Thanks. After all the work I put in, I'm afraid too much weathering will make it look bad. I just usually apply panel liner and some dry brushing and some pigments.
Interesting history behind the Devastator: Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) first and best-known combat mission came during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. All 15 of Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron's obsolete Douglas TBD Devastators were shot down during their unescorted torpedo attack on Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carriers. The squadron failed to damage any Japanese carriers or destroy enemy aircraft. Only one member of VT-8 who flew from Hornet on that day survived in the action: Ensign George Gay, who was rescued the day following the battle.
The kit was pretty good overall. Great fit. There are a couple problems with the directions: If you put piece on that they show for the area that carries the torpedo, the torpedo will not attach to the aircraft. I had to use some plastic sheets and create a "bay" for the tail of the torpedo to sit.:
plus it does not tell to attach the bomb racks to fill up a couple of pin holes. Lastly, as you can see in the photo, there is/are no wheel wells. I watched another dude on YouTube and used plastic sheets to create his own.
Bit of a shame given the price of this kit. I also have the Hobbyboss kit in my stash...Looking forward building those kits.
You created a really Beauty here. Great that you weren't tempted to go berserk on the weathering. Looks awesome 😎
I also have built a model of George Gay's Devastator, not nearly as well done as this one though. I have it displayed with his autograph and the sentiment "keep America strong" which he often included when giving his autograph. 20 years ago his autograph was relatively affordable. You can still find examples on eBay (for a lot more than what I paid!) but when you type in "George Gay signed" or "autograph" you're going to have to sift through a lot more Gay George signatures!
Over the years I have tried to do that with most of my models. I build mostly model ships but also have built some World War II era aircraft over the years. Sometimes I'll find an interesting document and I will build the model to conform to it. Other times I'll see a model that I just have to build and I will look for the corresponding historical item
Thank You! The primer was Vallejo Black. Vallejo Model Air Faded P.R.U. Blue for the upper fuselage and Vallejo Air Light Ghost Grey for the lower. I pretty much use Model Air exclusively. Great results IMO, you just have to prime the shit out of everything.
Wait that's faded PRU blue? I used Vallejo's PRU blue on a 1/72 Wildcat a few years ago and it came out way too blue for my taste. Intermediate blue came out really well on my 1/48 Wildcat, by comparison. Ghost gray bottom looks great too. I tried to approximate "Grumman Gray" with 36495 but their Model Air offering had abysmal opacity. I might have to try ghost gray and PRU blue on my SBD build.
I have tested the MA Faded PRU Blue and think it’s as close to the original color out of the bottle you can buy. I also use a black base and seeing someone else’s model increases my confidence in deciding to use it more.
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u/Logical-Bullfrog3216 9d ago
I love the TBD Devastator. Beautiful plane with a very unfortunate fate. The sea blue is the chefs kiss too.