Lockheed S-3 Viking "Santa Tracker," VS-35, Hasegawa 1/72

This is a limited edition boxing used with TwoBobs decals for VS-35. The boxing was for the G.W.Bush Mission Accomplished flight (which was also included in the TwoBobs sheet), but I opted for the Santa Tracker instead as it was more colorful, and also since it was for a Christmas-themed build.

 The kit is out of the box, and I experimented with replacing lost panel lines (this kit had raised panel lines) with pencil. The panel lines on the wings were done by preshading the panel lines, then lightly sanding off the top layer of paint after.

The refueling pod on the port wing was white metal, which made it awkward to mount due to the weight. I ended up removing the locator pins and drilling a new set of pins into the pylon and pod. I started this build in 2004, but set it aside for a while, completing it in Christmas of 2005, a particularly rough year for me. To cheer me up, my mom used it as a Christmas decoration that year, so this model holds a special significance for me.