Douglas TBD-1 Devastator – VT-6, US Navy, USS Enterprise, Wake Island, February 1942

SkyMax 1/72 scale SM8004: Douglas TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6, US Navy, USS Enterprise, Wake Island, February 1942

Length 5.75 inches Wingspan 8.25 inches

PLEASE NOTE: Box is not totally perfect as shown in the photo.

The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator was designed as a torpedo bomber for the USN and entered service in 1937. The TBD Devastator marked a lot of firsts for the USN. It was the first widely-used carrier-based monoplane, first all metal USN aircraft, first completely enclosed cockpit that stretched almost half the length of the fuselage, first hydraulic folding wings. When bombing the bombardier would lie under the pilot seat and look through a window in the floor to doing his sighting.

Designed to meet a 1934 US Navy requirement for a carrier-based torpedo-bomber, the Devastator was first flown on April 15th, 1935. The TBD was an early shipboard monoplane built large enough to carry a heavy torpedo and achieve speeds of just over 200 miles per hour. Its design included folding wings, an inclusive canopy, and all metal construction – innovations that would be used by future carrier aircraft. Sophisticated for its time, the Devastator’s strong points were eventually surpassed by enemy forces. Its lack of maneuverability and slow speed made it vulnerable to the high performance of the Japanese Zero.