1/48 Revell TBD-1 Devastator

by Konley Kelley

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This is the Revell 1:48 TBD-1 Devastator kit.  The decals are Eagle  Strike "Devastators at War."

 I modeled the aircraft flown by Ensign George Gay at the Battle of  Midway on June 4, 1942.

 Gay was the only crew member of Torpedo Squadron 8 from the USS Hornet
 to survive the assault on the Japanese fleet.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

Many American and Japanese airmen and sailors died in the battle considered the "turning point" in the Pacific War.  The pilots and crew of Torpedo Squadron 8 courageously flew their obsolete Devastators through a swarm of Japanese fighters and flak.  Every plane was shot down but Gay was able to escape his sinking plane.  Moments later, he witnessed the mortal blow to three of four Japanese carriers by US dive bombers who surprised the Japanese preoccupied with the action at sea level.

The other models in the picture are the 1:700 Tamiya IJN Akagi and a 1:700 Japanese destroyer (Yukikaze...I think). The composite was done in Adobe Photoshop.

I've also attached the image I made several years ago of the "turning point."  This image has appeared before on ARC and in Fine Scale Modeler magazine.

For more of my models and digital dioramas, see
www.shortfuse3d.com.

Konley

Photos and text © by Konley Kelley