SBD-3 Dauntless Picture Gallery

**Erik Zwaan** · #1 02-05-2023, 05:48 AM

To close the Dauntless story, herewith a picture gallery of this great model and aircraft.

It took a bit of effort to translate the Polish story about the specific aircraft portrayed in the model, the S-12, but curiosity about its history took over. Here is the directly translated text:

The model represents the SBD-3 Dauntless of VS-2 squadron stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2). The crew (pilot Lieutenant John Leppla and gunner John Liska) took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea. During the attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho she damaged three Japanese fighters and moments later shot down a Japanese seaplane. The next day, while fending off the Japanese attack on the Lexington and Yorktown, pilots of four SBD aircraft of VS-2 (including J. Leppla) attacked a group of Japanese torpedo planes and shot down three of them. Moments later, gunner J. Liska damaged a Zero fighter plane, which withdrew from the fight with a trail of smoke behind it.

Regards,
Erik

**Michael Mash** · #2 02-05-2023, 06:26 AM

Looks like an excellent photographic technique for capturing the wide open sky behind the aircraft. The images show your determined pursuit of authentic detail.
(A mystery to me how you made the propeller spin)
Cheers!
Mike

**Don Boose** · #3 02-05-2023, 08:35 AM

These are wonderful images of your model, Erik. They really portray the aircraft in its natural setting of the Coral Sea in the spring of 1942 and give us all a chance to appreciate the overall appearance as well as the details of the model.

Don

**Isaac** · #4 02-05-2023, 09:07 AM

Erik

Your work is so precious. Attention to detail, a steady hand ( for sure ), perseverance with many tiny parts, cutting tiny holes by the hundreds all resulting in pure eye candy.

and on top of it all, great photos of the final model in a pleasant settings.

My full respect to you as a craftsman.

Isaac

**Olo** · #5 02-05-2023, 09:30 PM

Great pictures thank you for sharing. Excellent idea

**YOAVHOZMI** · #6 02-05-2023, 10:00 PM

Beautiful pictures of a beautiful creation.

YOAV

**smithdr** · #7 02-05-2023, 11:08 PM

Looks like it's on the carrier deck and ready to roll! Thanks, Erik, for building and sharing this masterpiece.

Dan

**ricleite** · #8 02-06-2023, 08:20 AM

Excellent pictures of a great model

I bet you have become an addict of Halinski's kits

**CIUTTSO** · #9 02-06-2023, 08:39 AM

Can't stop watching those pictures Erik. Precious model. Thanks for share it.

**Erik Zwaan** · #10 02-17-2023, 10:50 AM

Thank you Mike, Don, Isaac, Tom, Yoav, Dan, Ricardo and Ciuttso!! It was fun to close off the build thread by sharing these pictures. Luckily the sky behind the model placed it a bit in its original setting.

Mike: Making the propeller spin is very easy. I used a pin and small brass tube when constructing the engine assembly, by which the propeller already runs smoothly by itself. To make it spinning, just hold a hair dryer under the right angle and from a certain distance (avoid hot air directly blowing at the model...) and there you go.

Isaac: I count my blessings with having a steady hand

Ricardo: A Halinski addict... it's hard to deny...

Well, in the meantime the Dauntless has taken its place among some of the other aircraft in my relatively small collection: Recent builds of a Fokker DXXI (2015), Hurricane (2019) and Spitfire (2021). The smaller aircraft are from Wilhelmshaven Modellbaubogen Verlag and built in the nineties.

Cheers,
Erik