# Progress Build-Merit's 1/18 SBD-3 Dauntless (Coral Sea)



## Phillip1

Fellow Modelers,

I am starting this thread to share the building process of my current model project, Merit’s 1/18 scale SBD-3 Douglas “Dauntless” (famed U.S. Navy WWII dive-bomber). This is a brand new kit from a new model company. I do not believe this model is an up scaled duplicate of Trumpeter’s 1/32 scale SBD-3, but they are similar. I could be wrong, but from what I have read Merit and Trumpeter are two separate companies, although they do have a business relationship with each other. It appears Merit created their own kit design, but then contracted Trumpeter to do the manufacturing and packaging. That is why everything about the kit looks so much like Trumpeter. The kit is based on Merit’s “pre-built/pre-painted” SBD-3 display model that they have been selling for the last couple of years. That display model has many working features (i.e. spring loaded landing gear, moveable canopies/guns/wheels/flaps, etc.). They just transformed the display model into an injection plastic model you can build, that still includes the working features. Getting around the “working features” will create some challenges, but make no mistake-Merit has produced is an excellent plastic model (even for this large scale). This kit is in no way comparable to the 1/18 scale plastic model kits that Pegasus is producing. I bought their Bell X-1 aircraft, and promptly sold it on e-bay because it was a very plain, poorly made “toy”. 
The detail and accuracy of Merit’s SBD-3 (in the box) is incredible, but it is not a perfect kit. As I build it I will highlight the good, the bad and the ugly. I will be as honest as possible, but I am a huge SBD fan, so Merit already has brownie points for making this. The kit is molded in light gray/clear and has about 325 parts. It was packed very well, with multiple mini-boxes to protect the more fragile parts. It includes metal screws (to help attach the main sub-assemblies), metal pins (for the movable connections) and metal hinges (for the movable wing dive flaps). The two main tires are black vinyl plastic. It includes parts for both a single and double .30 caliber machine gun(s) for the radio operator. It does not include any photo-etch parts or seatbelts. The kit includes decal options for two aircraft (listed below):
>SBD-3 of VS-2 (U.S.S. Lexington-May 1942) 
>SBD-4 of VC-22 (U.S.S. Independence-1943)
My goal with this project is to only make minor modifications and additions. I just want to be able to enhance what is provided in the box, and hopefully help any other “Dauntless” fans that may consider building this kit. The main book reference I am using is the excellent SBD Dauntless in detail & scale by Bert Kinzey. Enough small “talk”…let the building begin.

1st Image: The excellent box art is shown.


2nd Image: The kit’s Painting and Marking Guide is shown. This has several errors, but shows the plane I am building. 


3rd through 4th Image: White “12” (S/N 4547) was part of the first batch of SBD-3’s ordered by the U.S. Navy in 1940, and 29th off the assembly line at the El Segundo, CA plant. It was eventually assigned to VS-2 (U.S.S. Lexington) and nominally assigned to Ensign John Leppla. He was awarded the Navy Cross for participating in a bombing raid against Japanese shipping at Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea on March 10, 1942. He was awarded a Gold Star (in lieu of a second Navy Cross) for participating in bombing attacks against a Japanese aircraft carrier at The Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, and shooting down two Japanese “Kate” torpedo bombers while performing CAP duties for his task force on May 8, 1942. During The Battle of the Coral Sea he was credited with shooting down a total of four aircraft, and is considered one of the most aggressive pilots to ever fly a “Dauntless”. After Coral Sea he transferred to VF-10 (U.S.S. Enterprise/CV-6) to fly Grumman F4F-4 “Wildcat” fighters. He was killed in air combat during The Battle of Santa Cruz on October 26, 1942, although he was credited with the destruction of a “Zero” fighter during that mission. The first photo shows the only image of White “12” I have been able to find, and the second shows Ensign Leppla with his Coral Sea rear gunner ARM3c John Liska. 



5th through 8th Image: Did I mention the model is big? Boy is it big. It is about two inches longer in wingspan and fuselage length than Monogram’s 1/48 B-17G kit! Sometimes photos do not communicate how big an object is, so I am showing a few parts beside a ruler and in my “average size” hand.





continued...


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## Phillip1

9th through 10th Image: These images show another perspective on size. The kit parts are set beside a Monogram 1/48 SBD-3 Dauntless (built long before Hasegawa or Accurate Miniatures were options). 



11th Image: The next few photos show some modifications I made to the kit parts. This photo shows the outer wing bomb racks. The parts are accurate in shape, but way too thick (but I will live with the thickness). The improvement I made was to remove the poorly formed bomb sway braces, and electrical connection at the end of the rack. These will be replaced later by thin styrene and small diameter wire. The part on the right is out of the box and the part on the left has been cut. 


12th Image: The rear machine gun support ring was improved by drilling out all of the dimpled holes.


13th Image: The cockpit assembly is a tub design that has complete sidewalls. This is the left sidewall. The equipment layout is very complete and accurate, but unfortunately all of the knobs and levers are molded to the wall. They looked really bad so I cut them off. I used a small piece of thin styrene to cover some damage I did while sawing some of them off.


14th through 15th Image: The pilot’s instrument panel is very well detailed, but does not provide recessed openings for the individual dials (disappointing). I had to drill out several different size holes using the kit decal as a guide. Merit should have included this feature. However, I will say instrument dial decals are outstanding in clarity and accuracy.



continued...


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## Phillip1

16th through 17th Image: A low point of the model is the hinged rear gun doors that can be opened and closed. To include this feature, the fuselage halves have huge slots that are not accurate and look horrible. I used styrene/superglue to fill these gaps. 



My total time to clean up and test fit all of the kit parts was about 30 hours. Until next time…

Phillip1


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## djnick66

Looks nice so far. Oddly your thread here is about the only thing I have seen on the kit.


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## S4Simon

That is a monster of a kit. It's going to be a hefty weight when finished.


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## surfsup

This one is going to be fun to watch and off to a nice start also.....Cheers mark


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## walsing

Very interesting kit! I will enjoy following this build.


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## Phillip1

Fellow Modelers-This post deals with painting and assembling the cockpit.

1st Image: The floor is shown after being painted Zinc Chromate Green. Almost everything in the cockpit of the early war Douglas SBDs was covered with a Zinc Chromate Green coating. The nice floor detail can be seen in this photo.


2nd through 3rd Image: Next, comes weathering and highlighting. I use this same method for every cockpit I build. First, dark gray pastel powder is applied in all the recessed areas. Next, most of the pastel powder is brushed away, leaving only a subtle trace. Finally, Model Master Dark Ghost Gray is dry-brushed on all the raised details and sharp edges.



4th Image: Paint wear in the common foothold areas was created a by dry-brushing Model Master Aluminum with a short bristle brush.


5th through 6th Image: A few more parts are added to the floor. Note the radio operator’s flight control stick was removed from the base and put in its storage position to the side. However, it was common for the radio operator to fly the plane (on long flights) while the pilot concentrated on other tasks.



7th through 8th Image: These photos show the pilot seat bulkhead and radio operator rear bulkhead in place. The rear bulkhead includes a storage tunnel for the radio operator’s machine gun.


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## Phillip1

continued...

9th through 10th Image: The pilot instrument panel is shown, painted and with the decal dials added. The dials had to be cut into individual pieces before being glued into placed. I got a couple of them in the wrong location, but only an extremely hardcore SBD fan would notice (ha!). The kit decals have a high gloss finish, so each dial looks like it has a glass cover, which looks really good.




11th Image: As stated earlier, the kit does not include any provisions for seatbelts. I did not want bare seats, so I decided to make some very simplified seatbelts using parts from a 1/24 scale Waldron Seatbelt Buckle Set and white painted masking tape strips. Before anyone starts throwing stones, I realize what I made is really not accurate, but I wanted a quick solution (within my skill level), and decided I could live with this.


12th Image: The pilot seat and instrument panel are shown after being added to the floor assembly.


13th Image: Here is an overall view of the completed cockpit floor assembly.


Until next time…

Phillip1


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## surfsup

I am loving what I see. This is looking very nice......Cheers mark


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## Phillip1

Fellow Modelers-This post deals with finishing the cockpit tub assembly.

1st Image: The left cockpit sidewall is shown after being painted Zinc Chromate Green. Several of the molded on details (i.e. map case, flair containers, etc.) were masked off and painted the appropriate colors. No weathering or highlighting has been done.


2nd Image: Here is the finished sidewall that now includes weathering, scratch built levers, wiring and the remaining kit parts. The “Dauntless”, like every WWII plane, had a lot of electrical wiring, tubing and hoses running along the fuselage floor and sidewalls. It was not practical to try and add them all, so I tried to represent a few of the more noticeable ones. Note the flair pistol is in its “firing” position towards the rear. Flairs were shot through an opening in the fuselage.


3rd through 4th Image: Two close-up shots of the sidewall.



5th Image: Here is a view of the cockpit after the left sidewall was glued in place. The fit on all the cockpit parts was outstanding.


6th through 8th Image: Three close-up shots of the cockpit.


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## Phillip1

djnick66, S4Simon, surfsup and walsing-thanks for the compliments. They are appreciated.

9th Image: The radio equipment after painting. A few small decals from my spares box were added to improve the looks.


10th Image: The cockpit assembly is shown with the radio equipment and the middle deck section in place.


11th through 12th Image: The cockpit is held at a different angle so the radio equipment is more visible. I know I am showing a lot of cockpit photos, but once it gets buttoned up inside the fuselage it will be more difficult to see the details.



12th image: Work moves to the right sidewall, with the base color having just been applied. Once again you can see the sidewall detail is very accurate.


13th Image: The right sidewall after final painting, weathering and adding some wiring. Two more scratch built levers can be seen. The only items missing are a couple of parts and hoses for the oxygen equipment.


15th through 16th Image: The radio operator’s seat and machine gun support ring are shown. You can see I added the same simple seat belts used earlier. On the real aircraft there was a leather belt, positioned between the back rest and seat (to provide back support), but I did not include this item.


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## Phillip1

17th Image: The finished cockpit tub is shown. 


Until next time… 

Phillip1


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## Sgthawker

Continued awesome work. The detail is amazing!


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## Phillip1

Fellow Modelers-For this post work focuses on the main fuselage assembly.

1st Image: This photo shows the cockpit tub has been put in place and the two fuselage halves glued together. Before this was done I painted the fuselage cockpit lip with the exterior color (Model Master U.S. Navy Blue/Gray). This was done so masking the cockpit would be easier when it is time to do the final exterior painting. The fit between the fuselage halves was very good, and sanding out the seam line was no more difficult than expected.


2nd through 5th Image: Here are several close up photos showing the cockpit tub inside the fuselage. It fit inside the fuselage very well and made a nearly “seamless” connection.





6th Image: Side-view of the front fuselage.


7th Image: Underside-view of the front fuselage. The vertical bar on the bomb displacement assembly was molded to the fuselage halves, but I cut if off (i.e. hole just ahead of where the wing front goes). It was a bad design idea not to have this as a separate piece, since it makes cleanup and painting more difficult.


8th Image: Here is a photo of the lower fuselage showing how well the recessed panel lines matched up when the two halves were put together. The hole beside the identification lights is for a large antenna supplied in the kit, but research confirmed this was not correct so the hole was filled and sanded smooth.


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## Phillip1

continued...

9th Image: This tail section view shows rivet and panel line detail that is typical for the entire model. When I compared the location of the kit’s panel lines/rivets/access panels to drawings in Bert Kinzey’s book, they matched up almost perfectly. 


10th Image: The kit provides two forward firing .50 caliber machine guns that are very basic, but accurate in shape. The machine guns and front fuselage section are shown painted and assembled before being glued in place.


11th Image: The tips of the .50 caliber machine gun barrels extend outside the fuselage. The area under them was painted blue/gray, so it would be easier to mask the barrels during final painting.


12th Image: Here is an extreme close-up of the cockpit, showing how prominent the back of the .50 caliber machine guns (and silver charging handles) are.


13th Image: The aircraft hoist cable is shown in place behind the pilot’s seat. This equipment stayed in the aircraft at all times.


14th Image: The rear gun tunnel doors are shown glued in place (finally). The door pieces, out of the box, were too narrow so styrene was added to correct the width. A good amount of precision sanding and cutting was required to get a good fit between the doors and the opening. Finally, 5-minute epoxy was used to fill any tiny gaps. So far, this has been the worst fitting area of the model and too much work was required to make it look right.


15th Image: Overhead shot of the cockpit-100% complete!


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## Phillip1

continued...

16th through 17th Image: Work moves to the engine. There are no “progress” photos because there wasn’t much to do here. It was built nearly straight from the box (only 29 pieces), with the sole modification being the addition of small diameter wire to connect the ignition ring to the cylinders. Super-detailers will want to do more, but I am happy with the way it looks.



18th Image: The finished engine assembly is glued to the fuselage.


19th Image: The interior of the cowling was painted (Zinc Chromate Green) and glued in place. Having the cowling in place really makes it look like a “Dauntless”! 


Until next time…

Phillip1


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## SteveR

Wow!  Great job!


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## rowdylex

I am loving this build. Your attention to detail and your finishing skills are fantastic.

Great work, :thumbsup: can't wait for more.


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## SteveR

Yes, your weathering of the cockpit is tremendous. Subtle. Professional.


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## Phillip1

Sgthawker/SteveR/rowdylex,

I really appreciate the compliments and letting me know you are following the thread.

On a side note, another modeler posted some good information concerning the Merit/Trumpeter relationship. He said:

_"Merit International has been selling Witty Wings and pre-built models under their label which come from Wasan Plastics, the parent company of many brands including Trumpeter and Hobby Boss. These kits are from Trumpeter's research and development (with assistance from Merit). So, Merit's agreement is with their long time business partner Wasan Plastics who took away several previously announced kits from Trumpeter and Hobby Boss to offer them to Merit."_

Phillip1


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## SteveR

Well, your build makes me want to buy the kit, Phillip! :thumbsup:


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## Sgthawker

Still following this amazing build!


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## Phillip1

Fellow Modelers-For this post work focuses attaching the wing assembly to the fuselage. Before I get into that, I want to comment on a couple of things about the kit. First, the instructions are a little frustrating because there are omissions. A couple of parts used in the cockpit are not called out in the instructions, but are shown in later assembly step illustrations. The instructions list the single .30 caliber machine gun in the parts layout, but do not show how the parts are assembled. Also, two parts were left off the kit. They are the circular top wing lights (one per wing). The top wing parts have recessed holes in the correct location where the lights should be, but no clear lights are provided. I will probably use 5-minute epoxy mixed with a couple of paint drops.

1st Image: Test fitting the three wing parts (one lower and two upper) to the fuselage revealed there were problems with the fit, especially at the front wing roots. After MUCH debate and thought, I decided the easiest assembly sequence was to install the lower wing first, then add the upper wing panels. My reasoning was it would be easier to modify each upper wing panel to fit the lower wing/fuselage assembly, instead of modifying the large, single piece lower wing to fit the upper wing/fuselage assembly. Another modeler may take a totally different approach. The first challenge was trying to get the front of the wing to sit flush against the fuselage. There was about a 1/16” off-set, although I am not sure what caused it. I ended up doing some serious sanding and cutting on lower fuselage before I got the flush fit shown in the photo. As a result of the sanding and cutting to the lower fuselage, I decided to paint the inside of the lower wing observation window flat black. It is not a big deal since it was difficult to see through the window even before it was painted. 


2nd Image: This photo shows the engine oil cooler inside the air scoop. These parts are accurately reproduced.


3rd Image: Once the lower wing was set in the correct position, a substantial amount glue was used to connect it to the fuselage.


4th Image: The kit’s wing and fuselage assembly is based on using a large number of slots, tabs and locator pin connections to join the larger pieces. I believe this is a hold-over from the original display model design, which would have been “snapped” together at the factory. I removed all of these attachment points from the upper wing panels so they could be moved around and repositioned. This photo shows the two upper wing panels. The one on the right has had all of the wing root connecting points removed, and the one on the left is as it appears out of the box. This method allowed me to control two things: 1) lining up the upper/lower wing rivets/panel lines 2) eliminating any offset between the fuselage and wing at the wing-root. Once again, a good bit of sanding/cutting and repeated test fitting was required to get an acceptable fit. 


5th Image: Since the internal supports were removed from the upper wing panels, a ledge was added to each side of the fuselage for the upper wing panels to rest on. I used 1/ 8” X 1/8” styrene strips. The strips were very carefully located to make sure no offset was created.


6th through 8th Image: Finally, both wing top panels are glued in place, the seam lines sanded out and all the small gaps have been filled with 5-minute epoxy (Whew)! The stabilizers were added without any problems. Attaching the wings to the fuselage has been (by far) the most difficult part of this build, and it was definitely not fun to work through. I measured the wing tip height to the ground, on both ends, and there is less than a 1/16” difference. I consider that very impressive for a model that has a 28” wingspan! I credit most of this to the larger parts being very thick plastic. Many modelers do not like working with thick parts, but in this case it prevented warping and made the entire assembly very strong. I still have a long way to go, but believe the most difficult part of the project is behind me (I hope).


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## Phillip1

continued...

9th Image: This photo shows the nice kit detail on the lower wing center section.


10th Image: Here is a close up view of the retractable landing light located under the left wing. It was painted aluminum and put in place before the top wing panel was added. The locating hole near the top of the photo is for the YAGI Antenna (one per wing) and will have to be filled, since this equipment was not used on any SBD-3 aircraft.


11th Image: An elevator is shown being test fitted for attachment later. The kit’s recessed hinge lines do not wrap all the way around the elevators/ailerons/rudder. However, this turned out not to be an issue, as almost all the static SBD photos I have show the elevators and ailerons in a neutral position (i.e. no drooping or angles).


12th Image: This photo shows a vertical part that covers the wing gap in the dive brake flap area. I do not know if this part is accurate, since on the real plane all you see are the individual flap actuators and main connecting rods. I do not plan on adding those details, and all of the dive brakes on my model will be in the closed position.


13th Image: This photo shows two of the five dive brakes with the metal hinges glued into place. Small, thin pieces of styrene were added on the inside to fill the extra spaces between the metal hinges and hinge slots. 


14th Image: An upper dive brake flap is being test fitted. The kit’s metal hinges will be used to attach the dive brakes to the wings.


Until next time…

Phillip1


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## djnick66

Wow looking good.


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## Parts Pit Mike

Wow great job. Hope you have a big display case.


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## Phillip1

Fellow Modelers-This post focuses on exterior painting!

1th Image: The wheel wells, bomb mount and upper center flap were hard to reach areas, so they were masked and painted before the rest of the underside.


2th Image: This photo shows the cockpit all sealed up, using both masking tape and tissue. 


3th Image: Painting the exterior begins with the lower fuselage (Model Master Light Gull Gray-1730). About three costs were applied; with a very soft cloth being rubbed over the area after each coat dried. This photo shows the clean and pristine finish before any weathering. 


4th Image: This photo shows the lower fuselage after weathering. Weathering consisted of applying medium gray pastel powder with a small brush in recesses and panel lines. The excess powder was then brushed away with a soft, thick make-up brush. Finally, a more thinned down mix of the light gull gray was airbrushed where the pastel had been added to make the effect more subtle and realistic.


5th through 8th Image: These photos show how masking tape was applied to establish the demarcation paint line between the lower and upper sections.


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## Phillip1

continued...

9th through 10th Image: If I remember correctly, these two beautiful photos are from the July 1942 issue of LIFE magazine. They are probably some of the best wartime color “Dauntless” images I have ever seen. They are included to show how varied the upper surface blue/gray paint finish can be. Both photos show excessive wear and fading. The finish on my model will not look like this, but I think there is a good bit of artistic license when it comes to early war U.S. Navy carrier aircraft.



11th Image: Applying the U.S. Navy Blue/Gray color begins. The sections with large recesses were covered first.


12th through 13th Image: These photo show the assembly after the third and final coat of paint was added. It is a beautiful and uniform finish…but not for long.



14th Image: The same weathering technique used on the lower surfaces was repeated for the upper surfaces, beginning with pastel powder in the recesses and panel lines.


15th Image: This photo shows the panel lines after brushing some the excess pastel powder away…


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## Phillip1

continued...

16th through 18th Image: …and these photos show how subtle the panel lines are after over-spraying them with a thinned mix of the base color. The final weathering on the upper surfaces was randomly airbrushing a thinned down mix of very light blue (i.e. 10 drops blue/gray to 60 drops white) to represent additional color fading through sun exposure. This was not applied to the sides of the fuselage or rudder.




Until next time…

Phillip1


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## Sgthawker

Dinner and a show! Great looking and helpful tutorial along the way. Thanks for the effort.


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## Parts Pit Mike

Loving this thread.
:thumbsup:


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## Phillip1

djnick66 and Parts Pit Mike-Thanks for the compliments and encouragement. They are appreciated.

Fellow Modelers-This post focuses on decaling and exterior detailing.

1st Image: The three recesses on the outside of each wing are anti-stall slots (nick-named “mail box slots” by ground crews). On the real aircraft the openings go through the wings, although you have to be at an angle to see through them. This must have been a common feature on aircraft of this era, as Grumman’s TBF Avenger had something very similar. On the Avenger they were used to reduce air turbulence across the ailerons. Merit accurately reproduced the slots, but they do not go through wings and I did not open them up. I used dark gray pastel powder to darken the lowest part of the recesses. In the attached photo the inner most slot was painted dark sea blue to match the color of the national insignia decal for the upper wings, since I thought I might have to split the decals open.


2nd Image: The anti-stall slot is shown after being painted.


3rd Image: The kit decals are poor quality. The finish is splotchy, the blue colors on the national insignia are not dark enough and the red circles are not centered inside the stars. I am not going to knock Merit too much for this, since (like many modelers) half the time I do not use kit decals anyway. For my build the national insignia came from a Yellow Wings decal set, and all the numbers/letters came from various AeroMaster and Superscale sheets. The squadron emblem was the only decal used from the kit’s decal sheet. Before any decals were applied I sprayed several light coats of Future polish on the areas where each decal would go. I usually cover the entire model, but this kit is so large and heavy it was easier to only do small sections. I bought the largest wing insignias Yellow Wings offered, but they were still too small by about half an inch. You do the best you can with what you have to work with! One down side to building this kit is there will not (I believe) be many aftermarket detail sets to support it. Eduard said they were not issuing any sets for it, and the only parts I have seen are replacement white metal landing gear. Since the upper wing decal was smaller than I needed, it did not cover the entire anti-stall slot. I had to go back and carefully repaint this area U.S. Navy Blue Gray.


4th through 5th Image: Because the wing insignias decals are too small, I was able to avoid having to locate them into the lower wing slots. As you can see by these two photos, trying to get decals to lay down into the contours would be a nightmare (at least for me). I was more than happy to position the decals near the slots and move on.



6th Image: The middle photo (3) was dated the Fall of 1941 and shows a VS-2 aircraft with a complete side code (“2” for CV2-USS Lexington, “S” scouting assignment and “9” for ninth plane in the squadron). A couple of months after the United States entered WWII the first number of the side code was painted over. This was done to keep the Japanese from determining which American aircraft carriers were participating in a battle by seeing the markings on the planes.


7th Image: Here is an overhead shot after all the decals were added. No dullcote has been applied and the decals have not been weathered.


8th Image: Several thin coats of Testors Dullcote mixed with Model Master Airbrush Thinner (50/50) were sprayed over the decals until the finish matched the rest of the model. Medium gray and dark gray pastel powder was applied to the upper wing decals to tone down the colors and make them look uneven/weather-beaten like the rest of the wing.


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## Phillip1

continued...

9th Image: Only medium gray pastel powder was added to the vertical fuselage decals. 


10th Image: This photo shows the squadron emblem decal. I do not know if these planes actually carried this marking on their aircraft after the blue/gray camouflage scheme was adopted in October 1941, but it looks great and adds a splash of color to the model.


11th Image: Dark gray pastel powder was added after the stack to represent exhaust stains. A Q-tip was used to give it a feathered look. Random paint chipping was added to the wing’s leading edge with Model Master Aluminum paint, using a small pointed brush.


12th Image: Windsor & Newton’s oil based raw umber paint was used to represent oil leaking from the engine. Tiny amounts were dabbed on, and Q-Tips were used to sweep the paint away from the engine.


13th Image: This photo shows the retractable landing light after the liquid mask was pulled away and the edges cleaned up.


14th Image: I used masking tape to represent the crew wing walkways. On model airplanes this size I think using masking tape looks better than a decal or masking off the areas and painting them black. 


15th through 16th Image: After being cut to the correct size the walkways were: laid on a piece of glass, painted flat black, over-sprayed with a weak wash of light gray and finally dry-brushed with Model Master camouflage gray. These steps produced a worn and used appearance.


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## Phillip1

continued...

17th Image: A lot of thick superglue was used to fix the main landing gear into place, since the model is so heavy. The SBD’s main gear is vertical when viewed from the side, but has a noticeable inward slant when viewed from the front.


18th Image: The three, large identification/formation lights on the lower fuselage were made by mixing a few drops of paint with 5-Minute Epoxy.


19th Image: The sway braces for the outer wing bomb mounts were scratch built from Evergreen styrene rod. The vinyl tires were not painted, but medium gray pastel powder was used to discolor them. The small holes in the back of the mount and in the wing are where a piece of small diameter wire will be added to represent an electrical connection.


20th Image: The 1,000lb.bomb and displacement gear are shown painted and glued in place. The bomb was painted Model Master olive drab. For bombing missions a 1,000lb. bomb was the “standard size” carried by SBDs.


21th Image: The arrestor hook, rear landing gear and tow bar are shown in this close-up photo. It was a common practice for carrier aircraft to have black stripes added to their arrestor hooks. This made it easier for the LSO (Landing Signal Officer) to determine if the hook had been deployed before an aircraft landed on the deck.


22nd Image: Overall view of the lower fuselage showing the work in progress.


Until next time…

Phillip1


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## rowdylex

Quite frankly this is one of the most astounding builds have seen in some time. Congrats, this is looking very sweet.


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## S4Simon

Ditto there. This build has been a wonder to follow. The detail that you have put into the build is amazing. And that size... It's a monster.

I'd like to see manufactures of models this size put in a full lighting kit. For the price we pay, it would make a great addition.


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## hal9001

I agree with the others, great job! Now, to find a place to put it......

The decals on the wings couldn't have snuggled down any better! Could you tell us, step by step, just what procedures and products used? That's some really big decals to deal with, which, like I said, look great.

Carl-


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## Phillip1

rowdylex/S4Simon/hal9001-Thanks for the compliments and continued interest.

hal9001-Concerning the decals, all I did was slap them place, brushed on a coat of decal solvent and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning everything had laid down perfectly in place…….HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

Seriously, listed below are the steps I went through:
1. Three, thin coats of Future polish were applied to all of the areas where the decals would go. Heavy, dripping applications are not needed. A benefit in applying thin coats is there is less risk of dust and hair becoming trapped on the model’s surface. The Future was allowed to dry for two days before any decals were added.
2. Nearly every bit of the clear carrier film was cut away from the decals that were used. This included the small outside ring on the national insignias and anything in the middle of the numbers and letters. Before any cutting is done, a new #11 X-acto knife blade was put in service. 
3. Nearly all of the decals used were made by Yellow Wings, Aeromaster or SuperScale. The setting solutions used were Microscale’s Micro Sol and Walthers Solvaset. I have used these products many times before and knew how that would react to each other. I did use one decal from the kit (squadron emblem on the fuselage), so I painted and Future coated some scrape plastic to test them. The testing consisted of applying various amounts of setting solution to a few kit decals until they either laid down like I wanted or were destroyed.
4. A heavy application of Micro Sol was brushed on the model where the decal would go, then the decal was added. Another heavy application of Micro Sol was brushed on top of the decal. The decal was allowed to sit undisturbed for about 15 to 30 minutes. During this time it became soft and flexible.
5. A damp washcloth was used to begin blotting up any excess decal solution and pressing out any wrinkles that formed. Many modelers will not touch the decal after the setting solution is applied, but that is not my policy. I will pick, poke, prod, press and cut on the decal throughout the entire application process. The trick (and it is a hard trick) is to know when the decal has been pushed as far as it is going to go.
6. After a couple of more Micro Sol applications I began using Solvaset. This is a very powerful solution and is capable of damaging most decals if not used with restraint. I applied less of this on the decal, and used less force when pressing down with either a washcloth or my thumb. It should be noted I wore a pair of rubber surgical gloves during this entire process. Human skin has a lot of grease and oil on it. These (combined with body heat) create a very corrosive force that will damage a paint finish (as well as a decal).
7. Probably a total of five or six setting solution applications were added before the decal was left alone to set up for the night. 
8. The next day I used my X-acto knife to cut the decals along all the panel lines. Solvaset was carefully applied in the panel lines to make the new cuts lay down. Any gaps in the decals were painted using thinned down paint and a small, pointed brush.
9. Multiple applications of thinned Dullcote were airbrushed on the decal to get it to match the finish on the rest of the model. In between each coat a very soft cloth was used to gently buff the area. The buffing transformed a hard flat finish to a flat finish with a slight metallic sheen to it.
10. Any microscopic silvering that appeared, due to the Dullcote, was removed by taking a needle point and puncturing the silver area repeatedly. A very small dot of Micro Sol can also be placed over the area.

I spent about eighteen hours over four days applying the decals to this model. That number may get a few raised eyebrows because it is high, but it was what I had to invest to get the results I wanted.

Hopefully some of the information is helpful.

Phillip1


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## hal9001

Phillip1
hal9001-Concerning the decals said:


> Phillip1, I think I like this step a lot better.....HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
> 
> I've never been afraid to use excessive hours on any particular part of a model as long as I get the result I want. Regardless of the "eyebrow raisers"! Some will say, ah, that's good'nuff and leave it at that. But I have the curse of perfectionism, which I mean just that, *a curse*. But, I'm not satisfied until I'm satisfied..... _And that's why it takes my particular butt a long time to build a model._
> 
> I have done many times the efforts you put into your decals, but wanted to know your exact products sequence.
> 
> Thanks for the precise tutorial!
> 
> Keep up the great work and look forward to seeing this puppy put to bed.
> 
> Carl-


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## Phillip1

hal9001-I think you and I have the same curse. There are many areas where my modeling abilities are not what I want them to be and I wind up rebuilding or repainting an assembly (slowly chipping away), until I decide I can live with it. I usually find I am more critical on the model while I am building it, and after it is finished and been in a display cases a few months I am able to be more objective.

Fellow Modelers-I am very close to finishing the model, so this will be the last construction post.

1st Image: The landing gear cover is shown attached. A small diameter support rod was substituted place of the thick kit part. I had to cut off approximately 3/16” of the top of the gear cover to get it to the correct length. The gear cover on a real SBD has a noticeable lean forward when viewed from the side. The kit landing gear came with a molded on brake line, but I did not like it and cut it off. In its place I used small diameter insulated wire that was painted black (not added yet).


2nd Image: A front view of the cowling and engine.


3rd Image: On December 21, 1941 the U.S. Navy adopted the U.S. Army Air Corps practice of painting aircraft rudders with seven red and six white horizontal stripes alternately spaced and of equal size. To include this feature this first thing I did was to paint the entire rudder with five coats of Testors flat white, and set it aside to dry for five days.


4th Image: The second step was to measure the stripe width. After the width was determined, strips of masking tape were cut and carefully placed on the rudder.


5th Image: This photo shows the rudder after the red was applied and the masking tape removed. 


6th Image: After dark gray pastel powder was added to the rudder hinge line recesses, it was glued in place. Dauntless elevators and ailerons were covered with fabric. Sun exposure faded paint on fabric faster than on metal surfaces. To reproduce this I lightened the blue-gray base color by adding a 25% mix of white paint. To simulate even more fading, Model Master camouflage gray was dry-brushed over the raised rib detail. Finally, dark gray pastel powder was used in the hinge recesses for lubricant staining.


7th Image: The interior of the dive brakes was painted Model Master insignia red, even though very little of the interior will be seen.


8th Image: This photo shows all of the lower dive brakes glued into place. Only one dive brake required a little cutting and sanding to fit properly. Just about every other part on the model has been a near perfect fit.


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## Phillip1

continued...

9th Image: The propeller required a good bit masking since it has tri-color tips. I had some good looking propeller logo decals to add, but half of my Dauntless reference photos showed the blades without any markings so I saved some time and left them off.


10th Image: The composite fairing cone that attached to the SBD’s propeller hub was usually painted black, but VS-2 painted theirs red.


11th Image: The radio operator’s .30 caliber machine gun is shown assembled and glued in place. I painted the gun parts Testors flat black, brushed on ground up pencil lead (for a shiny gun metal look) and then dry-brushed the parts with Model Master dark ghost gray. The side and bottom containers were painted Model Master aluminum, then black pastel powder was brushed on them to greatly tone down the finish. The gun-sight at the end of the barrel was made from stretched sprue. The kit gun includes a “flash suppressor” on the end of the barrel. In many photos this is usually seen with a natural metal finish, but I painted it to match the rest of the gun.


12th Image: Work moves to the canopy pieces. The kit parts are outstanding. They are crystal clear, thin and the raised framework is detailed and crisp.


13th Image: The only downer about painting the canopy frames was not having an Eduard’s masking set specifically made for this kit. I used bit and pieces from leftover masking sets and masking tape. This turned out to be a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be, requiring an entire afternoon.


14th Image: Four of the five canopy pieces are shown in this photo. Zinc Chromate Green was applied first (for the interior framing), then the exterior blue-gray was added. Final detailing was added with some dark gray pastel powder and dry-brushing with Model Master dark ghost gray. 


15th Image: Positioning the canopy parts begins. The absolute best thing the Merit’s canopy is that the parts were made to movable like on the real plane. The means some parts are smaller than others so they can be stacked and still have clearance. I was actually able to “snap” the four main pieces in place without having to use any glue, truly an airplane modeler’s dream!

illip1


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## Phillip1

continued...

16th through 17th Image: These two photos show the third and fourth canopy parts after being put in place.



Until next time…

Phillip1


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## Parts Pit Mike

I have run out of positive adjectives...


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## SteveR

Thanks for the detailed decalling instructions, Phillip!


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## Phillip1

Parts Pit Mike and SteveR-Thanks for the compliments.

Fellow Modeler-After a total of 263 construction hours my model is done! Here are a few finished photos of my version of Leppla’s Coral Sea SBD-3. I give Merit’s kit a big thumbs up in all aspects. This is the biggest model airplane kit I have built, and it was a joy all the way through. The only misstep was the wing to fuselage fit. After much reflection, I have decided to throw Merit “under the bus” on this issue. I think the sub-assembly interference was unavoidable by having too many mating pegs, slots and sidewalls that ALL had to line up perfectly. I was as careful as I could be and still wound up doing a lot of cutting. Aside from that, the engineering, fit up and detail was stunning. Probably the single, biggest trick to bringing the model to life is doing a good job with the painting. Anyone who followed this progress build knows I only added small tweaks and upgrades-but nothing major because it wasn’t required. In other words the kit holds well up even under close inspection. I hope it is a big seller that allows Merit/Trumpeter to issue more models in this scale. My honest opinion is that will not happen for the following reasons:
>the size is “too big” for most modelers (and just not very popular)-
>more work is required than with smaller scales-
>there are already some very good SBD-3 models available in smaller scales-
>there are no aftermarket parts to support it-
I sincerely hope this information helps anyone who wants to build this model. Thanks to everyone who followed along and encouraged me. It was greatly appreciated. I will post additional finished photos on another thread.


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## Phillip1

continued...




Until next time...

Phillip1


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## Rob65

Hello again, Phillip Well, I finally got around to trimming and dry fitting my kit and have not had any of the fit issues that you did....hopefully yours was an exception, not the rule. The upper and lower wing pieces line up perfect using the pins, and the wing to fuselage fit is great on mine as well. I am floored at the size of this kit...it's amazing. 

I do seem to have the same issue with the splotchy decals, though. Although the blue seems a little light, I can live with it. I plan on building the later version without the red circles, so that won't be an issue. Did you happen to test any of the decals to see if the blotchiness is permanent, or will come off when soaked? This is what I plan on doing, so keep your fingers crossed lol. 

Thanks again for your wonderful build.

Robert


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## Phillip1

Rob65,

That is great news about the wing to fuselage fit! You will be spared a lot of frustration and wasted time. I believe the "splotchy-ness" of the kit decals will go away after you put setting solution on them. I had the same issue with the squadron emblem decal, but it turned out looking as nice as the YellowWing decals I used. However, I would strongly suggestion "testing" a couple of the kit decals on an old kit to make sure you know what is going to happen. I hope you post photos of your progress build. I think you are going to enjoy this kit. Good luck!

Phillip1


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## walsing

It is beautiful!


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