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Andreas Fey
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1/72 scale Hobby 2000 / Hasegawa TBF-1C, VT-15, USS ESSEX (CV9), November 1944

June 4, 2020 · in Aviation · · 19 · 2K

Hobby 2000 / -1C, VT-15, (CV9), November 1944

The kit is a re-edition from Hobby 2000 of the Hasegawa kit with additional masks. I also added photo-etched parts from Eduard for the cockpit and a resin motor from Quickboost.
To bring more life in the scene, I used my „carrier backdrop“ made from cardboard and two figures in 1/48 scale. I think that the figures fit quite well, because the perspective is reasonably correct, but of course you can judge that yourself.
The kit itself is the standard Hasegawa with very nicely done crisp external engraving. The clear parts are well done, but I decided to show the cockpit in an open position. That means you have to saw the cockpit hood in two pieces. I used the sawn-out middle part as a stamp for a new hood. This time, however, I had trouble pushing the self-made canopy under the rear part of the cockpit canopy. So I decided to use only a small strip of clear material and let it peek out a little. I also posted two photos that show a speculative look of the interior lighting of an before departing for a night mission. I assumed that the lighting could have been red. Maybe someone of you has an idea how the real thing look like?
The light is made from tiny LED lights, powered by a watch-battery. The Battery took place in the torpedobay. The paintjob was made with Real Colors and weathering pencils booth from "AK".
The last pictures are just to compare the size of an Avenger aggainst a Dauntless.

Thank you for your interest and enjoy viewing the pictures, hope you like the model.

Reader reactions:
12  Awesome

17 additional images. Click to enlarge.


19 responses

  1. That is really nice modeling! I also like the background carrier Island! Very well done!

  2. An excellent build, Andreas! Hard to believe it's only 1/72 scale.
    Nice background and presentation too!

  3. Perhaps your best navy plane so far Andreas 😉 top quality build and presentation as usual. I eager the day you upscale one of these beauties to 48 size, that would be something!

  4. What a quality build you have here Andreas.
    The plane itself is already a beauty, but the way you presented it makes it even greater.

  5. Great build and great photos!

  6. Excellent work Andreas, putting the 1/48 figures in the foreground works quite well.

  7. Thank you very much to all of you!

  8. Amazing modelling and spectacular photography. Using the larger figures is brilliant.

  9. Doesn't get much more convincing than that! Unbelievable that it's 1/72.

  10. Perspective looks bang on. The Avenger really was a massive plane!

  11. Super-duper, Andreas. All good.

  12. Beautifully done and presented! And in my favorite scale... Love it.

  13. Excellent model, hard to believe it's 1/72. Great result.

    I'm sure LT Bob Cosgrove (pilot), AMM2/c Loyce Deen (gunner) and ARM3/c Digby Denzel (radioman) would like to see this - how their airplane looked before they took off for the strike on shipping in Manila Bay on November 5, 1944.

  14. All of the above! A fantastic build!

  15. Nicely done Andreas, well presented !

  16. Thank you to all of you!

  17. Hello Andreas,
    Very neat construction of this famous bird.
    It was handy, ypu did mention the scale. I would have believed anything.
    Great job. Regards, Dirk / The Netherlands.

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