Shorts Sea Lion MR.2 Amphibious flying boat with photos

[McColm]

The Shorts Sea Lion would have been a straight out of the box build if I hadn't encountered any problems with the 1/72 Hasegawa kit no. JS062 Shinmeiwa PS-1/SS-2 STOL anti-submarine/ amphibious aircraft model but I did so instead of the six wheel landing gear it now has ten wheels at least it's not a tail sitter sitter anymore.
It's an old kit with not much detailing, the cockpit is a bit sparse and why they never cast a one piece canopy I will never know. I did add a weight from a Hornby Shunter 00 gauge locomotive but it's not enough so it has a rear axle with double wheels. All the wheels from the kit plus a pair from the BAe Vulcan MRA.4 build have been used. There's some gaps in the fuselage and once again the bulge door ports have caused a few problems when fitting the main landing gear. (SS-2 option amphibious model). Lots of masking tape has been used, most of the parts fit rather well and I have glued the wings on this morning.
I'm tempted to use the four blade propellers from a C-130 kit, these can be purchased separately so no need for the whole model. The T-tail had to be trimmed to fit. Its my first ever aircraft kit that looks symmetrical. I have decided to use most of the parts for the PS-1 anti-submarine model and I will be adding a few of my own. I'm looking forward to seeing this build completed within the next few months.

Part 2
I've just found a set of 4 x four Hamilton propellers painted black and glued them on. Just the floats,  cowlings ,searchlight, weapons pods and wingtip ESM pods to glue then fit ready for PSR.

This is what I have managed to do so far.
Back in the original six wheel layout for the landing gear.
The view from the front; engines and propellers are glued in place. Weapons racks secured by masking tape until dry.T-tail removed. The landing gear looks different from the one in the instructions due to one of the legs snapping off.



Overhead view,  showing off the white ESM wing pods.


View from the side,  showing off the new landing gear arrangement.


Another view of the front.

[McColm]

Filler has been applied to the gaps, I'll let it dry overnight and PSR tomorrow. I have an idea to change the engines but I will wait until I have bought another Avro Shackleton MR.3 kit.

[McColm]

As the nose cone was removed I have plugged the gap with the radome from the Avro Shackleton AEW.2.

[The Rat]

That look the business! 

[McColm]

A little bit of work done and contra-rotating propellers fitted.

[McColm]

I can't find the cockpit canopy glazing, it's in two parts and is very tricky, well for me it is to glue the two parts together without getting the adhesive on the clear plastic and spoiling it.
Fortunately for me the resin cockpit casting from a 1/72 Lockheed Constellation improvement set (could have been German?) Is almost a perfect fit, so once the superglue arrives and I have bought more filler/putty this will be fitted. Another step closer to the finished article.

[McColm]

Update photo, awaiting putty. New searchlight and additional multi-purpose carriage tank.

[McColm]

The nose has changed again to something more suitable. It's a bodge of many spare parts Whilst looking for these I found both of the 1/72 F-16XL wings which fit on a F-15 Eagle. Another whiff in the pipeline.

[McColm]

The new front end.

[McColm]

I've added Chaff and flare dispensers to this build, they are also on the WHALE plus the Starlight Express MR.1.

[The Rat]

The new front end.

Now THAT'S creative! 

[McColm]

The Shorts Sea Lion MR.3 has had another face-lift to bring it inline with the Shorts Swallow MR.1. As they are both based on the Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic flying boat.
The Sea Lion has the Revell Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic cockpit which slots into place with the canopy and nose window.
I will be using scrap plastic to blend in under the the new cockpit to the existing build. The wingtip ESM pods have been removed and the designation will revert back to the MR.1.
The backstory could be that the Handley Page-Martin Magestic MR.3 had been retired from maritime surveillance duties due to fatigue and seasalt corrosion with the best five kept for reconnaissance and EW duties. Talks between Breguet and Hawker Siddeley had begun with a big brother to the Swallow leaning towards a cargo or passenger airliner. The Alison T56 turboprops were chosen instead of the Rolls-Royce Tynes but kept the contra-rotating propellers. The Air Ministry would pencil in fifty of the Sea Lions, thirty-five for Costal Command and the rest for Transport Command. BOAC  and Dan Airways had a pool of fifteen aircraft. The Sea Lion gained another duty as a water bomber for forest fires and bush fires used in Canada, the USA and Australia contracting by SJMcColm Engineering Ltd with a fleet of twenty and between ten-fifteen for cargo. France would lease the aircraft on a when needed basis.
The Transall C.1 took over the transport duties and when the Lockheed Cormorant MR.1 entered service the Sea Lion undertook the SAR plus special operations. Nine Sea Lions were passed on to the Royal Navy for training .A lifeline was given to the remaining Sea Lions in the RAF to cover Tapestry Missions, EEZ surveillance. An update during the 1980s gave these aircraft the designation MR.2. SJMcColm Engineering Ltd won the contract to maintain the Tapestry duties and still use the Sea Lions although they have been stripped of all weapons, used as pure surveillance although they are used to contain oil spills and help coordinate disaster relief.

[McColm]

The latest photo.

[The Rat]

That's looking really good. I'm currently working on a video about the distribution of the Otariidae, but yours will be able to go into areas they can't colonise.

[McColm]

That's looking really good. I'm currently working on a video about the distribution of the Otariidae, but yours will be able to go into areas they can't colonise.

Thanks