1:32 SBD-5

The three-tone blue the Dauntless wore

The Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless flew in 1943 in a finish the US Navy introduced because of two different observers at once. From above the machine was seen against the water, and so it had deep dark blue upper surfaces. From below an opponent looked for it against the sky, so the underside stayed white. Between the two lay an intermediate blue tone on the sides of the fuselage, and the transitions were sprayed softly, with no sharp edge, so that the shape of the fuselage would optically dissolve. The SBD-5 version was given a stronger engine and did most of its work over the Solomon Islands and Rabaul. Practice matched that: machines returning from patrols had the upper blue faded by salt and sun, so two aircraft of one squadron looked different after a few months. A modeler can take this difference as a pretext for shading.

What you will find in the set

The stencils for the cockpit canopy are cut in two sets, separately for the outer and separately for the inner side of the glazing, so the frame comes out equally sharp from both views. Four stencils go with the insignia, the enclosed sheet of decals supplements the small lettering and a pair of turned metal barrels replaces the plastic tubes of the 12.7 mm machine guns above the engine.

How to work with it

A vinyl stencil holds on a smooth and degreased finish, under a sharp fingernail it can be pressed down into the frame and the paint is sprayed in thin coats. With blue camouflage that is precisely the key: two weak mists give a cleaner edge than one heavy one. The set is cut to the Trumpeter kit in this scale; a model of the aircraft itself is not part of the package.