# Just Got Merit's 1/18 SBD-3 Dauntless!



## Phillip1

Fellow Modelers,

I found out about Merit’s 1/18 scale Douglas Dauntless SBD-3/4 a couple of weeks ago and had to have it. Being a big “Battle of the Coral Sea/Midway” geek, this is a dream come true. I got mine from Spruebrothers for $138.99 (and that included shipping)! Merit and Trumpeter (both from China) have some relationship with each other, but I am not sure what it is. I do not think this model is a duplicate, upscale of Trumpeter’s 1/32 scale SBD kit, like Trumpeter did with Tamiya’s Swordfish. In my opinion the parts and details look great. The finished length is 21.75” and the wingspan is 27.6875”. To give you an idea of how big this is, those dimensions are two inches bigger (in both directions) than Monogram’s 1/48 B-17G! 

On the down side the kit does not include any seatbelts, the national insignia decals are poor and there are limited painting details in the instructions, but these are minor points to me. I believe all the cockpit will need is some wiring, placecards and a few small details. The kit has about 270 parts and features moveable canopy and landing gear. It also includes parts for either a single or twin .30 cal. rear seat machines guns. 

There are some small metal parts and screws for assembly, but no photo-etched parts. I am really excited about this kit! Below are photos I found on a couple of other websites showing box art, sprue details and instruction sheet pages. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Phillip1


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## Phillip1

More photos of Merit's 1/18 SBD...


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## djnick66

Looks cool. Not a bad deal for the price at all. 

Merit Int'l is an importer/wholesaler, sort of like Steven's International or Great Planes. 

It seems they have worked out a deal with the company that makes Trumpeter and Hobby Boss kits to market some of those products in Merit boxings. The Dauntless had been listed before as a Hobby Boss product. Likewise, some of the other Merit projects were Trumpeter listings. I do not know if they will be sold under the Merit name worldwide or not. Its about like a Hasegawa or ICM kit in a Revell Germany box.


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## surfsup

Looks like I may have to get one also. Looking very nice indeed.....Cheers mark


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## Phillip1

djnick66,

Thanks for the background story. So this kit has been designed/engineered by Hobby Boss? I do not have any of their kits, but I have heard they are high quality. Is this true? If so, that would be a good reflection for the SBD.

Thanks

Phillip1


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## iamweasel

That looks like it could be a real beauty of a kit when finished.


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## djnick66

Hobby Boss is an intersting company. They have earned the nicknames Hobby Boo Boo and Copy Boss because a lot of their kits are Chicom copies of other existing plastic or resin kits, or are just screwed up messes. Take their brand new F-80 Shooting Star in 1/48. What a long awaited kit... and its a MESS. While nicely detailed the outline and proportions are FUBAR and un-fixable. Their new 1/72 P-38 Lightning kits omit the prominent fusilage boom scoops ?!?! Yet, their new 1/32 P-61 is generally very well done and is a good kit. A lot of their armor kits are rather well done too. You almost have to weed through their catalogue one kit at a time to separate the good kits from the bad. 

The big Dauntless seems to be pretty nice, yet for a kit of this size, an awful lot of detail is simply molded in place. Detailing is also a bit soft, like the engine cylinders. It has been said that a lot of this kit seems to have been pantographed up from the 1/48 Accurate Miniatures kit. That would explain a lot...


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## John P

Damn, I just bought that F-80.


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## djnick66

http://s362974870.onlinehome.us/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=265916&st=0

Four page discussion on the Hobby Boo Boo F-80... errors in the intakes, tail plane positioning, tanks, cockpit opening, canopy, cockpit interior, tail cone cross section, fuselage cross section. But at least the decals are nice.


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## John P

Oh well. :lol:


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## spindrift

I think this is a prebuilt prefinished plane sold in KIT form- explains alot on detailing??


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## djnick66

Actually it is not an existing pre built sold in kit form. But, Hobby Boo Boo does sell some of their kits as pre builts so you may see that in the future. It is actually pretty complex and more complex than, say, the old 21st Century 1/18 pre builts. Those were screw and snap together toymodels. This one is a cut above those for sure, but not in the same ball park as say the new Tamiya 1/32 Corsair or Mustang.


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## Phillip1

John P-Sorry about the Hobby Boss F-80. I know nothing about the plane or kit, but it sounds like a tough haul to correct.

I believe Merit does offer a couple of 1/18 scale SBD prebuilt/painted displays (with both Coral Sea and Midway markings), but I can tell you from what my eyeballs see this kit is not an unassembled toy. It is a plastic model kit that is better in quality than Monogram/Revell (IMHO), but not as good as Tamiya/Hasegawa. The few metal screws in the kit are covered up by other parts (like Italeri's PT-109 kit). Below are a couple of "interior" photos I found on the internet showing what a good paint job can do.

Thanks

Phillip1


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## nfafan

Is this not the kit version of one of those sold at Bad Cat Aviation as a 1/18th pre-paint?

badcattoys.com/mejsi1plmoai.html


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## djnick66

Sort of the Chicken vs the Egg story here... I think the kit came out first and now Merit sells it as a pre built. Not uncommon these days. Trumpeter and Dragon do it all the time. Usually the pre built is a bit simpler than the glue together kit. They do not usually share 100% of the same parts as the pre builts are designed to be built and painted quickly at the factory.


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## nfafan

djnick66 said:


> Sort of the Chicken vs the Egg story here... I think the kit came out first and now Merit sells it as a pre built. Not uncommon these days. Trumpeter and Dragon do it all the time. Usually the pre built is a bit simpler than the glue together kit. They do not usually share 100% of the same parts as the pre builts are designed to be built and painted quickly at the factory.


OK, I assume then this is molded in "normal" plastics, as opposed to the child-proof plastic - ABS? - that my 21stCentury 1/18th pre-paints are molded in...

This is a great scale for those with aging eyes or detailists or fans of a specific plane. Would love to have a 1/18th JU88 or B17 or Brewster Buffalo...


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## djnick66

Ive never heard it was not molded in styrene, but ABS is not difficult to glue unless you use cheap or crappy glues. Most quality cements like Tamiya Extra Thin, Pro Weld, etc work in ABS. Also Tamiya now makes a dedicated ABS Cement. There is an IPS/Weld On glue for ABS as well.


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## btbrush

And, if I'm not preaching to the choir, be sure to paint the wheels before attaching the vinyl tires. Some vinyls can melt styrene. Found out the hard way while designing ERTL's Tigercat.


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