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Monogram 1/48th scale TBD-1 Devastator what-if

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Jeffry Fontaine:
Another long time in the works what-if project that I have been working on for a number of years now. 

I decided to remove the ribbed features from the wing surfaces as a start and that netted me a substantial amount of gray plastic dust by the time I was finished with that.  The end result was a smooth wing surface that I was pleased to see.  While a lot of the surface features disappeared during this there was not that much that could have been done to salvage what features were there.  Same for the wing center section that required filling in the opening where the torpedo was supposed to fit.  The blanking plate provided by the kit was a bit "off" so I used a blanking plate from a second Devastator kit and cut the two into manageable pieces that could then be fitted into the hole and the end result on the outside looks okay while the view from within not so much but it had to be done. 

The sanding effort resulted in the moulded on bomb racks disappearing and I did not feel the least bit of remorse in losing those things as they were just blobs of a raised surface feature without details.  The replacement bomb racks were obtained from an Italeri UH-1D/H and these replacement are about the same size but with much better details than what Monogram had to offer so it was a minor victory. 

The crew compartments were tarted up a bit some some tiny bits and pieces and I wanted to add a complete instrument panel to the bombardier/navigator position since that station had some flight controls available to relieve the pilot on long flights.  I sanded off the instrument cluster, added a small piece from a long-gone Me-110/Bf-110 above the new instrument panel that now had a spot to add in a hand hold for the bombardier when they had to move from that station to the bomb aiming station below the pilot.  A throttle quadrant from that same Me/Bf-110 was added to the left console for the pilot and the bombardier so they have the same feature.  Other bits were added in around the gunner's station and the cockpit coaming surface was modified at the bombardier's station to allow the new instrument panel to fit within and under the coaming. 

The two bombs are from a Tamiya kit, no idea what kit as they were in a pile of parts obtained several years ago.  The replacement propeller has the same problem.  I know it is from a Monogram kit but it too was acquired years ago and aside from it being stock for a B-17 or B-24 it is a mystery as to which kit it is or was from. 





***Edit to add scale and brand to title.  Always the little details that one misses when rushing things.  Such is life. -- jjf

The Rat:
What scale is that? Anything larger than 1/72nd and you would need a belt sander to get the ribs off, and you'd have enough plastic dust to melt down and make a few extra parts!  ;D

Jeffry Fontaine:

--- Quote from: The Rat on February 23, 2022, 08:45:13 AM ---What scale is that? Anything larger than 1/72nd and you would need a belt sander to get the ribs off, and you'd have enough plastic dust to melt down and make a few extra parts!  ;D
--- End quote ---
The one and only 1/48th scale Monogram TBD-1 Devastator kit.  Yeah, it was a major workout with the coarse sandpaper to wear down the ribbing details.  So much plastic dust and the pain and suffering in my wrists and fingers reminded me of how foolish that was for the better part of two weeks by the time I was done with that part of the project.  Still a WIP all of these years later but I had time to do something with it for a couple of nights while waiting for other things so a little work was done and decided I should probably share that for a change. 

Old Wombat:
Nice! :smiley:

Now, how to keep the momentum going?! ;)

Ramba:
That Hamilton Standard propeller is going to look good on the Devastator. The smooth wings came out great.

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