BlackAck Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 (edited) I have discovered that group builds seem to be a good way for me to finish making models, so I decided to enter this group build with the following kit: The 1:72 Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk by Antares courtesy of my wallet and Mr EBay. First Impressions There is an excellent review & WIP thread for this kit here on Britmodeller by EricP from a few years ago, so I'm not going to repeat what he said in depth. My impression is that this is a basic kit, so there are fewer things to go wrong; by the same token, it's also a basic kit (with emphasis on the basic) which means a lot more work to make a decent model than the typical modern kit. But, forewarned is forearmed as they say. I'll be leveraging my spares box to the max and I've already gone ahead and sprung for an aftermarket resin R-1820 powerplant. The Aircraft I must admit I had never heard of this aircraft prior to this build and it is quite a handsome kite. Intended to replace existing the biplane and monoplane floatplanes in the Scout role for the US Navy, the Seahawk was also Curtiss’ attempt to redeem its corporate reputation after the Seamew debacle. What they produced has been described the best US floatplane of WWII. Seeing frontline action at the tail-end of WWII, the Seahawk soldiered on into the immediate post war era until being rendered obsolete by technological advances in radar gunnery and the helicopter. The Seahawk was quietly withdraw from service in 1949 with no examples surviving in wild or captivity today. More information can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_SC_Seahawk Long, B. J. (2004). Naval Fighters No 38: Curtiss SC-1/2 Seahawk. Ginter Books (I think this is the definitive reference text on this aircraft) The Build As this is a maritime patrol group build, I intend to model a post-war Seahawk in floatplane configuration. I’m still vacillating on the exact scheme. Proper plastic-bashing will start after the 1st when the build officially starts. Edited November 27, 2018 by BlackAck I can't spell apparently 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Ive always liked the looks of the Seahawk & Seamew. Looking forward to following your build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted November 27, 2018 Author Share Posted November 27, 2018 Agreed, the Seahawk is quite attractive. The Seamew (with floats) wasn't ugly either. Shame it didn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 I have the Smer boxing of this kit. It looks nice in the box, I'll look on to see how it builds. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted November 27, 2018 Author Share Posted November 27, 2018 I think Smer is a reboxing of Antares 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Yes, a nice looking aircraft and a nice addition to the build roster. Welcome BA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Very nice. Curtiss had some good seaplane designs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted December 10, 2018 Author Share Posted December 10, 2018 So after a week's holiday, I'm anxious to get to work. Here's a nice shot of the sprue and extra goodies I'll be mashing into shape: I happen to have the evening to myself, so I started. As others have said, the interior really is the low point of this kit, so I've jazzed it up with some scrap resin to represent side consoles and some spare Mike Grant decals for the console switches/panels. I tried using Mike Grant's excellent instrument face decals, but this IP was too much of a pig, so a dab or two of white & silver and it looks passable. It's also worth baring in mind that the canopy is fairly thick and not much will be visible (assuming I decide to use it). Here's where the interior stands after a few hours work: Purists and Rivet counters may wish to look away, but I used a homemade mix of French Blue and Zinc Chromate Yellow as a stand in for Zinc Chromate Green, which looks okay when compared to information and photos I've found in the fascinating world of US Navy interior paint colours 🤪. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 It's a start, why put too much detail in there if no one will see it? Good to see the Seahawk underway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 Agreed. I must say I'm disappointed with this kit's lack of locator pins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 (edited) Sorry for the delay guys. What with going on holiday, going back to work, the holidays, etc., this group build has been about 4th or 5th on my list of things to do. I did want to make progress though, so after five minutes here, and twenty minutes there, here's where I stand: All the major components are together. Here, I attempted to represent the raised and domed combing that surrounds the instrument panel on the real aircraft, using a scrap 1:72 bomblet and putty. I have yet to sand it into its final shape. To hide the kit's lack of detail, I've drafted in - get it..? - a pilot figure from my spares box. The harness are made from leftover tape. Gap filling will commence shortly. Lastly, here is the 1:72 scale resin R-1820 from Victory Models all glued together. A nice little addon, it does not come with instructions, so lots of test fitting and careful study of source materials is recommended. Edited December 30, 2018 by BlackAck 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hi, I am also doing now the SC-1 (without build thread unfortunately) and I have found one impotant detail missed. Please look at this photo: On the top of the pylon - the fuselage to main float support - there is a output of air from oil cooler. This is completly omitted in kit! Here is another take of it I thought that it is only from right side but it is from both: Be prepared, that the canopy adjustment is a bit tricky! Regards J-W 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 13 hours ago, BlackAck said: Gap filling will commence shortly. I hope you have already found out that fuselage fits ok, only the squared (in section) side pannels in cockpit (added by you) did not allow to bring fuselage halves together. If you will tapper them a bit to form of keyston (top smaller in section) the fuselage will not need any filler Cheers J-W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Any Seahawk progress BA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 (edited) Progress has been slow with work etc, but here is where we stand as of this evening: Interestingly enough there was no provision for the engine exhausts, I had to drill mounting holes for those myself. Edited January 25, 2019 by BlackAck 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Great work thus far. Missed the start of this one too but will be watching it from now on as have always wanted to get this kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 (edited) Time to put some paint on this. The first coat was thinned Hu 15 which I thought was far too bright blue for a post war Sea Hawk, so I brush painted the second coat of Hu 15 mixed with a liberal amount of Hu 33. I have yet to repaint the float, but that will be fixed soon. I will have to turn the whole thing upside down, so I want it to be bone dry before I do that. About 30 minutes of work results in a gorgeous blue-black colour, that looks much more appropriate to the period. For the latecomers to the thread, it's a fairly uncomplicated kit, good for a young modeller, a first floatplane, or someone like myself getting back into hobby. This kit has the option of making a Sea Hawk as a conventional land based aircraft with wheels, and that is a definite plus for lovers of strange aircraft. Mrs BlackAck is calling me away now, so I must go... Edited February 11, 2019 by BlackAck Poor command of the English language 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted February 11, 2019 Author Share Posted February 11, 2019 I've begun turning my attention to my final scheme. Most of the markings can be replicated using Super Scale USN 60 degree White letters (set No. 72-229) from my stash. The Seahawks of the USS Little Rock (CL-92) are well documented. I've also seen a single photograph of one of the Seahawks assigned to the USS Manchester (CL-83) which was quite colourful. Any other ideas? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Looking good BlackAck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 21 hours ago, BlackAck said: Any other ideas? I had a furkle around on google, I thought this photo had some promise for you. & this website has the colour cals from the Xotic kit which might help in determining the markings lay out, one of them not unlike the photo above. Steve. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 Steve, thanks for the info, it'll be useful. Unfortunately, my build has hit a snag. Cursed with hands of ham, I dropped the Seahawk. This is the result: On the plus sides, the breaks were clean and so should be easily repairable. And it makes decalling easier. But I could have really done without it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Bummer, hopefully you can retrieve this. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 (edited) Success! Well sort of. The model's back together, the join is noticeable, but you really have to look closely. I've decided to go ahead and add the insignia and the danger line to the float. The dark blue and the splash of red really make things pop. While I'm waiting, I've painted the prop, the radar pod and the antennae. I'm now just waiting for the code letters to arrive in the post as I didn't have enough in my spares box. Edited February 18, 2019 by BlackAck 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I'm pleased that you recovered well, that looks good from here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackAck Posted March 18, 2019 Author Share Posted March 18, 2019 After a short hiatus, she's done! More pictures in the gallery 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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