TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber

My experience with this model was one of damage control. The wings are so big and heavy that i had to reglue them several times even though i had stabalized them with paint bottles. The bubble canopy is, in the instructions, supposed to be fit in AFTER the fuselage is connected. Well, I was almost certain that it was going to break or crack when I tried to fit it in, but, thankfully, it didnt. Furthermore, the clear compartment under the fuselage SHOULD have a machine gun, but the kit did not come with a machine gun, nor did the clear piece come with a slit to place a machine gun. Finally, their is no figure to place in the middle seat for the radio/radar operator(although there is a chair) which makes it look unfinished with an empty chair between the pilot and the gunner in the bubble. I will say this, it was inexpensive, and, luckily, im satisfied with what my final product looks like (George bush's plane, Barbara III)but man, it was a chore.

I got this kit anticipating that I would have to do a lot of trimming because it is Revell. However, the amount of trimming and puttying required was alot, specifically with the wings. Not only that, but the way that the wings connected did not make sense. With wings that big, they should have gone into the fuselage to add additional stability. Instead, they are just glued onto flat surfaces which meant lots of slipping and sliding. In addition, my kit was missing several pieces from the sprues that I needed to substitute for. On the plus side, I did appreciate that both the wheels and the bomb bay door were able to be open and closed at will after assembly.

My only complaint of this model is the lack of detail in the bombbay, I will be adding some scratchbuilt details to the bombbay. That aside this is a nice inexpensive kit that will produce a nice looking model.The decal sheet is excellent, I especially like that you can model the aircraft flown by EX-president George Busch Sr.This is a nice kit and I would recommend it.