CONVAIR Sea Dart

[sandiego89]

I'm in! How about a Seadart?  1/72 scale.  Took a long hard look at the Mach 2 Sea Dart hanging in my son's room and I am going to do a makeover as the moderator said "phoenix form the ashes" projects are welcome. 

Planning for an operational version in the late 50's or early 60's.  Perhaps:
F-102 style canopy
some minor area ruling of the rear fuselage
armament- probably AIM-9
paint- blue, or I am very tempted for the the gray/white that the navy switched to in that time frame. 

Anyhow, attached is the before picture.  A tired but loved model built @10 years back. 

[PR19_Kit]

Dave,

That sounds a good plan. 

Where are the 'winders going to go, on top of the wings perhaps, a la RAF Jags? I hope you'll fit some bigger engines, a couple of J-79s should move it on a bit. And you'd be able to make tea on the launching ramp for about 30 mins. afterward.

[sandiego89]

Kit, thinking the winders will go on the fuselage side, actually on the side of the engine covers, using a rail system like on the F-8 crusader. might use the double rack from a F8 allowing mouting of a zuni rocket pod and a winder on the same rack. 

Thought about jaguar like above wing mouting but looks like things got pretty wet over the wing. 

[PR19_Kit]

Neat idea Dave, that arrangement on the F-8 would look pretty good.

[Weaver]

Mad idea: how about putting the 'winders on the sides of the fin? After all, the "ground" crew could stand on the wing to load them, and they'd be perfectly sited to "look up" into a turn.....

[sequoiaranger]

As a lad I grew up in San Diego. The Convair plant is (was--the sawtoothed roof building is still there, under different owner/management) situated along Harbor Drive, which is between the plant and the bay. I lived on Point Loma, and the route to downtown San Diego was always along Harbor Drive. There was a Coast Guard station right on the bay, and ramps for the amphibians. I have seen the Sea Dart many times at that ramp, and actually saw a test flight skimming on San Diego bay. Never thought to bring a camera and photograph them---it was an all-too-common sight! I had the old Lindberg (Comet?? Strombecker?) model (maybe 1/48 scale?) of the Sea Dart WAAAAAY back when!

Another Convair plane I saw many times was the "Pogo" VTOL plane. I don't remember ever seeing one taking off, but saw them with propellers spinning in place and coughing purple exhaust.

[PR19_Kit]

Sequoiaranger,

You actually SAW a Sea Dart and the Pogo??? With your own eyes???

RESPECT! 

[sandiego89]

Started the build, found the old paint very tough to remove. 
-Old X-15 style canopy off, will be a conventional two piece canopy.  F-102 shape just didn't work.
-Drilled and made housinging for four 20mm guns.
-2 new skis as one was missing in action (found the underside of F-14 engine nacelles had nearly identical curves! And also found a use for the F-14 I had cut the nose off for a Sea Harrier Airborne Early Warning whif (posted on the what if completed bulid section).
- New main struts- old F-15 main gear thus the Robins Egg blue.
- Side winders ready, still debating the location.

Best of all having fun.   

[sotoolslinger]

neato

[Weaver]

Always struck me that you could make a "Super Sea Dart" by adding a hull & skis to an F-106.....

[sandiego89]

Completed the Sea Dart.  Shown in the markings of VF-24 aboard a WESTPAC cruise aboard the tender USS CURRITUCK (AV-7) during the Korea crisis, fall 1959. 

Equipped with AIM-9B and 4x 20mm colt cannons. 

[sandiego89]

A few more shots

[GTX]

Wicked!

Regards,

Greg

[anthonyp]

Oh, wow!

That is one heckuva Phoenix!  Really like this one.   

[Brian da Basher]

Well done, San Diego! You carried off the paint scheme with great skill.

Brian da Basher