Northrop BT-1 (Valom)

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October 18, 2022
Der Boxentoppen
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October 18, 2022
Not much plastic - which doesn't mean I'll build it any faster than anything else!
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October 18, 2022
Some resin bits - they're OK but not of the highest quality. Two canopies, I suspect I'll use the vacuform copy.
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October 18, 2022
The photoetch dive flaps are what will make this kit. Decals are provided for VB-5 and VB-6, the only squadrons who flew the BT-1 in service.
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October 18, 2022
I always check to see if the resin engine will fit into the cowling!
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October 18, 2022
A couple of coats of Alclad and a Future wash. It'll do.
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October 18, 2022
I managed to stick a razor chisel under my fingernail removing these babies from the tail. Ouch.
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October 18, 2022
The resin cockpit floor slides in through the front of the fuselage.
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October 18, 2022
I painted the cockpit aluminum per the instructions only to learn from Dana Bell that it was interior green. We'll fix that later.
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October 18, 2022
This will be (hopefully) the instrument panel coaming. Valom forgot about that.
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October 18, 2022
This is Valom's attempt at the roll-over structure. I think we can do better.
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October 18, 2022
This is more like it. Gotta love styrene card stock.
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October 18, 2022
Panels have film to provide the instrument faces. Looks nice.
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October 18, 2022
The fuselage is closed up and the wings and tailplanes are on - and there is going to be a bit of seam cleanup required.
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October 18, 2022
I added the landing gear failings and tried to spice up the bays with some leftover photoetch. There is also a photoetch mesh inside the air intake below the engine.
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October 18, 2022
The gear only partially retracted and the tyres protruded a bit like the DC-3 and A-10. I added several struts and actuators to the landing gear struts.
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October 18, 2022
Masking the vacuform canopy took WAY longer than I expected. Unfortunately there is no aftermarket masking set that I'm aware of.
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October 18, 2022
I told you I had to paint the cockpit interior green. I have the rear machine gun stowed as the canopy will be closed. The black/white paint on the direction finding antenna is shown in the Ginter volume on the BT.
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October 18, 2022
I added seat harnesses from my spares box. You can see I've been messing with the seams. I love putty.
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October 18, 2022
A coat of "primer" (really just light grey paint) to check for areas I may have mucked up.
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October 18, 2022
Followed by a nice, smooth coat of Alclad White Aluminum. The BT-1 was painted aluminum, it was not natural metal.
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October 18, 2022
Yellow wings were the thing in the 30s. Note the structural detail in the wing where the dive flaps go. This is photoetch included with the kit but not mentioned in the instructions.
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October 18, 2022
VB-5 had this characteristic red tail. Tricky little masking job in 1:72.
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October 18, 2022
And finally the blue cowling, fuselage stripe, and wing chevrons. This is the position of the chevrons in early 1940 - later that year they were moved inboard along with the yellow on top of the wing wrapping around the leading edge.
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October 18, 2022
And what could this be? My goodness, it's a leftover bit from my 1:32 Tamiya Spitfire build. What is it doing here??
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October 18, 2022
Note the cover over the forward machine gun (just above the ram artwork).
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October 18, 2022
I made the cover from the old Spitfire bit.
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October 18, 2022
The cover supplied in the kit (above) just doesn't cut it. Not even close to the real thing.
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October 18, 2022
Here is my cover in place. This will work much better I think!
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October 18, 2022
How about some stickers? Unfortunately the decals from the kit fell apart in the water so I had to source all of these from my spares.
31
October 18, 2022
Luckily I had the VB-5 Satan Head on an old Microscale sheet! The letters on the tail were the only ones used from the kit, and I sprayed a good coat of clear lacquer over them prior to use.
32
October 18, 2022
I painted the dive flaps and added structural stiffeners that I cut off of some Eduard photoetch flaps that I didn't use. Looks better I think.
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October 18, 2022
VB-5 were the first to paint the inside of the dive flaps red (in February 1940), so all pilots could see when the dive was beginning. They also experimented with other colours like yellow.
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October 18, 2022
A view of the dive flaps on the underside.
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October 18, 2022
The forward machine gun in place. There are quite a few BT-1 photos that do not show the gun.
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October 18, 2022
I added the linkages between the main gear struts and the gear door. Still lots of fiddly bits left to do!
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October 19, 2022
Prop, exhaust tubes, arresting hook, antenna mast, lead-in insulator and gunsight added. I think all that's left is the antenna wire.
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October 19, 2022
I also added a photoetch landing light under the lens on the port wing.
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October 21, 2022
Calling this one done - I've added the antenna wire and lead-in along with the port wing pitot tube.
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October 29, 2022
Enjoy the photos!
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October 29, 2022
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October 29, 2022

Komentáře

32 18 October 2022, 19:31

Bill Gilman
Hi mates! Here is my attempt at the Valom 1:72 kit of the Northrop BT-1 dive bomber. For those who are unfamiliar with the BT, it was designed by Northrop when they were a subsidiary of Douglas. The BT-1 went into service in 1938 and was further developed into the BT-2 which was re-designated the Douglas SBD. And I think everybody know the Douglas SBD!

18 October 2022, 19:47

Ben M
Watching this

18 October 2022, 20:11

Bill Gilman
More fiddly bits added. Valom supply decals for the stripes on the tips of the propeller blades, but I chose to paint them instead. The back of the blades are flat black, and the front is Alclad chrome. The stripes on the tip are Gunze Insignia Blue, Insignia Yellow and Insignia Red. The stripes on the arresting hook were also painted instead of trying to use decals.

I added a mast stub on top of the vertical tail in anticipation of adding the aerial wire. I used a tiny bit of styrene rod as the antenna lead-in insulator just below the canopy on the port side. The gunsight and forward antenna mast are from the kit - I forgot all about the gunsight! I should have drilled a hole in the front windscreen as the eye end of the sight protrudes into the cockpit. But I neglected to do that and didn't want to take a chance now and try to drill the hole. Instead, I just cut off the eye end and put the sight in place. Always learn from your mistakes so you can recognize them when you make them again! Cheers, Bill

19 October 2022, 13:19

Hanno Kleinecke
I can hardly think of a more attractive livery than the pre war navy yellowwings !
Excellent work on this almost forgotten SBD ancestor, love all the tiny bits you added, especially the additional ribbing for the dive breaks and flaps 👍

19 October 2022, 15:57

Bernhard Schrock
Ha! Bill is back in business!! With a BT-1!!! Great choice and execution.🙂

19 October 2022, 16:03

Bernhard Schrock
By the way: I was veeery delighted to see this plane as a model.🙂
Bill: Can you remember an article by Farris Brown in FSM? Probably at the beginning of the 90th years. He also built a BT-1 from the Dauntless of Monogram and inspired me.

modellversium.de/gal..p-bt-1-hasegawa.html

19 October 2022, 16:13

Robert Podkoński
Great work on this demanding kit. I am impressed with your perseverance and skills, Bill!

19 October 2022, 17:25

Bill Gilman
Thanks mates! @Bernhard - I don't remember that article, but I do remember your conversion. It inspired me!! I thought about doing a conversion in 1:72, my preferred scale, but then the Valom kit came out and I figured why not give it a try? It's not the best, but it will look OK in the display case. Cheers, Bill

19 October 2022, 17:29

Hans-Jürgen Haag
Extreme nice yellow wing 😉👍👍👍👍

19 October 2022, 17:30

Bill Gilman
Thanks. Working on the antenna and lead-in wires now...not my favourite part of the build!

19 October 2022, 17:41

Ben M
Simply beautiful.

19 October 2022, 18:57

Tom B.
Beatiful bird 👍 Valom´s subject choices seem to be worth the challenge that may come with those kits!

19 October 2022, 19:07

Bill Gilman
Thanks! @Tom B. - I agree, and I like the more obscure subjects that the short run companies produce. I just picked up the old MPM Curtiss XP-55 Ascender and the Novo Fairey Delta 2. Those should be fun!

19 October 2022, 22:38

Lochsa River
Nice piece...clean and fun to look at.

20 October 2022, 01:14

Bill Gilman
One more photo has been added. The antenna and lead-in wires have been added, along with the port wing pitot tube. I think she's finished now, although I've now noticed that the forward antenna mast is too short in the kit - it was taller in real life. But I'm not going to fix that, as I really don't want to do those wires again! The main wire is EZ line (nylon), and the lead-in is Nitinol (metal). Anyway, I think she'll look OK in the display case. I may add some more photos of the finished model, so stay tuned. Cheers, Bill

21 October 2022, 15:15

Bill Gilman
I've added several more photos of the finished BT-1. Hope you like her! Cheers, Bill

29 October 2022, 17:37

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1:72 Valom kit

Northrop BT-1

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1:72

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