Monogram #7575 1/48 Devastator TBD-1 -- FINISHED!

[John Ballman]

Doing awesome work on this Monogram Classic, I like your choice of Bronze green, it looks the part. I've never built one and I will be following this with much interest. Thanks for sharing your efforts.
JB

[dnl42]

My work time has decreased. The reason is simple, my full retirement lasted 6 weeks. I now have a consulting gig--way better hours than full-time work, but not full retirement either. 

 

I have the Brengun (née Attack Squadron) Mk 13 Torpedo built. Some sort slot-like molding defects(?) are visible on the nose. I filled them in with CA, which while transparent is readily made completely smooth, especially with a 6-cut equalling file.  CORRECTION: I've since removed the tail ring, which appeared in Mod 6.

 

Here's the kit's version, which looks very different. 

 

It's apparently a Mark 13 (original) version

 

The Brengun parts enable a plain warhead along with the drag ring as well as the stablizer.

The result is forward and after torpedo parts need to be joined.  I made the joining plane concave to allow better alignment.

 

Here's a better view of the tail. CORRECTION: I've since removed the tail ring, which appeared in Mod 6.

The white bit is a replacement for the kit's part. I had sawed it off from the tail as expected, but somehow contrived to lose is while moving it from the cutting board to a parts tray 3 inches away. 

I still need to fabricate the tail fairing that appears in a May'42 photo of a VT-8 aircraft. That photo and photos of the fairing are on this entry on Tailspin Topics.

 

Thanks for looking! 

[dnl42]

I've been playing with Inkscape and a Silhouette Portrait to fabricate the early stabilizer visible in the May-June '42 VT-8 photos. I think this will do; earlier renditions are on the cutting mat.

 

 

Below are the Inkscape patterns for the side pieces that were cut from 10mil plastic. The left-most shape is the master pattern showing the red guide marks, which help me keep the pattern symmetric, and the 3 shapes that make up the pattern. The rectangles represent the top and bottom plates. I did this as separate shapes so I could adjust sizes and angles until I got the right fit. The 2 right-hand patterns are the actual parts after Inkscape combined (union) the 3 shapes into 1. These 2 are the only parts I cut.

The top and bottom plates are 50 mil plastic cut with a razor saw.

 

Thanks for looking. 

 

[JeroenS]

Nice work, I like that miniature mitre box... I have NWSL's "The Chopper" (I'm always thinking of Schwarzenegger when I use it), but the knife usually slides away at a slight angle when you cut so it's not perfectly straight. Anyway, that's my experience with it. I'm making a box!

[dnl42]

I have that Chopper too, and it does have a limit on the thickness.

 

That mitre box is one of my most used tools. I have another for round stock.

I bought them from UMM, http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/product_info.php?products_id=3340

It looks like Aviation Megastore has it too: https://www.aviationmegastore.com/?action=prodinfo&art=188654

 

[dnl42]

I've been working slowing on the wings and engine.

 

First, the engine. Here's the RESIN2detail R1830 and kit parts. The RESIN2detail version has a lot of detail and just the visible bits while the kit has basic details but both rows of cylinders. I'll have to carve out the cowling to fit the correctly-sized engine and push it forward to get the right position.

 

The kit has positioning lugs on the back. I made a quick template from cardboard to position the various lugs.

I used 2 sizes of plastic tubing for the larger lugs and rods for the smaller standoffs. 

 

I also lengthened the lugs and standoffs get the right fore-and-aft position from the fuselage front.

 

And here's the cowling thinned to about 0.03 in--this took quite a while with a scraper and abrasive paper wrapped around half-inch PVC pipe.

 

I also had to knock down the engine valve covers to finally get it all to fit, but fit it did...well, for certain definitions of "fit." 

 

I've also been working on the wings. It took a fair amount of work with files and Dymo Label Tape to get what I have. I'll get a better view of the collateral damage once I prime the wings. I'm fully confident I'll need to rely on Archer Fine Transfers Raised Panel Lines to make repairs. The wing fold hinges are so oversized that I think I'll keep the wings folded on this model--a first for me.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking. 

 

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Very nice engine too bad it’s a single row, but your idea of lengthening mounts and thinning the cowling look to work quite well. 

[stevej60]

Some great progress here and beautiful engine too.

[Allan31]

Wonderful job on the engine and cowling. Good luck on the wings.

[jean]

What a lot of great work you have performed on such an ancient kit! I am thoroughly impressed.

 

Keep having fun.

 

JR

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

@dnl42 You would not have any updates on the build by chance ? 

[dnl42]

Not since my last post as I just got back from a three week (~2k miles) trip in our RV up US-101 through Northern California and the Southern Oregon coast.

 

The RV, with the usual Wrangler, in a campsite in Oregon

 

Coast Redwoods in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Northern California. These trees live 1000 to 2000 years. That's my Dear Wife along with Omar, our male GSD.

 

These are the tallest trees on the planet, up to 115.9 m (380.1 ft).

In contrast, the Giant Sequioas are the most massive (shorter but wider) and oldest (up to 3200 years) living things on the planet.

 

Southern Oregon coast

[JeroenS]

Wow, that's quite the home away from home you have there.... looks like a great trip!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Well worth the time and money to see all of that. I can understand why no updates. 

[Allan31]

Wow, life getting in the way of your builds as well, eh?....

 

 

[dnl42]

On 10/11/2022 at 11:13 AM, Allan31 said:

Very cool! What class is that?

[dnl42]

The coach has been put back into storage until our December trip to the dark skies of Borrego Springs, CA, so I'm back at work. I've not built a USN aircraft with folded wings and this will be the first. I won't be playing with this model, folding and unfolding the wings, so I built the center section without the outer wing panels; I will need to scratch the struts Monogram omitted.

 

I aligned the upper panels on the corrogations and did a much better job cleaning up the leading edge here than on the outer wing panels. Even so, there was a substantial gap at the wing root.

 

The starboard gap had a fairly uniform thickness, but the port side gap varied, with the greatest gap at the maximum wing thickness, tapering quickly forward and more slowly aft. Evergreen strips were used to build up the inner edges of the upper wing panels. A chisel and then equalling files faired the filler to the wing surface. Some adjustments are yet needed when I glue fuselage to wing.

 

The bottom also needed some gap filling love.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

[dnl42]

The center wing panel interior is painted with AK Interactive Bronze Green (RC264). I thought about Zinc Chromate Green but decided to stick with Bronze Green. I notice AK's color is a little bluer than WEM Colourcoats Bronze Green. 

 

And here's the fuselage and wing buttoned up. I'm happy with the wing root filler strips. 

 

The major parts are done, paint is next.

 

Thanks for looking! 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Looks real good now. Looking forward to paint. 

[AdrianMF]

Lovely build! 
 

I am continually surprised by how detailed and well well engineered old Monogram kits were compared to my FROG and Airfix fare.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[dnl42]

Thanks all for the support!

 

Major parts have been painted. The outer wings are blue top and bottom; my photo checks showed that the wingfold area was also blue.

 

Time to pay attention to all the other bits, particularly those tri-color propeller tips...

[dnl42]

And the prop's done. Painted in order: primer, yellow, red, blue, black, and metal.

Between the airbrush sessions, I was able to prep most of the rest of the parts.

 

About the pitot.

Mongram provides a crude rendition of an L-type pitot. Not so much... Anybody have any good references for this pitot?

The wing is vertical, bottom to the left

 

The wing is folded, bottom up (this photo was an aircraft found with the LEXINGTON wreck

 

The wing is folded, bottom up.

 

Wing folded, bottom up

I think there are 3 prongs, one center and 2 to either side.

And some manner of structure near the leading edge?

 

Thoughts?

[dnl42]

And the motor is done

[Old Man]

You're doing a great job on this old bird, Sir!

[dnl42]

@Corsairfoxfouruncle, @AdrianMF, and @Old Man, thanks for the comments! 😀

 

Techmod's decal set includes masks, which I forgot about when I masked the bomb aiming window and the fuselage side windows. Fortunately I did remember them for the canopy! They also include wheel masks, wing anti-skid strips, and various masks for yellow-wing markings. Normally I'd cut the wheel masks on my Silhouette Portrait as they're so very simple to make.

 

Masked canopy and wheels

 

And painted.