In Box Review of Lindberg 1/48th Scale
Grumman TBF Avenger
WWII Torpedo Bomber
Kit no. 5311
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1975
Out of production.
I paid $7.00 for this kit years ago.
Available in the later 1978 boxing (kit no. 5307) at Kitlinx for $19.99.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1975
Out of production.
I paid $7.00 for this kit years ago.
Available in the later 1978 boxing (kit no. 5307) at Kitlinx for $19.99.
HISTORY:
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM[1] for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world.
The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. Despite the loss of five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it survived in service to become the most effective and widely-used torpedo bomber of World War II, sharing credit for sinking the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi and being credited for sinking 30 submarines. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 3
Length: 40 ft 1⁄8 in (12.195 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft 2 in (16.51 m)
Width: 19 ft (5.8 m) folded
Height: 16 ft 5 in (5.00 m)
Wing area: 490 sq ft (46 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23015; tip: NACA 23009[43]
Gross weight: 15,536 lb. (7,047 kg)
Fuel capacity: Fuel 330 US gal (275 imp gal; 1,249 L) in three center-section integral tanks + 2x 58 US gal (48 imp gal; 220 L) droppable slipper tanks under outer wings, with provision for a jettisonable 275 US gal (229 imp gal; 1,041 L) bomb-bay ferry tank.; Oil 32 US gal (27 imp gal; 121 L)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-2600-8 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,700 hp (1,300 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propeller
Maximum speed: 278 mph (447 km/h, 242 knot)
Cruise speed: 215 mph (346 km/h, 187 knot)
Range: 905 mi (1,456 km, 786 nm.) at cruise speed
Service ceiling: 22,600 ft (6,900 m)
Rate of climb: 1,075 ft/min (5.46 m/s)
Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb. (0.18 kW/kg)
Armament:
Guns: 1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun (on early models) or 2 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) wing-mounted M2 Browning machine guns or 1 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) dorsal-mounted M2 Browning machine gun or 1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) ventral-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun.
Rockets: Up to eight 3.5-Inch (89 mm) Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets, 5-inch (127 mm) Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets or High Velocity Aerial Rockets.
Bombs: Up to 2,000 lb. (907 kg) of bombs or 1 × 2,000 lb. (907 kg) Mark 13 torpedo or Mark 24 mine (Fido) acoustic homing torpedo.
The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM[1] for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world.
The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. Despite the loss of five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it survived in service to become the most effective and widely-used torpedo bomber of World War II, sharing credit for sinking the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi and being credited for sinking 30 submarines. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 3
Length: 40 ft 1⁄8 in (12.195 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft 2 in (16.51 m)
Width: 19 ft (5.8 m) folded
Height: 16 ft 5 in (5.00 m)
Wing area: 490 sq ft (46 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23015; tip: NACA 23009[43]
Gross weight: 15,536 lb. (7,047 kg)
Fuel capacity: Fuel 330 US gal (275 imp gal; 1,249 L) in three center-section integral tanks + 2x 58 US gal (48 imp gal; 220 L) droppable slipper tanks under outer wings, with provision for a jettisonable 275 US gal (229 imp gal; 1,041 L) bomb-bay ferry tank.; Oil 32 US gal (27 imp gal; 121 L)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-2600-8 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,700 hp (1,300 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propeller
Maximum speed: 278 mph (447 km/h, 242 knot)
Cruise speed: 215 mph (346 km/h, 187 knot)
Range: 905 mi (1,456 km, 786 nm.) at cruise speed
Service ceiling: 22,600 ft (6,900 m)
Rate of climb: 1,075 ft/min (5.46 m/s)
Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb. (0.18 kW/kg)
Armament:
Guns: 1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun (on early models) or 2 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) wing-mounted M2 Browning machine guns or 1 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) dorsal-mounted M2 Browning machine gun or 1 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) ventral-mounted M1919 Browning machine gun.
Rockets: Up to eight 3.5-Inch (89 mm) Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets, 5-inch (127 mm) Forward Firing Aircraft Rockets or High Velocity Aerial Rockets.
Bombs: Up to 2,000 lb. (907 kg) of bombs or 1 × 2,000 lb. (907 kg) Mark 13 torpedo or Mark 24 mine (Fido) acoustic homing torpedo.
THE KIT:
Lindberg is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Skokie, IL USA. They make all manner of plastic model kits in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Grumman TBF Avenger that is launching a torpedo. It is overall navy-blue, with a white nose on its wing-mounted radar dome. It has a star and bars on the fuselage sides, top of the right wing and below the left wing. A large white no. 15 on the rudder sides, after the fuselage star and bars and above the right wing and below the left wing. It has an insignia of a white triangle, that is outlined in black, with a black wolf’s face on it.
One side-panel of the box says: Retractable landing gear. Movable bomb-bay doors. Torpedo and rockets. Four crew members. Followed by a color illustration of the Avenger, showing just the star and bar insignias and trailing a rainbow behind it of red, orange and yellow.
Lindberg is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Skokie, IL USA. They make all manner of plastic model kits in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Grumman TBF Avenger that is launching a torpedo. It is overall navy-blue, with a white nose on its wing-mounted radar dome. It has a star and bars on the fuselage sides, top of the right wing and below the left wing. A large white no. 15 on the rudder sides, after the fuselage star and bars and above the right wing and below the left wing. It has an insignia of a white triangle, that is outlined in black, with a black wolf’s face on it.
One side-panel of the box says: Retractable landing gear. Movable bomb-bay doors. Torpedo and rockets. Four crew members. Followed by a color illustration of the Avenger, showing just the star and bar insignias and trailing a rainbow behind it of red, orange and yellow.
The other side-panel of the box begins with a small color repeat of the box art. Followed by a one-paragraph history of the TBF Avenger. For ages 7 and older. Manufactured by Lindberg Products Inc., Skokie, IL 60076. Copyright 1975 by Lindberg Products Inc., all rights reserved. The trade-mark registered in the U.S.A. and foreign countries.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 2 navy-blue part-trees, a loose upper and lower wing halves, fuselage halves, propeller and cowling, a clear base plate and cockpit and gun-turret windows, a small metal rod and model support bar, the decal sheet and the instructions.
Only the little metal rod came cello bagged. However, I put the clear parts and the cowling and propeller into a clear sandwich bag.
The metal rod goes into the clear clip and then both parts go into the curved support arm on the round display base.
The kit holds 2 navy-blue part-trees, a loose upper and lower wing halves, fuselage halves, propeller and cowling, a clear base plate and cockpit and gun-turret windows, a small metal rod and model support bar, the decal sheet and the instructions.
Only the little metal rod came cello bagged. However, I put the clear parts and the cowling and propeller into a clear sandwich bag.
The metal rod goes into the clear clip and then both parts go into the curved support arm on the round display base.
The first tree holds: main wheels, 3 seated crewmen (opposite to the side panel saying there are 4. Not true!) elevators, engine cylinders, landing gear doors, cockpit walls, dashboard, cannons, rockets etc. (34 parts)
The second tree holds: a bomb, cockpit floor, name-plate for the display base, arrester-hook, landing gear leg support rods, elevators and their flaps etc. (35 parts).
The fuselage halves (2 parts).
The wing top and bottom parts (1 part ea.).
The clear parts include the canopy and gun turret parts stand arm and base, etc. (12 parts).
The instructions consist of an un-stapled booklet of 8 pages in 10”x 14” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white photo of the model made-up and mounted on the clear, round display base. Over the history of the Avenger in English, German and French.
Above the illustration it says: Use enamel or plastic paints only. Do not use lacquer paint materials, as these craze the plastic.
Below the illustration it says: Scale ¼ inch= 1 foot. New catalog now is available! In the U.S. & Canada. Send 50 cents in coil to Lindberg Products Inc., Skokie, Illinois 60076.
Lindberg Products Inc. in Skokie, Illinois 60076 & printed in the USA.
Page 2 begins with a paragraph of assembly instructions.
The bottom of page 2 on through to page 5 gives a whopping grand total of 33 assembly steps.
Pages 6, 7 & 9 give written instructions for each step. In English, German, French and Spanish.
The decal sheet completes the kit’s contents.
Page 1 begins with a black and white photo of the model made-up and mounted on the clear, round display base. Over the history of the Avenger in English, German and French.
Above the illustration it says: Use enamel or plastic paints only. Do not use lacquer paint materials, as these craze the plastic.
Below the illustration it says: Scale ¼ inch= 1 foot. New catalog now is available! In the U.S. & Canada. Send 50 cents in coil to Lindberg Products Inc., Skokie, Illinois 60076.
Lindberg Products Inc. in Skokie, Illinois 60076 & printed in the USA.
Page 2 begins with a paragraph of assembly instructions.
The bottom of page 2 on through to page 5 gives a whopping grand total of 33 assembly steps.
Pages 6, 7 & 9 give written instructions for each step. In English, German, French and Spanish.
The decal sheet completes the kit’s contents.
The detail is good and is of the raised variety.
Recommended.
Recommended.