1:72 SB2C-5 - interior 3D decals for Academy/Special Hobby kit

The last Helldiver and its second life

The SB2C-5 version closed out Helldiver production. It brought a larger fuel capacity and simplified canopy equipment, but it took only a marginal part in the fighting in the Pacific, because the war ended in the meantime. Its postwar career is more interesting: the machines went to Greece, Italy, France, Portugal and Thailand, and some served into the 1950s. Modelers often choose this type precisely because of the colorful markings of foreign air arms.

Why it pays to skip the brush

The side consoles on this machine are full of small levers, controls and lettered plates. Reproducing such an area by hand in 1:72 scale is more illusion than detail, because the markings simply cannot be painted at that size. Anyone who wants something under the canopy that stands up to a close look has to reach for a printed solution. The set carries the color and the microscopic text in a single layer, and it also does away with the laborious layering of varnish and dry pigment.

• Finished instruments including legible scales
• Side consoles with the controls in relief
• Seat belts do not have to be assembled from photo-etched parts
• The flexible carrier conforms to the shape of the interior walls
• Applied with water onto a painted and degreased surface

Before the actual application it is sensible to try the fit dry, because the interior layout differs slightly between the two kits named. Anyone building a machine in the markings of one of the postwar users will appreciate that the cockpit equipment stays the same on all of them, so the sheet can be used whatever markings are chosen. The package holds the sheet only; the kit has to be bought separately.