**** DONE: GB-48 1/48 SBD-1 Dauntless - Carrier & Maritime Patrol A/C of WWII

[fubar57]

Good looking innards

 

[Airframes]

I agree, very nice indeed.

 

[Donivanp]

I know it's a bit late but, from D&S I think it looks green but hey!

 

[rochie]

Looks great Andy

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys. Yeah Don, I have that reference and others and Dana's input pretty much made my decision easy.

Flat coated everything and am putting dabs of PVA into the instrument hollows for the glass. Btw, I noticed that I messed up the seatbelts a bit as there should be two of those little adjustment straps per side. You can see them clearly in Don's post above.

 

[Airframes]

Don't worry, that pic shows the "Fat B*stard" version !!!

 

[Donivanp]

You calling me fat, er well, yeah ok

 

[Wayne Little]

Nice work in that cockpit Andy.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks Wayne. One last look at the sidewalls before we close up after matte coat applied.

Glued and clamped. There was some trimming of the rear bulkhead needed to help the seam to close. Very few locating pins present so alignment is tricky, especially at the front bulkhead.

Thanks again for following.

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

With the thumb

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks gents.

 

[Donivanp]

Yeah I seem to recall a couple of tricky sections, think the forward fuselage bowed out and the dive brakes should be replaced by PE. They're very warped and thin.

 

[rochie]

Looks great Andy

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys. Some head scratchers with this kit as the instructions are a bit vague regarding placement of some parts. My current quandary is over the seat bulkhead. The upper part of the bulkhead sits flush with the roll cage, no problem, but there is nothing to positively set the rest of it. The instructions seem to indicted that it goes in on an angle but how much is anyone's guess.

I see a bunch of dry fitting in my future.

 

[Donivanp]

I do believe Andy, that will all come together in 5a when the floor come on. Great looking work!

 

[Crimea_River]

Don't see how that's possible Don as the bulkhead needs to be glued before the floor goes in so chicken and egg there. I've studied this a bit further with the help of this thread and have been able to determine that the bulkhead follows the line marked by the arrows below:

Unfortunately that line is not moulded on the model so I'm going to have to scale it from the above drawing. All will be good.

 

[Donivanp]

K, I don't recall, I did one for a GB a few years back.

 

[Crimea_River]

OK, I got the bulkhead in without too much drama. I dropped it in loose, snapped the floor in place, then fiddled around with it until I figured out how it should fit. Turns out it butts against the moulded longerons which stop at the point that the bulkhead should be. And, yes, it ends up on a slope. The instructions have quite descriptive accompanying text and yet this crucial fact is omitted. Anyway, once I figured it out, I pulled the bulkhead forward a bit, dropped some thick CA where it butts against the shelf under the roll cage, and held it in place until the glue set. I then removed the floor and set it aside. Here is the seat now in place.

The radio set and it's support frame is a combination of kit parts (frame and boxes) and Eduard PE (radio faces). This pic was taken just before gluing it into the fuselage. Sorry for the focus. A shame that this frame will be virtually hidden from view as it looks really sharp.

Here's the IP after glazing the instrument faces. I've been able to confirm that all the hydraulic tubing on the pilot's right on the floor will be hidden and so I won't bother tarting this stuff up.

Next up is to finish the turret and stick it in. See you then.

 

[Donivanp]

Nice