Hasegawa 1/72 Curtiss SOC-3 Seagull

HASEGAWA 1:72 CURTISS SOC-3 SEAGULL

Reviewer: Richard Stracey (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted: 9 June 2002 (#44) - review revised & replaced 20 March 2004

Kit Details:

HASEGAWA # 46 & 47 1/72 -- CURTISS MODEL 71E SOC-3 SEAGULL

Aircraft History:

Like the Fairey Swordfish, the Seagull was obsolete by the start of WW II but outlived its replacement and was still in service at the end. It replaced the Vought Corsair floatplane and was itself replaced by the monoplane Kingfisher. A total of three hundred and seven SOC’s were in service, eighty three of them –3’s. They were used on floats on all the US Navy’s capital ships and on wheels from carriers and shore stations. They saw action on all fronts around the world with the US Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. Armament consisted of one fixed and one flexible .30 Browning machine gun and provision for two bombs, depth charges or smoke tanks. The SOC-3 was powered by a P&W R1340.22 radial engine and had a wingspan of 36’ and length of 26’6”.

The Kit:

Unlike some manufactures, Hasegawa decided to issue two kits of the same aircraft, one on wheels and one on floats rather than giving both options in the same kit. They must be a couple of their earliest kits as they are numbered 46 and 47. Both come in attractive stout boxes with adequate instructions and named paint colours. In my case Kit #47 (Floatplane) instructions were in Japanese but I am sure that they would also be available in English as Kit 46 (Landplane) was. Both are in crisp white plastic, the wheeled version consisting of thirty six parts and the floatplane forty six. Both contain a clear canopy and two crew figures. The floatplane also includes a stand. Both kits consist of four sprues, three are common and the fourth contains either the undercarriage or floats. The floatplane has one decal option and the landplane, two.

Construction:

Instruction steps one to four are identical. The interiors are adequate for all that can be seen although, not having used the crew, I did add seatbelts and joysticks. It is easier to paint and assemble the engines, propellers and cowlings as a unit and add them to the fuselage at a later date. As with most bi planes, it is simpler to add the upper wing after painting. Hasegawa suggests fitting the main and carbane struts to the top wing but I preferred to fit them to the lower wing and fuselage and then lower the top wing into place. Either way is easy due to the good fit of the parts. The only difference between the two Step Fives is the adding of the tail wheel to the landplane. I did however substitute the aileron pushrods (18) with thinner wire. The various unwanted fitting locations can now be filled before either the floats or undercarriage are added. In the case of the floatplane I left the floats off till all painting had been completed. To both I added a jewel as a landing light on the lower left wing.

Versions/Decals:

Both aircraft are similar in colour with aluminum painted fuselages and wings with the top of the top wing in Chrome Yellow (FS13538/Testors 1707). The wheeled version can also be depicted in Navy Blue top, Intermediate Blue sides and White undersurfaces as flown by Lt.FC Dickey of the Scout Obserbation Unit Three (Hasegawa’s spelling). The other wheeled alternative from USS Mississippi had a white cowling and True Blue (FS15102/Testors 2030) tail surfaces. The floatplane was flown by Lt.MJ Reed from USS Phoenix, Cruiser Division Nine and had a True Blue cowling with Willow Green (FS14187/Testors 2028) bands on the tail surfaces for which decals are provided although I preferred to paint them on. Both propellers have, from the tips, red, yellow and blue warning bands with the rest being aluminum front and matt black rear surfaces. All decals were fine and easy to use. I added small ariel posts just inboard of the upper wing insignia with wires running in the form of a Y to the fin. Both aircraft require simple rigging with the floatplane needing added rigging on all three floats.

Conclusion:

Information can be found in the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft V6 p.12158 and in the invaluable Profile Publications #194 in which the floatplane is illustrated. As with other similar aircraft such as the Curtiss SC-1, Sea Fox and Kingfisher, having been designed as floatplanes, they look rather odd with wheels. Either kit is simple to construct and is suitable as a first biplane model.

RHS/44

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