Last year I bought this kit at the local IPMS show - it came in a plastic bag that just said “Frog Lysander”. After some research, I found that some of these Frog molds were bought by Novo and made in the Soviet Union when Frog went “belly up” (Ha ! there’s a word picture).
The interior detail is OK - it’s a good base to work from. I plan to add some of the framing that goes around the cockpit parts. The exterior surfaces have a mix of recessed and very fine raised detail - pretty nice for an old mold. There are a few small sink marks that shouldn’t be too difficult to fill in.
The clear part for the canopy . . . well . . . that’s quite a different story. The pic below was taken after the first round of clean-up. Tons of flash, surface defects, and scratches on this one.
This will probably be the most difficult part to work with. Very thick, Very cloudy, and the fit isn’t great. I’d like to cut it up and pose part of it open - that might actually help with the fit issues. We’ll see how that goes.
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!
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.
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:
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.
I always wanted the Frog issue of that aircraft. Matchbox Models released one in 1/72 that went together really well. As kids in the 1960’s, my brothers and I had the 1/48 scale Hawk Models Lysander kit. My older brother used too much cement, and the wings drooped something fierce. The only way that plane would get off the ground was by flapping its’ wings! Looking forward to progress on your build Chris.
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.
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.
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 . . .
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.
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 !
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.
