Trumpeter 1/32 SBD-5 Dauntless

[dodgem37]

Really nice work.  Love your detailing.

 

'I wanted all of the image to be in sharp focus'

Talk to Wolf Buddee.  His photography is crystal clear from foreground to infinity.  Really beautiful.  Also, it may help to have more contrast between the kit parts and the background.  Each are very close to the other in value.  Just my take.  Keep up the really nice work.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[Kaeone57]

Scott,

 

Not to stir the pot, again, but...

 

Since the canvas/hemp boots were removed from the control sticks, as you mentioned, due to possible, corrosion problems. Did the rear L/R, P/S, rear cockpit, side edge, snap on panels, of same material, also get removed?

 

I asked before, got no joy on a reply, but would still LOVE an answer, as I wish to know also.

 

Gorgeous Work, Model/Scratch Build on Sir!!

 

Alfonso

[Oldbaldguy]

18 hours ago, Kaeone57 said:

Scott,

 

Not to stir the pot, again, but...

 

Since the canvas/hemp boots were removed from the control sticks, as you mentioned, due to possible, corrosion problems. Did the rear L/R, P/S, rear cockpit, side edge, snap on panels, of same material, also get removed?

 

I asked before, got no joy on a reply, but would still LOVE an answer, as I wish to know also.

 

Gorgeous Work, Model/Scratch Build on Sir!!

 

Alfonso

 Not sure you will ever find a definitive answer to your question.  SBDs with full sets of canvass covers?  Yes.  Partial sets of canvass covers? Yes.  SBDs with no covers at all? Yes.  Tech order that said pull ‘em all out?   Maybe.  It was war:  Who can say for certain?

[STM]

On 8/28/2021 at 4:57 PM, Oldbaldguy said:

 Not sure you will ever find a definitive answer to your question.  SBDs with full sets of canvass covers?  Yes.  Partial sets of canvass covers? Yes.  SBDs with no covers at all? Yes.  Tech order that said pull ‘em all out?   Maybe.  It was war:  Who can say for certain?

 

It would make no sense whatsoever to have the canvas covers over the radios and radar scope in an operational aircraft. Now, to protect them while they were on the hangar deck for maintenance or storage? Possibly. 

My ex's second cousin distinctly remembered the boots over the control sticks as not being there in nearly every Dauntless he ever flew, so that was good enough for me. First hand accounts are always the best. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by STM

[Kaeone57]

1 hour ago, STM said:

 

It would make no sense whatsoever to have the canvas covers over the radios and radar scope in an operational aircraft. Now, to protect them while they were on the hangar deck for maintenance or storage? Possibly. 

My ex's second cousin distinctly remembered the boots over the control sticks as not being there in nearly every Dauntless he ever flew, so that was good enough for me. First hand accounts are always the best. 

Scott, LSP,

 

 My initial question is not for those covers at all!

 

 My question is for the 2 snap on covers on the rear cockpit floor located on L/R(P/S) outer edges. If you look at your rear cockpit floor they are the 2 covers on the L/R, P/S sides ( they look like panels on the Trumpeter kit with what should be snaps look more like bolt heads on both sides as represented in the kit.

 

 Hopefully this is clear enough as I never mentioned the dust/salt spray, zippered covers for the radio/radar equipment at all as I've never seen them on any aircraft other than factory pics of it's install on SBD-2/3's.

 

 Thanks, and not trying to be difficult by any means, just trying to learn something "new" on in service SBD's to properly model one is all.

 

Alfonso

 

 

PS: Great scratch work and findings on your build. Agreed on " personal involvement with an Aircraft account", best way to get information as documented pics, books can be lacking at times, especially USN/PTO Aircraft of the time.

[Woody V]

As a former maintainer on combat aircraft I'm gonna throw in my two-cents regarding these boots. 

 

My money is on a maintenance related issue. Perhaps (just perhaps) these boots were removed by maintenance personnel due the nuisance of having to remove them and replace them to inspect the mechanism as part of a post-flight or periodic inspection. Could simply be one of those things that looked good on paper but didn't in actual combat operations. 

 

But that's just my opinion based on my personal experience, so take it for what it's worth.

[STM]

Enough on the canvas covers, that dead horse has been beaten enough already. It is time to move on well past that. It is a very minor thing in the grand scheme of building this kit. 

The twin M1919's in the kit are very crude and void of detail. I spend the last day and a half building two of them from the blueprints. I am going to cheat on these and use brass aftermarket barrels because the are so small. 

There are 25 pieces of styrene in each, and even this is braille scale, they are still only 0.7" long including the buffer spring housing.  The M1919, like the M2, could be configured to feed from either side. But by the reference photos, the charging handles were on the outside of each receiver so these ones may have been built as mirror images of each other. 

 

 

For the twin .50's up front, I will just re-cast my 20 year old masters. I will have to make new molds since I have made so many casts of the original the molds are worn out. 

 

I for sure learned my lesson after making 450+ hand made .50 belted rounds out of brass rod for the Revell 1/32 P-47D I did about 14 years ago. Instead, I have found some really fantastic resin belts that will work perfectly. I don't know why the .30 cal belt is cast in a spiral but no biggie. I am pretty sure the masters for these were made using a CAD program and CNC.  I will use them as masters and make my own molds so I will have an essentially unlimited amount of ammunition at my disposal. 

Edited September 3, 2021 by STM

[Kaeone57]

Scott, LSP,

 

You are correct in it's "Beating a Dead Horse and Beating it Again".

 

Y'all never read, or understood what "canvas covers" I was speaking about anyway...

 

-Not the control stick boots, that was answered, and I agreed.

 

-Not the Radio/Radar zipped cover, as I never mentioned it, and know it wasn't used on in service Aircraft, unless maybe in hanger or maintenance useage.

 

- Was inquiring about the L/R, Port/Starboard, for the sea going people's, "canvas/hemp covers" on the REAR COCKPIT FLOOR being removed, and never answered. They are the 2 "panels" on the kit floor in the rear cockpit., L/R(P/S) side edges in the F...ing rear. No worries!

 

Model on, Sir. 

 

I'm out...

 

Alfonso

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Kaeone57

[Brett M]

9 hours ago, Kaeone57 said:

Scott, LSP,

 

You are correct in it's "Beating a Dead Horse and Beating it Again".

 

Y'all never read, or understood what "canvas covers" I was speaking about anyway...

 

-Not the control stick boots, that was answered, and I agreed.

 

-Not the Radio/Radar zipped cover, as I never mentioned it, and know it wasn't used on in service Aircraft, unless maybe in hanger or maintenance useage.

 

- Was inquiring about the L/R, Port/Starboard, for the sea going people's, "canvas/hemp covers" on the REAR COCKPIT FLOOR being removed, and never answered. They are the 2 "panels" on the kit floor in the rear cockpit., L/R(P/S) side edges in the F...ing rear. No worries!

 

Model on, Sir. 

 

I'm out...

 

Alfonso

 

These ones.....

 

 

Might have been you that pointed them out to me on my build last year?

[Kaeone57]

2 hours ago, Brett M said:

These ones.....

 

 

Might have been you that pointed them out to me on my build last year?

 

Guilty as charged. Exactly those 2 canvas covers, Thanks Brett for the pic. Don't want to "cover" this thread any longer though, LoL