1/32 Trumpeter SBD-1

by Mark McClellan

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This is my finally-at-long-last completed Dauntless kit by Trumpeter that my wife got me for last Christmas.  I only finished it the day before our wedding anniversary, September 5th.  This is a fantastic kit, and the SBD has been one of my favourite aeroplanes for a long time.  The Trumpeter kit is a real beauty.  When I saw the painting guide for MAG-11 with the yellow wings, I knew instantly what I was going to build.  I love the age when aeroplanes were “pretty” and not all camo and dull.

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I noticed that the engine had holes for spark plugs, but the kit didn’t actually have them.  This has never stopped me from getting a bit carried away, hey, I’m a scratch builder from “way back”, so I figured with my skill and a bit of help from Google, I’d find a pic or two of how the engine looked for real.  Yes I know, the real one probably didn’t have red spark plug wires, but red stands out.

I glued the wires on with super glue, much to the amusement of my daughter. She loves to watch me “attach” myself to my hobby, and more than once I needed to use an x-acto to detach myself from the kit, literally.  I used a variety of materials for wiring, and I learned what to use again (dead computer mice) and what not to use (twist ties are very stiff). I had no instructions on how or what to use the extra photo etched parts for, I assumed they were for the rear seat but the lack of information in the otherwise comprehensive instructions was disappointing.  Another feature I liked was the clear cowling, but I didn’t want to have the whole front clear.  My answer was to mask off some “cut-aways” to show off some of my hard work on the engine detail.  I’m happy, now maybe I can finish some of my other projects!  Happy modelling.

Mark 

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Photos and text © by Mark McClellan