ACCURATE MINIATURES [ MORE REVIEWS ] [ WEBSITE ] [ NEW STORIES ]

In-Box Review
148
SBD-3 Dauntless : Battle at Coral Sea

by: Ralph Emerson M. Dabao [ SHONEN_RED ]

Accurate Miniatures, which are known to have the best OOB kits has done it again with their release of the SBD-3 Dauntless "Battle of Coral Sea". The box contains 6 plastic sprues and 1 clear sprue in a separate box for added protection, a manual, "Battle of Coral Sea May 1942" decals which were flown by Ensign Leppa and gunner ARM-3c Liska, detailed history of the SBD-3 and the crew of USS Lexington during the Battle of Coral Sea.
Weapons :.50 cal (front gun), .30 cal (rear gun), 1000 lb. bomb, 2 100 lb bomb.
Box Dimension: 32.5 L x 19 w x 9.5 h (in cm).
Manual text written in plain english.

 

Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Kit is very accurate down to the smallest detail. No more need for scratchbuilding and PE parts.
- Many option to choose such as positionable dive flaps, open or closed canopy.
- Clear parts have a separate box for added protection
- Detailed historical information
- 2 set of wheels - weighted and round plastic wheels

Cons:
- No pilot figures
- Price is quite high for a base kit
- Seatbelts comes in a decal
- Wheels should look better as rubber not plastic
- Canopy and frame come as one. Masking needed.

 

Plastic Quality and Accuracy
Fit turns out to be excellent and requires less filling and sanding. The plastic quality is quite similar to the Trumpeter molds and removing them should be done with care. A little flashy on the sides of some parts but it really isn't an issue. Minor sanding needed. The panel lines are recessed and downright precise.

 

Painting
The manual indicates the paints needed in FS, Model Master, Humbrol, Gunze (Aqueous and Mr. Color), Polly S and Floquil Classic Military. A total of 11 colors are needed to replicate the kit.

 

Personal Comments
This is a superb kit! I would recommend this to anyone who wanted a superdetailed kit OOB. The only thing you need to scratchbuild is the seat belts for they come in decals and the wheels to be in rubber than plastic. This kit is quite complicated for a novice modeler but if he pulls this out, he can stand among the rest.

This kit is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 2 Thumbs up!

SUMMARY
  FIT:50%
  ACCURACY:95%
  EASE OF CONSTRUCTION:90%
Percentage Rating
95%
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: 3411
  Related Link: Accurate Miniatures Web Site
  PUBLISHED: Feb 04, 2004
  NATIONALITY: United States
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.33%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 90.00%

About Ralph Emerson M. Dabao (shonen_red)
FROM: METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES

I love building models and especially painting the interior and those tiny details. As with models, I do prefer building them out of the box and making it out the best I could. It has been 2 years since I started being serious in my hobby and Armorama has helped me a lot - from simple questions to c...

Copyright ©2021 text by Ralph Emerson M. Dabao [ SHONEN_RED ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.


   
ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT