Manufacturer: Classic Airframes, P.O. Box 577580, Chicago, IL 60657-7580, 773-665-7817
Kit: No. 448
Scale: 1/48
Price: $59.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 128 parts (31 resin, 2 vacuum-formed plastic), decals
Pros: Fine recessed panel lines, good shapes, well-formed clear parts, excellent decals
Cons: Fit of resin components into plastic assemblies is poor, mounting wings to fuselage requires reinforcement
The Lockheed Hudson was closely associated with the desperate early years of World War II. To meet the British need for modern combat aircraft, Lockheed modified its Model 14 commercial design into a military aircraft. It was to become a light bomber and maritime patrol aircraft. It became the first RAF aircraft to fire on a Luftwaffe plane.
Classic Airframes' new Lockheed Hudson kit is the first 1/48 scale injection kit of this interesting aircraft. I found cleanly molded parts in neutral gray plastic, supplemented by well cast resin detail parts. The clear parts were also well molded and very clear.
I started the project by building the complex resin interior. Careful study of the instructions and several dry runs were required to sort it all out. With all the windows in this kit I was looking for any easy way around masking them. After testing a few windows I found they installed best from the inside! Because handling the fuselage during construction would pop some loose, I added a retaining strip of clear plastic inside the fuselage at the top and bottom edges of the window frames.
The cockpit module installed OK with modification to the left half of the fuselage. When I test-fit the fuselage halves, I found they were just shy of a flush fit. Rather than reduce the width of the cockpit module, I forced the halves together with finger pressure and quickly applied gap-filling super glue and some fast-setting liquid cement.
Molding plugs on the inside surfaces of the wing halves needed to be trimmed off. The wings mounted flush to the fuselage wing root - no tabs and slots there. I added .040"-thick plastic strips along the inside perimeter of the fuselage wing root and a square plastic rod to the center of the fuselage wing root, to help attach the wing and set the proper dihedral.
Then the wing portions of the engine nacelles were added. The forward parts fit poorly, requiring filler and some sanding to eliminate gaps. The resin engines required a small amount of sanding to fit them inside the cowlings. Don't overdo it - some tightness helps keep them in place prior to final gluing.
The completed engine and cowlings simply flush-mount to the nacelles. To help center them, add a piece of brass or plastic tubing matching the width of the engines' molding plugs to the exact center of the nacelles' firewalls.
The assembly of the separate horizontal and vertical parts of the tail went quickly, but bringing them together required enlarging the slots in each by careful sanding. Again, don't over-sand - keep testing the fit regularly.
The rear Boulton Paul gun turret is neatly molded and has a detailed interior. The installation of the gun assembly and internal parts required several dry runs as there are no locator aids. The finished turret just drops into the fuselage opening, so eyeball it carefully. I suggest adding some internal support to prevent problems.
I painted my Hudson with Polly Scale paints. Decals are provided for two aircraft: an RAF bomber and the civilian Model 14 that Neville Chamberlain used during the Munich crisis of 1938. The decals were printed by Microscale and went on flawlessly.
My main reference was Aircraft Profile 253 Lockheed Hudson Mks I to VI. I also found Andrew Hendrie's Seek and Strike: The Lockheed Hudson in World War II helpful.
I enjoyed the challenge of building my Hudson and completed it in 32 hours. It's a superior short-run kit, but it requires some advanced skills. If you are up to a little more adventure in your model projects, this kit is for you!