Curtiss Soc Seagull – vac u form project – 1/48 Wings
I love U.S. Navy planes and specially those of the yellow wings era, but the Curtiss Soc Seagull is amazing. Unfortunately biplanes of this period are very difficult to be found in 1/48 scale. The Curtiss Seagull is, from my view point, very interesting plane because it was the only U.S. Navy biplane to serve aboard ship during World War. I wanted to try to build it. I was very lucky and When I found one in a model show Near Rome I could not believe it. I bought it immediately at a very reasonable price. It was a hard but, very amusing job. My first vac u form project. I started this project few month after it was in my stash in dec 2015.
Every time i found my self in troubles i needed some relaxing time building another easier project OOB until I got the correct idea to solve the problem that stopped me, in September 2018 it was completed.
27 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Dan DeSilva said on January 15, 2019
Gorgeous work- thanks for sharing this build. I have always been amazed that revell-monogram never released one in 1/48! I wanted to get one of those wings VAC seagulls for a long time- ended up getting a 1/48 Lone Star one!
Franco Damiani said on January 15, 2019
Thank you for your appreciation ( and sorry for my english) 🙂
Greg Kittinger said on January 15, 2019
Beautiful work in what to me is a difficult medium. I've not yet gotten the nerve to tackle a vac project, though I've used a few conversion pieces - that's been enough travail for me! A stunning Seagull!
Franco Damiani said on January 15, 2019
thank you very much Greg 🙂
Craig Abrahamson said on January 15, 2019
I was never good at Vac kits - tried it once (didn't work out well) - yours did, though!
Franco Damiani said on January 15, 2019
thank you. I think that i did it because I like it a lot. I hope to see you to start one.
Paul Nash said on January 15, 2019
Franco - That's a fantastically neat vacform result. You seem to have mastered the srt of creating crisply formed sections much more than I managed with my one attempt at vacforming. Great to see such a neat result - Paul
Robert Royes said on January 15, 2019
A beautiful build!
Franco Damiani said on January 16, 2019
thank you very much i'm happy that you like it.
🙂
DE4EVER said on January 16, 2019
🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
Good looking SEAGULL Franco. Turned out just fine, nice paint work too.
Franco Damiani said on January 16, 2019
🙂 🙂
thank you
Manuel Magrinho said on January 16, 2019
Nice work! congratulations!
I think that this is really what modeling is about: creating almost from scratch, creating parts and pieces, looking at real images/pictures of the subject... really nice work!
Franco Damiani said on January 16, 2019
thank you, i agree!
Tom Bebout said on January 16, 2019
Fantastic work Franco, job well done.
Franco Damiani said on January 16, 2019
thank you Tom for your appreciation
Dmitry Stropalov said on January 16, 2019
That's beautiful! Vacu form kits definitely are not an easy ones, but you nailed it, congratulations!
Franco Damiani said on January 17, 2019
than you very much Dmitry ! 🙂
Tom Cleaver said on January 16, 2019
If that's your first vacuform, you have met the challenge! Really nice work.
I did one of these kits about 30 years ago. Not as nicely as yours.
For those who like the Seagull, and don't want to do vacuform, Mike West at Lone Star Models has a full resin kit that is very nice (I have one), and Yellow Wings Decals has a couple sheets for the Seagull for various squadrons, battleships and cruisers. The kit is arounde US$45.00, the decals are around $15.00
Franco Damiani said on January 17, 2019
thank you Tom, really my first. I recovered decals from old super scale sheet (numbers- and letters...) and from old 1/48 monogram king fisher the "Oswald the lucky rabbit". I had a look on the Lone Star Model but i didn't found the Seagull. Do you think it is still in production?
Terry Schuler said on January 17, 2019
Franco, I have to say I really admire this build, especially all the extra work you must have done here. Well done !