Hobby Master USMC Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless Dive-Bomber - Major Lofton Henderson, VMSB-241 "Sons of Satan", June 4th 1942 "Battle of Midway" (1:72 Scale)

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USMC Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless Dive-Bomber - Major Lofton Henderson, VMSB-241 "Sons of Satan", June 4th 1942 (1:72 Scale)

Hobby Master USMC Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless Dive-Bomber - Major Lofton Henderson, VMSB-241 "Sons of Satan", June 4th 1942 "Battle of Midway"

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Product Code: HA0175

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Hobby Master HA0175 USMC Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless Dive-Bomber - Major Lofton Henderson, VMSB-241 "Sons of Satan", June 4th 1942 "Battle of Midway" (1:72 Scale) "Peering through my binoculars which were practically glued to my eyes, I saw dead ahead about 35 miles distant the welcome sight of the Jap carrier striking force. They were in what appeared to be a circular disposition with four carriers in the center, well spaced, and an outer screen of six to eight destroyers and inner support ships composed of two battleships and either four or six cruisers."
- LCDR Wade McClusky, leading the aerial attack against the Japanese strike force during the Battle of Midway, June 4th, 1942

The Dauntless was the standard shipborne dive-bomber of the US Navy from mid-1940 until November 1943, when the first Curtiss Helldivers arrived to replace it. Between 1942-43, the Dauntless was pressed into service again and again, seeing action in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Guadalcanal campaign. It was, however, at the Battle of Midway, that the Dauntless came into its own, singlehandedly destroying four of the Imperial Japanese Navy's frontline carriers. The SBD (referred to, rather affectionately by her aircrews, as "Slow But Deadly") was gradually phased out during 1944. The June 20th, 1944, strike against the Japanese Mobile Fleet, known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea, was the last major engagement in which it was used. From 1942 to 1944, the SBD was also used by several land-based Marine Corps squadrons.

Built as a two-seat, low-wing Navy scout bomber, the Dauntless was powered by a single Wright R1820 1200-horsepower engine. It became the mainstay of the Navy's air fleet in the Pacific, suffering the lowest loss ratio of any U.S. carrier-borne aircraft. A total of 5,936 SBDs were delivered to the Navy and Marine Corps between 1940 and the end of its production, in July 1944.

This particular 1:72 scale replica of a USMC Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless dive-bomber that was piloted by Major Lofton Henderson, who was attached to VMSB-241 "Sons of Satan", on June 4th 1942. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-1/2-inches
Length: 5-inches

Release Date: September 2022

Historical Account: "Forever the Hero" - Lofton Russell Henderson (May 24th, 1903 - June 4th, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps aviator during World War II. He commanded Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241) at the Battle of Midway and died while leading his squadron to attack the Japanese carrier forces.

On June 4th, 1942, as Japanese forces approached Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean, Major Henderson led 16 Marine Corps SBD Dauntless dive bombers in a glide bombing attack on the aircraft carrier Hiryū. As he began his final approach on the target, his left wing took anti-aircraft fire and burst into flames. Undaunted, Henderson continued his attack only to perish as his plane dove towards the enemy carrier. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.