**** DONE: GB-51 1:48 Lockheed S-3B Viking - No Propellers

[fubar57]

Username: fubar57
First name: George
Category: Advanced
Manufacturer: Italeri
Model: S-3B Viking Kit No. 2623
Scale: 1:48

This is hopefully a mojo rebuilder. A reboxing of the original Esci/AMT offering from the 80's and offered by Italeri in 2010. My subject

 

[fubar57]

Innards...

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I have two of these kits and swapped canopy parts. The other is an older -3A but has the smoked canopy while this one has a clear canopy

 

[rochie]

nice one Geo

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

May the mojo return!

 

[fubar57]

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Got a start on some plastic finally. After reading some reviews, it turns out that one can build the entire aircraft and then insert the cockpit at the end. Once I've finished cleaning up the fuselage, I'll test drive the cockpit and see if its true. Wings, horizontal stabs, some of the innards and the replacement canopy.

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Close-up of the seats and canopy, which I started painting years ago. The interior above the consoles and canopy were painted black. The console and instrument panel detail are decals but I'm not too worried about the lack of details as the canopy is so dark

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There is a small amount of flash on many of the parts but to be expected for 40+ year old molds

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Plus some whacking great attachment points; this is the nose section of the fuselage

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This is quite a large model so photos will be a challenge once things start coming together. Looking at the photos that Don and Wojtek so kindly provided shows that I will have to remove a few of the molded on antennae and relocate a couple, notably the one on top of the fin, the large one on top of the fuselage and two on the bottom of the fuselage. Some interior colour thoughts shortly

 

[Donivanp]

Same boat. I have one old US-3A and an S-3B I think. I picked up a wing fold and tail fould set from Wolfpack and a few detail sets from Black Dog. Love it. Nice picture.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Wayne Little]

Nice choice Geo.

 

[Donivanp]

Hey George, if you FB there is a group for this aircrafts. Aircrews and maintenance personnel. They will answer questions pretty quickly. I had questions about weapons load and how many torpedoes would be in a normal load. I got everything from "I've never seen a torpedoe" to one or two with two Mk84 bombs".

 

[Airframes]

Good one Geo.

 

[fubar57]

Thanks guys. Don, not a Facebookianiter so I have to pass. I do have the excellent Lock-on S-3B book by Willy Peeters though. I had always thought that the U.S. Navy had wheel wells that were coloured white so as to spot leaks easier but this doesn't seem to be the case with the S-3B. It almost looks like RLM02

 

[Donivanp]

It does indeed. that looks like a close enough. I've got the lockon and an inaction

 

[fubar57]

Fiddling around while waiting for the camp bus. Esci/AMT/Italeri has quite a few hatches open/closed options and of course the closed options usually put up a fight. The entry hatch is no exception as the bottom stands proud. There is also no detail inside the fuselage at this entry so closed it will be. The bottom lip needed to be filed down

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It is now glued in place and resting comfortably. I did a test fit of the cockpit to the taped together fuselage and while it can be shoe-horned into place, the fit is better if the cockpit is glued to the right fuselage half as instructed. The forward nose-gear well also needs to be attached to the bottom of the cockpit so if one waits until later and the cockpit is misaligned a bit, the well will be out also. Have a good week gentlemen

 

[fubar57]

Speaking of the cockpit, I briefly toyed with sprucing up the other-wise spartan area. As mentioned above, the console detail and I.P. are decals but with the canopy on and the possibility that this will be a dangler have ruled out any after-market or scratch built items

 

[Crimea_River]

Good decision on the pit. Have a safe week Geo,

 

[Donivanp]

Good deal

 

[F-104nut]

Great choice George !!!

 

[fubar57]

Thank you Brian

 

[Wurger]