Popular Post CT Modeller Posted July 9, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted July 9, 2020 Martin P6M-2 Seamaster Naval Air Station Harvey Point, North Carolina, 1959 1/72 Mach 2 kit Surely one of the coolest looking aeroplanes of all time, the Seamaster was just a step too far into the field of far-too-expensive-aeroplanes. In some ways it captures the spirit of 1950s military aviation in America in which anything was worth a try. I bought this Mach 2 kit at a good price (£40) last year but really never thought I would build it. Opening the box revealed the size of the beast, but also revealed huge amounts of flash and poorly moulded parts with rough surface finish. Once I had cleaned everything up though (which took a huge amount of time) it actually went together fairly quickly. Not having to bother with an undercarriage helped, but I did have to mould a new canopy because the kit canopy was very thick and completely the wrong shape. The kit included the complex beaching trolley, which is so necessary for flying boats. Cleaning up the parts for this was something else, but it went together OK in the end. Decals were just about usable, but the white parts had yellowed which looked awful against the painted white of the hull. Thankfully I managed to find enough letters and numbers from other sheets to replace them. The previous Mach 2 kit I built was the Valiant, some years before the Airfix release, and the experience was about the same as this, but I did get the same feeling of satisfaction to see it finished. 102 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davecov Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Lovely build of a great-looking aircraft, Chris. Looks like something out of a Gerry Anderson series. Dave 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Excellent job, I see you managed to correct the canopy too - I used the original with lots of sanding and polishing. More parts in the beaching trolley than the airframe. It was a beautiful looking aircraft, and faster than a B-52. Shame none were saved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 I've never seen that kit built and yours looks terrific. Well done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Beautiful build. If you didn't know it was real you would believe it was a Gerry Anderson creation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailspin Turtle Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Wonderful build. One minor note: my guess is that the stripe on the beaching trolley might have been green on the right (starboard) side as it was very likely handed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 9 minutes ago, Tailspin Turtle said: Wonderful build. One minor note: my guess is that the stripe on the beaching trolley might have been green on the right (starboard) side as it was very likely handed. They used to colour code the beaching wheels on the other flying boats, so that is a possibility. Never thought of that before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangseat Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Lovely! A beautifully finished model out a kit from the most rudimentary of manufacturers! Excellent work on the cockpit, you'd never have been able to see the interior with the kit part even if it was the right shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Superb model of an intriguing subject. Kind regards, Joachim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Beautiful. Bravo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Outstanding! I know many modellers poo-poo Mach 2 kits, and they do have their issues, but with some patience and basic modeling skills they can be built into stunning models, as this example shows. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty84 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Hi Chris, your Seamaster is a real beauty, a really impressive beast. Mach2 kits are not the easiest but as you said it is quite satisfying beating them into submission Cheers Markus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filbert_Wang Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 I never new this plane existed, so thanks for the education! It looks incredible they sure did have some impressive designs back in the 50s. A lovely looking kit and especially as it sounds like it was a challenge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold55 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 I just love that plane, you are right it might be one of the coolest looking planes of all time! Great job on the build, it looks great. What are the odd we ever see this in 1/48? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapam Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Excellent workmanship and finishing skills! Especially as it is a Mach2 kit. For a time I considered Mach2's DC-4 kit, but the price and crudeness of the kit scared me away. Luckily, the Revell C-54 kit arrived about a decade later. 😌 Anyway, well done with the Seamaster. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 A beautiful job on an esoteric and problematical jet aircraft that deserved to fare better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Nice! Would love to see this in 1/144 (not 1/136). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SafetyDad Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Beautiful build! Well done - it looks fantastic SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Wow, that's really cool......................always loved the Seamaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 A lovely build of the Mach2 kit. Having built the Mach2 York , I have found they are challenging kits but immensely satisfying to finish. They are not the impossible kits to build as some suggest, but do take some patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in a shed Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 I've made a couple of Mach 2 kits and you're so right about the cleaning up and the "transparencies", Great result, well done. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Keg Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 I cannot say with any certainty that I have ever seen one of these built in kit form. Great job and thank you sharing this very unique subject with us!!!!! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Gorgeous model of an incredible aircraft that I knew nothing about! I wandered off to the darker reaches of the Web and did some gentle research. It seems that the Glenn L Martin Museum in Maryland has an aft fuselage and tail of a Martin P6M SeaMaster in their collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy54 Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 I like what you did with this kit, very nice indeed. and yes it is a cool looking aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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