Douglas Decimator

[JayBee]

This is looking verra, verra, interesting. The Free Scottish Navy Air Arm may want to procure a few of these beasties.

[sequoiaranger]

>This is looking verra, verra, interesting. The Free Scottish Navy Air Arm may want to procure a few of these beasties.<

Well, JayBee, the ECM types of Skyraiders had a crew of five or so-- a Free Scottish Navy Air Arm "squadron hack" would have plenty of room for a foursome and their clubs!!

>Nice work so far, Craig - she's turning into quite the monster, and the work is looking pretty intricate.<

I'm *TRYING* to keep the intricacy down, but it keeps creeping in.

>Interesting project and based on the name I gather that it is a precision attack aircraft......either that, or it only hits one target out of ten... <

Although "Decimator" literally defined, is "one-tenth",  the connotative meaning is a slaughter of a large portion of whatever.

In working on the Martin Mauler's torpedoes for the Decimator, I compared them to my TBD Devastator torpedo from the spares box...WOW!! [see pic]  So I guess I don't really need to worry about the "accuracy" of the torpedo head, as I ALREADY have a whiffed torpedo on my hands. The over-size is OK, too, as the larger torpedo on the larger aircraft keeps a certain proportional look going. The Skyraider/Decimator has that small-engine/large fuselage look of the TBD, too, so I think it will all work out. Still, I was VERY SURPRISED at the size difference!! I still haven't put the props and the "box" on the end of the Decimator's torpedoes, either. Almost looks like a Kaiten!

[Sauragnmon]

Now that would be a hell of a way to deliver Kaiten - by Air!  Sling it in the shackles of, say, a Ki-67, rig it to survive air drop, man that would be a rush of a ride... too bad it doesn't end well.

[ysi_maniac]

Mr Heinemann http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Heinemann would be proud.

[sequoiaranger]

>Mr Heinemann http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Heinemann would be proud.<

He sure liked to have "sky" in his later design names, didn't he?


His designs included:

   * SBD Dauntless dive bomber
   * A-20 Havoc attack aircraft
   * A-26 Invader attack aircraft

   * A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft
    * Skyshark turboprop Skyraider
   * A-3 Skywarrior bomber
   * A-4 Skyhawk light bomber
   * F3D Skyknight night fighter
   * F4D Skyray carrier-based fighter aircraft
   * Douglas Skyrocket and Douglas Skystreak research aircraft

BTW, my "whif" torpedo for the Douglas Decimator, the "Whopper", has its story in the "Weapons, Real and Imagined" thread, now! Check it out!



***added html for the WHOPPER topic***

[sequoiaranger]

I ended up sawing the Devastator cockpit insert in half to attach to each side of the Skyraider fuselage to enable fitting a cockpit interior and to smooth out the interface between the kits that could be seen from "outside". Once I have decided on an interior, I will create that and then assemble the fuselage assembly and the Decimator will practically build itself quickly after that (almost all other parts will be stock Skyraider or simple add-ons).

I was lamenting the extra work needed in the cockpit area when I found a Dauntless resin cockpit interior set, THEN ANOTHER ONE! I had intended to make a RW Dauntless as a tribute build, but had no idea that I had acquired TWO such sets! The resin set, besides having nice side-detail, has the twin machine guns and the half-tunnel they rest in. I thought I would have to make all that myself. I still have some work to do, but much of my work is now done for me! If only I was going to make the "stock" Decimator (two-place with the Dauntless canopy), the Dauntless cockpit would just be PERFECT and complete. As it is, for the THREE-place Air Group Commander's Decimator I will extract pieces and go from there.

This month's IPMS USA Journal had an article on making the Siga Martin Mauler. I had hoped to find out what an "expert" thought of the torpedoes ("Whoppers"), but the builder lamented that the Mauler he had had neither pylons nor ordnance, so could not comment. It did say that the plastic was soft, easily marred, and the sprue gates were tree-trunks (all true--trust a ranger who worked in a Sequoia forest!).

Haven't put more than 20 minute's worth of time on the Decimator (other than rummaging for cockpit parts and finding the Dauntless set) in the last several days. Thus no pics or progress.

[Brian da Basher]

I'm enjoying this immensely already, SR!

I wouldn't worry too much about the whiff-torpedo either. It's scary how well the Devastator canopy works on a Skyraider.

I eagerly await your next update.

Brian da Basher

[sequoiaranger]

The Dauntless set of resin cockpit details have pieces on resin "bars" from which you must cut out the parts. As you may know, resin is very strong when thick and solid, but VERY BRITTLE when thin. Well....I was using my Moto-Tool rotary razor saw and the thing I most dreaded happened (OF COURSE!).  

I am aware that the moving, hand-held rotary saw "likes" to jump out of its groove and "travel" round and round whatever you're holding (think of briskly trying to wind up string on a spool by hand---round and round and not in the same place each rotation). The rotary saw will usually give some vibratory warnings, and USUALLY there is enough time to back off. But THIS TIME....the saw jumped out and in a few nanoseconds whirled around the bar of cockpit goodies a few times and damaged ALL of the parts (about five separate ones).    So now I have another cockpit set on order. Actually, it will do me good, because the damaged bar has some salvage-able parts, and I was going to have trouble "stretching" the cockpit inserts to cover THREE places (instead of the Dauntless' two). So I think it will work out, but it means further DELAY.

Despite the setback, the cockpit module is progressing. I will have as Decimator "8-T-1"s crew—Ensign (now Lt. Cmdr) Albert K. "Bert" Earnest as pilot, and Radioman 3rd Class Harry H. Ferrier as his radioman/gunner. These folk, plus seaman 1st Class Jay D. Manning (gunner-KIA), came home to Midway Island in the original 8-T-1 (actually a TBF--one of six new aircraft assigned to Torpedo 8 but unable to catch up to the Hornet and instead launched from Midway Island) as the only surviving aircraft of Torpedo 8 launched at the Japanese fleet. I plan to, if possible, find a photo of Manning, reduce it, and put it (as if it were a framed picture) on the empty middle seat of the Decimator, so Manning could ride, in spirit, with his old crew on the new mission to "decimate" the Japanese carriers at the Marianas.

[sideshowbob9]

.....trust a ranger who worked in a Sequoia forest!

Ah so THAT explains the name! 

You're a more patient person than I! I once had a 1/48 Tornado F.3 go horribly, horribly wrong after many hours of attempts to fit the two fuse halves together, so I ripped the top half in two and threw it across the room! Ironically, it fit much better after that! Bit of sanding and filling in the rip and hey presto! 

Good luck in your continuing efforts!

[sequoiaranger]

While stewing over the c*ck-up of the cockpit parts, I decided to work on the main wing. As much as I would like the feature, I am forgoing the possible wing fold---too complicated and intricate (see "Jinpu-Kai" for excruciating details).

The Fujimi wing fit together well. Speaking of wells, the Fujimi wing has no wheel-well detail, and frankly I'm not big on wheel-wells anyway, so I blanked off the well with some thin sheet, cutting a skeleton-key-type opening for the landing gear struts. I will enclose the small gap between the struts and the blanking with "window" filler and just paint black/dark green and let it go at that.

I cut out some small chunks of wing to attach my "rocket tubes", added the Siga Mauler's torpedo pylons on the wings, and the "bathtub" torpedo mount on the center fuselage. The outboard .50 cal. MG barrels are courtesy of Armtec after-market types, and will have the similar, but entire MG doubled in the rear gunner's position. I like these guns, as they have reasonably realistic "air-cooling holes" in them. I also gouged out a "blast exit" groove in the wings for the rocket guns. The wings are "done" now, really. Even though the modifications took a little time, it went together quickly.

I am encouraged that once the complicated cockpit is fully enabled, the kit as a whole will come together in an afternoon! But that afternoon will most likely be in November, as traveling to Baja California and Oregon/Washington will "get in the way" the next few weeks.

So here is the result:

[Brian da Basher]

Jeez how do you expect it to attack, let alone sink anything with that puny weapons load?



Seriously, I'm having a blast watching you put this one together, SR! Your modifications, especially the rocket guns, are a treat!

Brian da Basher

[ysi_maniac]

 
looks promising

[sequoiaranger]

Upon today's return from a cruise to the tip of Baja California (we headed back north before the coming hurricane "Rick" could affect us!), a package was on the doorstep with the Dauntless cockpit details and the Brewster Buccaneer model.

The Buccaneer kit (SpecialHobby MPM) is LOADED with cockpit detail, and tons of tiny fiddly bits (still no crewmembers), so some of them will go into the Decimator. The Buccaneer tail (cut down a bit) will enhance my "Brewster Bison" build (Phoenix-type, as a dissatisfying previous build is likely to be transformed into something decent!). I can use, too, the Buccaneer's separate dive brakes in an upcoming Hawker Henley whif, too! Seems a small shame to part out a BRAND-NEWLY-RELEASED kit, but that's what I wanted!

So the Decimator may have its cockpit arrangement finalized sometime this week, perhaps.

PS--today's planned tour of the USS Midway (with a real-live Skyraider on board!) was postponed.

[Captain Canada]

Sounds good to me !

[buzzbomb]

Yes, Yes... I can see where this is going and I am liking the concept