David R Lentz, Columbus, Ohio, USA (Saturday, 13 July, 2024; happy birthday, Mother!) Mr. Fearon, I appreciate you for your report. This looks to have been an ambitious project for a small firm to have attempted. Whilst I have considerable interest-U.S. Navy combat aircraft, especially carrier-based, are a high priority; Tamiya’s 1:32-scale kits of the Chance Vought F4U Corsair USN/USMC Fighter series certainly come immediately to mind-this kit has too many problems and difficulties with essential structures and key components that in the aggregate place it rather beyond my capacity (or, at least, my patience) to build. Thank you kindly, sir, for the warning. Maybe they can rework the kit to correct their mistakes, and in a year or so they could issue an appreciably improved kit of 1) the Curtis SB2C-5 Helldiver USN/USMC Dive Bomber, as well as 2) a separate kit building as the Curtis A-25 Shrike USAAF Dive Bomber. This latter iteration also would include alternate parts and call-outs in the instructions booklet that would enable one to build a correct Curtis SB2C-4 Helldiver model, if one wished. The company’s senior management might consider offering those who already had bought the earlier kit that demonstrably failed to assemble adequately a discount on this next release as a demonstration of good faith. As you have seen this SB2C-4 Helldiver kit, and I have a hunch of your appreciably greater expertise and experience in model-building-already have we viewers of your video seen indications that you know not only what the flaws are, but you have the skill to delineate how the company’s kit designers might correct them-I propose that you 1) tell them of my idea (namely, a follow-up kit of an SB2C-5 Helldiver, and a new one of a Curtis A-25 Shrike USAAF Dive Bomber, both with corrections, improvements, instructions notices, etc., that would enable a fairly capable model-builder to build a reasonably accurate SB2C-4 replica), and 2) your recommendations for the corrections you deem necessary. Or if not you, someone whose skills you know.

thank you for the sharing in 2024

Nice upload, thank ya !! I've recently copped the Flyhawk version of HMS AGINCOURT. (Deluxe version & separate wood deck laminate) I love this stuff; get lost in it sometimes !! Add in reference material- ship's monographs/line drawings ? Look out.....8 month long build- easily. Because I will scratch build missing bollards, deck ventilators, ect. Yeah, a mental exam may be in my future !!.... 🚬😎👍

Bravo! Well done! Like Nigel, I also have HPH extras and Resin2detail sets as well. Your video is great and points out pitfalls I was unaware of. I also have the D3A1 with extras and I'm looking forward to building them both.

Excellent job, and very instructive for the average modeller to turn a fundamentally sound model into a better representation of the real thing with some simple improvements. That's a whole lot better advice than to encourage them to dive into a complex project to make everything perfect.

Thank you for sharing your skills and expertise on this project. I have recently purchased the Hasegawa 1/72nd scale kit and the Eduard photo etched kit for this model. Your video is going to be very helpful in my pursuit of completing my model. I hope to find information on the butterfly wing flaps that were unique to the aircraft and are represented in the Eduard photo etched kit. Thank you again for all your information. The idea of the difference in camouflage application never occurred to me, but is very logical. Larry Landis

You can say the same thing about Spitfire models, “why do we need another one?” Different manufacturing techniques and build applications make it interesting and challengeable. On a side note, no manufacturer to my knowledge has the option of the portside sliding glass window on the canopy of the 109. Well maybe one day.

Sweet build!😊 in my experience 'badly warped' was a Revell company moto in the 70s😕... But their deficiencies made me a Monogram kid!

Nice build. Hope your eyesight has recovered from that PE!

Border are a bit notorious for their basic and often inadequate instructions.

That is a beautiful build. About as gracefull an aircraft can look from top or bottom view. My dad flew them from CV 18 Wasp in WW2. Even got to crash one into the water on takeoff! Also was on his way to bomb Japan mid August 1945 when his flight was orderd to jettison thier bombs and return because Japan had surrendered. I have always loved the Helldiver. Suggest you maybe lift it with a hand or two so your viewers can be amazed at the scale. Keep having fun with the awesome work!

I had that kit as a boy…

Maybe Trumpeter can come up with a 1/32 scale version of this kit it would fit in with the rest of my collection

Maybe Trumpeter can come up with a 1/32 scale version of this kit it would fit in with the rest of my collection

As well as being a fellow modeller of far less skill, I have the pleasure of meeting up with this gentleman on an almost weekly basis in persuance of our other shared interest. He is very modest, and will give an honest opinion about the models he is making, as anybody who has read his articles in the [redacted] magazine will vouch for. Nice one, Peter!

Nice build, how'd you stay focused for 6 weeks?

Cool model.

May I ask,why you have painted the P40 in the RAAF colours,and marked it as a USAAF aircraft

Really nice. Your stuff deserves a lot more views.

Top-notch work. 👍👍

A much appreciated walk-through, as I'd heard of these kits, but have never seen one 🤔 . Given what this company are doing with 700th waterline models, it makes me wish Airfix would give their full hull 600th range of ships some love again. (even just adding some finer detail parts sprues &/or fret to them would make a big difference, as would adding a new kit or two to the range [heck; there's no shortage of Japanese 600th kits they could do a rebox deal with])

Thanks Peter, it’s in my stash, great tip about the cockpit masking after market item, I was tentative about cutting my own

This is one of the best reviews I've seen. Does it come with crew as well? Couldn't hear the video, I'll do it later tonight I was working

Is this not the 1/600 scale from Airfix?

This looks like an awesome kit...what you Master Modelers can do is simply incredible with modifications to the engines etc....would you recommend this over the 1/32 Tamiya Zero..I would say I am an Intermediate Modelers thx for any advice...

Great video well presented. Thank you for the honest insight.. I have this and all the extra's to go with it.

Your audio was very distracting, had to turn on cc. Other than that very good build.

I enjoyed building my Helldiver. Having to do a little extra work to build it, is what i like.

The kit sounds as problematic as the real plane.

Thank you for the build review, I appreciate your very informative style. I have this kit in my stash, I have sold most of my 1/48 and 1/32 kits, as I enjoy exclusively 1/72. I've still got ICM's I-16, Gloster Gladiator and the Cr.42 fighter-bomber version. They are great kits, like all newer ICM kits, but for a 1/72 guy there are just so huge. Italeri's 1/72 Cr.42 is really tricky, there's 'no large secure locating slots', unfortunately. I failed two kits, but now managed finishing one in my third attempt. I've got still two of them in my stash, so the suffering is not over yet. Otherwise quite nice kit, but awful vague attachment points for the struts, a nightmare really. ICM will release a 1/32 Hs 123, is it something that you are interested in?

Very nice! I did the old Monogram 48th kit last year, tough but fun project. I actually did the same squadron markings but A/C #201😅

An imposing aircraft to be sure. I recall this was originally offered as a resin kit. She was hated for over speeding while diving and not allowing enough time for aligning the drop. Also the pull out was considered hair raising. Her good qualities were high cruise speed and distance. Although the SBD was no slouch or short legged.

Nice video question for ya sir do you use Microsoft PowerPoint to help make your videos?

Very nice!

Not entirely surprising that the SBD was kitted before the SOB Second Class. It was the superior aircraft. One carrier skipper had to be ordered to acept the Helldiver aboard his ship.

Very nice Peter.

Very nice build Peter.

A beautiful build and very well presented video; nice to see something simple and easy to follow along to.. unlike some really rather overtly cinematic ones on here that lack any narration! I’ve got a couple of older Combrig kits from this era in the stash, both cost me very little; HMS Dreadnought, and Varyag. They won’t be my last; great little things and as you’ve presented, they build up nicely indeed.

Great to see you are still active.

Very nice

Awesome work. 👍

Cool, nice job! As i recall one of my favorite aspects of this kit was the surface detail. Rivet and overlapping sheet metal though probably way out of scale really got my attention when i was a kid. Trying to get one of these now to go with my B-17.

Well done big JPanther and video! Appreciate the kit comparison and showing the AM as like you said, unfortunately the scale is severely ignored! I bought my Academy kit years ago for the sole purpose of building it parked on a modern tri-axle Lowboy as a transport load for a museum, as I am also a truck builder. I believe I have the Aber set, but the tracks are a big concern as I need indiv. link detail under the roadwheels. Those Tamiya bits are as rare as hen's teeth. Thank you for posting, a big help that shows what I don't have to wonder of anymore. Cheers

Looks like an interesting kit to build. You did a great job of it.

As an intermediate modeler and a huge Zero fan I ordered this beauty. 1/24 and only 193+ pieces? Am so excited to build this! Thank you for the video!!

Es un modelo soprendente!!.

Very well presented! Thank you, going to add this to my Christmas list!

thanks for sharing this old kit, but seems with your hability : no so oldfashion today...1/32 ( with 1/24 airfix ) is the "Queen scale" for planes, I like... take care : )

Such a nice job !

Beautifully done!