FineScale Modeler 11 1997

The early World War II SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber was the star of the heroic battles of Coral Sea and Midway. Along with this kit, Accurate Miniatures has released a late-war SBD-5, and is planning a pre-war Marine SBD-1 for production. External detail is mostly fine recessed panel lines with realistic raised-rib, fabric-covered controls. Even the tiny clips that held canvas engine and canopy covers are there. The kit features an excellent reproduction of the R-1820 Cyclone radial engine, and a cockpit interior that has everything, even a relief tube and a flare gun! You can spend hours building and painting the interior, but when enclosed in the fuselage much of it can't be seen. Aftermarket interior sets will be superfluous, except that phototeched belts or homemade ones would be better than the decal seat harnesses provided. With any SBD kit, the first question modelers raise is whether the dive flaps are perforated. Yes, and the dive-flap actuators are also included. You can pose the brakes closed, bottom down (for take-off and landing), or full open. Unfortunately, my samples dive flaps and actuators were warped.

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