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Rob Anderson
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Torp in the water! Another Monogram Classic done

March 19, 2018 · in Aviation · · 22 · 1.9K

well here she is my 1974 issue -1. I painter her as a bomber from the USS Yorktown at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Scratchbuilt seats and interior details, Eduard seat belts. One of the interesting things I discovered while building this bird is the Mk 13 Torpedoes had wooden boxes fitted to them for better performance, they broke away upon entering the water. Tailspin Topics blog has some great info on this. Also the golden color of the torpedo was not a brass body, but most likely cosmoline a preservative for the bare metal body portion. One site said it was for smoother performance in the water, but that is almost assuredly not what it was for. I replicated it by airbrusing a thin layer of Tamiya clear yellow with a touch of clear red in it, then slopped a bit on the nose with a brush. The Techmod decals worked well, but there was a touch of silvering despite a coat of future before applying. The paint is all Tamiya, and in person the blue is not nearly so blue!

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22 responses

  1. Nicely done! Very interesting, too!

  2. Great job Rob, very nice indeed, just to show what you can do with a really old kit.

  3. Whistle-clean model. V nice.

  4. Great Job, love this kit! I have two in stock, but what a shame to keep them in the box, looking at your excelent model. Bravo Zulu!

  5. Cool...I luv it! Need to build my old kit.

  6. Can't beat those "old" Monogram kits...best domestic manufacturer 'back in the day'.

  7. Thanks guys! Already got the next project on the bench, and ohhhhh my I will need to be better organized...

  8. Beautifully done!

  9. Very pretty Rob, nice job on an old classic.

  10. Rob, turned out really well! The wooden fin box is a great touch.

  11. Very nice TBD Rob. Good job on it.

  12. The solution to silvering decals is simple. You have air under the decal - when you see it happening, slice the decal into smaller pieces with a nice sharp #11 blade, then slather in setting solution. Keep it up a couple more times. The end result is the decal melts into the paint and no silvering. Works every time.

    Nice model and great work. Wouldn't have noticed the decals if you hadn't said something (we're always our own worst critics).

  13. Great TBD, Rob. I like the little bits of torpedo detailing & history, too. I have 2 of these old Monogram kits in my stash (which is made up of nearly ALL of the old Mono kits up to about 1976/7) and this one is a great inspiration to build one!

  14. Great work, Rob! I still love this kit and it’s nice to see one built as well as yours. I like that pilots seat a lot.

  15. Your TBD turned out great Rob ! I like the details on the "fish" too... It looks very authentic.

  16. Nice work, Great to see the Devastator - particularly timely with the discovery of the Lexington too !
    Loved the cosmoline effect too. I always wondered what that stuff was.

  17. Very nice Rob! I like everything you did, and thanks for the insight on the torpedo! I'm gettin closer to my torp-tottin' Maurader (my original contender for the Midway group build), so good to know!

  18. The colour scheme really sets this model off, very neat work.

  19. Well done, Rob! The Monogram TBD is one of my favorite kits, and yours is exceptionally well done.

  20. Very nice Rob. I suppose the JB is good taste, and matches with good job.

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