NEXT UP – Hasegawa 1/72 P-3C Orion – Commission Build!

For my next build and the first of a few commission builds I will be building the Hasegawa/Minicraft 1/72 P-3C Orion. The P-3C is an anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft for the U.S. Navy. The scheme of this build is that of VP-8 known as “The Flying Tigers” when they were stationed at NAS Brunswick (Brunswick, Maine) during the early 1980’s. This is being built for a U.S. Navy Veteran who served with this squadron. All the details will be scratch built and the squadron specific decals will be made by me.

Starting off on the cockpit I needed to first fill in some mold marks on the seats and the cockpit floor. For the seats I used some 3M cloth tape to create the light tan seat pads and the dark grey seat belts. The kit supplied decals for the instrument panel and center console. However these were just outlines of the gauges and control boxes. I made a template of the decals and painted the background with the various colors so when the decals were applied the color was correct. The kit allows for two different versions of the nose cone. The solid one and the other version has a small canopy on the underside. The scheme I am doing has the solid nose so the instructions call out to fill the void with putty. Due to the size of the void I applied putty in layers so that each layer cured correctly. I also added two weights behind the cockpit assembly and one in the nose so that the model will sit correctly on the tricycle landing gear.

The fuselage was then assembled. Surprisingly for such an old kit the fit was very good. I then assembled the engines and main wing. The propellers all had mold marks on the backside which required to be filled with putty as well. The only portion of the aircraft that gets painted white is the middle and topside of the fuselage. I installed the windshield which also fit very well. I then began using kapton tape to mask off the windshield sections. I am now working on masking off the areas so I can spray the white section. I still need to clean up the wings and engines so they can be installed onto the fuselage. Then I can mask off the white areas and spray the gull grey. I am also working on the squadron specific decals that I will need to make. I am also going to make a copy of the kit decals just in case I have issues. The kit is from 1979 and the decal sheet looks its age. If the decals start to break apart (especially the larger ones) I will be able to create new copies.

You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-p-3c-orion-of-vp-8/

10 attached images. Click to enlarge.

A great entry and a beautiful start made, David @davids_models

Excellent job so far, my friend @davids_models!

This is kind of the third week of the Hasegawa 1/72 P-3C Orion build. The “kind of” is because there was no update last week. My Wife and I went away to a friend’s cabin for a few days to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary.

Prior to our trip I was able to finish the base coat of paint. The landing gear was then assembled, painted, and installed. On a side note I installed weights under the cockpit and inside the nose so that the aircraft sits correctly on the landing gear. Next I scrounged thru my spare photo etch box and located numerous blade antennas. The reference photos show many around the aircraft. One on top of the tail, five on the underside aft, five on the underside forward, one on the spine just forward of the tail and two above the cockpit.

After our return I did some minor painting on the top of the tail and the MAD boom. At this point the aircraft was ready for decals. I started by placing the VP-8 specific decals on the aircraft. I then started adding the kit decals and found out that the kit decals are extremely fragile due to the age of the kit and decal sheet. The smaller decals seem fine however the larger ones take a lot of time to get them placed correctly. I am using Microscale’s liquid decal film on the larger decals to aid in keeping them from falling apart. I have noticed some of the smaller decals like the rescue arrows, prop warning stripe, and various placards are also slightly off register so I am going thru my spare decal binder and looking for some replacements. The placing of these fragile decals is a very tedious task. Once I get to the underside decals I will install the landing gear doors. I still have the display base to detail as well. The goal is to complete this by the end of next week.

You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-p-3c-orion-of-vp-8/

7 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Seeing this build brings back a lot of memories David (@davids_models). I was in a VP squadron from 74 to 79 working on these aircraft (B and C models) and then later in life I worked for a defense contractor rebuilding C models for the Navy and others. Interestingly, one of the aircraft fuselages setting on blocks at the defense contractor's location, one that had apparently been removed from service, was one of the same P-3C aircraft that my squadron has received as brand new in 1976. It looked quite a bit worse for wear in 2004. Orions will always hold a special place in my memories even though at times they were a real bugbear to work on.

Looking forward to seeing this completed.

In just four weeks the P-3C Orion of VP-8 “Flying Tigers” is now finished. After many tedious hours of carefully applying the kit decals I was able to get them all on with only some minor issues. The biggest issue of the decals was the upper wing walkways. It seems the grey ink was affected by the top clear coat. It was actually kind of weird it was just the grey areas. These shriveled a bit. I used a few coats of Microscale solvent and they finally settled down to the surface again. With the top clear coat sealing the decals I removed the canopy masking. The underside light was just molded in the plastic so I trimmed it off and replaced it with a clear lens and painted it with clear red. The upper light was not even represented in the kit so I made it from some clear styrene rods.
Next I installed all the side windows, engine exhausts, and the propellers. I use EZ-Line for the antenna wires from the tail to the top of the fuselage and this completed the aircraft.
For the display base I started with a 16” round base and painted it medium grey. I then misted some light grey and dark grey paint to represent the cement of a flight line. The expansion joints in the cement were made using a dark grey detail pencil. I then used pastel chalk to highlight the lines and stains along the surface. The backside was covered with a sheet of HO scale grass mat to match the reference photo of the actual aircraft. I then added an aluminum etched nameplate listing the aircraft, squadron and location as the final step in this build.
This build was an interesting build. For the age of the model it went together very well. The only issue was the decals being brittle from age and the weird reaction to the clear coat on the grey walkways. If you are looking for a nice P-3 the Hasegawa kit is nice. I would recommend a newer edition so the decals are not as brittle or use aftermarket decals.
This project is scheduled to be delivered to the client next week. I hope you have enjoyed this build and thanks for following along. Happy modeling!

You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-p-3c-orion-of-vp-8/

10 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Congratulations, my friend @davids_models! A superb result!