Kit: No. 97-408
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Classic Airframes, P.O. Box 577580, Chicago, IL 60657-7580, phone 773-588-5161
Price: $39.95
Comments: Mixed media, 93 parts (33 injection molded, 31 resin, 27 photoetched, 2 vacuum-formed plastic), decals.
Curtiss' SBC Helldiver played a major role in developing the art of dive bombing for U.S. Navy and Marine flyers in the years preceding World War II. The biplane also led to the development of the SB2C monoplane Helldiver (see the ProModeler review on page 16).
Classic Airframes' Helldiver is a limited-run kit intended for experienced modelers. The injection parts have fine recessed panel lines, but the edges are rough and require time to clean up and fit.
Study the basic 15-step instructions and dry-fit each part to improve the fit. Time spent in cleanup and fitting prevents headaches later. Even so, I needed filler on the joints of the fuselage and lower wing assembly.
The cockpit consists of resin and photoetched parts; even though I assembled it correctly it was still difficult to fit it into the fuselage. I had to trim the resin and photoetched instrument panel to get it in.
There are few alignment pins, so be careful mounting the cockpit floor. I placed a small styrene strip below the photoetched side wall on each fuselage half. Once the strips were installed it was easy to attach the cockpit so it would mount square and level.
Take your time assembling the wing struts so the upper wing is positioned correctly. After cleaning up the main wing supports (Nos. 32 and 33) I glued them to the lower wing and fuselage assembly using the upper wing as a guide for spacing. After it was set I painted the blue gray and light gray early-war color scheme. When the paint was dry I mounted the upper wing and added the fuselage supports.
The landing gear is intricate. I found photos in Squadron/Signal's SBC Helldiver in Action helpful completing this step. Once the gear was set, I built, painted, and installed the engine and small parts.
Classic Airframes' beautifully printed decals include markings for a Marine Helldiver in Samoa early in 1942, and a French machine flown from Martinique in 1940. My sample's decal was defective - the white was missing from the U.S. wing insignias -- so I substituted items from an AeroMaster insignia sheet. All the decals went on fine with a little setting solution.
The vacuum-formed canopy was cloudy, but looked better after a dip in Future floor polish.
The SBC is a handsome addition to my 1/48 scale WWII collection. I spent 50 hours on mine, more than usual because of the fit problems and parts cleanup. Its dimensions agree with my reference, and the finished model looks right.
Classic Airframes' Helldiver is not a kit for beginners, but if you have experience with limited-run multimedia kits, you'll know what to expect.
- Randy Fields