Curtiss S2C Goshawk - "I Love P-40's!" Floatplane Resurrected

Mossie · June 15, 2008, 01:42:12 PM

Finally finshed my P-40 floatplane variant from the 'I Love P-40's!' GB! Build thread here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,15691.0/highlight,floatplane.html

sotoolslinger · June 15, 2008, 01:51:24 PM

Mossie ,well that is just too cool

how did you do the hiked up back end like that is this on the old GB threads

PuddingWrestler is going to take that away from you

Ed S · June 15, 2008, 02:00:19 PM

KEWL! Nice floatplane adaptation of a P-40.

Ed

sequoiaranger · June 15, 2008, 02:23:09 PM

Couldn't help but notice the squadron codes.

Did you finish the "KEG" that you were drinking when you thought this up??

Taiidantomcat · June 15, 2008, 02:38:51 PM

What a great job! looks the part.

Ben

Mossie · June 15, 2008, 02:42:33 PM

Thanks guys! I'm kind of glad it's done & not all in a good way, for which reasons I'll post below.

Sotool, all I did to the rear end was to add a fin fillet. It was simply a couple of pieces of styrene card stuck together, cut & sanded to shape. I took the shape of it almost directly from the SC, that was pretty much my yard stick as far this build went.

Sequoia, I could have done with that keg after the trouble I had with it! Again, I'll post below!

It's finished in RAF Merchant Ship Fighter Unit markings. This unit used standard Hurricanes launched from a catapult fixed onto a merchant ship. Of course, it was a one stop shop, you'd only launch the Hurricane if you needed to as it had to ditch after launch. So I figured both the pilots & convoys would be happy of a platform that could be recovered. The red letters & white undersides where kind of my own touch, they'd probably have hadsky undersides, but my figuring is that it was a Coastal Command patrol aircraft that was transferred to the MSFU at RAF Speke.

I neglected to take pics of the floatplane bits & bobs that I added. All I did with these was take them from the SMER SC Seahwak kit & stick them on the P-40, with pins added for strength. The only other mods where to remove the & fill the various undercarriage parts, & to remove two machine guns from each side to make up for the extra weight of the floats. If you're thinking of doing a floatplane with a single main float & outriggers, I'd recommend the SMER SC Sea Hawk kit. The parts are seperate & you can still do a standard SC if you want as the fixed landing gear that could be fitted to it come in the kit as well.

Mossie · June 15, 2008, 02:45:15 PM

Finally got this finished, more than a year after starting it, & it was supposed to be a quick build! It's the Hobby Boss 1/72 P-40M kit, & it's given me a bit of gyp over the last year, a fair bit of it self induced. My trouble is, when I start having problems, my head drops down I move on to the next project. It was ready for painting in the above thread & I'd actually got it painted in an USN atlantic scheme. Then I took the masking off. Oh dear. Lots of re-touching to do. Then I knocked the left hand tail off repeatedly. Shelved it until I could look at it without bellyaching.

The original intention was to finish it in Brazialian Navy markings, kind of a double whiff as once the Air Force was formed, the Navy was prevented by law from fielding offensive fixed wing types until the A-4 was introduced. The idea was that the Brazilian Navy would have taken US types & simply painted their markings over the US camo, as happened with the Air Force. Once I'd left it for so long painted though, I eventually lost the enthusiasm I'd had that scheme. Fairy Power Spray is your freind!!!

I re-attacked it after I started losing enthusiasm on a recent build, my RAF Eurocopter Cougar. Figured it should be quick & easy to paint it up in a new scheme. The best laid plans of Mice, as Douglas Adams would say. Firstly, that tail came back to haunt me. I'd re-stuck it, pinned it with a bit of wire, but still it kept falling off. Finally went for the brute force approach, copius amounts of poly. Still knocked it off when I re-puttied it, stuck it on again & this time lived with the scar & step that was left.

I painted it in a Temperate Sea Scheme. Went on okay, but the EDSG seemed a little dark. Re-touced some portions of that to find it looked a lot lighter, I obviously hadn't stirred the pot enough initially. Of course, I'd already taken all the masking off. Again, lived with it. Weathering proceeding that, nothing terrible happened except that my skills in this area are very incomplete & I'm not too happy with the final result, but you live & learn.

Decalling came next. I had some Techmod C type decals for a Spitfire that seemed perfect. Oh dear. They tore if you so much as looked at them. Even positioning them with a soft brush caused them to tear. Ditched these in anger in favour of some decals from the new Airfix Fulmar kit. These were interesting, but satisfactory. Not that opaque & where not complete in places, but they'd do. They also tend to adhere firmly the moment they hit a surface. Okay if your good at placing them perfectly first time, sufice to say, I'm not! I learnt quickly not to bother with Micro Set & found if you ran a wet brush along thier edge they'd lift for re-positioning. Settled down very well with Micro Sol. A final coat of Klear to blend them in, then finally finish it up with a couple of coats of Humbrol Matt Cote.

I decided to all this in our busiest time of year at work too, which slowed things down a touch. So in the end I'm kind of happy to have this done, if not that happy with the finished product.

Guess I've got to find a way to not let the setbacks get to me too much.

sotoolslinger · June 15, 2008, 02:54:14 PM

You are a cool customer

If I had gone through that the sucker would have made its first flight by slamming into a wall.

John Howling Mouse · June 15, 2008, 04:37:01 PM

It was very satisfying to upload your completed pics into the Mossie archive on my HD.

So it must have been extremely gratifying (not to mention relieved) for you to finish this project.

The weathering on the undersides of the floats is an especially nice touch: they're done just right!

puddingwrestler · June 15, 2008, 07:33:16 PM

Quote from: sotoolslinger on June 15, 2008, 01:51:24 PM
Mossie ,well that is just too cool how did you do the hiked up back end like that is this on the old GB threads

PuddingWrestler is going to take that away from you

I think I can contain myself... I'm in a terrain building mood, not a model kit building mood right now... although that may change...

retro_seventies · June 15, 2008, 07:46:31 PM

FILLET FILLET FILLET!!!

Sisko · June 16, 2008, 01:19:13 AM

Oh that is nice man!!!!

Really diggin it!

Mossie · June 16, 2008, 02:05:58 AM

Thanks again guys!

Quote from: John Howling Mouse on June 15, 2008, 04:37:01 PM
So it must have been extremely gratifying (not to mention relieved) for you to finish this project.

The weathering on the undersides of the floats is an especially nice touch: they're done just right!

Relief is the main thing Baz, although I think I'll be happier with it once a little time passes & I can largely forget some of the problems with the build.

Brian da Basher · June 16, 2008, 01:57:36 PM

That's just outstanding Mossie! You've taken it from "What-If" to "Definitely Should've Been!"

Brian da Basher

ericr · August 07, 2013, 01:35:03 PM

Quote from: Brian da Basher on June 16, 2008, 01:57:36 PM
That's just outstanding Mossie! You've taken it from "What-If" to "Definitely Should've Been!"

Brian da Basher

what an excellent sub-category of What-if : "Definitely Should've Been!" yes indeed!