1:72 Grumman TBM-3 Avenger - Undercarriage Bays Mask (for HobbyBoss Kits)

A torpedo bomber from the General Motors factories

The Avenger was designed by the Grumman firm, but it soon needed capacity for Hellcat fighters, and so production was taken over by the Eastern Aircraft division of the General Motors corporation. From there comes the changed letter in the designation: machines from Grumman carried the abbreviation TBF, those from General Motors TBM. The TBM-3 variant received a more powerful radial engine and a strengthened wing, which carried rockets and a radar pod under the right half. It was the most numerously built version and in the closing stages of the war it did most of the work over the Pacific.

Bays under a substantial wing

On the Avenger the main wheels retract outward into the wing and uncover spaces with prominent internal ribbing. Even in 1:72 scale they are large enough for the dividing edge of the paint to have to be done honestly. A cut from thin material solves it in a few minutes and without quivering edges.

Advice from the workbench

• The inner tone first, then the mask, and the upper shade last.
• Lift the small pieces off the sheet with the point of a scalpel, not with a fingernail.
• The film will manage a slight curve, but do not stretch it over a sharp edge.
• Before taking it off, wait until the surface stops being tacky to the touch.

What attracts modelers to the Avenger is above all the contrast between the substantial fuselage with the bomb bay and the fairly slender tail section. The long landing gear legs with large wheels underline that impression, so a cleanly separated interior is worth a little effort.

The package contains only the self-adhesive cuts in 1:72 scale. Everything else needed to finish the model is obtained separately.