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SBD-3 Guadalcanal done, done and..


Woody V

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The Dauntless has always been one of my favorite Naval aircraft and I’ve built a couple of the old Monogram 1/48 scale kits, so I picked up one of the Trumpeter SBD-3 kits some time ago and finally decided to give it a go.

 

This is really a nice kit! A huge improvement over their Wildcat which taught me a very important lesson - follow the instructions!

 

COCKPIT

 

Lots going on here, more like a cockpit with an airplane around it. I’m trying to keep this build simple with minimum aftermarket parts which I’ve limited to Eduard PE which, although labeled for the -5, seems to work without any obvious issues on the -3. Besides I’m only picking and choosing a few items including the printed parts and “easy” other PE pieces. The only other aftermarket is Master Details .30 and .50 cal gun barrels.

 

My search for a paint that doesn’t hate me brought me to Mr. Color lacquers. I had originally started using MRP but at that time there was only one source in the US and backorders were taking a month to be filled. Since I’m fortunate to have a relationship with Stevens International I can get Mr. Color at wholesale, but I have to buy box lots of 6 jars at a time. Regardless, now I actually enjoy painting again.

 

PAINTING CAVEAT: I build for fun and to pass the time and therefore I’m not color-match-crazy. If it says RLM 02 (or whatever) on the bottle I’m good. That’s not to criticize builders who anguish over the correct colors, it’s just not on my priority list.170676698.jpg

Individual parts first painted with AK Xtreme Metal Aluminum, then hairspray, then black pre-shading followed with varying densities of Interior Green. Gloss coat, oil wash feathered with a brush and finished off with a custom mix of 50/50 Mr. Color satin and flat.

 

Chipping is very easy using lacquers. I use Dove Extra Hold which comes in a pump spray bottle, applied straight with airbrush. One wet coat is all that’s needed.

 

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In hindsight, the chipping could be more extensive but it is what it is.

 

Moving along to the Instrument Panel. Using the Eduard printed PE parts I sandwiched a piece of clear acetate that I cut out with my Cameo 2 between the instruments and the panel front to add clear lenses.

 

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Extreme closeup of the acetate parts.

 

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Flat acetate lenses actually look like lenses. Ignore the glare.

 

For some reason the Eduard set omits whatever instrument is supposed to be in the top center so I decided to get clever and add one that fits from a sheet of Waldon US fighter instruments. Of course, of all the options on the sheet I blithely chose the worse possibly one, a duplicate.

 

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Undeterred by Blunder #1 I pressed on to the seat harness.

 

The kit comes with PE belts, something I’m loathe to deal with. If anyone makes fabric belts for this model I sure couldn’t find any so I decided to attempt to make my own out of paper. I use Adobe Illustrator for just about everything so I scanned the kit PE fret for size, imported the scan into AI, traced over it and fiddled around with a color that, to my eye, looks like khaki. I had to make the ends separate pieces because the belt folds around the hardware. These were glued in place with a tiny dot of super glue.

 

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Photo of the finished paper belts printed on a color laser printer. Inkjet printers won’t do because the inks are water soluble. There two sets here, one for the pilot and one for the rear seat.

 

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Using the kit PE hardware (lacking detail as it is) I assembled the belts, brushed on some water and they drooped down pretty convincingly.

 

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Better look at the belts and IP.

 

Because the bulkheads need to line up with the locating points on the inside of the fuselage I dry fitted the cockpit sub-assembly. In the process I discovered that the fuselage halves had a nasty gap at the top and I had to remove a serious amount of material from this part to close the gap.

 

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Material removed from this part to get fuselage halves to touch.

 

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Stay tuned for the next exciting episode where I assemble the engine and try to avoid Blunder #2.

 

Comments and critique welcome.

 

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1 hour ago, shark64 said:

this is looking stunning. Love the Yellow green paint job and wash. dead on.  Waldron, Are they still in business?

 

TY for the compliment. I'm not sure if Waldron products are still currently in production. When I have an interest in something I do a saved search on Ebay for it. Eventually something will come up.

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1 minute ago, Brett M said:

Ha, that looks familiar (working on my -5)! Nice start on your -3, liking the colors you’ve gone with.

 

Excellent! Love the SBD and your decision to go with the NZ livery will set it apart. 

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3 hours ago, leitch said:

I believe the rear control stick has a place to be stowed on the left side wall. The stick was used in emergencies.

Andy

 

So much for following the instructions. :unsure:

 I'll look into moving it. 

 

Thanks for pointing this out.

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Great start, one of the first 1/32 scale kits that I built was the old Matchbox kit which was also one of the first kits that I used my airbrush on, so it will be interesting for me to watch this progress, keep up the good work

 

Cheers

 

Dennis.

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20 hours ago, leitch said:

I believe the rear control stick has a place to be stowed on the left side wall. The stick was used in emergencies.

Andy

 

17 hours ago, Brett M said:

As will I..... :ph34r:

 

Looking at Douglas archive photos it appears that the kit comes with two control sticks, one in the flying position and one stowed. Kit part C27 is in the stowed position. Simple fix. 

 

Part C28 is the "wobble pump handle" whatever that is. :wacko:

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