Lockheed 14-WF62 Super Electra ?

[RobF]

Hi Gang

 

I have a project in mind that will stretch my (lack of) skills to way beyond their limit and frankly I don't have a clue about how to do what I want to do

 

Now that Tigger is about to re release the ex ID Hudson, an aircraft I have fancied modelling I find I might be able to do in 32nd scale

 

I would like to model a 1939 spec British Airways Lockheed 14-WF62 Super Electra

 

I know very little about the real subject so don't know how viable this is but I understand that it is based on the Hudson or vice versa ?

 

I spoke to John and he tells me that the kit is formed with a solid nose so that should make that part easier

 

I think the engines are the same as a B17 so that's easy enough ( I would use the Vector items )but what would I do about propellers ? - and what about wheels ?

 

My next problem would be getting scale plans - a Google didn't turn anything up for me and of course I would need some decent pictures of the interior - seating curtains stowage areas etc

 

The specific aircraft I wish to build is G-AFGN ...

 

 

I am way out of my depth in gathering the info I need and then building the model so I hope you guys can help me

[MikeMaben]

Hey Rob,

 

Can't help at the moment but my first recommendation would be to ask the same questions

at some other Forums as well. Lots of knowledgeable folks around elswhere:

 

http://www.clubhyper.com/forums/forum.htm

 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php

[Tnarg]

I admire this goal and have wanted to do something like it, only a bit more out there. If you take two fuselages you can stretch them to a model 18 and do a United Air Lines version (my goal). I may have some of the detail you are looking for, but am out of town for a few days. PM me and I will get back to you with anything I can find.

 

I know I have a photo of the interior in the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airlines, and may have more of what you are after. Try the internet image searching also.

 

Tnarg

[Hubert Boillot]

IIRC, the Hudson was based on the civilian Electra...So this should a possible project, and a one at that !

 

I have no idea though of the degree of mods this implied in basic shape (outside the obvious add-ons like a glass nose and the dorsal turret, etc...)

 

Hubert.

[Allok]

Looks just like the ID kit. You have to remove the plastic nose to add the glass house anyway and the outline for the side windows are already there.

Pics are in the Database.

[RobF]

Thanks for the replies

 

I didn't know the DB held that kind of info - very handy

[Hans]

Hi Rob,

 

I am in the same boat as you are. I want to build a Lockeed 14 WF-62 Super Electra in the colours of the KNILM, the Dutch East Indies Airways and a model 18 Lodestar of the ML-KNIL, the Dutch East Indies colonial air force.

 

Avalialble documentation on these two types appears to be limited. The only book dealing with the 14 and 18, "The Lockheed twins" by Peter J. Marson has little technical info on the types and a few g/a drawings and is not of much use for modeling purposes. The Warpaint book on the Hudson, the military derivate of the 14 has a set scale drawings, but of the MK III, that had -if I remember correctly- a strengthend airframe that might be different from the model 14.

The Cleveland Model Company sells a 1:32 scale drawing of the 14. I ordered one but haven't received it so I can't comment on it yet.

Lastly I found an E-bay store, Ronsaviationshop that sells a wide range of aircraft handbooks scanned on CD-rom, including a complete set for the Lodestar: Pilot notes, service handbook, operating instructions and the maintenance parts catalog. I think the the parts catalog will come handy as the 18 was basically a lengthened 14 with many identical components.

 

Best regards,

 

Hans

[CharlesMetz]

Although I know essentially nothing about this subject myself, I'll mention that the evloution of the Electra/Hudson series is covered extensively in Lockheed Aircraft since 1913, by Francillon (Putnam Aeronautical series [unnumbered]; Naval Institute Press [uSA], 1987; 566 pages). Used copies of this excellent book are widely available at reasonable prices.

 

Charles Metz

[KOTR]

Hm, I like the idea of a LOT, BOAC or Japan Airlines Super Electra :-)

[Hubert Boillot]

In their Archive, Flight Global have good photos of the cockpit and inside of the KLM Fourteens...There's also (without interior photos) an article on the first London To Warsaw liaison in the Btitish Fourteen...

 

Like you, I am very sold to the idea of the civilian version. Good to see I'm not the only one.

 

And special thanks again To Charles who is an inexhaustible source of good information and links !

 

Hubert.

[Hans]

Charles,

Thank you for the pointer. I'll look around for a copy of the book. Hubert, I searched the Flight Global Archives

but couldn't find anything useful. I' ll try again. Our own Guttorm seems to have a civilian model 18 somewhere in his museum, painted in camouflage and with britsh civil registration.

 

 

Regards,

 

Hans

[Hubert Boillot]

Hi Hans,

 

The pages I was refering to are in the 1938 (KLM) issues and 1939 (British Airways). The Flight Global Archives are great, but can be a PITA to go through. For the Lockhedd, the good key words are actually "Lockheed Fourteen" rather than Lockheed Electra.

 

Here are some of the pages I found on www.flightglobal.com, and for info and educattion of other members here a screen capture of the search page on Flightglobal.

 

Best regards.

 

Hubert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hans]

Thank you Hubert!

 

Best regards,

 

Hans

[CharlesMetz]

I would need some decent pictures of the interior - seating curtains stowage areas etc

Rob,

 

Some very good-looking 1/72 multi-view drawings of a Model 10 Electra, which include cross-sections, etc., were published on pages 101-103 of World Aviation in Spain (The Civil War) 1936-1939: American and Soviet Airplanes, by Miranda and Mercado (Silex [spain], 1988; in English; 285 pages). Although the Models 10 and 14 differed in many respects, would these drawings be helpful? If so, I could post tme here and/or send you high-resolution scans as e-mail attachments.

 

Also, for whatever they may be worth, I found in my computer these uncredited interior photos of the Electra 10A at the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Trans-Canada Air Lines livery:

 

 

Again: I recognize that all of this information concerns the wrong Electra version but hope that it may somehow be helpful.

 

Charles Metz

[Tnarg]

If you know the serial number of your subject, the Lockheed Twins book has a list of all the serial numbers and their history and some detail. I have a copy and could look up your number. Maybe this has more of a clue as to exact engine, etc..

 

I have one of Tigger's kits on the way as well, and would throw out the question on sources of wheels and props, as well as other detail parts. Any suggestions for donor kits?

 

Does anyone have photos of the wheel wells, interior, etc. in their files? (or know where a real one resides?)

 

I am interested in modifying the kit further to make United Air Lines #25633, which is a Lodestar (model 18) with a stretched fuselage. With two of the fuselage halves I think I can make it happen. The engines, cowlings, landing flaps and tail were modified as well, among other changes.

 

The few places I could find show a few Lockheed interior photos that are small and grainy, (one is a model 10) but if you want I will scan them.

 

We may try to ask Lockheed directly?

 

Tnarg