Donivanp
Captain
1/48 Curtiss SB2C-4
Username : donivanp
First name : Don
Category : intermediate
Scale : 1/48
Manufacturer / Model : Monogram Pro Modeler
Extras : Eduard FE-349 cockpit interior and 48 226 SB2C-4 Helldiver set, KMC 48-6015 Helldiver cockpit resin set, Wolfpack WW48004 SB2C wing folded set, Montex Mini Mask SB2C-4, Victory Productions SB2C Helldivers decals.
Four years later in February 1945, that number would be quite different. During those war years no less then 17 Essex class fleet carriers would be added to the naval register. They were built in "long hull" and "short hull" variants and the difference was around 16 feet difference between the two with the long being 888 feet and the short 872 feet.
This does not include the CVL's (light carriers) or the jeep (baby flattops), all told there were around 36 aircraft carriers of all types by the end of the war. 24 Essex class and 9 Independence class CVL's plus Saratoga and Enterprise and Ranger.
During those early long dark days of the war, Lexington, Yorktown, Hornet, and Wasp were all lost to enemy action. Of the ships that started out the war for the US, Only Saratoga, Ranger and Enterprise lasted the war to the end. The Ranger spending her war years in the Atlantic.
In February 1945 the US fleet was the largest naval fleet in history and the decision was made to take the fight to the Japaneses home island. Target Tokyo! The Fleet called the Naval air forces "The Big Blue Blanket" from the 16th to the 23rd of February, Tokyo and surrounding area was the target. A special paint scheme was called out by painting the forward edge of the engine cowl chrome yellow.
Carrier Air Wing 84 consisted around 70 aircraft broken up as follows, VF-84 (nose numbers 100s) flying F4U-1D Corsairs, F6F-5N, and F6F-5P Hellcats, VMF-221 and VMF-451 flying F4U-1D Corsairs, VB-84 (nose numbers 200s) flying SB2C-4 Helldivers and VT-84 (nose numbers300s) flying TBM-3 Averages. All aircraft in the air group carried an arrow pointing up on the tail and pointing forward on the wing.
The SB2C-4 was the most numerous of the design with 2045 built. It differed from the -3 by the addition of the propeller spinner and the deletion of the inverted L window behind the pilot. The late model SB2C-3 incorporated the Wright Cyclone R 2600-20 at 1900 HP and a four bladed propeller as well as a perforated dive brake. All of these changes were continued on the -4. The SB2C-1 had a 1600 hp Cyclone and a three bladed propeller. The extra horsepower of the -20 engine corrected many of the aircraft's handling issues as did the perforated dive brake system correct buffeting problems in a dive.
My subject will be a SB2C-4 (205 using the Victory Production decal set) from VB-84 aboard the USS Bunker Hill CV-17 February 1945. The Pro Modeler kit depicts a -4 aircraft as do most kits I've seen in any scale. I guess you could back date it to a late model -3 without a lot of work but anything prior to that would be a chore. Doing a -5 looks mostly to delete the spinner which would also be needed to do a -3. Few -5s saw action with the US during WWII but did see action with several other nations after WWII, to include the French Indochina war.
Several of the aftermarket items duplicate each other and I will not use all of them. I have been collecting the aftermarket items and the three kits I have for several years and so I'll wing it as to what I will or will not use. I may use all, some or none of what is listed.
Kit includes three sprues molded in grey and a single clear sprue as well as a single PE set.
Wing sprue outside.
Fuselage outside.
Interior sprue.
Clear.
Kit decals
Kit PE
Wolf pack Wingfold set.
Victory productions decal set
Username : donivanp
First name : Don
Category : intermediate
Scale : 1/48
Manufacturer / Model : Monogram Pro Modeler
Extras : Eduard FE-349 cockpit interior and 48 226 SB2C-4 Helldiver set, KMC 48-6015 Helldiver cockpit resin set, Wolfpack WW48004 SB2C wing folded set, Montex Mini Mask SB2C-4, Victory Productions SB2C Helldivers decals.
Four years later in February 1945, that number would be quite different. During those war years no less then 17 Essex class fleet carriers would be added to the naval register. They were built in "long hull" and "short hull" variants and the difference was around 16 feet difference between the two with the long being 888 feet and the short 872 feet.
This does not include the CVL's (light carriers) or the jeep (baby flattops), all told there were around 36 aircraft carriers of all types by the end of the war. 24 Essex class and 9 Independence class CVL's plus Saratoga and Enterprise and Ranger.
During those early long dark days of the war, Lexington, Yorktown, Hornet, and Wasp were all lost to enemy action. Of the ships that started out the war for the US, Only Saratoga, Ranger and Enterprise lasted the war to the end. The Ranger spending her war years in the Atlantic.
In February 1945 the US fleet was the largest naval fleet in history and the decision was made to take the fight to the Japaneses home island. Target Tokyo! The Fleet called the Naval air forces "The Big Blue Blanket" from the 16th to the 23rd of February, Tokyo and surrounding area was the target. A special paint scheme was called out by painting the forward edge of the engine cowl chrome yellow.
Carrier Air Wing 84 consisted around 70 aircraft broken up as follows, VF-84 (nose numbers 100s) flying F4U-1D Corsairs, F6F-5N, and F6F-5P Hellcats, VMF-221 and VMF-451 flying F4U-1D Corsairs, VB-84 (nose numbers 200s) flying SB2C-4 Helldivers and VT-84 (nose numbers300s) flying TBM-3 Averages. All aircraft in the air group carried an arrow pointing up on the tail and pointing forward on the wing.
The SB2C-4 was the most numerous of the design with 2045 built. It differed from the -3 by the addition of the propeller spinner and the deletion of the inverted L window behind the pilot. The late model SB2C-3 incorporated the Wright Cyclone R 2600-20 at 1900 HP and a four bladed propeller as well as a perforated dive brake. All of these changes were continued on the -4. The SB2C-1 had a 1600 hp Cyclone and a three bladed propeller. The extra horsepower of the -20 engine corrected many of the aircraft's handling issues as did the perforated dive brake system correct buffeting problems in a dive.
My subject will be a SB2C-4 (205 using the Victory Production decal set) from VB-84 aboard the USS Bunker Hill CV-17 February 1945. The Pro Modeler kit depicts a -4 aircraft as do most kits I've seen in any scale. I guess you could back date it to a late model -3 without a lot of work but anything prior to that would be a chore. Doing a -5 looks mostly to delete the spinner which would also be needed to do a -3. Few -5s saw action with the US during WWII but did see action with several other nations after WWII, to include the French Indochina war.
Several of the aftermarket items duplicate each other and I will not use all of them. I have been collecting the aftermarket items and the three kits I have for several years and so I'll wing it as to what I will or will not use. I may use all, some or none of what is listed.
Kit includes three sprues molded in grey and a single clear sprue as well as a single PE set.
Wing sprue outside.
Fuselage outside.
Interior sprue.
Clear.
Kit decals
Kit PE
Wolf pack Wingfold set.
Victory productions decal set
