Curtiss A-25A 42-79744 Ft Stewart GA 1943
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Following the early success of Germany's Stuka dive bombers, the US Army decided that it had better get on the bandwagon and come up with a dive bomber of their own. Luckily, the US Navy and Curtiss were already well into the development of the "Helldiver" a then modern, large, single-engined carrier dive bomber. Curtiss had supplied the Army with three generations of Shrike attack aircraft since the 1920s, so it seemed a natural fit. The bean counters rejoiced too, this would be one of the first truly multi-service aircraft programs.
However, transforming Curtiss' bomber into a standardized jack of all trades for both services resulted in degraded performance through additional equipment and weight, delaying production for approximately two years, and exploding costs. By the time the aircraft, called the A-25A Shrike by the Army and the SB2C Helldiver by the Navy, was ready for acceptance, the Army had decided that it didn't need a dive bomber at all. The P-47s had proven far more than capable in ground attacks. The initial variants used by the Navy were a disaster in combat, a fact that was rectified by a considerable Navy-only redesign. The A-25A never saw combat. Of the 900 built, around 500 were transferred to the Marines who used them in a few Pacific backwaters. The remainder ended up restricted from combat duty and were used as transports, trainers, and target tugs.
A-25A serial number 42-79744 was assigned to the 3rd Target Tow Squadron at Fort Stewart Georgia. This and similar squadrons were notable in that they were almost entirely "manned" by women. "Kathie-M" was usually piloted by WASP Helen Wyatt Snapp, towing a large fabric panel to be used as a target by trainee fighter pilots, bomber gunners, and anti-aircraft artillery men.
My model started as Academy's 1/72 Scale SB2C-5. A bit of work was required to change it into an A-25. A three blade prop was made from one provided by a Tamiya Corsair, the blades shortened and reprofiled. The spinner was made from a heavily modified one from the spares box. The wing armament and arrestor hook were removed and the gunner/radio station was modified: a gun mount was made with no guns and the life raft compartment was removed. Some other army specific details were added, some were left off as being more work than would be noticeable. Finally the aircraft was painted in Curtiss' distinctive olive drab, medium green, and medium gray scheme with markings provided by Wolfpack Decals.
