Accurate Miniatures/Italeri SBD-5
Salute, gents!
Hope you are all doing fine. Lockdown still in effect here but that actually slowed down my builds. Been working on this one since march, the venerable Accurate Miniatures SBD, boxed by Italeri.
First off, it is great that other companies are still making these, because they are truly great kits, very detailed with great surface features. The only thing missing in this regard are the rivets, which are prominent on the SBD - so out came the riveter to add a bit of interest to the airframe.
The cockpit is very busy with detail, specially the gunner's station. Unfortunately, almost all of it is hidden beneath the radar console shelf - flight controls, radio deck etc. Still, it is good to know it is all there.
Italeri resorted to simply replicating the assembly diagrama from AM's original instructions and omitting the (rather extensive) text, which is certainly not enough to assure a good assembly. These kits are very detailed and there is a reason why AM's instructions were so, well, detailed: you must obey them, trust me. If you have one of these Italeri boxings, make sure you download the original instructions and follow them to the letter, it will save you a lot of unpleasentness.
My kit had a warped lower wing that I thought would straighten out during assembly - it didn't. There's a noticeable different dihedral between left and right wing, but it was too late to solve, so I left it at that. Flaps were also a little warped, but easier to correct. For such delicate parts, they fitted surprisingly well. All flying surfaces are very thin and scale looking,by the way.
Various different paints were used, and it was the first time I used a “hot” type lacquer for the sea blue, a locally made paint which is a breeze to airbrush, nice stuff. Other than an oil wash, I kept the weathering light - at some point, I just wanted it finished!
And that's that. As always, all feedback is welcome.
Cheers!
This is truly great result, Thiago.
I like the locally made paint a lot.
The subtle weathering is excellent too.
Thanks for the tip to follow the original AM instructions
Thank you, Spiros! I was beginning the switch to acrylics, but this paint had me second guessing this decision. I even - finally! - rigged my paint booth to a proper duct directed out the window. This stuff sprays so controlled that making layers is very easy.
That's a lovely version of this great kit! I'm currently working on one, and it's a fun build. Yours is an inspiration to keep going - thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot, Tim! Carry on and make sure you post yours when it’s done!
There's no arguing with the fact this kit and the Avenger are two of the best kits ever released in 1/48. Neither has ever had a resin correction set issued.
Great work on this and a super result. Hard to spot the dihedral difference. Most people looking at it never will.
A big "like"
Thanks, Mr. Cleaver! I have the Avenger on the stash, a full ocean blue version involved in the sinking of a specific japanese warship, can’t recall its name right now. Bought it cheap from a vendor’s table in a model show, with Eduard PE included but missing the torpedo. I don’t think I’ll be using the PE parts...certainly not the instrument panel, since AM’s part is much more “3D” and rich looking. The amount of detail in that kit is even greater than in the SBD, which, if one is familiar with the both kits, is A LOT. Thanks again!
Great build, Thiago.
There is still some part of the cockpit visible and that looks very nice.
You performed a very nice paint job.
Thanks a lot, John! I forgot to mention on the post, but the seatbelts are from the decal sheet, applied to wine bottle foil and trimmed - 100% OOB! This kit calls for nothing else but seatbelts!
Nicely done! Looks great.
Thanks, Robert!
You have really brought out the best in this Italeri/Accurate Miniatures Dauntless, Thiago (@tcpacheco). I just watched the newest Midway movie, which moved my SBDs farther up the build list. Well done.
Thanks a lot, George! Watching the movie had me itching to build the Midway version, but I couldn’t source it. I also remember all the buzz when these kits were first released, and it took a while, but finally there’s one of them in the display case.
This kit is also available from Academy, at a ridiculously reasonable price (~$30 usd), and in a number of variants or (well printed) decal options. I've only ever built the Hasegawa, and have another in the stash.. still I feel compelled to pick up one of these AM kits. You've done an excellent job with it. It's nice to see a late model Dauntless. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve come across the Academy boxing, but it was way more expensive at the time, so I opted for the Italeri - even though I really wanted the -3 version. It was still worth it. Thanks a lot, Andrew!
Great result. I only noticed the dihedral because you mentioned it.
Thank you, Haslam!
Very nice build of this iconic dive bomber! Looks great.
Thanks a lot, Greg!
I built the Academy boxing recently (and posted on iModeler) and was astounded at the quality of the detail and fit, with only a couple of tricky parts (like the flaps).
I'd love to build another in a tri-colour scheme like you've done so well.
Liked!
I’ll make sure to check yours out. This kit is impressive and it was in my “wish list” ever since it was released - the AM advertising and very favorable reviews done their job! Thank you very much, Michael!