Vought SB2U Vindicator by ccoyle - Kartonowa Kolekcja - 1/33 - CARD

[ccoyle]

Welcome to the start of another adventure in card modeling! I had to stare at the pile for several days to decide on what to build next, but the SB2U finally won out.

 

From Wikimedia Commons

 

I won't bother with retelling the Vindicator's history, which most of you are probably already familiar with. Interested parties can read about its underwhelming wartime service here. Nevertheless, it was the US Navy's first monoplane, carrier-based dive bomber, and it wasn't a bad-looking airplane, either. It will pair up nicely for display with my completed F4F-4 Wildcat. Plus, it's even kind of ship related, so it deviates less from our forum's task and purpose than some other choices might have.

 

The kit is another Pawel Mistewicz design from Kartonowa Kolekcja, and looks to be every bit as good as Pawel's other excellent designs. Pawel had seriously upped his artwork skills by the time he got around to designing this kit, which depicts an aircraft from Scouting Seventy-Two aboard USS Wasp in February, 1942, operating in the North Atlantic. The squadron flew the Vindicator until June of that year before transitioning onto the Douglas SBD-3.

 

 

 

Lots of excellent diagrams, as usual.

 

 

The back cover has some great photos of the prototype model.

 

 

First cuts have already commenced.

 

 

Now that I've started in on this project, I feel quite good about the selection and am looking forward to hopefully doing this kit justice. As per usual, I have the optional laser-cut frames, molded canopy, and resin wheels.

 

Hope you enjoy following along!

[Egilman]

Actually, there is only one SB2U left in existence... It was recovered from Lake Michigan in 1990, needless to say it was a wreck after 5 decades underwater... After 20 years of restoration it now resides at the National Naval Aviation Museum I believe...

 

They restored what they could, replaced the fabric covering but left the instruments and parts in the condition they were recovered in, after stabilizing them of course...

 

A very interesting airplane....

Edited September 5 by Egilman

[Canute]

These were the Midway torpedo bombers. Very brave men flew them.

[ccoyle]

8 minutes ago, Canute said:

These were the Midway torpedo bombers. Very brave men flew them.

 

Yes, brave, but not torpedo bombers. You're thinking of the various squadrons that flew the Douglas TBD Devastator. SB2Us did fight at Midway, but as land-based dive bombers flown by VMSB-241. The twelve Vindicators operated by VMSB-241 flew three strikes between 4 and 5 June, suffered six aircraft lost and five damaged, and scored no hits. Captain Richard Fleming, one of the SB2U pilots (VMSB-241 was also operating the SBD-2) earned a posthumous Medal of Honor for his actions against IJN Mikuma on 5 June; USS Fleming (DE-32) was named in his honor.

[Dave_E]

I’m aboard for this one! 👍😀

[Canute]

Absolutely correct,Chris. That's what I get for writing anything before my first cup of coffee.  😬

[ccoyle]

Here are the various forward cockpit elements prior to gluing them together . . .

 

 

. . . and afterwards. Instrument panels have been 'glazed' with cellophane tape and optional kit parts.

 

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Awesome subject Chris!  I really need to finish mine.  Looking forward to following along!

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, Landlubber Mike said:

 I really need to finish mine.

 

Goodness, I'd forgotten you had one in progress! I went back and checked it, of course. This one is actually a repaint -- Pawel did an earlier version in pre-war colors. 

[Landlubber Mike]

17 hours ago, ccoyle said:

 

Goodness, I'd forgotten you had one in progress! I went back and checked it, of course. This one is actually a repaint -- Pawel did an earlier version in pre-war colors. 

Yeah, I got stuck trying to scratch build the wing fold mechanism.  I probably have the skills to finish it now so I should just knock it out.

[Dziadeczek]

Is this wood or cardboard?

(The edges are so perfectly cut, sharp and even, that it is difficult to tell the difference...)

[ccoyle]

52 minutes ago, Dziadeczek said:

Is this wood or cardboard?

These are pieces from the laser-cut frames set. The material is called pulp board. It's commonly used for making coasters.

[Dziadeczek]

Thanks.

It probably is called in Polish "płyta pilśniowa" - compressed wood dust...

Edited Monday at 12:17 AM by Dziadeczek

[ccoyle]

Work continues with the aft cockpit . . .

 

 

. . . after which the top deck is added.

 

 

That's all for today!

[ccoyle]

The forward end of the radioman's position is finished. I indulged myself in one easy upgrade here -- the RDF aerial in the kit is just a flat, printed piece, which didn't look right to my eye. I replaced it with a wire loop.

 

[Dave_E]

At least they gave the guy in back seat a stick and pedals. 🙂

[ccoyle]

15 hours ago, Dave_E said:

At least they gave the guy in back seat a stick and pedals.

 

And a ton of electronic gear, an uncomfortable-looking seat, no forward visibility, and a single .30 caliber machine gun in case he had to deal with the business end of a Zero. 😮 

[realworkingsailor]

2 hours ago, ccoyle said:

 

And a ton of electronic gear, an uncomfortable-looking seat, no forward visibility, and a single .30 caliber machine gun in case he had to deal with the business end of a Zero. 😮 

The control stick must have been used by the pilot to whack the navigator across the shins when he got them all lost. 😜

[Canute]

We had a stick, rudder pedals and throttles in the back of the USAF F-4s. USN versions did not, as far as I know and according to a few RIOs I knew. But similar visibility and cramped space as the Vindicator. I could land with crosswinds from the right, since I had a bit of visibility to the left side of the front seat. Formation flying was easy, looking out either side.