SB2C4 Helldiver

History

The Helldiver made its first flight in 1940, on 18 December. SB2Cs went into action for the first time on 11 November 1943 in a heavy raid on the major Japanese base of Rabaul, flying from the new Essex Class carrier Bunker Hill.
This large, heavy, impressive and powerful dive-bomber was intended as an improvement on the SBD Dauntless, which it was to replace. However, during the SB2C's development it became apparent that there were serious problems with its design. Combat experience, especially at the Battle of the Philippine Sea, revealed that the Dauntless was in fact the superior aircraft. The Helldiver's handling was poor - in particular it had unsatisfactory low-speed stability, and dangerously poor stalling characteristics.  However, it was at this stage impossible to reverse the changeover to the Helldiver, and the Philippine Sea battle was the SBD's last major action as a carrier aircraft.
The -4 version finally produced an aircraft worthy of the earlier promise.  Dive stability had been greatly improved by further perforating the dive flaps, bugs in the (still) overly complex hydraulic system had been worked out, and it's crews were beginning to have faith in their mount.  At the same time however, evolving carrier operational tactics were reducing (and in some cases even eliminating) carrier bomber squadron strengths.
Despite its initial lackluster showing - and its inherent defects - the SB2C served as the sole shipborne dive-bomber of the US Navy from late 1944 until the end of the war, eventually inflicting more damage on enemy shipping and installations that its predecessor , the SBD Dauntless.

Helldiver Technical Data

 

Type: Two-seat carrier-based dive-bomber

Dimensions: Length 36' 8", span 49' 9", height 16' 11".

Weight (typical): Empty 11,000 lb, loaded 16,607 lb

Engine: One 1,700 hp Wright R-2600-8 Cyclone 14-cylinder radial.

Performance: Maximum speed 281 mph, service ceiling 24,700 feet

Range: 1,110 miles

Armament (later versions): -
1,000 lb bomb load in internal bay
(later versions also having provision for bombs under wings)
Two fixed forward-firing 20mm cannon or four fixed forward-firing 0.5-inch Browning machine-guns in wings
Twin manually-aimed 0.3-inch or 0.5-inch Browning machine-guns in rear cockpit 

Academy 1/72 scale SB2C4 Helldiver 





Academy kit content is superb with nicely detailed cockpit, rear gunner's area, bomb bay and wheel wells, along with finely engraved surface detail. Tricky place is the bombs doors which are moulded integrally with some internal structure. Once fixed the structure does not allow room for the twin bomb-crutch and bombs to fit properly. The solution is to remove the doors and fit these and the interior structure separately. When fiting photo etched parts you need to cut away the original plastic flaps and dive-brakes. You also need to trim away some additional plastic near the fuselage for the flaps to sit in place.