Curtiss SO3C Seamew by Czech Model
1/48 scale
Kit No. 4817
Retail: $43.00
Decals: Two versions – both U.S. Navy, WWII
Comments: Engraved panel lines and recessed rivet detail, resin cockpit
History
The Curtiss SO3C Seamew flew for the first time on October 6, 1939. It was developed by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation as a replacement for the SOC Seagull as the United States Navy’s standard floatplane scout. Curtiss named the SO3C the Seamew, but in 1941 the US Navy began calling it the Seagull, the same name as the aircraft it replaced, causing some confusion. The Curtiss SO3C was intended to be the main reconnaissance and spotting floatplane in service on board the U.S. Navy’s capital ships (cruisers and aircraft carriers) in its convertible versions. However, it turned out to be a rather mediocre aircraft, for multiple reasons. From the time it entered service in 1942 it suffered from at least two serious flaws: inflight stability, and difficulties with the unique Ranger air-cooled, inverted V-12 in-line engine.
The Seamew (bottom) and the aircraft it was intended to replace, the Curtiss Seagull, here fitted with landing gear rather than floats. Image by ww2aircraft.net.
The stability problem was mostly resolved with the introduction of upturned wingtips and a larger rear tail surface that extended over the rear observer’s cockpit. The additional tail surface was attached to the rear observer’s sliding canopy and pilots claimed there were still stability problems when the canopy was open, which was most of the time given that the aircraft’s main role was observation. While the in-flight stability problem was eventually addressed (although not fully solved), the Ranger XV-770 engine proved a failure even after multiple modifications. As a result, the Seamew would only serve aboard a few cruisers, its poor flight performance and poor maintenance record leading to it being withdrawn from US Navy front line units by 1944. The older SOC Seagull bi-plane was taken from stateside training units and restored to front-line service aboard many Navy warships alongside the Vought OS2U Kingfisher until the end of World War II.
During 1942-44 many Seamews were passed to Lend-Lease or converted to ground uses, replaced whenever possible by the Vought Kingfisher, older but far better, or even the SOC biplane the Seamew was supposed to replace. Together with the mixed reputation of the subsequent SB2C Helldiver, it did not improve Curtiss’ status with the Navy. Although Curtiss had enjoyed a solid reputation, at least with the US Army Air Force, its experiences with the Navy were far less stellar, despite the company’s promising beginning with the venerable JN-4 “Jenny” back in 1915 (the seaplane version of which entered service with the Navy in 1916). Following the end of WWI and a drastic reduction in orders, the firm was still able to win contracts for two main shipboard fighters, the F8C-1 and F8C-3 Falcon (1927-28) and later the F8C-4 Helldiver dive bomber (1929) and the reliable Curtiss SOC Seagull (1934).
In 1937 when the decision was made to replace the Curtiss SOC, both Curtiss and Vought were asked by the USN to develop a prototype based on the following specifications: Mid-wing monoplane with a crew of two (pilot and observer), a fuselage-mounted main float easily replaced by landing gear, wings able to be folded back for storage in cruisers or aircraft carriers, and a maximum takeoff weight of 6,300 Ibs. But the most stringent requirement was a very specific engine: The still largely experimental air-cooled 7-liter inverted V-12 from Ranger Aeronautics. A promising yet untested design, it was lightweight, designed to reach higher speeds, and expected to be very fuel-efficient, thus almost doubling the range — a valuable characteristic for a navy scout.
The new designs that emerged from both companies seemed to meet the specifications, with a fuselage large enough for three crew members under the main canopy, stressed aluminum throughout (unlike the SOC, whose metal framework was covered in canvas) and the requested Ranger inverted V-12 engine. At the time, both the USN and the USAAF trusted the very reliable radials provided to almost all models in service, so the Navy’s choice of the Ranger engine entailed a certain amount of risk and ultimately doomed the Seamew to a brief service life. While the aerodynamic problems were cured to a degree, the unreliable and underpowered engine was the type’s undoing.
The XSO3C made its first flight with fixed undercarriage at the Curtiss-Wright airfield on October 6, 1939. The test pilot was not impressed, and quickly pointed out very serious flaws: grave inflight stability issues, and a very weak, overheating engine, the Ranger air-cooled, inverted V-shaped inline engine. Since the Vought submission had no choice but to use the same powerplant, its test flights revealed identical problems with the engine. The Ranger powerplant would consistently fall short of expectations in service.
Curtiss SOC Seamew in profile. Image by naval-aviation.com.
Despite these shortcomings, the Navy wanted a monoplane scout aircraft, so Curtiss was awarded the contract and an initial order for 300 units was placed immediately. However, well before the first airplane left the factory, by March 1940 Curtiss sent the prototype to the Navy for final trials, which were completed with both the wheeled undercarriage and floats in order to test both configurations. All test aircraft demonstrated unresolved cooling and stability issues. In fact, the engine overheated so much that its test was curtailed to avoid an in-flight engine fire.
Curtiss was under pressure to fix the new bird’s glaring problems, and after an intensive series of wind tunnel tests in late 1939 and early 1940, found the best approaches to improve the aerodynamic instability. This resulted in a taller tail, the enlargement of the air intake below the propeller, and a dorsal fin section that extended over the rear observer’s cockpit. The problem of stability resurfaced when the rear portion of the sliding canopy was opened, breaking the line of the dorsal fillet forward of the tail surface. This occurred literally every time the plane took flight in service, since its reason for existence was observation, to be the airborne eyes of the fleet, and observers could not observe very well from behind a closed canopy.
Yet another method of dealing with the stability problem as a result of wind tunnel tests was rather unique at the time (but would later be revisited in the modern era with aircraft such as the Boeing 767 and 787 airliners). Coupled with its in-line engine, this made the Seamew immediately recognizable: The introduction of upturned wingtips. More problems would arise: On July 31, 1941, the prototype sunk during floating tests. It was raised and repaired at the Curtiss plant in Buffalo, New York but failed again that November.
In this view the Seamew looks anything but aerodynamic, which may in part explain its performance shortcomings. Photo by National Museum of Naval Aviation.
Persistent Bugs Hastened the Seamew’s Exit from Service
In service, aside from engine problems, three major deficiencies came to light. First, all but the initial version introduced into service could not take off with a full load of fuel. This was caused post-introduction modifications that enlarged the fuel tank. Pilots soon learned that the maximum fuel load to assure takeoff was slightly less that half the tank’s capacity. Second, in rough waters, the main float flexed so much that given its proximity to the nose, at times the propeller would actually strike it. Third, the Seamew’s attitude upon takeoff was problem as the plane had a tendency to be “sticky,” not wanting to lift itself out of the water . As a result, pilots had to take off at full-throttle, causing engine overheating but also a very steep liftoff attitude, which in turn could cause full loss of aileron control. In case of any lateral gust of wind at such times, the plane could not be recovered and was certain to crash. None of these were particularly good characteristics for a seaplane to have.
At the end of 1943, Curtiss introduced a lightweight version, stripped of many features like the catapult-specific equipment (rendering it usable only on carrier decks or coastal bases), equipped with a more powerful SGV-770-8 engine. Designated SO3C-3 (internal denomination Model 82C) the USN ordered 659 of the new version, but even these modifications could not save the type, as the Navy subsequently decided it was still not good enough. This assured that the SOC Seagull and Vought Kingfisher would soldier on until the end of the war.
The Kit
Czech Model’s Curtiss SO3C Seamew is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 30 plastic parts, including clear parts for the windshield and canopy. In addition, there are 13 resin parts for the cockpit components and rear gunner’s station. The resin cockpit parts include a floor, sidewalls, pilot’s seat, instrument panel, control yoke, rudder pedals, and rear bulkhead. The resin parts for the gunner/radioman’s compartment consist of a floor, bulkhead with shelving containing radio equipment, .30 caliber machine gun and ring mount. Finally, a resin engine is provided.
The fuselage halves contain no internal sidewall detail for the cockpit, as this is provided by the resin parts. But the radioman/gunner’s compartment does feature internal ribbing. The air screw consists of a single-part two-bladed propeller and separate spinner. Construction is simple, as even the floats consist of two halves each.
There is no separate dolly for depicting this seaplane as beached. Instead, parts are provided for landing gear that are to be cemented directly to the main float. Holes will have to be drilled on the rear of the main float, at a point just forward of the rudder, to affix the rear wheel, unless modelers care to depict the kit as deployed at sea, in which case the landing gear are unnecessary.
Markings
Czech Model provides decals for two versions of the Seamew. The first is for an SO3C-2, Bureau No. 4857, deployed aboard the U.S.S. Denver CL-58, a Cleveland-class light cruiser, during 1943. It sports an early war U.S. Navy paint scheme of Blue Gray upper surfaces (FS 35189) over Light Gray undersides (FS 36440), with a black spinner and prop. The national markings are the white star against the background of a dark blue roundel.
The second version is for an SO3C-3, Bureau No. unknown, deployed aboard the U.S.S. Biloxi, also a a Cleveland-class light cruiser, during 1944. This aircraft bears the mid-war paint scheme adopted by the Navy in 1943, consisting of the tops of the fuselage, wings and tail surfaces appearing in Sea Blue (semi-gloss FS 25042), the fuselage sides and vertical surfaces of fins and rudder in Intermediate Blue (FS 35164), and the undersurfaces painted in Insignia White (FS37875). Floats and their struts were painted Intermediate Blue on their upper surfaces, and Insignia White on bottom surfaces.
Conclusion
This is a remarkably detailed kit of a patrol seaplane designed to replace the SOC Seagull, but one that unfortunately did not perform well enough to be in service for more than a few months. As a result, the Seagull and the Vought OS2U Kingfisher soldiered on until war’s end. Highly recommended for its unique, if brief, place in naval history.
References
- https://naval-aviation.com/
- wikipedia.com