Airfix 1/72 Westland Lysander

AIRFIX 1:72 WESTLAND LYSANDER

Reviewer: Myself (smakr@bigpond.com)
Kit Review submitted: November 1999
* Note ADDENDUM footnote regarding older boxings of this kit

Aircraft:
Resulting from a 1934 requirement for an Army Co-operation type aircraft the Lysander emerged as a STOL capable aeroplane that entered service in 1938 and saw some 1650 examples produced until early 1942. The type's role was inevitably reflected in the configuration with an extensively glazed cockpit which supported the inverse-tapered inner panels of the high-set wing, resulting in the STOL capability. Landing gear was fixed on the aircraft and the type could also be fixed with small stub wings for light bombs or other stores. The Lysander saw extensive service in the first campaigns of the Second World War, but proved vulnerable and was relegated to important secondary careers in target towing, air/sea rescue, and the delivery of agents into enemy territory. It was probably the latter role under the Special Duties squadron where the type excelled and even to this day some of its sorties remain a great deal of speculation.

The Kit:
Airfix have rated this as a skill level 2 kit and provide quite a bit of information on the box about what it is you are purchasing. It lists the parts as 49 injection molded parts with 9 clear, raised panel lines and rivet detail and provides a brief history on the aircraft as well as its dimensions (in kit form), Humbrol paint numbers required and the versions the kit will reproduce. The parts are molded in typical Airfix light grey and come in a plastic bag (rather than the usual Airfix offering of floating in the box).

* Note the information at the bottom of this review regarding older boxings of Airfix, as they have released two different mouldings.

Instructions:
Two A3 sheets are folded to make a looseleaf A4 sized booklet with a brief history spiel, symbol explanation, 14 straight forward assembly steps and four-view marking diagrams of the two aircraft the kit will produce. With locating pins for just about every part, there is no problems with positioning interpretation from the instructions. Since the two versions that the kit produces are different, the options as unique to either version are clearly highlighted throughout the instructions for you. Colour call outs are from Humbrol and in typical Airfix fashion you are simply provided with the numbers only. If you use another brand of paint range then you will need to consult a Humbrol reference chart (see this web site).

Construction:
This commences with the usual sparse Airfix offering of a cockpit. You are provided with seat and bulkhead for both the pilot and rear gunner - and figures for each (reconsider placing in the rear gunner if you are building the Special Operations, No.161 Squadron version - hereunder referred to as the NO.161 SQN version). A moveable gun emplacement is also provided for the rear gunner (for the standard Co-op version) but other than that there is absolutely nothing provided. You will need to brustle up on your scratchbuilding skills, or look for some aftermarket offerings. As is usual with my projects I opted to use some Reheat Model components standard for the aircraft and scratchbuild the rest. If you are building the No. 161 SQN version for agent deliveries etc, you will need to drill out holes in the fuselage for the boarding ladder. This is best done by drilling out from the inside at the points noted on the plastic. Also, for the same version you will need to cut out an alignment hole for the 500-kg bomb later. In spite of what the instructions say, I also opted to put in the small fuselage windows before glueing the fuselage halves together. This was a good call because the windows do not fit correctly and need prudent positioning for optimum fit - a little too small for the porthole allocated for them. I was at a bit of a loss to what these small windows are for, since there is only a crew of two and they are up in the cockpit. After some extensive research the only thing that I could establish was that these windows were accessible from the rear cockpit (the crew member had to crawl) and were simply observation points for the tailplane. I note that on later models the windows were not always there, although you could still see the panel, so perhaps these are openable in later versions??

The cockpit went in easily and was given an interior green wash. The fuselage halves went together very well but still required a small amount of sanding to smooth out the join lines. The daunting task of putting together the five-piece canopy set is surprisingly straight forward and easy to fit - providing you take plenty of care, and perhaps work from the back. The rear canopy can be displayed open, by simply sliding the canopy over the fuselage - naturally it will need painting first (the fuselage). A rubber band was needed for the centre canopy "underpiece" (because another clear part goes on top of it - you would know what I mean from the instructions) to keep it in place and a very small gap was evident in front of the windscreen - nothing a very careful dab of hobby glue couldn't fix. Once dry the upper central piece was put into place and then all the frames were painted along with the fuselage. It's important to paint the canopy frames at this point otherwise you are going to have a bugger of a job trying to get in underneath the wing and behind the supporting V-frame for the landing gear later. At this point you can also attach the boarding ladder with your special agent about to climb up into the rear cockpit for the No. 161 SQN version - obviously an open cockpit and no figure in the rear cockpit are required for this pose.

I chose to have a closed rear cockpit for an in-flight Co-op subject and rear gunner. It was possible to have a closed cockpit and the gun still visible inside (right in front of the rear gunner's face!). The way the rear two canopy pieces are molded, they do not quite match each other 100% and I suspect that the kit makers did this in mind that everyone would display an open rear cockpit, and a very tiny but sustainable 'ledge' is provided on the fuselage so the rear cockpit can be put into the open position as if it had been slid back. Consult your references for an open rear cockpit - the front frame does overhang the rear of the cockpit in the material I have on hand.

The next stages of construction are affixing the main wings and tailplanes - all of which are split horizontally into two halves - and assembling the engine. While the wing halves were all drying - held together by pegs - I assembled the engine which consists of an engine being placed inside a cowling and a shaft going through to the spinner to encase the propellor. I opted for a moveable propellor but if you simply just put it together as the kit intends you to then the propellor will be all wobbly. You need to have the propellor as close to the engine cowling as possible so it moves in a 'straight' circular action. The cowling then attached easily to the nose and the tailplanes were also put into place.

Before I put the wings on I sub assembled the wheels in their pods - it is possible to have them moveable but I chose to fix them - I have on good authority that it has been known for wheels to suddenly pop out if not fixed in, and then good luck trying to get them back in later! Be careful when glueing the pod halves because if they are not lined up correctly you will have a lot of difficulty trying to get the landing lights to fit in place easily on the front of the hubs. The stub wings can also be attached at this point, and although they have 'alignment pins' there are no holes to attach them to. The only hole is for the V-frame support that is attached to the underside of the wing, so don't get this mixed up for the stub wing! You are best slicing off the alignment pin and butt-joining. Also, consult your references, mine indicates that the stub wings were not prevalent on all examples and also appeared less on No. 161 SQN examples. I left the wheel pod to dry fully and then fixed the main wings properly in place and left to dry. Once this was done I fixed the wheel pod onto the aircraft and the V-frame from wheel to underwing. This requires very careful and patient placement and you will need to hold in place until the glue takes a grip. It is quite difficult to have the wheels line up exactly so the model sits straight on the bench, so the whole process has to be undertaken with care and patience. Ejector pin marks are evident on the inside of the V-Frame and a sink mark is also prevalent on one of the upper struts - both require sanding/filling as required. Make sure you leave the structure to dry overnight for optimum strength.

Version & Decals:
As touched on there are two versions produced by the kit, although there is no reason (with the right decals of course) why you cannot produce other versions. You are provided with four-view sketches in the instructions for markings of the two examples depicted. One is a No.4 Sqn, Army Co-operation aircraft from RAF Odiham, UK, 1939, in fuselage wrap around and upper wing Dark Green and Earth brown camouflage, and silver wing undersides (I chose Matt Aluminium from the Humbrol metalcote range). This version has the rear gunner as the second crew member and an open or closed cockpit configuration depending on whether you are doing a wheels up or down model. This is the version I chose to build as this was the more common type employed by the RAF early in WW2. Roundels featured are of the red/blue variety on upper wings and fuselage with large grey serial letters. The second type is of course the Special Duties example from No.161 Sqn, RAF Tempsford, UK, 1944, in upper Dark Green and Earth Brown camouflage with black mid and undersides. This version makes for an interesting potential diorama display, with the special agent carrying his briefcase as he embarks on climbing the supplied boarding ladder into the open rear cockpit. The 500 kg bomb is also available for this version.

The decals are in "good" register (at best) with slight bleed through effect and a touch off centre on the roundel bordered by yellow for the No.161 Sqn version. They went on quite easily and conformed well with decalfix.

Conclusion:
Overall the kit is quite an acceptable replication of this unique and important RAF STOL aircraft of the war. Dimensions for this scale are quite acceptable with only a millimetre or two out on the length. The lines of the aircraft are captured very well and I can't fault the kit that much in accuracy - although I must point out that my reference material is not the greatest to make final judgements in this regard. Still it is clear that this kit is quite good overall, fit is a little problematic at times but generally quite good and I would recommend it for the intermediate modeller and up due to some fiddly parts and the wing-canopies-fixed landing gear structure. I will certainly get hold of this kit again and produce a static Diorama for a No.161 SQN Special Duties sometime in the future.

Addendum - supplied by David Byrden:
This review can mislead people into buying a model far inferior to the above described. Explanation: Airfix produced TWO totally unrelated Lysanders. The one reviewed is from the mid '70s and if you think that has problems, you need to see the earlier one! Wheel and leg molded as one way-too-thin piece... cockpit consisting of head-and-shoulder-only crew members glued to a flat surface. It was horrible.

To tell the difference see the packaging below which contains the earlier 'cruder' mould, note the fuselage code as LX-M in each case!

Note: the following related reviews links have not been updated since early 2000's - more kit reviews of this aircraft may now be on SMAKR, not reflected below. Refer to the Index for other kits of this type.

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