A Douglas Dauntless goes to the farm in 1/72

[KiwiZac]

A while ago I received a care package including an Airfix Dauntless kit - I'm so sorry I don't remember who sent it - but I had no idea what to do with it as I'd previously received a started example and done it as an RNZAF example. Then the other day I remembered a custom decal sheet for a CAC Ceres - an Australian WW2 aircraft-based agricultural aircraft - in the colours of Wanganui Aero Work, the company I used to work for and I think the oldest topdressing company in New Zealand.

So.

Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr

After WW2 the method of using aircraft to spread fertiliser over New Zealand's hill country meant every war-surplus DH Tiger Moth was snapped up, converted to carry fertiliser, and flown by mostly ex-RNZAF pilots to give new life to the country's vital agriculture-based economy. However the little biplane was hardly the best tool for the job and industry leaders began to seek out new, purpose-built aircraft designed specifically for New Zealand conditions. Others persisted with finding and converting other war surplus types.

Wally Harding, head of the growing Wanganui Aero Work aerial application company, purchased the last ex-RNZAF Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive-bomber before it went to the scrapper and had his engineers convert it into a topdressing aircraft. The forward-facing gunmounts and front cockpit were removed and replaced with a fertiliser hopper and the cockpit controls moved to the rear. Originally the plan was to keep the front cockpit and put the hopper in the rear however this was ruled out due to centre of gravity issues. The upper dive brakes were disconnected, fixed in place and faired over, a taller tailwheel leg and larger wheel fitted to help with ground visibility, and the main undercarriage were fixed in place and the bays faired over. Finally a WAW-designed hopper box and fairing were fitted below the centre section, with a sturdy actuating handle fitted to the lower left of the pilot's seat.

Its sword-to-ploughshare conversion complete, the one-time NZ5062 was rolled out as the civilian ZK-BSQ in an attractive silver and red paint scheme and flew from Wanganui Airport in early 1952. Initial trials showed the aircraft handled well when fully loaded and performed well on the job. However the one-off nature of the conversion - and that there were no more Dauntlesses left in the country to convert - meant that ZK-BSQ remained the sole example of the "dung-dusting Douglas Dauntless". By 1955 the Fletcher FU-24 had been developed and chosen to form the backbone of the WAW fleet and the Dauntless was retired and broken down, only a fuselage panel and the tailfin surviving into the 1970s in the spares department.

Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr

This is the third time I've built this kit but the first time I've realised it has no exhausts. Nice one, Airfix! Anyways there's no way I can ID where most of the extra bits came from but that doesn't matter...it looks cool, and I had a lot of fun "designing" and building this thing. I hope you like it and it's a bit of a change from the military stuff.

[Old Wombat]

 

[zenrat]

Looks great Zac.

[NARSES2]

That kit and its rivets brings many a memory back 

Nice job on it Zac 

[kitnut617]

Well done Zac 

Back in the 80's I've saw a Grumman Avenger when I was way up north one day, that had been converted to something like that ---

[TomZ]

Looks very good 

TomZ

[The Rat]

Looks the part! 

[The Rat]

Back in the 80's I've saw a Grumman Avenger when I was way up north one day, that had been converted to something like that ---

A lot of Avengers were used in many ways, and they were instrumental in spraying operation against the spruce budworm in New Brunswick. Quite a few were lost, which led some to say that there were more Avengers on the forest floor in New Brunswick than on the ocean floor in the Pacific! But the crews loved them. Somewhere I have a newsletter in which they printed a reply to an accident report from Transport Canada, went something like this (If my memory isn't playing tricks): "The aircraft was listed as destroyed. We feel that is somewhat premature, as the inspection was limited to the area forward of the rudder trim tab." 

[KiwiZac]

Thanks all! I was hoping it would be interesting to some folk here.

Back in the 80's I've saw a Grumman Avenger when I was way up north one day, that had been converted to something like that ---

Somewhere I have a newsletter in which they printed a reply to an accident report from Transport Canada, went something like this (If my memory isn't playing tricks): "The aircraft was listed as destroyed. We feel that is somewhat premature, as the inspection was limited to the area forward of the rudder trim tab." 

That's amazing!!!

Also, the first aerial fertiliser spreading in New Zealand was by RNZAF Avengers in 1949 as part of a government trial. They proved it was practical, but the government and air force decided it wasn't really their thing. One proposal early on was to convert a Lancaster...

[Tophe]

I like this transforming a great famous killer into a shy civilian crop duster, thanks!

[comrade harps]

Minus the hopper and the markings, ie add guns and Hinomaru, it could be Japanese.

Well done!