Convair Sea Dart w/ refueling sub- COMPLETED plus a few more pics.

[Captain Canada]

Awesome.
love those little Sea Darts ! You have the decals for them ?

[sequoiaranger]

Good on ya! Love seeing those little "Sea Darts" coming along.

I can remember, as a child in the '50s in San Diego, seeing trials of the Sea Dart out in the Bay, and sometimes seeing it on the ramp near the Convair plant. Traffic on Harbor Drive would be stopped as Convair experimental (Pogo, too!) aircraft would be trotted out from the factory and taken across the Drive to the launching ramp(s).

[PR19_Kit]

I can remember, as a child in the '50s in San Diego, seeing trials of the Sea Dart out in the Bay, and sometimes seeing it on the ramp near the Convair plant. Traffic on Harbor Drive would be stopped as Convair experimental (Pogo, too!) aircraft would be trotted out from the factory and taken across the Drive to the launching ramp(s).

Green with envy mode FULL on!!!!

Go on, now tell us you saw Tradewinds flying out of the Bay too.......

[sequoiaranger]

>Go on, now tell us you saw Tradewinds flying out of the Bay too.......<

Yes, of course! That, the B-36 ("aluminum overcast"), and the F-102's and F-106 delta-winged fighters. My uncle flew flying boats (though not the Tradewinds), once waggling the wings of a Martin Mars right over our house one day!

Yes, Convair (Consolidated Vultee Aircraft) was a busy place when I was a kid in the 1950's (born in '48).

[PR19_Kit]

I think I'm going to burst into tears......... 

I've only seen three flying boat types airborne, Aquila Airways Solents flying out of Southampton, the Princess at Farnborough and various Catalinas at air shows. B-36s were relatively common over Oxford in the 50s and 60s, flying into Brize Norton on TDY, and the only '102s and 106's I've seen have been at museums in the US. And I've NEVER seen either of the Pogos anywhere. 

[philp]

No flying boats but used to see the 106s out of Gore Hill all the time till the MTANG switched to Vipers. Those and the Cranberries out of Malmstrom made my teenage years fun.

[rickshaw]

Only ever seen one flyingboat - a Catalina which was used for several years for aerial survey downunder.  It blew an engine and sat at the local airport in Adelaide for a few months once. Never saw it on the water though.  

[sandiego89]

Work has interfered with my project 

Now for the Submarine.  The GUAVINA had a built up "flight deck" on the stern over the prop guards.   Will use styrene and putty. 

Picture source http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/0836211.jpg, Courtesy of John Hummel 

[sandiego89]

Out of the box hull.

[sequoiaranger]

Practical?

Maybe not, but it is an intriguing idea and I will love to see it in plastic!

Maybe like the Japanese 1-400 subs with a long, tubular hangar to house the Sea Darts!

[PR19_Kit]

What did they use that platform for on the RW Guavina? Never seen a sub with anything like that before.

[sandiego89]

What did they use that platform for on the RW Guavina? Never seen a sub with anything like that before.

From "Attack from the Sea" by William Temble, the GUAVINA modifications to aid refueling "included a large square platform over the stern, soon known as the "flight deck".

I imagine the raised platform would give a more stable and dry platfrom to run the refueling hoses to and from seaplanes snuggling up to the stern. The curved aft decks of a Gato/Guppy would have little room to work from.  The aft postion would allow an easier hand off than trying to bring a seaplane alongside. Only my guess.   

The plan was to have a total of 8 tanker submarines modified to support the "SSF" the Seaplane Striking Force of SeaMasters, Tradewinds and SeaDart.   

She will not have hangars like the I-400, but that is quite tempting.  Just refueling/rearming.   

I have started work on the flight deck using 4 layers of sheet styrene.  From this angle it looks longer than it is. 

[sandiego89]

Conceptual layout.  Will be doing a water surface over the blue display base. 

Captain Canada: I have some decals, but may have to make a few.

Hobbes: thank you, I have sanded the leading edges to round them off.

[Gondor]

A technical question for you sandiego89, how will they get the Sea Dart onto the deck of the sub?

Gondor

[NARSES2]

This is going to be good