Last week I got the Monogram Devastator for a club build (rasied panel night). I ordered the Eduards set for it figuring the kit was old and could use some help and the kit was probably a simple one(I haven’t messed around to much with P/E) all I can say is wow that stuff is small… lottsa little parts too, anyone here ever use this kit before? any pointers??? Glad I got till August to figure this stuff out lol.
John
I built that kit 2 years ago and I have 2 in the stash. I would send a picture of it but the wife " shot it down" while cleaning. As a matter of fact, she got 2 more definates and 1 probable…she blamed the kids for that one but ,I wonder… What I can remember there are a couple fit issues, had a problem with the bomb window between the pilots feet. The gunners seat gave me some trouble too. No PE with my kit but it did come with a book by Bert Kinzey. Take your time and test fit everything and youll be fine. Hope this helped and good luck with the club build. Take care…Len
Thanks Len, She’s almost an ace then, The P/E kit is huge and was only $14 bucks so if I daint use it all its not bad. I also found a place called Starfighter decals they make a set for George Gays Devastator I want to order them too when I get to that point.
John
Geeze John! Now you did it…George Gay decals…PE set for 14 bucks…now you got me wantin` to build a Devastator!!LOL
Shoot have that kit in the stash too but would probably do a Yellow Wing version though.[:P]
Probably should get the Eduard PE and the Yellow Wings decal Pre-War Devastators set.
Oh and BTW Trumpeter should be putting out a 1/32 scale Devastator pretty soon.
Sorry Trouble, Now I did it. I just googled George Gay decals and starfighter decals came up they have some nice stuff.Plus I want the kit to be different as Wing_nut (he is in the same club) got the same kit for the contest. This kit is my 1st undertaking of major P/E and for $14 +/- for the kit it comes with alotta little pieces. Where abouts in NJ are are you Trouble? I’m in Central(Piscataway).I was goona do a prewar Yellow wings just for a different look on the shelf but,I have always enjoyed the movie Midway,I know its not very accurate but its a movie lol.
John
John- Im in Southern NJ....Tuckerton area/ Little Egg Harbor. The land of the " Pineys" and NO MODEL CLUBS!!! Tried to start a club with another guy from the forums but it didnt fly. Im glad I have 2 of those kits in the stash so I can do both..a Midway bird and a yellow wing. Good luck with the PE. A tip I learned was to use a hard surface to cut those fiddly little parts off their sprues....I use a piece of glass with paper taped over it to help from sliding and a new heavy blade in my xacto knife. Oh ..I watch Midway whenever its on! Len
It is a classic kit and the extras that you have should make it even better! As you can tell by my AVATAR I am a big fan of this kit! 
Been a fan of that kit ever since it was released and I looked at the diorama tip included in it featuring Shep Paine’s ditched TBD… Raised lines or not (the TBD is a 1930’s design and didn’t have flush rivets or skin panels anyway), it builds into a really great depiction of the Devastator. I seriously doubt that any other manufacturer could cram as much detail into it as Monogram did, and still keep the price under 30.00 (I’ve got two in the War Room stash still, think I paid 26.00 for each one a couple years ago on Ebay)… I’d definately buy another one or three if they showed up at Hobby Lobby again…
Also, I can’t tell your how many copies of the pilot I’ve cast… That’s one of the top 5 figure-poses ever modeled in 1/48th scale and #2 for Monogram. Only the Monogram F-5E pilot tops it, IMNSHO…
I’ve looked at PE sets for it though, and I can’t say if I would bother with it even if I were so inclined. So much of the extra detail is under that “busy” canopy frame that it wouldn’t be worth it to me, except for some stuff in the gunner’s cockpit (I wish Monogram would have included a second .30-cal too), and I don’t care to do folded wings on carrier aircraft. The hinged area on the Monogram gkit does need attention there though, regardless of whether the wings are folded or not… It’s a great candidate for a hangar deck diorama/shadow box though (I love a diorama that forces me to add lighting)…
On the subject of decals, I know everyone wants to do George Gay’s bird, but there’s a set for VT-8’s C.O., Lt Cmdr John Waldron (T-16), out there as well…
Thanks for all the replies guys, I didn’t know that e a set was made for Lt. Cmdr. Waldron guess I’ll have to look into getting another kit lol… Trouble, I’m heading down your way the begining of May camping at Wading Pines,went last August(hadn’t been there since I was a kid) had alotta fun.
John
Ya, I ran across them while “Google-Imaging” for “Monogram TBD-1 Decals”
I built that kit a couple of years ago. Its a good OOB kit, but I did have fit problems with the wings and wing fold (which could use some detail). The kit does give you the option to keep the canopy open, so the PE set should be seen better with the canopy open.
Accurate Miniatures has the plane and at least one boxing of it includes Gay’s mount…for an AM kit it is fairly cheap…
Really? What scale did they do it in?
As a side note, if you are gonna do a Midway TBD, ya gotta get ahold of second .30 to do a twin mount for either Torpedo 6 or Torpedo 8. only Torpedo 3 still had the single mounts at Midway from what I have read.
And if you don’t want to go overboard on your detailing with PE, Tom’s Modelworks makes a nice PE set for USN aircraft that has just enough to dress up the gun mounts, single or twin, and a few other items such as levers a seat belt buckles.
http://www.tomsmodelworks.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=44
This decal sheet from Starfighter has the markings for Ens. Gay’s or LtCdr. Waldron’s TBDs at Midway, although based on a few photos I have seen, I don’t think they got the fuselage star size correct.
http://www.centuryinter.net/midway/Carrier_Squadrons/Torpedo_Eight/t16_4june42.html
i built it oob last year, or maybe two years aog. the decals were absolutely wrecked, but it was an old kit, had the booklet in it. i think it is a fine kit, though my skill level did nothing to emphasize it. i also tried to weather/age it without any knowledge of how to really do it, however it’s presentable imo, even though i’ve still not masked or painted the canopy. i’ve got another in the stash to build properely 
here’s a few shots, like i said, my skill, or lack there of did nothing to enhance this kit, though it is nice.
Ooops—it was the Vindicator that I was thinking about…
John I got the same kit to do for the club GB. As far as I know Yellow Wing decals will be at MosquitoCon again this year so you… I mean we… will be able to some nice markings
Thats cool,thanks Marc.Already saving my pennies for the show.Got my cockpit started.I bought an Eduards P/E Kit for it. First time messing with aftermarket P/E lots of little pieces for the carpet monster lol
John
Were the Devestator and Vindicator from the same lineage?
‘jtrace214’,
You will enjoy this kit. Like ‘Hans von Hammer’ said, Monogram did a fantastic job on the interior. The addition of seat belts is all she really needs.
I have done it in both the Yellow Wing and Intermediate Blue/Light Grey versions and like it in both liveries.
Good luck with your build.
Regards, PWB.