The Seagull and the Cat *** Finished ***

[JohnRatzenberger]

Again,
Hasegawa 1/72 Curtiss SOC-3 Seagull.
Starfighter resin interior.
YellowWings decals.
White Ensign catapult -- the catapult is for a battleship but the markings I will use are for an SOC aboard a cruiser, USS Honolulu. I have no idea whether they are they same and, as of this moment, have ceased to worry about it.

May be a ragged start; I need to get the kit & cockpit out to see what is needed -- and make a plan !

[Stuart]

Nice choice John, and that catapult sounds really interesting.

[splash]

That's a cool choice.

[Martin R]

Looking forward to this!!!

[Marek]

Another fantastic choice, not many of them built around.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Opened things up today, all parts are there, one float strut broken but fixable.
No rigging diagram- I'm sure I have one somewhere - but I can guess most of it from the box-art.

I am already working a PE heavy project, now this .... must be a character flaw.

[beany]

Wow, nice looking kit as well as a cool catapult - I'm really looking forward to this one John.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Started ....

I put the a/m cockpit in, took a bit of fudging to get it to work.



Then I decided not much is going to be seen anyway and buttoned up the fuselage. I also did the float so I could test mount it when I get to the catapult.



I gave the big PE sheet a good soaking in white spirits and wiped it down, so it is ready for assembly and paint. I'll start on that next while I dink around with the aircraft and that mostly figuring out rigging and prepping to do that. Whatever .... I really have no plan for this build, so we'll see what happens ....

[PaulBradley]

Good start, John.

[JohnRatzenberger]

And a start on the catapult.



After I took this, I joined the two main parts. Next step will be to carefully lay and align the decking on top and glue it down. I am still debating whether I should add some stiffeners or something to not only help putting the decking on but also with rigidity and strength.

[Martin R]

And a start on the catapult . . . next step will be to carefully lay and align the decking on top and glue it down. I am still debating whether I should add some stiffeners or something to not only help putting the decking on but also with rigidity and strength.

Erm, my vote would be "yes, you should!"

Fantastic job on the PE, John. Mine keeps getting stuck to my fingers.

[SteveC]

John,

That is looking very good so far, and the catapult is fantastic.

Is the original Hasegawa cockpit so very basic, as I have one to build later, perhaps much later?

Regards,

Steve

[JohnRatzenberger]

Yes, Very Basic. Paint it all black basic.

[SteveC]

Yes, Very Basic. Paint it all black basic.

Thanks John, my ideal finish!

Regards,

steve

[Marek]

The cockpit gives it a second life. Together with PE catapult that will make it really stand out.