Plastic model of the Douglas TBD-1A Devastator torpedo bomber

The plastic model of the American Douglas TBD-1A Devastator torpedo bomber visible in the pictures was glued together from the Lion Roar kit in 1:48 scale and supplemented with additional photo-etched plates. The cart on which the model is standing was made from scratch by a modeller.

The basic, mass-produced version (TBD-1) of this aircraft was a bomber with a retractable wheel landing gear adapted for take-offs from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

In 1939, one of the series-produced aircraft was rebuilt into a seaplane. The only change was the replacement of the wheeled landing gear with floats. The length of float was 7 m. The pilots rated the aircraft positively, although due to the attached floats, its performance slightly decreased.

After the tests, the US Navy lost interest in further development of the seaplane. The modified machine was later used to test torpedoes and elements of mass-produced TBD-1 bombers, and was decommissioned in 1943.

Sources:

• https://www.armedconflicts.com/Douglas-TBD-1A-Devastator-t82239

5 Feb. 2023

Modeller: Artur Stańczyk

Photographer: Ender

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