Background

The Grumman TBF Avenger was designed as a torpedo bomber to replace the TBD Devastator. The Devastator had been one of the first modern torpedo bombers for the US Navy but it was lacking is speed, firepower and armor protection. The Avenger entered production in 1942 and soon proved itself to be the perfect fit for the job. To meet production demands, General Motors’ Eastern Aircraft Division started production and eventually produced the majority of all Avengers. These were designated TBM.

Late in its production life, the Avenger was modified for anti-submarine warfare. Some of these featured an AN/APS-4 radar pod under the starboard wing and a searchlight pod under the port wing. In some cases, the rear turret was removed and the radar operator was housed in an extended rear canopy.

Masterbox has been a godsend for the plastic figure world by releasing subjects beyond the traditional standing or “in-action” military figures. This latest release of WWII civilians is a fantastic set and fills a much needed gap. Civilian subjects had previously been only available in resin, and then fairly limited.

Within this set are parts for four civilian figures, Western Europe, ranging from young children to older men. A single sprue contains all 48 parts, which are nicely molded with no flash. You still get a little of the “low tech” molding with large sprue gates, but the parts themselves are crisp and full of detail. The faces are very well sculpted capturing the age of the figure very well. I would be hard-pressed want to replace them in resin, as they really are perfect. The four figures comprise of:

The Parts

Hobby Design makes a number of detail parts for automotive subjects from metal parts, to resin wheels, and photo etched detail sets for a wide variety of modeling subjects.

I reviewed the HD07-0057 1/24^thAntenna Set [C] which comes in a pack of 2 priced @ $4.25 USD. These are all metal and nicely machined.

Assembly

Assembly is pretty straight forward: I removed the molded plastic antenna holder on top of a Tamiya 1/24 SAUBER-MERCEDES C9 with a photo etch saw; then, using my pin vice and a 0.5mm drill bit I drilled a hole into the plastic. That’s pretty much it. The antennae come in to parts making it easy to paint any color you like. Some CA glue is perfect to hold the antenna into its base.

When I first saw this as a “work in progress” on Master Box’s website it instantly went on the “must have” list. I believe it was the combination of the US Airborne assisting some distressed civilians that caught my eye. This wasn’t your normal “in action” or stand-and-point pose, but something unique that had instant diorama possibilities! Toss in the horse cart driven by a nun, and you have a winner with this set of figures.

The Ship

They say Necessity is the mother of Invention. Such was the case with the Independence class of light aircraft carriers. The U.S. Navy’s pressing need for fleet carrier decks during the early stages of the Pacific War brought these vessels into being. The nine Independence class carriers were converted from Cleveland class light cruisers already under construction. Having already built a 1/700 U.S.S. Independence, I chose to build this model as one of her sisters. U.S.S. Belleau Wood was converted from U.S.S. New Haven, and commissioned as CVL-24 in March 1943, joining the U.S. Pacific Fleet four months later. She participated in numerous actions, including the invasions of the Gilbert Islands (Tarawa), Marshall Islands (Kwajalein), Hollandia, and the Truk raid. During Operation Forager (Marianas invasion) and the ensuing Philippine Sea battle, her air group sank the Japanese carrier Hiyo.