SBD-3 Dauntless 1:33 scale

[CIUTTSO]

Very fine work Eric. Thanks for share it. I'm learning a lot!!!

[smithdr]

A-Freaking-Mazing! Really nice job, Erik...Dan

[mor54]

Great modeling Erik, very nice detailing of a great aircraft.

Shalom Mor

[Erik Zwaan]

Thanks gentlemen for your continued interest! Very much appreciated !

The build continues with perhaps one of the most trickiest parts to be installed: the outside skin of the central fuselage. As the building instructions already warn, it has to be one-time right, with in fact no room for error. Not exactly an easy task as the skin part is pretty large.

I tried to curve it already as accurate as possible to the contours of the cockpit area. Then applied glue at the edges where the skin meets the upper cockpit frame and glued it in place side by side with the upper frame as reference point, as well as the gun bay and the step openings on either side of the cockpit. Then I applied glue to the remainder of the skin, again side by side, and glued it into place. Be careful not to apply glue at the concave areas towards the wings. This can be done as a last step. Take your time.

I also didn't apply glue at the front side where the windscreen will be placed eventually, as there appears to be a gap between inside and outside skin. Something to be resolved later when the forward fuselage towards the engine will be installed.

Finally the remaining outside skin around the gun bay and the missing parts at the fuselage-wing transition.

Again, so far so good. Apart from the "front end mystery" the fit is excellent.

Next will be perhaps an even greater challenge - the skin between rear end wings and fuselage. All kinds of shape changes. I hold my breath.....

Erik

[ccoyle]

Bravo! Hopefully the rest will fall into place.

[YOAVHOZMI]

it looks great Erik

YOAV

[Erik Zwaan]

Thank you Chris and Yoav!

In one of the previous posts I mentioned to give more background on the various equipment, knobs, levers and instruments which are so generously included in this model. Herewith an overview, thanks to the "Pilot's Handbook Model SBD-3, 1942", which can be found on the internet.

I couldn't identify every instrument and equipment as there are differences between the model and the pictures in the handbook. In any case, it's amazing.

Great respect for the young men (no women yet in those days....) who had to operate this aircraft, save it through battle and bring it back in one piece to the aircraft carriers. In the thick of the fight they had to rely on automatisms to operate the right handles. Mistakes could be easily made, perhaps even fatal errors...

Erik

[Erik Zwaan]

Small error in the first picture corrected.

[Isaac]

Erik


With so much internal details and features, it is a shame to close it all up.

You may want to build one version opened up with the side panels removed as a technical school instructional airplane, and another one built up complete with the canopy all closed up.


Isaac

[Olo]

Thank you Erik for the great material about all instruments. This is the beauty of this hobby that we can learn by having fun. Great progress as well.