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Russ King
19 articles

1/48 Douglas TBD-1 Devastator Midway from Great Wall Hobby

December 15, 2022 · in Aviation · 17 · 1K

Mostly OOB. Got the Eduard masks for all those windows.
Tamiya surface primer.
Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics.
AK Gauzy intermediate shine enhancer and Mr Surface Clead Matt gloss. Flory wash and Tamiya weathermasters. 20g wire for torpedo cable and EZ line for antennas.

5th build after starting back and the most challenging. I believe this kit came out a year or two ago. There was a previous Wake Island version. Nice detail especially in the cockpit with lots of small parts including PE. Some not seen after all is done. Machine gun attachment very finicky. Two landing gear sets included. One for extended and one for stowed. I initially painted up the stowed versions then realized they were the wrong ones. But hey, now i have an extra set.

Instructions aren't exactly clear at several points. A few mislabled parts and some regarding the torpedo left out altogether. A few missteps along the way but in the end came out ok. Multi piece canopy didn't fit all that great. Can't use the aft pieces if want machine gun out. They add a full canopy which was helpful while painting.
Decals were ok. A little silvering around the wing and fuselage numbers.

In the end, glad I tackled this. First time using PE parts. Learned several new things and had fun along they way. Just a few oh c**p moments but worked it out.

Reader reactions:
14  Awesome

13 additional images. Click to enlarge.


17 responses

  1. Even though you had a few moments, the outcome is excellent, Russ @rfking
    Very nice work on the interior and canopy framing.
    It is always good to learn during a build, which means extending your expertise which can be used on your next models.

  2. Looks great, Russ @rfking. The cockpit is especially well executed. Your return to modeling is off to a great start. Never seen that GWH box art before. How recent is it? My kit had a full bleed of that Devastator art and no white borders.

  3. Great job indeed, Russ!

  4. Very nice build! I don't think I've ever built a model that didn't also contain an "oh c**p" moment!

  5. Looks good, Russ, the canopy framing and cockpit details are excellent.

  6. Lovely build of a subject that we don't see a lot of. Thanks for posting and sharing your work! Great result and weathering

  7. Great build & excellent results! Welcome back to the hobby! I've only done WW2 armour since starting back up myself, but I hope to see what I can do now with aircraft sooner rather than later.

  8. Nicely done Russ and welcome to iModeler as well as building kits again

  9. Great job, Russ (@rfking). Interior looks really nice, and your paint and finish looks perfect. Well done.

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