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<><><><>The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD (Scout Bomber Douglas) was the United States Navy's main carrier-borne scout plane and dive bomber from mid-1940 through mid-1944. The SBD was also flown by the United States Marine Corps, both from land bases and aircraft carriers. The SBD is best remembered as the bomber that delivered the fatal blows to the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The SBD earned its nickname "Slow But Deadly" (with the SBD initials) during this period.
During its combat service, the SBD was an excellent naval scout plane and dive bomber. It possessed long range, good handling characteristics, maneuverability, potent bomb load, great diving characteristics, good defensive armament and ruggedness.
There were six main variants of the SBD Dauntless. A land-based variant of the SBD minus the arrestor hook, was built for the U.S. Army Air Forces, as the A-24 Banshee. In all, 5,936 SBDs were produced between 1940 and 1944.
Facts and General characteristics of the SBD-2 Dauntless:
Contractor: Douglas Aircraft Company
Type: Scout/Dive Bomber
Crew: 2
Wingspan: 41 ft. 6 in. (12.7 m)
Height: 13 ft. 7 in. (4.1 m)
Length: 33 ft. 1 in. (10 m)
Weight: Empty 6,293 lbs. (2,854 kg), max takeoff 10,700 lbs. (4,853 kg)
Powerplant: One Wright R-1820-32 radial engine, 1,000 hp (746 kW)
Maximum speed: 252 mph (406 km/h) at 14,000 ft (4,265 m)
Cruise speed: 148 mph (238 km/h)
Range: 1,115 miles (1,795 km)
Service ceiling: 25,530 ft. (7,780 m)
Armament: Two 0.30 in (7.62 mm) forward-firing synchronized Browning M2 machine guns in engine cowling and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) flexible-mounted Browning machine gun in rear. One 1,000 lb. (454 kg) bomb under the fuselage and one 100 lb. (45 kg) bomb under each wing.
Facts and General Characteristics of the Model:
The model is supposed to represent an SBD-2 Dauntless assigned to the USS Wasp during the battle of Guadalcanal starting on August 7, 1942. I changed the paint scheme from light grey to intermediate blue which was used on other Navy SBDs at various times.
Manufacturer: Revell Inc.
Scale: 1/48
Wingspan: 10 in.
Length: 7.75 in.
Height: 3 in.
Parts: 53
Decals: 26
Hours to build and paint (including the extras): 28
Drilling 132 holes on the dive brakes.
My least favorite task - masking the canopies. This took about two hours.
Dive brakes open in the dive position.
The rear canopy removed to reveal the gunner. On the actual plane, the front and rear sections of the canopy slide toward the center.
The plane with all the extras.
Wind shield, LSO (Landing Signal Officer), Deck Handler and 1,000 lb. bomb.