Item: Douglas TBD-1 Devastator
Scale: 1/144
Medium: Resin
Manufacturer: Aki
Vendor: Model Factory Hiro link
Price: a little over $20 USD given the exchange rate at the time
General Impressions: Very nice, very detailed kit. Although this is a resin kit, it looks like a plastic model kit. It comes in a box with an instruction sheet, a sheet of decals (pre-war and Battle of Coral Sea), a clear canopy, and two parts sprues. The kit required very little in the way of clean up and prep. Seam lines were minimal and there were no air pockets. The wing had broken off of the sprue and a bit of the wing tip was left on the sprue. This required a little reconstruction. The kit does not contain ordnance or crew figures. Assembly was easy with the parts fitting together very nicely. As a commission, I assembled and painted eight of these Devastator kits to represent those in Torpedo 8, at the Battle of Midway.
Pros: Very detailed model. Parts went together easily. Decals and clear parts included. Lovely kit that makes a beautiful display model. I especially like that the canopy frame is cast separate from the canopy.
Cons: The following cons are based on using the kit to make gaming pieces for war games and should not be construed as criticism of the very nice model kit. Parts for the model are cast to depict an aircraft on the ground. It was easy enough to cut and file parts to get the gear into the in-flight, retracted position but it was time consuming. The cowl flaps are in the open position, I didn't bother trying to convert the model to have them in the closed position. The detail of the corrugated skin on the wing surfaces is so fine that it makes it difficult to get decals to settle into the grooves. No crew figures and no ordnance.
Recommendations: I recommend the kit for experienced modelers.
Notes: I used Vallejo Model Color paints. I used kit, Eagle Strike, and Miscellaneous Miniatures decals. The kit is overkill for gaming but would make a lovely display model. In the pictures, the propellers are not attached to the models, the prop hubs will be getting clear plastic discs before they are attached.
Additional info is found here: link
Ordering: The vendor, Model Factory Hiro, was friendly and I didn't experience any problems or confusion. I sent them an e-mail, in English, explaining that I wanted eight models. They replied, in English, that they had five but could get the other three in a matter of days. They let me know when all eight were on hand, I paid using PayPal, they shipped them shortly after payment. The models were well packed and arrived safely. I wouldn't hesitate to order from Model Factory Hiro again.
Reviewed by: Kevin Hammond, Miscellaneous Miniatures, LLC. miscmini.com
