Fellow Modelers,
Below are photos of Trumpeter’s 1/32 scale TBF-1 Grumman Avenger WW2 Torpedo Bomber built in 2011. The Trumpeter kit is excellent and very well engineered. It is a complex kit to build, but not a difficult kit to build. This model was converted from a TBF-1C to an early production TBF-1 which required the following:
-Re-locating the middle fuselage windows
-Adding a “gun trough” on the right side fuselage behind the engine cowling for the .30 caliber gun
-Scratch building a second cockpit behind the pilot section, including basic flight controls
-Removing all panel lines, holes and rivets of the .50 caliber guns in the wings
Other added details include photo-etched seatbelt details, stretched sprue levers and landing gear brake lines. One modification not added was the small, sloped canopy fairing between the turret and main canopy section. I believe the only way to do this is by vac-forming a clear piece over the turret, and then doing some serious cutting and shaping.
The model carries the markings of “8-T-1” (Bureau Number 00380), which was the first Avenger delivered to the U.S. Navy and the sole survivor from the VT-8 (U.S.S. Hornet CV-8) land-based attachment of six airplanes stationed on Midway Island. I included the red and white rudder stripes and red circles on the star insignia, which is the scheme the airplane had from late March to mid-May 1942. By the time the Battle of Midway took place (June 4th-6th), the rudder stripes had been painted blue and the red circles painted white. The only other marking change was that the fuselage star insignia size was increased. “8-T-1” was heavily damaged while making an attack against the Japanese fleet on the morning of June 4, 1942, but made it back to Midway Island-landing with just one main landing gear down. The pilot who flew the plane at Midway was Ens. Albert Earnest. His crew was RM3/c Harry Ferrier (radioman/tunnel gunner) and SEA1/c Jay Manning (turret gunner). Manning was killed and the other two wounded. A post battle inspection showed the airplane had been hit by at least sixty-four 7.7mm bullets and nine 20mm cannon shells. After being sent to Grumman for evaluation it was scrapped due to the extensive damage. Ens. Earnest was awarded two Navy Crosses at Midway. One for his determined attack against the Japanese fleet, and the other for bringing his aircraft back intact for post combat evaluation. Ironically when Earnest returned to Midway, he was twice waved off from landing because it was thought his one wheel landing might block other planes from the landing strip. He was ordered by radio to go to a higher altitude and bailout, but his radio was damaged and he never heard that order. He later said he would not have done that anyway. Several photos of “8-T-1” before and after The Battle of Midway are also included below. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Phillip1
Philip,
Awesome build I love the subtle shading you did with this one. Looks like you added some switches in the 'pit. Thanks for sharing.
[Y] Nice job grest pics .Ron
Superb build—looks like an up-spcaled version of the incredible AM quarter-scale kit…Trump looks like they got it right…would like to see more pics of the pit…
Wow. Just a terrific job. I really like the subtle weathering.
Well done!
Mark
I finished a book a few months ago that mentions this plane and it’s pilot in detail. A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron 8. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of the pilot, but he was pretty rattled. One of those rounds cut the coms to the guys in back, he had no rudder control and had to trim his way back to Midway, by himself alone over the ocean. He dodged Zekes by jumping in and out of clouds all the while thinking both guys in back were dead. Flat out miracle he survived at all. The book has some pretty eerie shots of the the Avenger after it landed, holes in everything, tarp over the gunner’s turret. The plane was shipped back to Grumman to determine how it kept flying with all those holes in it.
“A post battle inspection showed the airplane had been hit by at least sixty-four 7.7mm bullets and nine 20mm cannon shells.” [:O] Good grief how is that even possible? Great build with lots of custom features. I have always thought the Avenger was a rather “blunt” aircraft but sturdy.
Excellent build [Y]. Thanks for sharing.
Regards, Rick
Just like James Muri’s B-26 torpedo bomber, 40-1391, after coming back to Midway. The crew quit counting the holes after reaching 500. They kept the aircraft skin with the name “Susi Q”.
Thanks to everyone for the compliments on my Avenger. They are greatly appreciated! Per the request above a few “construction” photos showing some more cockpit details are included.
Thanks
Phillip1
Perfect timing! Last night I just watched the movie “Wing and a Prayer”. I copied and pasted the Netflix info below. Lots of shots of Avengers taking off and landing, the rear gunner in the turret, etc. The freaky think was when the “Zeroes” attacked - they looked suspiciously like F4F Wildcats with red meatballs on them! I guess in 1944 there weren’t a lot of Zeroes available for use in movie making. I enjoyed the movie!
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Our best guess for John:
3.1 stars
Average of 11,269 ratings:
3.4 stars
Wing and a Prayer
1944 NR 97 minutes
Don Ameche is the flight commander on a Navy aircraft carrier in the South Pacific in the days following Pearl Harbor and leading up to the battle of Midway. Actual combat footage is blended with expert re-creations as veteran action director Henry Hathaway keeps the thrills coming and loads the film with a plethora of familiar faces: Dana Andrews, Charles Bickford and Richard Jaeckel. Jerome Cady’s original screenplay was Oscar-nominated.
Philip,
Very nicely done on the subtle weathering and I like your choice of subject.
Not enough people know the Bert Earnest story. It is a good one.
Outstanding is the only word which describes your model. Thanks for sharing.
A beauty. I’ve always liked the early war paint scheme. Nice job on the pannels.
I don’t usually get excited about blue birds, but this is some beautiful work - [Y]
