Son of a B!tch, 2nd Class....
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/9/4/8/1360948-12448-56-720.jpg)
I'm 12 years old and I've just brought this home from the newsagents/toy shop. School holidays are coming soon because of Christmas so I will build this over the break. First a peek into the box...
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/9/4/9/1360949-12448-47-720.jpg)
Umm... used to love this feature
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/9/5/0/1360950-12448-62-720.jpg)
No paint needed... hmm... at this point in my modelling career I was painting. I will paint this by airbrush but otherwise will be a basic slap together job.
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/9/5/3/1360953-12448-61-720.jpg)
Colour plans and options. I'll be doing the 2 blues/white scheme. (The real US Navy scheme to a 12 year old me..) Listed as VB-4 off Yorktown it's actually VB-2 off Hornet .
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/9/5/2/1360952-12448-45-720.jpg)
Whee! Sneaky tantalising peek of the wonderful joy that awaits in the box!
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/9/5/1/1360951-12448-35-720.jpg)
Multi colour goodness...
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/9/5/4/1360954-12448-93-720.jpg)
Multi colour goodness..
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/9/5/5/1360955-12448-29-720.jpg)
Matchbox made great crew figures
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/9/5/6/1360956-12448-65-720.jpg)
Mix of raised and engraved panel lines.
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/9/5/7/1360957-12448-53-720.jpg)
3rd sprue
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/9/5/8/1360958-12448-41-720.jpg)
![Album image #12 Album image #12](/albums/img/9/5/9/1360959-12448-29-720.jpg)
Decals have suffered some damage but chosen option seems usable.
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/9/9/0/1360990-12448-79-pristine.jpg)
The goal here, is to see using the 40 years of experience, if I can build it to look as good as the catalogue photo example.
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/6/3/8/1362638-12448-10-720.jpg)
When I was 12 I didn't need two pairs of glasses to be able to paint these two lads...
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/6/3/9/1362639-12448-98-720.jpg)
Matchbox's mini paint plan just calls for black over the whole interior. Basic Tamiya LP matt Black used but I also put some cockpit green in there to liven it up a bit.
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/6/4/0/1362640-12448-64-720.jpg)
I was 2 years old when this was originally tooled up. This will be 50 years old in the new year....
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/6/4/1/1362641-12448-38-720.jpg)
Let's put the wings together. 4 parts each side, 8 in total, quite a lot by Lesney standards.
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/6/4/2/1362642-12448-61-720.jpg)
Fuse together the fuse halves, trapping the arrestor hook and pilots armchair.... Yes there is a total of 4 parts in this assembly
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/6/4/3/1362643-12448-70-720.jpg)
Wings on.
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/6/4/4/1362644-12448-42-720.jpg)
Most productive 2 hours I've spent at the bench in a long while. Enough for today though.
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/3/9/7/1365397-12448-52-720.jpg)
Wings work!
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/3/9/8/1365398-12448-89-720.jpg)
Spent a happy hour last night masking the clear parts.
![Album image #23 Album image #23](/albums/img/3/9/9/1365399-12448-16-720.jpg)
Crew, gun and it's mount installed. Left the crew in blue, yes it's wrong but I would have lost today's session at the bench if I had repainted them.
![Album image #24 Album image #24](/albums/img/3/9/6/1365396-12448-27-720.jpg)
Put the gunner looking to the side. Artistic move there on my part?
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/4/0/0/1365400-12448-57-720.jpg)
Quick spray of Tamiya primer and LP matt white on the undersurfaces.
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/3/6/1/1369361-12448-46-720.jpg)
Painting finished. Used Humbrol intermediate blue but it looks too dark, and Xtracolour foe the dark sea blue
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/3/6/2/1369362-12448-77-720.jpg)
Not sure about this.....
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/4/0/7/1373407-12448-74-720.jpg)
Back at it..
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/4/0/8/1373408-12448-98-720.jpg)
I cheated and used some filler, the water based stuff so still safe for a 12 year old, wiped down with damp cloth and touched up with brush paint.
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/4/0/9/1373409-12448-54-720.jpg)
Prop tips brush painting. Under coat yellow with pink....
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/4/1/0/1373410-12448-53-720.jpg)
Decal time... Will 49 year old decals work?
![Album image #32 Album image #32](/albums/img/4/1/2/1373412-12448-94-720.jpg)
Hopefully...
![Album image #33 Album image #33](/albums/img/4/1/1/1373411-12448-36-720.jpg)
Well, there's a surprise ?
![Album image #34 Album image #34](/albums/img/4/1/3/1373413-12448-51-720.jpg)
Well, only lost one National Insignia and the 45 on cowling on one side.
![Album image #35 Album image #35](/albums/img/4/1/4/1373414-12448-99-720.jpg)
Replacement courtesy of a microscale sheet. Of course now that makes the rest look odd. Matt coat clear at the next session and removal of masking tape will see it nearly finished. Till next time...
![Album image #36 Album image #36](/albums/img/9/9/4/1373994-12448-36-720.jpg)
Semi gloss clear coat added. Time to start removing canopy masking...
![Album image #37 Album image #37](/albums/img/9/9/5/1373995-12448-73-720.jpg)
Looks OK! I'm impressed!
![Album image #38 Album image #38](/albums/img/9/9/6/1373996-12448-78-720.jpg)
Should have changed the second insignia...
![Album image #39 Album image #39](/albums/img/9/9/7/1373997-12448-53-720.jpg)
Microscale this side, looks better. Canopy looks good.
![Album image #40 Album image #40](/albums/img/9/9/8/1373998-12448-51-720.jpg)
Folded wings. I've already broken one hinge....
![Album image #41 Album image #41](/albums/img/9/9/9/1373999-12448-81-720.jpg)
Some drybrushing of silver to add wear.
![Album image #42 Album image #42](/albums/img/0/0/0/1374000-12448-86-720.jpg)
No Matchbox is complete without fingerprint or smudge. This kit is no different
![Album image #43 Album image #43](/albums/img/0/0/2/1374002-12448-38-720.jpg)
Off the bench at last.
![Album image #44 Album image #44](/albums/img/0/0/1/1374001-12448-90-720.jpg)
C'est fini...
![Album image #45 Album image #45](/albums/img/0/0/3/1374003-12448-36-720.jpg)
Prop even spins.
![Album image #46 Album image #46](/albums/img/0/0/4/1374004-12448-62-720.jpg)
Beauty shots...
![Album image #47 Album image #47](/albums/img/0/0/5/1374005-12448-11-720.jpg)
Best side.
![Album image #48 Album image #48](/albums/img/0/0/6/1374006-12448-84-720.jpg)
Wings still work. Whoo hoo!
![Album image #49 Album image #49](/albums/img/0/0/7/1374007-12448-84-720.jpg)
It's a big old bird, here with a Tomcat for scale. No wonder it was a handful compared to the Dauntless. And why she got the name derived from designation SB2C.; Son of a Bitch, 2nd Class.
Commenti
45 15 December 2022, 20:35
![](/profiles/img/12448-935-s.jpg)
Was hoping to get some work done today... went trimming a tree in the front that took a lot longer than I expected... all afternoon... and even longer to clean up. It's now far too cold to work in the shed so no models or modelling until tomorrow...
17 December 2022, 18:05
![](/profiles/img/12448-935-s.jpg)
-1°C yesterday, +12°C today. Bit more conducive to modelling in the shed.
Well. 2 hours done today. 40 mins of which was painting the crew.
18 December 2022, 19:16
![](/profiles/img/46533-553-s.jpg)
I built this kit when I was about 10 years old, bought it with my pocket money from the hardware store in the village where I grew up. Big selling point back then where the foldable wings. Happy days!
23 December 2022, 20:29
![](/profiles/img/46074-690-s.jpg)
Apparently that dark blue is correct. Seems pretty dark in the photo but I think it is that dark on the real planes.
29 December 2022, 02:11
![](/profiles/img/46074-690-s.jpg)
Yes, the Humbrol intermediate blue looks very dark in the photo but I think it's probably correct.
29 December 2022, 12:47
![](/profiles/img/41967-490-s.jpg)
A trip through memory lane, I was 3 when this came out 🙂
Looking through the foto's and reading the comments made me feel like that little kid butchering and smearing these kits, great stuff 👍🏻
4 January 2023, 17:51
![](/profiles/img/78736-860-s.jpg)
Very handsome model Roy. I suspect the finest build of this kit ever made. Congratulations!
29 January 2023, 00:50
Album info
Matchbox SB2C-1 oob
Group Build
![Matchbox 50th anniversary group build in](/events/img/11950-12448-82-p.jpg)
Matchbox 50th anniversary group build
1. Aprile 2022 fino a 31. Dicembre 2023
1. Aprile 2022 fino a 31. Dicembre 2023