Cap'n Wannabe

Following this!

I will be printing some things for the cockpit, although apart from the seats, I'm not sure what yet as I haven't really had a look at many photos. If it all works out, then it will be very easy to put all the extra bits and bobs into an update set for those that are interested....and not just in 1/32. I had a look on ebay, and the Revell version is there......for stupid money, though!

Does anybody know of, or have, any copies of factory drawings for the Lysander?

This should be interesting! To the best of my knowledge, only the PA-28-140 has been kitted in 1/48 and 1/36, and the -180 in 1/72.

Bit of a quiet day today, so I started playing with my Inventor software and my new resin 3D printer. I've had the idea in the back of my mind for a while to add some details to the Lysander, even though I'd originally decided to built it strictly OOB. Anyhow, looking at photos of the engine bay, the exhaust collector that runs around the front of the engine is very prominent. I cut the cowling part from the sprue, got out the trusty Verniers, measured it up, then modelled it in Inventor. Then I modelled a part to fit inside it and pick up the tops of the engine cylinders. Bearing in mind I'm not sure of the final depth of the thing right now, here's the first test print. The front of the ring didn't quite print properly - not worried about that right now - but the collector pipes did... And here it is in place..

So after a fair bit of start/stop, I bit the bullet and weathered the engine. I have seen photos of the cylinders painted black, and also the cylinders left in a natural finish, but when I first painted mine, the aluminium looked too stark. I wanted to go for the used look, with a bit of burnt oil residue on the cylinders (I'm assuming that's what the brownish colour is), so I broke out the artist's oils and gave it a crack. Not too shabby, I reckon, although there's still the back of the engine to do....and it reduces the starkness of the bare aluminium cylinders.

G'day folks....moving on to the next bits I want to paint...I have a few questions: 1. What, exactly, is the spidery-looking part? Exhausts? Inlet manifold? 2. What is the best/simplest/quickest technique to paint it? 3. What is the best/simplest/quickest technique to paint these?

So in between my job and ICUS (In Command Under Supervision) training, and getting into the groove of instrument flying in the real world instead of a training environment (you're visual when you get clear of cloud instead of when the instructor tells you you are.....and at night....lotsa fun!), I've managed to [almost] finish painting the basic colours on the engine. I firstly painted SMS Black as the base coat, then painted the cylinders in Tamiya Flat Aluminium....almost, but not quite dry-brushing them. Due to the way the engine is molded, aluminium paint got into lots of places I didn't want it to be, so the next step was removing it from them. I thought about how best to do it - I could have simply painted black over it, but that would run the risk of the aluminium showing through the black, so instead, I wet a brush with methylated spirits and carefully removed the paint. There are still a few places I need to go over, but so far, so good..

Some more progress....not much, but I have been extremely busy of late! The engine primed.. ..and painting started. It took me a while to figure out the best way to paint the engine - most photos I've seen have the crankcase black, as well as the rods that go up the front of the cylinders, whereas the cylinders themselves are aluminium. I've only done the back of the cylinders so far, and I think once I apply a wash, it'll look pretty good. (Actually, I reckon it don't look half bad in the photo..)

Yes, I have made progress. A small amount - incredibly small - but progress nonetheless....I have glued the front and rear halves of the engine together!

Thanks for those photos, Richard. I especially like the yellow and black one, although I'll be making mine using the decals provided in the kit, assuming they don't shatter. As yet, I haven't done anything other than remove the plastic from the box and give it a bit of a fondling, however, I will be starting over the weekend. My work schedule doesn't allow much time during the week, unfortunately - sometimes I don't knock off until 3am!

Hi folks! After a long hiatus, and a few stalled projects, I'm desperately trying to get my mojo back. Coupled with moving house, and getting a new job, it hasn't been easy....and it still won't be. But I'll try. I love the Lysander. I don't know why, I don't even know that much about the aircraft, I just love it. So what better kit to try? This is an original Matchbox example, one of two in my stash. It will be built strictly OOB, with perhaps some seatbelts added, but that's it. The other one will be modified into a post-war crop-duster, but that's a whole 'nother story. The interesting thing (to me) about this particular kit is the yellow sticker on the boxtop. As it happens, this one was the district first prize in the Matchbox Model Master competition (not mine - I picked up second place in my district, and was awarded a 1/72 Hawker Hunter and Dornier Skyservant, first prize was the 1/32 Tiger Moth). If memory serves, the competition was run in the early to mid 80's, way back when I was just starting high school. Anyhow, a bit of trivia for y'all.. Being a bit of a lazy sort, I've only taken the one photo. Nothing started yet - took me most of the afternoon to decide which kit to build!

I'll be modelling one of mine as the last pre-production prototype. I have the Cessna kit as well, so I'll be casting the prop from that kit in resin. Not sure what I'm going to do about the spinner, though..

Interesting photo....you may want to check the prop that comes with the kit. I *think* the kit's prop is a constant speed prop, whereas the one in the photo looks like a fixed pitch. I'd check my kits, but they're both packed away in a box from my recent move..

What's your technique for the carpet?