Republic RC-3 Seabee

Stefan Schneider
Hi Kelly! Good luck with this one! A really interesting subject but given the horror stories I heard about MACH2 kits well.....lets say I am curious 🙂

Kelly Wellington
Oh...likewise. To be honest, it is a pretty simplistic kit. The thing is, I got ahold of an inexpensive second kit (missing some decals) and feel I can trial it. My problem so far has been an Amodel kit....but I have suspected that MACH2 kits fit in to the same problematic category. We'll see how it goes.

Gordon Sørensen
With the big windows I hope there is at least a basic interior! Great subject, I have always liked the Seebee.

Kelly Wellington
Oh, there's a basic interior, all right. That's it bottom center in the pic. Four seats, a console into which a pilot's control wheel fits and some kind of floor bar under the console. I've seen a real issue at the McMinnville air museum and it was indeed done in reddish leather with goldtone metal attachments....flashy. The clear canopy is decently shaped for the windows, but the fit line to the fuselage will require a fair amount of sanding to get it flush. The painting should be relatively easy around the windows, but they will still be thick and distort anything that might be seen inside. I'm hoping for the 'reddish leather' look and that's about it.

As per most MACH2 kits of which I've heard, it has lots of minor flash. No alignment pins, either.

Value-wise....kit per dollar...this fails big time. This thing should sell for under $10.

Kelly Wellington
Oh...I included the Cat fuselage for some comparison on size. I think one waist blister on the Cat is bigger than the entire Seabee canopy.

Kelly Wellington
I'm putting off starting my Trumpeter Wellington GR Mk XIV with the Seabee.

Kelly Wellington
Actually, aside from all of the minor flash, it is going together reasonably well. I thought that the engine nacelle was going to be a bear, but when I came back to it, the problem seems to have largely disappeared. Only a bit of putty was necessary, and that was on the hull of the fuselage. I'll probably have to do the same with where the canopy joins the nose, as there is a tiny gap there. Minor filling and sanding. So far...

Kelly Wellington
There it is...such as it is. Meh. It's a fun little craft and it's too bad that it's only Mach2 that makes if available. I have to reiterate that nobody should pay anywhere near what this kit sells for. It was my first foray in to Mach2 and, frankly, I'm not impressed. Of course, I didn't put much in to it either and, having built this one, I know a few steps tha might help me produce a better outcome next time...but I'm not going to rush to do that.

Kelly Wellington
Finis!