One day I stopped in at the local A.C. Moore craft store. The chain went under from the Covid shutdown, but before then I wandered in and saw in they had one kit of the re-released 1/48 Monogram SBD Dauntless. I had a 40% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket and walked out with a piece of my history.
I built that kit (I'm sure with the help of my Dad) back when I was about 9 or 10 years old in the 1960s. Back then I painted the undersides Testor's gloss white and played with it and the dropping bomb feature.
When I got home with the new kit, I was pleased that it was the same kit, from the same molds. Working dive flaps, retractable landing gear and flight deck figure to boot! the new kit was molded in grey, not the dark blue I remembered. I used decals form my leftovers collection and took the time to open the holes in the dive flaps.
It is not often these days that someone can relive the wonderful days of youth when you cares and worries were limited to school and your immediate neighborhood.
I hand brushed the Dauntless with Testor's Model master paints. I took some photos in my basement and edited out my fingers!
I built that kit (I'm sure with the help of my Dad) back when I was about 9 or 10 years old in the 1960s. Back then I painted the undersides Testor's gloss white and played with it and the dropping bomb feature.
When I got home with the new kit, I was pleased that it was the same kit, from the same molds. Working dive flaps, retractable landing gear and flight deck figure to boot! the new kit was molded in grey, not the dark blue I remembered. I used decals form my leftovers collection and took the time to open the holes in the dive flaps.
It is not often these days that someone can relive the wonderful days of youth when you cares and worries were limited to school and your immediate neighborhood.
I hand brushed the Dauntless with Testor's Model master paints. I took some photos in my basement and edited out my fingers!
I can remember the Monogram(?) 1/48 or 1/32 for sale in the mid 1970s in a model shop in Lincoln. Your kit looks great, as a Brit I always admired Anyone who flew from a carrier or over the sea as part of their 'war'.
