The
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar was a development from Model 14 Super Electra. Basically it had a lengthened fuselage and an increased wing area.
During
WW2 a Norwegian unit operated on the BOAC route between
Leuchars,
Scotland
and
Stockholm. A total number of 12 Lodestars were used, all being acquired by the Norwegian
Government for the role. The
Stockholm
route also had a British section, operating Hudsons, Mosquitos, Dakotas
as well as some other types. It was not uncommon though that Norwegian crew
flew British aircraft and vice versa.
There
was no model kit of this aircraft type until Special Hobby released its Lodestar
kit some 18 months ago. The Special Hobby kit is based on the MPM/Italeri Hudson
kits, with a new fuselage and a few other parts. Unfortunately no new wing is
included, only an etched metal wing extension part for each wing, making it
rather difficult to get a good result.
I
must say that this is not a kit for beginners. Still I enjoyed building it. I
made two major improvements, I opened up the slots in the wings and I
scratchbuilt new wheel wells. The model is painted in US Olive Drab upper
surfaces and British Night undersides. The kit has decals for an aircraft
operating on the
Stockholm
route, as well as two of the unit's aircraft post WW2, one in combined
British/Norwegian military markings from 1945 and another in Norwegian Air Force
markings. Unfortunately the decals have inaccuracies for all three options. I
thus ended up making my own decals for the registration letters and using
Xtradecal dull red and blue for the stripes.
Nils
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images below to see larger images
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