Recently, I saw photos of a fantastic Lysander 1/48 model on Facebook and I remembered one of the first models I built as a teenager: the Lysander in 1/72 by Matchbox (back then I built it without even painting it). So, I decided to give it another try now.
Eduard’s special edition box adds plenty of extras (photoeched details for cockpit & engine, bombs, pylons, machine guns, etc) to Gavia’s old molds and brings it to a decent standard. On top of that I also used Eduard’s Lysander upgrade set that adds more detail using photoetched parts.
In the end, of course, I did not use many of the extra pieces because I decided to build the special missions version. These Lysanders flew naked from weapons and other equipment.
By the way, the kit instructions are wrong in suggesting using the gunner’s seat and machine gun for the rear cockpit. Based on photos I found, these Lysanders had a bench/trunk in the place of the standard seat, while – as mentioned before – they were stripped of the machinegun. So, I put a scratch built (3d printed actually) bench and skipped the machine gun (and filled away its base).
My one actual challenge in this kit turned out to be the photoeched ladder. I broke both of it’s supports and it was challenging to put it all back together properly.
I chose to represent Lysander V9367 of No. 161 Squadron operating from Tempsford, United Kingdom in 1943. This plane actually crashed and was destroyed during landing in Tangmere RAF Base on December 17, 1943.
The painting was done with Mission Models MMP-047 Black. After that, I proceeded with heavy weathering (washes, dry-brushing, pencils) to simulate the rough usage of the original.
Products Used
| Kit | Box | Scale | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eduard “Lysander 1/48 – Limited Edition” |  | 1/48 | 11138 |
| Eduard “Lysander Upgrade Set 1/48” |  | 1/48 | 481015 |
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