The Westland Lysander army co-operation, special operations, and liaison aircraft entered service in June 1938 to replace the Hawker Hector. With a high wing layout and large greenhouse view, the Lysander also featured great control at low speeds, as well as the ability to take off and land from small air strips and roads. The Lysander was cutting edge for its time; it played a vital role in getting supplies and personnel into remote locations quickly and efficiently.

The Kit – What’s in the box

Contents:

• 89 plastic parts
• Color photoetched details for realistic finish
• Paint masks
• Full color instructions
• Decals for 5 camouflage versions
• Marking Options:
  • Lysander Mk.IIIA, V9437, No. 309 Squadron, RAF, Dunino Airfield, Scotland, 1942
  • Lysander Mk.IIIA, V9374, No. 613 Squadron, RAF, Great Britain, 1941
  • Lysander Mk.III, T1429, No. 26 Squadron, RAF, Gatwick AB, 1940/41
  • Lysander Mk.III SCW, V9287, No. 161 (SD) Squadron, RAF, Tempsford AB, 1942
  • Lysander Mk.III SCW, V9367, No. 161 (SD) Squadron, RAF, Tempsford AB, 1944

** note – the engine pushrods were not included in the well-detailed motor assembly, although the manifold exhausts were included. The instructions give the lengths so you can create your own rods.

Assembly

The kit starts you out building the engine and cockpit; lots of nice details with colored photo-etch parts to highlight the cockpit display panels and seat belts. The parts fit together nicely and slide into place.

Next, the fuselage – both sides fit together with minor seam issues. I only had to putty a small section along top of the nose area.

The canopy mask only had partial coverage for some of the windows; you will have to finish them with tape or liquid mask. The canopy also needs some work as far alignment goes; you will have to sand some of the edges down along the fuselage to get them even. Make sure to test fit all the sections before gluing them in place.

Next, the landing gear and wings. The landing gear have a set of lights in the front; you will have to make adjustments to the lights to get a tight fit for the clear lens covers. Make sure to test fit the parts before gluing them together. The wheels have a mask set that will help when painting. The wings have two halves each and go together nicely, with minimal sanding along the edges. I glued the wings to the fuselage first, then went back and add the struts and landing gear later.

Painting was a snap. I first sprayed a layer Mr. Surfacer 1000, then painted the underside sky blue. Next, I spayed on a layer of desert yellow for the base color on the top side and use a dark green for the camo spots. I finished it all off with a layer of Future to prep for the decals and to seal the paint layers.

The decals are well done; perfect, in register, and very thin, so they easily settled with setting solution. When they dried, I added a layer of Future to seal them on.

I started the weathering with a thin layer of Lamp Black artist oil wash. Next, I highlighted the seams a bit more with the wash and spayed a layer of flat lacquer. A light dusting of highlight white pigment and some black pigment around the exhaust and down the side of the fuselage simulated the black exhaust smoke. Finally, I did some dry brushing of chrome along the leading edge of the wings and various edges around the aircraft for a paint chip effects.

Conclusion

This is another impressive kit from Eduard. The super-details supplied in the kit are top-notch. This was very straightforward build and I would recommend it to all modelers looking for a unique kit. I had fun building it and so will you.

I would like to thank Eduard and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to conduct this review.