Northrop BT-1
1930's U.S. Navy Dive Bomber
 

Valom 1/72

Reviewed by Glen Porter

Valom's 1/72 scale Northrop BT-1 will be available online from Squadron.com
 

So, what is a Northrop BT-1?

Designed and built in the early 30s by John Northrop of the Northrop Corporation and flown in the late30s by two squadrons aboard USS Carriers Yorktown and Enterprise, it was redesigned after the take-over of Northrop by Douglas and developed into the now famous SBD Dauntless. Huh! Didn't know that did ya! Well nor did I, until I started reviewing this kit.

I've reviewed several Valom kits over the last year or so and along with several other relatively new manufacturers, each new kit seems to be better than the one before. They are short-run, multi-media kits so they will probably never get to compete with the likes of the Japanese, Korean or Chinese makers but they are getting close to MPM for instance. I emphasize the closer, as they are not quite there yet.

There is one sprue of plastic parts with engraved detail on the outside and a small amount raised detail on the inside of the fuselage for cockpit side-walls. The cockpit itself is made up of a combination of plastic, resin and PE parts which when painted should be very busy indeed. To show off all this interior detail, Valom have done something a little bit different. They've supplied both injected and vac-formed canopies which to my mind is the best of both worlds in allowing you to display the canopy open.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

The twin row 14 cylinder P&W motor is resin while the cowling and prop are in plastic. The wing is a five piece affair, three lower and two upper and is very similar to the Dauntless wing with PE dive-brakes with can be displayed open but the main under-carriage is only semi retracting, folding backwards into two large pods on the under-side of the wing. The aft-cockpit hand held MG is in resin as is the single bomb with PE fins.

The decals are in perfect register and display minimum carrier film with markings for two aircraft, one from VB-5 on USS Yorktown, 1937/38 and the other from VB-6 on Enterprise in the same period.

This kit should not present any major problems for a first-time multi-media builder and should build into a very detailed and attractive model that will have all your competitors guessing at your next club comp.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Valom for this review sample.

Review and Images Copyright © 2006 by Glen Porter
Page Created 16 November, 2006
Last updated 15 November, 2006

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