1:48 S-2N/S-2A Tracker Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service Tracker

The real subject

The Grumman S-2 Tracker was a carrier-borne aircraft meant to search for and attack submarines. It is a sturdy high-wing monoplane with two radial piston engines, a roomy fuselage for a crew of four and a nosewheel. The wings folded upward so that the aircraft took up as little room as possible below the deck of an aircraft carrier. It carried search equipment and the means to attack a target once found, so a single machine handled both roles that a pair of different aircraft used to cover. Beside the US Navy it was used by a number of foreign operators, among them the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service, which the name of the item refers to. The designations S-2A and S-2N tell apart the two versions that flew in its colors.

Building and painting tips

A twin-engine model with a large fuselage rewards careful preparation. Dry-fit the parts, above all the engine nacelles and the wing-to-fuselage joint, and true up the mating surfaces on abrasive paper laid on a flat support. With an aircraft that has a nosewheel, check in advance whether the finished model will sit back on its tail and add nose weight as needed while the fuselage is still open. Glue the clear parts with a cement meant for glazing, because ordinary glue will fog them. Mask the glazing frames before spraying, not after the paint has dried.

Who it is for

Thanks to its size, the model in 1:48 scale is a rewarding piece for naval aviation collections and for a modeler who wants to play with the detail of the cockpit and the engines.

Terms of supply

What is supplied is the kit of the model. The paints, the glue and the tools are not included in the delivery, unless stated otherwise.