Finally completed… after years of on&off working on this model: a 1/48 Grumman Goose.
I sat in the co-pilot seat of an aircraft just like this about 5 years ago. My dad and I were flying out over the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia to go salmon fishing. This model is a gift for him. Flying in the Goose was an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, Pacific Coastal no longer operates these aircraft after a couple of fatal crashes. They were stunning while they were in service.
The model is a 1/48 Czech Model offering. I don’t know if it’s even still in production. It came with some resin bits, and the fit was typical for short-run kits. The profile is the closest-to-scale of any kit I’m aware of (at least in 1/48), but it took quite a bit of surface work for me to get the seams worked out. I tend to be slow at that, though. It was especially challenging around the canopy, which is molded as a single clear piece over the entire cockpit area. Also – I had to customize the model to represent more-modern modifications on the Goose. The wing tips were chopped to fit the float pods in the retracted position. The 2-blade 1930’s props were replaced with 3-blade props from the 1/48 testor’s Ov-10 kit. Decals were provided by JBOT decals (link), and I highly recommend them. Lastly, I used a pilot figure from the parts box and worked out some internal structure for the mounting rod. The model is removable from the base.
Photo of actual Grumman Goose (photo by Bill Campbell, link to flickr photo site)
Link to JBOT decals page: http://www.jbot.ca/aircraft/27/pacific.shtml