It seems like every single post I make documenting my progress on the TBD-1 Devastator attracts questions I’ve already answered at least five times. In the interest of not posting a short novel with every single pic, not answering the same questions over and over again, and trying to remember that I’m the only one so deep in the weeds on this one, I’ve decided to start up this FAQ post. Where I’ll be collecting and answering common questions.

What scale is it? 

1/32

What kit is it?

1/32 Trumpeter Douglas TBD-1 Devastator

I don’t have the patience for that

Don’t sell yourself short. You probably do. It’s not a matter of patience, it’s a matter of wanting to do it or not. 

What size are the rivets?

I’m using 0.4mm rivets that I designed myself. Rivets are easy to design in Fusion 360. 

Are they Anyz rivets?

No. Tom’s are 0.35mm and in batches of 200 I think. Part of making my own was to print in larger batches since I need a fuckload. 

How are you attaching the rivets?

I’m drilling out the existing recessed rivets in the kit with a 0.3mm bit, then sticking the 3D printed resin rivets into said holes. 

Once they are placed, I run Tamiya Extra Thin over them on the outside and inside. This very slightly melts the plastic around the rivets and effectively locks them in place. Though I anticipate having to keep more on hand for the occasional replacement. 

What drill and bits are you using?

I’m using a Votoer 380W flex shaft drill I got off Amazon. I love it. The foot pedal is a game changer for my drilling.

For bits, I’m using 0.3mm PCB bits, mostly from DrillBitsUnlimited, but a few from just wherever Amazon was getting them from.

Why are you doing this?

The past several years have had ups and downs from a modeling perspective. And after only completing two things in 2023, and having the field littered with abandoned works in progress, I had a bit of a realization. 

I’ve had this thing where it’s like “I only have so many fucks to give, so I need to tackle something I can get through quickly to build momentum”. Only to inevitably bog down, and then lose interest. 

My working theory is that I went astray in asking the wrong questions. I was so busy trying to diagnose why I was pulling the ripcord on these builds that I never stopped to consider a more positive outlook. 

What were the builds that, looking back, I thoroughly enjoyed? That I take pride in? That were satisfying on a whole different level?

It’s not the U-9 that I knocked out in three weeks. 

It’s the 1/32 A-6 Intruder. And the 1/32 FG-1D Corsair (and the earlier F4U-1 birdcage). Trumpeter P-47D Razorback. The 1/32 Italeri F-104. 

None of those were speed runs. Each of them had significant elements of slog to them. And yet, looking back, they’re the ones I loved. 

So I came up with a new theory to test. What if I embrace the slog? What if I pick a project with some hairy challenges? The kind that will present a slog, but in a way that I find engaging? 

I’ve always wanted to tackle raised rivets – I thought it’d be on a Dauntless. But the Devastator is just as good. So here we are. Running right at the sloggy stuff. 

Are you crazy?

I don’t think I technically classify as crazy, but I certainly have some neurospicy elements and am, in my daughter’s words, “cringe”. 

Remember when raised rivets were the norm for kits? [Insert wistful grumbling from the olds]

Yes I do. Those kits also sucked in a number of ways that today’s kits don’t. Like raised panel lines and extremely halfassed details. Not to mention often quite dodgy fit. 

What about rivet decals like HGW?

HGW rivets will be getting used as well, particularly on the wings.

The rivets are overscale! Won’t someone think of the accuracy?

Believe it or not, there is more to modeling than fellating dimensional accuracy. If that were the point of the hobby, I’d have bounced a long time ago. 

For me, modeling is about presenting your interpretation of a subject. Almost like how you see it in your mind’s eye. Or as close as you can get to that vision. That can be more or less true-to-life. It can be idealized, or illustrative, or stylistically boosted in any number of ways. Think about all the ways a painter or a photographer or a writer or a sculptor could interpret, say, a tank. What lens does the photographer use? How does the painter place the shadows? What does the writer focus their description on? 

For me, that is where the magic happens. It’s where you choose to focus, what you choose to emphasize. And for me, one of the defining characteristics of the TBD Devastator is the positive rivets. They create a very interesting surface, that, along with the wing ribs, I am intentionally drawing attention to. 

So if you want to moan about dimensional minutia, do it to yourself since no one else cares. 

What scheme are you going to go with?

My plan is to go with 6-T-2 of the Enterprise’s VT-6 in the pre-war yellow wing scheme. First because the yellow wings, second because the combo of the blue tail and the half-red cowl just catches the eye. It’s probably some projection on my part, but I find the combination of the TBD and the colorful scheme to carry a sort of optimistic naivety in the face of what was to come for the aircraft and their crews in 1942. It’s got big “in the beforetimes” energy.

Weren’t the rivets flush/countersunk?

LOL no. Not on a Douglas TBD Devastator. Not even close.