For decades, the venerable Monogram TBD Devastator was the only kit of its kind available in 1/48 scale, lauded in its heyday for its cockpit and surface detail, as well as the option to pose the wings in either the folded or extended position. Now, Great Wall Hobby has delivered a new Devastator, and like the original release, this second edition is a quantum leap past the old benchmark kit. When first seen, the GWH Devastator was derided as a mere copy of the Monogram version, but close examination reveals that the new kit is several steps beyond its aged predecessor.

Unlike my last review sample of SAC products, this time the USPS did not wreak havoc on the package and all but destroy the contents! They delivered an intact and fully usable set of landing gear.

What you get in the package is a full gear replacement in white metal for both main gear legs and the tail wheel. As you can see from one of the photos, the SAC gear has simplified things by making the compression scissors one piece versus two pieces.

Detail is crisper on the metal gear than on the kit’s plastic parts, as has come to be expected from SAC. The replacement parts are a drop fit with no issues whatsoever. They worked flawlessly and added considerably to the look of the finished model.

Upon receiving this kit in the mail, I looked over the artwork on the box top to see which paint scheme I thought would be cool to do. I noticed a camouflaged scheme that had a blue pattern. Immediately, I questioned the blue color. I checked the instructions and yes, there it was – sky blue color callouts. The other thing that I noticed, aside from the standard Dragon instruction, was there were nice decals, 23 grey sprues, 2 clear sprues, a PE fret, and 2 bags of magic tracks. The instructions show quite a few sprues with the majority of unused parts (which I included pictures of). I was still wondering a few days later which scheme to do. I was really intrigued by the sky blue scheme. At this point, I decided to post on Hyper scale about its validity. Tom Cockle, one of the technical consultants for this kit, shot me a reply saying no, it was a fake, and added this kit was missing a sprue C. Upon this, I contacted Dragon care and finally got my part around New Years.

History

The USS Texas was commissioned 12 March 1914. The USS Texas served in both World Wars and many other conflicts during her service in the United States Navy. Her first call to action was immediately following her commissioning, when she was stationed of the coast of Vera Cruz, Mexico as a show of force.

During World War I, the USS Texas’ main duty was convoy escort. In 1919, there was even a movie shot on the Texas starring Chester Conklin. In 1925, the USS Texas was brought in for modernization. This was completed in 1926. After this time and up to the beginning of World War II, the Texas spent time operating in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Background

The absolute latest in American manned fighter aircraft, Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II is slated to replace aging F-16, F-18, and AV-8B aircraft in the lightweight fighter attack role in the US Air Force and US Navy in the next several years. The land-based F-35A will replace the F-16, the vertical-takeoff F-35B will assume the Harrier's role, and the carrier variant F-35C will take over for the F/A-18. Several other nations, including the United Kingdom, are expected to purchase variants of the F-35 for their air arms. This fifth-generation fighter employs many advanced features, including low-observable (stealth) technology, to ensure its effectiveness in the 21st Century combat environment.