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Kit
No: 02022 Decal options: 2 Comments: An oldy and a not so goldy now, impressive for its day though. Good decals and great box art. |
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Airfix
- 1/72 Douglas SBD-3/5 Dauntless
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| Another venerable old Airfix kit, their Dauntless is moulded in pale
grey plastic, the parts are reasonably sharp for their age with a little
flash in my sample. The raised rivet detail is a little heavy, though
some modellers may feel this gives the model some character as the Dauntless
was rather bumpy in real life. The cockpit provides the basics for further
enhancement but the canopy is thick and fits poorly - if you really want
to make a go of this kit then a vac-form replacement is essential. The dive brakes are moulded to the wings, but at least Airfix made a positive attempt 30 years ago at trying to capture the perforations - even if they are only recessed - which is more than can be said for Hasegawa's recent 1/48 kit. Optional parts in the kit include cowlings for the SBD-3 and -5 versions as well as a choice of single of twin machine guns. The overall fit of parts wasn't too bad, I needed a little filler in the underside and on the top of the fuselage. I rubbed down all the heavy rivet and panel line detail and gave the model a couple of generous coats of grey primer - somehow, the paint caused a reaction in the plastic that left a superb recessed impression of the former surface detail! The improved decal sheet updates the old USMC Dauntless of VMSB-213 (as featured on the box top) as well as new markings for a RNZAF SBD-3 of No.25 Dive Bomber Squadron which is how I finished mine. I used pre-painted decal film to make all those canopy frames and an artists silver pencil to add scuff marks on the wings, cowling and propeller blades. The finished model captures the substance of the Dauntless and can be worked into a decent looking replcica - but it's a lot of effort. |
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