1/72 S-3 Viking
This is the old (1978) Hasegawa S-3 Viking in 1/72, a nice kit that has aged well. Apart from the raised panel lines and over-simplified cockpit, it stands up well against current releases; the fit was amazing, trailing edges were sharp, and it came with a smoked/tinted canopy. I replaced the kit seats with resin aftermarket and added some detail in the cockpit, and then re-scribed the whole kit. I studiously followed the kit’s panel lines, only to be told later they were inaccurate… oh well. The other modification I made was to enlarge the engine intakes, as they looked a bit narrow compared to photos. There weren’t many aftermarket decal sheets available for this kit so I found a scheme I liked and made my own- the final markings are actually a combination of kit, masking/painting, and home-made decals.
4 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Jim Sullivan said on July 17, 2020
That’s a fine looking build Mike and quite colorful markings…very nicely done.
Stellan Schroeder Englund said on July 17, 2020
Great result. As i look at the dirty fuselage spine i can imagine little men in 72 scale move around serviceing the aircraft. I always thought the Viking look like a children’s drawing or a caricature. Perfect for an animated film or comic book.
Jeff Bailey said on July 17, 2020
Correct, Stellen It DOES have a sort of cartoonish look.
Colin Gomez said on July 17, 2020
Lovely model of an intriguing looking aircraft. Perfectly weathered. IMHO, the Viking has some of the most striking markings ever seen on US Navy aircraft. Odd that there are few options for 1/72 when there are so many available for 1/48. Anyway, your homemade decals are fantastic – great color saturation and precision. I can’t get over that this is only 1/72 considering the detail in the stencils. Did you have to tint the transparencies? if so, how did you go about it? I have the AMT/Italeri 1/48 version with very dark clear parts. I also have Squadron vacuform replacements but they would have to be tinted. I assume.
Tom Cleaver said on July 17, 2020
He mentioned the kit had smoked canopies. Hasegawa did that a lot back in the day.
Colin Gomez said on July 17, 2020
Oh yeah, my mistake. There was a gap between the time I first read the article and the time I responded. I should have double checked the details. Thanks for pointing that out Tom. Anyway I was hoping to get some tips on how to tint the vac canopy for the 48th scale Viking, since the Italeri parts are too dark to see the cockpit.
Spiros Pendedekas said on July 17, 2020
That’s a beautiful job of a very beloved plane, Mike.
This was one of the iconic planes of my childhood and everytime I see one build (which is not very often) I got to love it, especially an excellently built one like yours.
Great painting, decalling and weathering.
Hard to beleive it’s only 1/72!
DE4EVER said on July 17, 2020
🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
Being attracted to the S-3 Viking, this build caught my attention in a flash.
Nice looking build Mike. The decal work look just fine.
Tom Cleaver said on July 17, 2020
Beautiful work, Mike.
John vd Biggelaar said on July 17, 2020
This is really 1/72, Mike?
A superb build.
Bernard Bedeur said on July 17, 2020
Exquisite. Love this build !
John Healy said on July 17, 2020
Nice work! I’m ashamed to admit that one of those is one of my oldest stash dwellers. Deep storage since the ‘80s. Thanks for the inspiration to pull it out.
Rob Anderson said on July 17, 2020
As someone who did 2 tours in S-3s (VS-38, VS-41 S-3Bs) I can say you nailed it! Now my era was tactical grey, nevertheless, you still nailed it!
Robert Royes said on July 17, 2020
Very nice! You did nail it, my era was pre tactical, had VS-22 on Saratoga with us[VF-31] on a Med cruise,1976. I believe because of the engines unique sound the S-3’s were nick named Hoovers after the vacuum cleaner.
Franco Damiani said on July 17, 2020
Lovely job Mike . Very Nice.
George Schembri said on July 17, 2020
Impressive build Mike. Great choice on the Final Markings – well done.
Andrew Alexander said on July 17, 2020
Beautiful build of a cool bird. I remember hanging out on the beach in Coronado in the mid-seventies and watching these things fly into North Island. They made such a weird “whoop” noise!
Dmitry Stropalov said on July 17, 2020
Looks really cool! Well done, Mike!
George R Blair Jr said on July 18, 2020
Vikings are really cool looking planes. Great job.
Terry Schuler said on July 18, 2020
Mike, this is a real beauty, your re-scribing looks excellent, as does your paint work.
I’m pretty sure nobody here knows were all the correct panel lines are on a S-3. Well done !
Dirk Derks said on July 18, 2020
Hello Mike,
Striking color scheme with your home made decals.
Regards, Dirk
Tom Bebout said on July 18, 2020
Well done Mike, I especially like the colorful markings.
David Hansen said on July 18, 2020
Great Job, Mike!
There’s a lot to like about S-3s from a paint schemes standpoint; it’s unfortunate that we don’t see more of them built up like yours.
Greg Kittinger said on July 22, 2020
Always a pleasure to view your work, and this is no exception! A real beauty. I’ve got this same kit in the stash, and now he bar is set…!