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TBD Devastator

Product Details

TBD Devastator
TBD-EM-P
Product Options
Paint Scheme*

Flight Stand
$20.00 inc. tax

$20.00 ex. tax
? Tax based on California, United States.

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Units in Stock: 13

TBD Devastator Summary

This is a 3D printed sculpt of the TBD Devastator by EBard Models.

The Douglas TBD Devastator was an American torpedo bomber that entered service in 1937. At that time, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy and possibly for any navy in the world. It was the first American carrier-based monoplane to be widely used, the first all-metal naval aircraft, the first with a completely enclosed cockpit, the first with power-actuated (hydraulically) folding wings. Semi-retractable landing gear were fitted, with the wheels protruding below the wings to limit potential damage during a "wheels-up" landing.

It carried a crew of three. The pilot sat in front; a rear gunner/radio operator took the rearmost position, while the bombardier occupied the middle seat. During a bombing run, the bombardier lay prone, sliding into position under the pilot to operate the Norden bombsight through a window in the bottom of the fuselage.

The fast pace of aircraft development quickly caught up with its design, and by the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the TBD was already outdated. The Devastator proved to be a death trap for its crews in combat. It was slow and hardly maneuverable, had poor armor even for the era, and its speed on a glide-bombing approach was a mere 200 mph, making it easy prey for fighters and defensive guns alike. The aerial torpedo could not even be released at speeds above 115 mph. Torpedo delivery requires a long, straight-line attack run, making the aircraft vulnerable, and the slow speed of the aircraft made them easy targets for the Japanese A6M Zeros.

Nonetheless, the Devastator performed well in early battles where it sank the carrier Shōhō but its flaws were exposed in the disaster of the Battle of Midway. At Midway, a total of 41 Devastators recorded zero torpedo hits with only six surviving to return to their carriers.

While this was a tragedy, their sacrifice was not in vain. In a coordination error, the Devastators arrrived on target before the rest of the attacking American aircraft. The defending Japanese Zeros dropped to the deck to shoot them down. This allowed the late-arriving SBD Dauntless dive bombers to be essentially unopposed on their dive runs that fatally damaged three of the four Japanese carriers about one hour after the first TBD torpedo attacks had begun. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than skilled, and this poorly executed attack, in restrospect, was perhaps the most perfectly executed feint of the Pacific war.

The Devastator comes magnetized and with a choice of paint schemes.