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A newbie's Trumpeter 1/32 SBD-5 Dauntless


pcben80

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Thanks everyone.  Nice to have you guys following along.

 

Well, it feels like I am limping towards the finish line on this one.  Had hoped to have it completed by the end of the weekend but had a build session to forget on Saturday.  Wife and kids went to bed early leaving me with the prospect of a long session only to look back at the end of the night with not much to show.  Tried to paint the propeller but was went way overboard with the weathering (first experience with salt chipping) and had to start from square one.  I guess that's in line with the overall appearance of the build but still looked wrong to me.  Going to give it another shot tonight.

 

Basically all that it left is to secure the canopy, install a few more odds and ends, add a few more landing lights and install the aerial rigging and she'll be done.  Also going to try and add some exhaust stains.  

 

Here are a few pics.

 

Front end waiting for the propeller. 

 

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Same angle but focused on the landing gear.  Used the Mastercasters wheels (first experience with resin).

 

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Top view - need to do a little dusting to remove those fibers!

 

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View from port side.  You can make out the dodgy job I did of fixing the fuselage insignia in this picture!  Doesn't look quite so prominent to the naked eye (at least that's what I'm telling myself...).

 
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One more...
 

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As always, thanks for looking!  All comments, critiques, etc. welcome.  Now that I see DoogsATX is back to work on his Dauntless, looking forward to learning how to properly paint and weather this beast!  IMO, his stuff is just top notch!  Him and everyone else on here, it seems... :bow:     

 

Hopefully next update will be the finished product!

Edited by pcben80
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Love it! It looks terrific. Experiences like the prop let you know where your own likes and tastes lie, and you can work that to your advantage and chalk it up to experience. 

Looking forward to the finished product

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Thanks so much for all the kind comments.  

 

Well, I think I'm ready to say that this one is done!  This was a tremendous learning experience incorporating techniques garnered right here from LSP.  I have to say that I am very happy with how it turned out given my inexperience at the start.  

 

After a surprising amount of difficulty with the propeller (I needed to scrap the second effort as well), the rest of the odds and ends went together quite easily.  I can't say I'm completely satisfied with the result but it's way better than the first two iterations.  I also realized (too late) that the position of the Hamilton Standard logos on the propeller shafts isn't even close.  I swear I found a photo showing it in the position I have it here but then got a set of Archer Hamilton Standard dry stencils in the mail yesterday whose instructions confirms my error - at least I got them the right side up!  I just couldn't bring myself to strip the whole thing down a third time... :BANGHEAD2:   As a concession, the propeller is only dry-fitted.  One day, when I can't take it any more, I'm certain I'll correct it but I will leave it as is for now. 

 

Next up, I plan to dive head first into the (ever expanding...) Tamiya stash.  The Mosquito showed up earlier this week and I can't resist.  Think I'm going to go mostly OOB (with the exception of AM seatbelts, Eagle Editions decals, and Master barrels) and go with the tropical version - I like the look of the silver scheme and I haven't seen it built up anywhere other than on Brett Green's review.  One thing this build taught me is that working on one project can become tedious.  As such, I also plan on cracking open one of the Mustangs to build alongside the Mosquito.   My six year old keeps begging me to do a plane with a shark mouth scheme so I think I'm going to go with Maj. John Bennett's machine from the 352nd FG again using the Eagle Editions set.  I can't say I've ever seen this scheme built up before so it should be quite the adventure!

 

Anyway, here is the Dauntless - warts and all.  As a reminder, I used Eduard PE (engine, exterior and dive flap sets), HGW belts, Master barrels, and Montex Masks.  Thanks again to everyone who followed along.  I will take some better pictures (I know I've been promising that for a while!) and get a post up on RFI soon.

 

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That's all folks!!!

Edited by pcben80
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One of my all-time favorite builds on LSP!  I especially appreciate the subtle weathering of the aircraft.  Your attention to detail was exceptional!

 

One minor question:  The placards on the front of the engine - were they kit decals or were they aftermarket?

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Thanks for all the kind remarks.  Definitely feels good to have the first one under the belt.  Having a completed (nearly anyway - those damn props!) build sitting on the display shelf is certainly good motivation to get cracking on the next build.  Getting ready to make the first cuts on the Mosquito!

 

 

One of my all-time favorite builds on LSP!  I especially appreciate the subtle weathering of the aircraft.  Your attention to detail was exceptional!

 

One minor question:  The placards on the front of the engine - were they kit decals or were they aftermarket?

 

 

The placards came from the Airscale 1/32 WW2 Allied Cockpit Placard set.  As I referenced early in the build, I leaned pretty heavily on those decals to liven up the cockpit and engine, even if I didn't use them in the most accurate fashion!  They were wonderful to work with.  You can see my one and only experience with the Trumpeter decals (by way of the terrible silvering…) on the upper wing surfaces!  For the Hamilton Standard decals, I used the ones that came with my Eagle Editions set for the Mustang as I ordered the Archer H-S dry stencils to use on that build.

 

As I mentioned, I will definitely get more pictures together for a RFI post in the near future.  

 

Thanks again everyone!

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