The Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber became a mainstay of the Navy's air fleet in the Pacific, with the lowest loss ratio of any U.S. carrier-based aircraft. Douglas delivered a total of 5,936 SBD/A-24s between 1940 and the end of production in July 1944. The SBD Dauntless featured "Swiss cheese" flaps — dive brakes punched with 3-inch holes — so that it could achieve pinpoint accuracy by diving to the target, dropping the bomb and then pulling out of the near-vertical dive. In addition to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Army Air Forces, the Dauntless served forces in New Zealand and Mexico. The first enemy ship sunk by the U.S. Navy in World War II is credited to a Dauntless from the USS Enterprise. The diving Dauntless went on to destroy 18 enemy warships, including a battleship and six carriers. The SBD-3, which appeared in March 1941, had O5Os in the cowling. Self-sealing tanks were introduced, as well as protective armor, and the engine was the 1,000 hp R-1820-52.
Please see the paint guide below for Trumpeter’s suggested colors.
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Product Details:
Scale: 1/32
Parts: 257
Length: 12.2”
Wingspan: 15.6”
- Painting and assembly required
- Photo-etched parts
- 16 sprues
- Clear parts
- Film instrument panel
- Decals
- Includes instructions
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Paint Guides:
1. 2-S-12 SBD-3, US-2 USS Lexington, May 1942, early
Light Grey
Silver
Flat Black
Clear Green
Clear Red
Insignia Red
Olive Drab
Zinc Chromate
Metal Black
Orange
Red
Steel
Burnt Iron
Grey
Red Brown
Khaki
Blue Grey
Tire Black
2. S-12 SBD-3, US-2 USS Lexington, May 1942, late
Light Grey
Silver
Flat Black
Clear Green
Clear Red
Insignia Red
Olive Drab
Zinc Chromate
Metal Black
Orange
Red
Steel
Burnt Iron
Grey
Red Brown
Khaki
Blue Grey
Tire Black
3. 22-C-13, SBD-4, UC-22, USS Independence, 1943
Light Grey
Silver
Flat Black
Clear Green
Clear Red
Insignia Red
Olive Drab
Zinc Chromate
Metal Black
Orange
Red
Steel
Burnt Iron
Grey
Red Brown
Khaki
Navy Blue
Intermediate Blue
Tire Black
4. 41-15755, A-24A, US Army
Light Grey
Silver
Flat Black
Clear Green
Clear Red
Insignia Red
Olive Drab
Zinc Chromate
Metal Black
Orange
Red
Steel
Burnt Iron
Grey
Red Brown
Khaki
Neutral Grey
Tire Black
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