The Little World

Bonnie, but not magnificent…

The Idea Model Company Grumman S2F-1 model that came to me at a low price has proved to be an excellent bargain. It might not have the precision of a Hasegawa or Tamiya product, but it is here, now, and has built up to a good stand-off model.

The Royal Canadian Navy operated these aircraft as the CS2F-2 to match their own designation lists but thankfully did not invent a new name – it was still the Tracker. It served on HMCS BONAVENTURE and from shore establishments like COMOX in B.C. I suspect it was mostly air sea search that it did, though there would have been a certain amount of practice ASW as well.

The fit of the kit was where it touched, but this could be forgiven for the price. I goo’ed it to correct this and from a distance this worked. There was no way to make the cockpit canopy a good fit, so I just painted it and accepted the situation.

The decision to put it flying on a stand was part mistake and part good luck – the propellers were such crude things that they would have spoiled the model if left at rest. I just sawed the hubs in half after cutting off the blades and substituted clear plastic discs. One day I will experiment with painting a transparent yellow ring to represent tip markings at speed.

Now to locate a couple of RCN Sikorsky helicopters to complete the set – I have seen decals and in one case a complete CH-19 kit in period colours.