Fellow Modelers,
Below are photos of Trumpeter 1/18 scale Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless WW2 U.S. Navy Dive Bomber built in 2014. This is a HUGE model (27.6875” wingspan and 21.75” fuselage length)! Modifications to the kit included adding scratch-built parts and wiring details to the cockpit. Yellow Wings decals were used for the national insignia, and Superscale decals were used for all the numbers/letters. A couple of photos are included so the model’s large size can be better appreciated, with one showing Monogram’s 1/48 scale Dauntless next to Merit’s basic frame parts. I chose to model the SBD (Bureau Number 4547) flown by Ensign John Leppla during The Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-May 8, 1942). A history of this aircraft is below.
Bureau Number 4547 (White 12) was part of the first batch of SBD-3’s ordered by the U.S. Navy in 1940, and 29th off the assembly line at the El Segundo, CA plant. It was eventually assigned to VS-2 (U.S.S. Lexington) and nominally assigned to Ensign John Leppla. He was awarded the Navy Cross for participating in a bombing raid against Japanese shipping at Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea on March 10, 1942. He was awarded a Gold Star (in lieu of a second Navy Cross) for participating in bombing attacks against a Japanese aircraft carrier at The Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, and shooting down two Japanese “Kate” torpedo bombers while performing CAP duties for his task force on May 8, 1942. During The Battle of the Coral Sea he was credited with shooting down a total of four aircraft, and is considered one of the most aggressive pilots to ever fly a “Dauntless”. After Coral Sea he transferred to VF-10 (U.S.S. Enterprise/CV-6) to fly Grumman F4F-4 “Wildcat” fighters. He was killed in air combat during The Battle of Santa Cruz on October 26, 1942, although he was credited with the destruction of a “Zero” fighter during that mission. The last two photos show the only image of the actual aircraft I have been and to find, and of Ensign Leppla with his Coral Sea rear gunner ARM3c John Liska dated July 1942. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Phillip1
Bob