1:48 TBD-1 Devastator 3D-Printed & coloured Interior on decal paper (GWH) (with 3D-printed resin parts)

Three stations under one long canopy

The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator was a modern machine for its day: a carrier monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and a folding wing, which the US Navy introduced in 1937. Behind the pilot sat the navigator and behind him the radio operator who doubled as gunner, all under one elongated glazing. In June 1942 the torpedo squadrons sent this type into the attack for the last time, and the losses were devastating.

The long glazing is both a gift and an obligation for the modeler. You can see inside along its whole length and the finished model will give away every unfinished bulkhead. Hand-painted plastic runs up against depth here: a fine brush can imitate the color but not the shadow under the rim of an instrument or the edge of a frame. The printed layer has a thickness of its own, so the shadow appears by itself and the interior gains optical depth.

The set covers all three stations, that is, the pilot's panel, the navigator's position and the rear part with its equipment. Bulky elements that a flat surface cannot carry come as resin prints to be glued on and painted separately. The layout matches the parts of the Great Wall Hobby kit.

A practical note on the order of work: the seats and belts go in only after the walls have been glued in place, otherwise they block access to the floor of the cockpit. The motif is transferred one piece at a time, with a short pause to dry, so that the neighboring section is not lifted by the touch of the brush. The work takes place before the fuselage is closed up; after that you will no longer reach the bulkheads. The aircraft model is not part of the delivery.