing first, before I do the final assembly.

Chris

Looks nice, Chris.

Hello All,

So I'm layin' down the first coat of RAF Dark Green over the Dark Earth base.   The wings are done and I like the way this is turning out.  I'm following a paint scheme from a photo reference.   Then on to the fuselage and the engine cowling . . .  checking my photo ref again . . .  wait . . . what ? ! . . . .   NOOOOOOO !

How on earth did I miss that !    I glued the cowling 180 degrees off - and then glued the exhaust pipe in the "correct" orientation.

Well - here are the overall shots . . . 

In order to avoid as much damage to the cowling as I can - I might just cut that "chin" scoop off the top and fashion a new one to go underneath.

Chris

Holy cow that looks amazing. Your brush painting is better than my airbrushing.  Can't believe the level of detail you put in in such a small kit. It looked a lot bigger in your stand alone pics.  Just curious about your moniker. It reminds me of my old wing commander days on PC