1/48 Accurate Miniatures 
Vought SB2U-1 Vindicator 

by Michael Stanley

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One of the stars from the movie "Dive Bomber". This is the squadron commander's aircraft from VB-3 aboard the USS Saratoga in the late 1930's. It is the Accurate Miniatures kit that has caused so much controversy in some of the online discussion groups.

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If it weren't for the dreaded sink marks this kit would be the equal of the Accurate Miniatures SBD and TBF. Actually I found the sink marks to be "much ado about nothing".  I used Mr. Surfacer 500 & 1000 and then used sanding pads to get everything smooth. The sink marks added about 1 hour to the total build time.

The cockpit went together with no glitches for me, but it is a bit fiddly.

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Finish is Alclad II with no primer. I used white aluminum on the fabric portions but for some reason there is really very little contrast between the two colors. Decals are from the Yellow Wings decals "Dive Bomber" set.

Michael

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Visit our club website at: www.percongrp.com/pelikan.htm

Photos and text © by Michael Stanley