LEARNING SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY...
I just figured out that there are two different boxings of this G.W.H. Midway TBD-1. The original kit was first issued in 2012 followed by a Wake Island Devastator under their full name Great Wall Hobby. Everybody was wowed by these new molds and all the super detail but complaints followed regarding the fully extended or “stowed” landing gear on sprue D but no compressed or “dropped undercarriages”. Thus making the model sit way too tall.

Yet the instructions, which have never been updated or corrected, have always shown parts for both sets of gears. But the two shorter parts are not shown on the sprue map or nor were they included in the original 2012 kit releases. Many reviews were based on those kits.

Somewhere around 2016, Midway and Wake Island TBD-1 boxings showed up with altered versions of the original box art featuring the GW.H. logo in the left corner. The good news is a new “A” sprue is included in these boxings and it has the missing compressed left and right oleos along with the same fuselage halves and some different bomb parts. Why GWH didn’t correct the missing fuselage step door covers at the same time is a mystery.

NOT included in these newer boxings are the original sturdy white metal wing fold hinges. Now they are plastic. Also not there is the nice box art poster once included in all Great Wall Hobby boxings. And as far as I can tell, nothing was done to improve the canopy parts.

To sum up, you can’t deny what a superb molding job GWH did right down to the brake lines on both sets of these landing gears.

Well, always nice when a company updates their kits after being told that there is a flaw (or indeed they find out themselves), just like Eduard calling back their original 109's and making corrected molds. Thank you for pointing out that it is indeed corrected in the kits on the market after 2016 Eric (@eb801).

MOVING FORWARD

Getting ready to install the bombsight windows in the closed position but they need a little additional support. I glued some tiny pieced of Evergreen to the inside and trimmed accordingly so doors will sit flush and not fall through. I also added a strip at the rear where the lower wing center section meets the fuselage.

Click on photos to view comments.

Below: here we are with the bombsight doors glued in place. Just needs a little clean up. As you can see, I've been messing around with the engine.

Great progress on the first day of 2021, Eric.
Need to get myself som e of that Evergreen material as well.
I noticed that it can be very helpful in certain circumstances.

Nice progress, Eric @eb801!
I love your reinforcements: they reassure horror-free final stages with the rigidity they provide.
Engine is amazing!
Happy New Year!

Thanks Spiros and Happy New Year to you! I was just kidding when I blogged I'm having fun with this PE wiring harness. I just hope I don't goof it up trying to get that PE wiring to stay put on the cylinder heads. Then I have go back in and paint them individually.

Speaking of Photo Etch...
Almost time to close up the cockpit but here's the point in the instructions where one needs to consider whether or not to install the PE torpedo directional knobs that sit on top of the instrument panel next to the telescopic sight. The darned thing is less than 10 mm wide composed of five miniscule parts that need to be bent and glued. This PE contraption is beyond my skills so I decided to leave it off but I will use PE15 when I add the scope at the end of this build.

It's also time to install the lower center wing piece. After bit more test fitting, I glued some extra very thin shims to ensure a flush fit. This is also the time to paint the rear interior of the torpedo cavity because you can actually see in there after all is said and done. Ask yourself, who's going to look?

Since I am going to build my Devastator with an open canopy parts, I'm going to light tack the closed canopy part in place to protect the cockpit from handling damage as I prepare for the paint shop. For this I always use Microscale's repositionable "Micro Liquid Tape". The lower center wing is now glued in place.
Superb fit.

The shapes are getting there, Eric.
PE can be a nice addition, but if the size is becoming so small, it will likely be troublesome so better to leave it out.