Curtiss SOC 1/48 - Page 2

**birder** · #11 07-29-2020, 04:03 PM

Thanks everybody for your interest and support on this, very kind of you

Don I agree I have really been a fan of this plane hard to believe the seas they recovered these in from a Cruiser, and the catapult with powder charge must have been something! It is a bit smaller scale than my other models, but that will make storage, viewing a bit easier I think. My 1/33 models are in a glass cabinet, but not much room now ha.

**Don Boose** · #12 07-29-2020, 06:15 PM

A few years ago, one of the student in my Pacific War Strategy elective sent me a link to her grandfather's oral history. He was a ground crewman with the USS Wichita (CA-45) SOC detachment. He served during Operation TORCH and later in the Pacific. It was a lot of work keeping those floatplanes flying.

Don

**birder** · #13 08-02-2020, 08:04 AM

It appears to have a lot of risk for the deck hands and plane crew, but those young fellas probably didn't worry about that....the gunner would have to crawl out after the plane engaged the sled drawn by the ship, and hook up a cable...and the firing of the catapult itself, or when swinging onto the ship...
there had to be some repairs !

I worked quite awhile on this and this is where it is now, I think some rigging would be easier to get to without the float attached. Nobi' s float design for the wingtips look simple but he has really a nice design for this..Ive messed up quite a few areas most I just redo, some of the errors were due to flaws I caused enlarging the model. Simple radial engine from 1/33 model most parts left off.

**birder** · #14 08-04-2020, 10:08 PM

Most of the rigging not perfect but will look ok I think. Working on a cowl, quite a lot of little things to do

**smp** · #15 08-05-2020, 07:56 AM

Those double flying wires look pretty parallel to me. What material are you using to rig the model?
I really like this airplane and this model of it. Looking forward to seeing more.
sp

**birder** · #16 08-05-2020, 12:54 PM

Thank you smp for your comments, (and happy birthday I see)

I used and am not too happy with, e-zline. I don't think anything improves on monofilament for me..
It has been fun to study up on this plane a bit

**smp** · #17 08-05-2020, 09:50 PM

Thanks Glen
I have never used EZ line. I stick to stretched sprue on the small ones and mono on the larger scales. I had a 1/72 plastic kit of this decades ago. One of the markings options was Coast Guard IIRC. I like your model even better. Looking forward to seeing more
sp

**birder** · #18 08-07-2020, 08:46 AM

Thanks again smp, this little plane is moving forward, cowl, float , float rigging, and the blue on the cowling adds cool color.

**birder** · #19 08-09-2020, 08:48 AM

Still having some fun in 1/48, prop made canopies on although may have to redo the forward one, floats approaching paint smoothness, It is interesting that with the monofilament used on the float rigging was strong enough to pull the plane over a tad bit, Im used to that with ship rigging, but not so much on a float..scratching some parts for interior, ect, fun.

**Don Boose** · #20 08-09-2020, 10:14 AM

Beautiful!

I know you know this, Glenn, but perhaps you will not object if I point out to the others that your model is of U.S. Navy Curtiss SOC-3 Seagull Bureau of Aeronautics Number (BuNo) 1077, aircraft number 1-O-9, as it appeared in 1939, when the aircraft was assigned to Observation Squadron One (VO-1) and flying from the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), which was at that time the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet and part of Battleship Division One (Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona) based at San Pedro, California.

Sources:

Al Adcock, U.S. Navy Floatplanes of World War II in Action, Aircraft Number 203, Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 2006, pp. 7-20.

Peter Freeman, Wings of the Fleet: US Navy & Marine Corps Aviation 1919-1941, On Target Special, Ardington, Oxfordshire, UK: The Aviation Workshop Publications Ltd., 2010.

William T. Larkins, U.S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941, Concord, CA: Aviation History Publications, 1961. Image of 1134 on page 280.

---, The Curtiss SOC Seagull, Profile Publication 194, Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications, 1967.

---, Battleship and Cruiser Aircraft of the United States Navy 1910-1949, Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military/Aviation History, 1996

Don