[Military Model] SBD-3 Dauntless 1-2/2006 1/33 (Halinski)

    My next model is SBD-3 Dauntless 1-2/2006 1/33 (Halinski). This is one of the classics by Halinski Publishing during its rose days. It has been one of the top ones in my wish list for a while. I have been hesitant due to its dive brakes. A lot of holes.... A lot. I had thought there might be better ways to handle these holes like drilling or punching. It tuned out that cutting with an art knife would work.



    I checked who had tried the Dauntless for the last 16 years and there have been many. Obviously this has been a famous kit as well as one of the most difficult kits due to its curved pairing (main wings), 'WPS' cowling, dive brakes, multi part assembly for a vertical stabilizer and a large cockpit. I could not estimate how long it would take to complete it but I believe it would be a lot of fun ahead. Please feel free to add your comment or advice or recommendation or whatever, that would help me to finish the Dauntless.


    As a start, a lot of holes are cut out.



        


      


    A half is done now. The other half starts.


     

    I know I am a weirdo in following the instruction.

    The plan is

    1) finishing up the front fuselage (surface)

    2) working on the back section of fuselage (surface and frame)

    3) making a cockpit

    4) assembling the center section of the main wing

    5) putting stabilizers

    6) forming a cowling and engine

    and 7) going back to the remaining section of the main wings.

    We'll see whether it would work.

    Hello Seo,


    This is also my pattern do the annoying things first.

    Demokratie ist alternativlos!


    An opinion without 3.14 is an onion. You'll understand.

    Quote from Seo

    I had thought there might be better ways to handle these holes like drilling or punching. It tuned out that cutting with an art knife would work.

    In einer längst vergessenen Epoche .....

    ... tief unter dem Berg der Hexen und Zwerge ....

    .... wurde einst ein geheimnisvolles Messer geschmiedet, welches selbständig perfekte Löcher schnitt...


    Zuerst bekamen es die Holländer und die Schweizer, um damit Löcher in ihren Käse zu schneiden.

    Aber erst letzte Woche kam ein junger Mann aus Amerika, aus der Bay Area in den Besitz dieses Heiligtums....


    Jetzt ratet mal, wer das war .... :D

    Wanni,


    I love your humor so much.

    Did you study it somewhere? :D


    Seo by the Bay

    Hi Seo,

    Good to see you working on this Halinski diamond. I builded it in 2009-2010 (following the instructions step by step - I know that you have your own ideas on this point :) ).

    Maybe my construction report will help you (among many others on this and other sites) to make your build a success.


    Kind regards,

    J.C.


    JC,


    Thank you very much for your comment.

    Of course I had seen your report and you had done great works. I believe that it would be a great help.


    Through my beginning of a few Halinski's WWII fighters, I had seen that it would be very difficult to build a clean model since Halinski's kits regularly have tight fits. You miss one section and the balance and symmetry of the model fail painstakingly. Especially frames were troublesome and they didn't go well with fits due to thick cardboard cutting. That was when I started experimenting surface first & frame insertion later. After handful of trial and error, the new assembly method seemed working and I could do even cross-sectionally round shaping part. And it also became a great fun to organize my own assembly order even though the new order required modification of frames sometimes.


    Thank you.


    Seo by the Bay

    HEllo Seo,


    very clean work. Parts 38 go much better together with your method.


    You can put a bit of water-based glue on each of the three landing lights, repeating the procedure will give you a transparent and slightly convex "pane" which you can leave as it is or paint accordingly.


     


    As you can see I had much more difficulties with part 38 by following the instructions.


    KInd regards


    Zaphod

    After holding for one and a half year, I decided to continue the Dauntless.

    Halinkski Publishing issued a new model and I though why I shouldn't.


    Here comes the side wall of the cockpit.


      


    I lost a few photos but here are the complete side walls.


      


      

    A Dauntless has two seats for a pilot and a rear gunner.

    The whole cockpit is too big to insert into the fuselage assembly.

    I decided to divide it into 5 sections.



    Works starts for the pilot section. - Section 4


    Flight sticks are connected.


      


    The bottom of the pilot section is done.


        


    Flight sticks are cut.


      


    And the work for a dashboard


    Now the time for putting the assemblies of the cockpit into the fuselage.


    Previously,



    I put Section #1 (rear frame assembly) first.



    and then the top section assembly



        


    And then the pilot section after covering up with the side walls.


      


      

    Checking every fit...


        


        


          


    They all look OK.

    They don't look as an assembly of sectioned parts and the top part are continuous from the front to the back.

    It would be important since I am going to make an open canopy.

    Hello Seo,


    yes, the sectioning was worth it. You got a perfect smooth skin out of it!


    The assembly of the numerous interior details went great too, I especially admired the gunner´s footrests you made from thin wire.


    KInd regards


    Zaphod

    Zaphod


    Thank you so much for your kind encouragement.

    The fit check between the main wing frame assembly and the landing gear bay



    The landing gear bays are glued to the skin of the main wing.


        


    The wing frame is assmebled


      


      

    Hello Seo,


    you´ve got a lot done over the past days.


    I marvelled at your idea of glueing the landing gear bays to the skin of the main wing first. What a perfect result!

    And you managed to fit the wing section to the fuselage without a trace of a gap, imho - one can´t do better with a paper model.


    What will be next - the wings or the rudders?


    Oh, a word viz the dive-breaks: many, many holes (about 600 - the Helldiver has well over 1000)! I am not of the punching set, so I cut them out all individually -even before pasting them together. The result was very satisfactory but the work was very very tedious. I could not do more than 20-30 holes in a row, considering that their edges had to be colored after cutting. So if it is the same with you, you might considering to start the dive breaks well ahead to spread the hole-cutting.



    Kind regards


    Zaphod