New Merit 1/18 DAUNTLESS DISCUSSION

[Dauntless]

Non folding wings is probably one of the big reasons the US Navy replaced the SBD with the SB2C Helldiver no?, though the Dauntless still continued in service throughout the war on some carriers.

I imagine even though they were big planes you could store more Helldivers because of this. That and the better performance of a new dive bomber to go with the fighters, and torpedo bombers they already replaced, but even the Wildcat continued on in some capacity. Can't say that about the poor old TBD Devastator torpedo bomber though. It was just too obsolete and prone to getting wiped out.

[Beeavision]

I could be wrong but I read somewhere that they use to store SBD's below deck by hanging them with tethers from the ceiling to help free up room for other aircraft due to the lack of a folding wing design. Can't seem to find pictures of this but it sounds reasonable.

[Beeavision]

Here we go....





Here's one with the wings removed while in storage.

[Beeavision]

So that tells me that it was possible to store the SBD's with the wings out of the way. They didn't fold like the others but could be removed if there was need for more space. Certainly not the quickest method of parking these but it sure got the job done.

[Dauntless]

Cool pics Beeavision, thanks
A good way to get them out of the way huh. A literal meaning to aircraft "hangar"

The second and third pics have TBD Devastators hanging up also. You can tell by the half protruding wheels.
They had folding wings, you can see some are taken off also. TBD's are the first to have hydraulic folding wings.
http://www.aviation-history.com/douglas/tbd.html

Makes you wonder if any of those aircraft were still hanging below deck on the Lexington and Yorktown when they went down at The Battle of the Coral Sea and Midway. They'd never be able to get them out I'm sure, but the TBD is considered the "Holy Grail" of aircraft salvage.

[456THBG]

Those pics are amazing, Beeavision...Often wondered how they stored below deck without folding wings.
Great find!

[gburch]

Looks like the ceiling of my mancave . . .

[norwaystar06]

Time to find some real estate... i did not know that the SBD didnt have a wing folding feature... although it is starting to make sense for structural stability it would make sense to make the wing rigid and not fold then to fold so it can handle all the G's from pulling out of the dive... anyway looking hard to find some space, as i already have it pre ordered and i refuse to give up!!! Very interesting facts though and cool pictures, thanks for all that Beeavision...

[Beeavision]

Here's another one where they attempt to hang a plane over the side of the ship to free up more space on deck.

[Coreyeagle48]

Greetings:

Even a Helldiver presents a big plane on the deck of a carrier. I've seen this one in person and she is a big plane. The folded wings sit high so if ever a 1/18 Helldiver is done people might have issues displaying it. I think the wings would be larger folded upright than the Corsair would be.



And here is a rare sight today, a Dauntless and a Helldiver together.



Regards

Corey

[gouchy]

Cool pics Beeavision never knew they hanged them like that

Agree with Dauntless, this is looking like the definitive origins of the the word "Hangar"

[[CAT]CplSlade]

Agree with Dauntless, this is looking like the definitive origins of the the word "Hangar"

Except that it's a French word from the mid-1800s.

[Beeavision]

Since some of these planes were referred to as she's especially the ones with the girls painted on them as nose art you could say, "Hang her". But unfortunately that's not the case. Here is the true origins of the word as CAT was saying....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangar

[flyboy_fx]

You know what, I never knew the dauntless didn't have folding wings. Actually, I don't know a lot of technical stuff about the dauntless, forgive me!

[Dauntless]

Here's another one where they attempt to hang a plane over the side of the ship to free up more space on deck.

My BBI Wildcat is in the same position, the fishing line slipped 'cause I didn't "hang her" up right, she's in a straight down nose dive

[norwaystar06]

They made a BBI Wildcat?!?!?! even though it was the inferior fighter of WWII Compared to the Zero i still love the idea of "Orgins"... E.g without the Wildcat there would have been no Hellcat which is my favourite World War 2 Aircraft of the pacific. Anyway i also like the creases and the lines of the Wildcat... so back to the main question. They made a BBI Wildcat?!?!?!

[Barbarian333]

BBI made a Wildcat in 1/32

[norwaystar06]

ahhh right i sorta figured it out... cause when i heard it i immedientlyl went on a searching frenzy and found out you meant the 1/32 version ... it would be cool to see a 1:18 Wildcat though...

[Threetoughtrucks]

You learn something new every day. Without those Beesa pics, I would have never believed that SBD's were hung from the carrier hanger cieling with wings removed. Amazing. Thanks for posting.

TTT

[rohirrimknight]

Reference to Badcattoys website:
UPDATE 3-8-2012--Manufacturer reports success in additional fine-tuning modifications, but some minor delays are being experienced at the factory. Manufacturer has advised that a production line audible has been called and the aircraft will now ship in a standard-sized box with the wings and fuselage separated. This will make the package must cheaper to ship.
They update the preorder due from April to May.

I did pre-order one and want to see how the model look like from the first batch production and how the package will look like as well. Waiting Jim@Merit to support for information when ready to communicate.

p.s. sorry if any of you know about this information already.

[Beeavision]

Here's one more with a TBD Devastator with wings removed while hanging just overhead of the shot.

[Beeavision]

Apparently the U.S.S. Enterprise CV-6 was the only carrier that I'm aware of who hung their planes above the hangar deck.

[Threetoughtrucks]

Interesting to know. When I was a kid, I spent an afternoon walking around the original CV-6 "Enterprise", history screaming from every inch and filling my mush brain. It was the mid 1950's and the "Big E" was in Bayonne Army Terminal waiting to be scrapped in Kearney, NJ, as I remember. One of my Uncles, a tin can sailor from WW2, brought me to the ship and talked us past security to tour the ship (he told them he had been on the "Big E"). No power so we couldn't go below decks. Just the hanger deck and the flight deck. There were brass plates in the flight deck where bombs had hit "On this spot on such & such a date, a Japanese bomb exploded". For a kid fascinated with WW2, and having spent every family gathering listening to stories from my 8 Uncles who had served, it was a golden afternoon. Only one of my Uncles refused to tell me anything, he was in Europe from DDay to the end. Lots of battles and medals (from his discharge papers after he took a dirt nap). The rest, told great stories from serving in the Navy, Coast Guard (my Dad), Army and Army Air Forces. As usual mostly funny stories but all interesting.

TTT

[Beeavision]

So you were on a ghost ship then....spooky!!!! I'd would certainly hate to be trap down below with no lights to guide me out.

[Beeavision]

With the CV-6 Enterprise long gone we're now left to face the same fate with its successor, the CVN-65 Enterprise. Sad to see her go. May the big E's legacy continue on for years to come.

http://news.yahoo.com/storied-carrier-b ... 06276.html