The Vindicator arrived from Hawaii today (of all places), anticipating a nice challenging build. A good thing really as it being detailed and not a difficult build. Cracking open the lid we see the typical arrangement that is expected from AM. Well packaged parts in their separate bags., inner lid, decals, PE fret and the instructions sheet. It has been quite awhile from my last AM kit, which is the SBD-3 Dauntless over 10 years ago! The inner lid is quite nice as it shows Capt Fleming's aircraft and is frame worthy to hang on the wall. Typical medium grey styrene plastic, clear sprue which has a closed or open cockpit option,(nice two sets of windows, now I can build the other kit I have that is missing the clear sprue). Unusual to see a 2 bladed prop, just goes to show you how obsolete this plane was in 1942. Midway was the last battle for the Vindicator in US action. Some injector marks in the interior but will be hidden for the most part. Interior is well detailed which also includes PE belts. Will get started on this one next weekend as one project is almost completed. More to follow.

14 attached images. Click to enlarge.

I always saw the Vindicator as a transitional aircraft, one more suited for the peaceful Yellow Wings time frame. Like some of its contemporaries- Hurricane, for instance- the airframes fuselage and/or wings covering is part metal, part fabric. Like F4u outer wing panels.

The issue I always heard cited for the kit was the rear fuselage, on some kit issues the area of the transition between the metal front fuselage to fabric covered rear had sink marks in it, due to the interior detail sinking it in. I've got two, a -1, and a -3. The earlier -1 it is more pronounced than the later -3. Accurate Min made an effort to make a fix. It wasn't all that bad, anyhow. IMHO, putty, sanding, done. Like the Monogram ME-110G.

I always thought the Marines at Midway displayed great courage to go out in aircraft that were essentially obsolescent, because it was all they had, and their country needed that.

Like the Devastator crews and everyone else in the air and on the ground and afloat.

Falcon makes a vacuform Vindicator canopy that's a lot easier to use. You have to buy one of their US Navy sets with other canopies to get it, but it's worth the cost. You can pose things open a whole lot easier.

Bernard: True along with the Devastator. Both break through aircraft in the 30's. But obsolete by the late 30's. Also the note about some of the early Revell Me-110G fuselage issues were along the lines that the Vindicator were having. The -3 in the kit looks fine. I do have the -2 kit and will check for that problem and see how pronounced it is.

Good decision Chuck. I may have a spare set of canopy glass from an aborted build WAY back when. I will check and let you know. You will have to sand them down for them to stack correctly.

Don't we all, Greg? LOL!

Nice work my friend ! It's amazing to see just how much of an improvement the PE parts make... The instrument panel and life raft really looks good.

Thanks Louis, off to a great start. Forgot how detail the interior is on the AM kits, also how fragile the parts are as they quite thin and pretty close to scale. And fiddly as well, but the they go where they are supposed to during the construction.