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Matchbox Dauntless


mgbooyv8

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Hi guys,

 

In the stash is a big box, partly filled with started kits, which belonged to a friend of mine.

Many of them are jurassic, so this GB is a good opportunity to take one out and just build it.

In the box was a bag with a Matchbox Dauntless. Now obsolete because we have the Trumpy ones.

Why not just build this one?

The kit has been started: wing sections and parts of the fuselage have been glued together.

The outer wing sections have been partly sanded.

It is almost complete, only the crew is missing:

31166166941_97caa4de0f_c.jpg

Another friend has a spare Matchbox Dauntless crew, required to fill the bare cockpit.

The plan is to build it AOOB: a rescribe of the few panel lines, partly boxed-in wheel wells and replacing the gear.

Why? You will see in the next picture. :)

 

31226472991_f8395e6a0d_h.jpg

 

It has already been glued in. It will never survive the handling.

It is also very spindly, so it will be replaced by something from G-factor. ;)

 

Off it went:

 

31197255682_6ed0a16d63_c.jpg

 

The wing center section was only dryfitted to the fuselage.

Notice the very nice wheelbays...not. These will be boxed in later

Note that only the lower wing center section has recessed panel lines and on the lower outer wing panels only the many inspection panels are recessed.The rest of the kit only has raised panel lines.

 

These will be rescribed, In the pictures you will see why. :frantic:

31305179026_bf06ae174e_b.jpg

 

 

 

30533769603_e96859193b_b.jpg

 

Rescribing has started!

 

30518901184_17741e8ec0_h.jpg

 

See ya next time!

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

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Hi Peter,

 

Looking good!! I have one of those in my stash also, and had contemplated building it for the

group build........

 

If by chance you think of choosing the RNZAF version (hint hint :whistle: ) just note that Matchbox all those years ago,

got the colours for the RNZAF Pacific Roundel (as in your photo above) right, they are are about

as accurate as you can get :thumbsup:

 

Look forward to the rest of your build

 

Regards

 

Alan

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Hi guys,

 

Thanks for the warm welcome and the encouragement! :speak_cool:

 

Alan, Indeed I plan to make the RNZAF version!

Good to read that Matchbox got the decals right.

I hope they are still useable after all these years, but we'll see.

In the past, I have been lucky with old Matchbox decals.

If not, the Dauntless will be the US Navy version in the same colour scheme.

 

In the Detail and Scale book, I read that the RNZAF version had the land based tail wheel.

The strut and fork is there in the G-factor landing gear set, so the spares box will have to yield a suitable tailwheel.

 

The main parts except the engine cowling have been rescribed and sanded, though it is hard to see on the pictures:

 

31323391916_0082e24af5_b.jpg

 

31359625415_3fdc86586c_b.jpg

 

30537542824_7cdc75b003_b.jpg

 

Trust me, it is done. ;)

It was not so much work, there were not many lines.

Luckily, most of them were in agreement with the D&S drawings.

 

The engine was glued upside down on its support, so off it went! :)

 

31244749621_299d444e64_h.jpg

 

Now I am also able to mount the bulkhead to the fuselage and installing the engine later in the build.

 

Till next time.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

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Thanks guys!!!

And Derek, indeed, the kit had a very nice boxart, thanks for posting.

 

Work continued. The wing centre section was glued to the fuselage:

 

31097184480_0c514cbc26_c.jpg

 

The sections at the flaps were filled in with some card to give some strength there.

The fuselage had an open slot at the arrestor hook hinge, so that was filled with some plastic strip as well.

The upper wing roots were filled and sanded and filled and sanded, untill they looked like this:

 

30660123033_d63c6def77_c.jpg

 

The other side looks the same. ;)

 

Then the wheelbays were boxed in.

Starting with horizontal pieces of card:

 

31353016771_cbaa12fc5b_c.jpg

 

Then, very thin card was added to the sidewalls and cut to shape.

A llittle bit of filling and sanding was needed to tidy things up.

Finally a few ribs were added with plastic strip.

I went for a representative look rather than strict accuracy. ;)

 

30627146064_b870433a1c_c.jpg

 

Oh, and guess where the ejector pin marks are located on the diving flaps?

On the outside surface, ofcourse! :frantic:

 

31353068141_1c00b8cb89_b.jpg

 

So these are filled as well and await sanding.

 

Next jobs will be addition of the nose section, wing outer panels and tailplanes.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

 

edited to correct typo's

Edited by mgbooyv8
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