In June 1944 Bombing 39 (VB-16) was onboard USS Lexington with 34 SBD "Dauntless" aircraft. Lt. Cook "Cookie" Cleland and rear gunner W.J Hisler flying SBD White 39 began to attack a Japanese Betty bomber. Cleland used his 7.9mm cowling machine gun and damaged the Betty's engine while trying to avoid the Betty's 20mm tail machine gun. Next Cleland pulled up beside the Betty and its waist gunner and Hisler began to exchange fire so Cleland pulled out front so Hisler could shoot the crew and bring down the Betty.

First flown in 1938, The Douglas SBD Dauntless was the United States Navy's main dive-bomber during World War II. The Dauntless featured "Swiss cheese" flaps-dive brakes punched with 3-inch holes, which helped it achieve pinpoint accuracy when diving to the target. The cockpit accommodated the pilot, who doubled as the bombardier and manned a fixed-forward gun. The rear cockpit contained a machine gun and played a major defensive role. During the Battle of Midway, SBD dive-bomber attacks fatally damaged all four of the Japanese aircraft carriers, and heavily damaged two cruisers.

Hobby Master's 1:32 scale SBD Dauntless is a large model packed with features. The cockpit interior is exceptionally rich in detail; the instrument panel, scale flight controls, and side mounted equipment and control panels are beautifully recreated. The free-spinning metal propeller can be removed, which allows the cowling to also be removed - revealing a finely-detailed Wright R-1820 radial engine. All control surfaces are movable and the speed brakes can be fully deployed for a dive-bombing run. The center-mounted bomb can be displayed in a swung position when the model is mounted to a display stand, and the main landing gear is hinged, allowing for easy gear configurations.

Info: SBD-5 Dauntless - USN VB-16, White 39, Cook Cleland, USS Lexington, Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 1944