If you have the white box TBM-3D Avenger, DON’T USE THE KIT DECALS !
The blue on the insignias is VERY light, so I found replacements of the same size in my spares. They fractured in water.[banghead] I decided to use the kit insignias, and found out they are oversized.[banghead] The only ones I had were from 2 different sheets, with slightly different blues. [banghead] I then applied the aircraft numbers to the nose. Again, oversized.[banghead]I had to cut them to fit on the cowl & behind it.[banghead]
I had ordered a sheet of Super Scale markings, the only ones I could find. They are OOP.[banghead]The only other ones I could find were for a Taropn(British version), with a different camo.[banghead]
Before I build another one of these (and I will), I’ll get the decals BEFORE I START ![D)]
Oh, well. Here’s what she looks like so far.
I wanted to include a pic of my recent work on this kit that didn’t [censored]me off, so here’s the wheel well with a wash, and before a drybrush. You can see the PE parts on the outside of the wheel, and the round access panels to the front.
I just got that kit yesterday, but it wasn’t the white box version. Now if i can only find time to work on the two that i am working on now i might do that next. But between working nights and the honey do list before i go to work i really dont have much time.
I feel your pain Pix… piss poor decal quality turned my SB2C Helldiver from a somewhat nicely detailed piece of work to a “DOH!!!”
Here’s a link that might help you out with those insignia decals. Think of it as backup! [;)] Wouldn’t have to create backup decals if the quality was acceptable. [:D]
I can live with the insignias being a slightly different blue by convincing myself that they were faded by the Sun. I may do some post shading with a lightened sea blue to the top surfaces. The aircraft numbers are a different story, though. Ideally, they would fit between the leading edge of the wing & the cowl flaps. I’ll look through ALL my decals to see if I have suitable replacements.
I wanted to let people know of the decal problems with this particular issue of the kit. Maybe someone else won’t have to learn the hard way, as I did.
Thanks for the heads up pix, if you can wait I might be able to hunt down the decals
for you.I saw some for the avenger in melbourne last week and I can ask my
brother to pick them up ,however I can’t remember what version they were for
,but they were definately superscale.
Thanks, obiwan ! The decals aren’t sealed yet, so I can probably remove them & repaint, if necessary. This is the TBM3-D version. If you find the decals, let me know the cost & shipping, and I’ll get it right out to you. I was really excited about finishing this kit, until the decals came off the sheet.
Great looking paint job, as usual. Shame about the decals, but that’s why I usually use aftermarket. I have never been overly impressed by AM’s decals or most kit decals for that matter. Hope you work things out.
I had planned to use aftermarket decals, but they are scarce at this point. The ones I ordered from Squadron were gone by the time my order shipped. There are markings for the Tarpon, but I’m not gonna repaint the scheme. I’ll just have to let this one set aside for a while, till I can re-do the markings. I usually don’t let them sit long with the canopies masked.
Thats O.K., obiwan. I appreciate the offer. They are scarce right now, for some reason. Squadron has a couple listed, but no pics or details. With my luck, they’d be for a TBF-1C in Atlantic camo, or ones in overall Sea Blue. An internet search of the Superscale # turned up nothing, and they’re not listed on the decal reference site. Have to put this one away till I can find what I need.
Pix, I have 2 nearly intact Aeromaster sheets. They are #48-291 & 48-292. The AC are mostly TBM-1C’s but there is at least one TBM-3 from VC-88, USS Saginaw Bay. You can view the sheets on Eagle Strikes web site. If any of these would help, I’d be glad to mail you them to you “pro bono”. I’ll never build that many Avengers, but I have this compulsionate buying habit for decal sheets that I “might use some day” and the availability of popular sheets is sadly always limited. If you can use them, I’d rather see them on a great build rather than hiding in one of my shoe boxes full of decals.
My version is 95% finished. didn’t have any problems with the decals, but I backdated mine to a TBF-1 and gave an overall blue/grey scheme, so the lighter decals wouldn’t have been noticed. I’m waiting for decals to finish it, specifically the 8-T-1 markings for torpedo 8, the only markings it had… anybody have any information on where I could find markings for that particular AC, the surviving tbf-1 from Midway?
