Douglas TBD Devastator for USS Midway CV-41 museum ...

[JOMiller]

I want to learn more about this replica project. Can
someone put me in touch with somebody who worked
on it ?

help?

Owen

Last edited by JOMiller on Sun Sep 15, 2019 10:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Jim MacDonald]

I'm curious as to what plans were used to base the plane off of. Anybody know?

Thanks,

Mac

[Clifford Bossie]

The TBD is due to come onboard September 19, 2019. It will spend a period of time being reassembled and having final touch-ups done. After that it will be prepared for hanging, and will hopefully be hanging in its final position by the end of the year. Interestingly, the replica weighs much more than a genuine TBD, due to its heavy wood and steel inner framework.

I'll have to do a different post on the restoration of our Vought F7U Cutlass, which has been on the back burner because of the TBD as well as our re-restorations of our A-7 and F-8. I'm hoping that we will see the Cutlass onboard sometime next year, though she still has a lot of work to be done on her.

There is a restoration site that is most likely not affiliated with the official USS Midway museum site (https://www.midway.org/) that for many years had updates on the aircraft restoration projects: https://airwing.midway.org/ It has not been updated in several years, so I am guessing that it was the work of a volunteer that is either not associated with the museum any more, or no longer has the time to update.

[daveswarbirds]

Yes, that Midway museum aircraft website was done by our airwing volunteers. It was decided not to continue to support it, but instead move its material to the main Midway Museum website at http://www.midway.org. The move has been delayed for a time, but the old aircraft website will remain online until the move is completed. The aircraft website was meant to show the work of our airwing volunteers as they took aircraft in poor condition and made museum pieces out of them. It also showed off the new additions to our collection (now 30 in number). However, we have reached a point where we are mostly out of room for new aircraft, so aside from the F7U Cutlass under restoration, we probably won't be adding any new aircraft to our collection.

As for who built the TBD replica or what plans were used, we have no info other than the movie studio built it for the upcoming Battle of Midway movie. They also built a replica Dauntless and Japanese Zero, which were offered for sale to us (and we declined). I don't know what happened to the SBD or Zero or even if they still exist - during the transfer of the TBD to Midway from the studio it was inferred that the replicas would be scrapped if buyers could not be found for them.

[daveswarbirds]

Here's a few photos of the TBD the day it came onboard:

The two inner wing segments on the aircraft elevator.

The fuselage now on the flight deck, strapped to its dolly.

Another view of the fuselage, with our Skyraider and Vigilante in the background. The TBD will be assembled on the flight deck in the next few weeks, then moved to the hangar bay after it has been built and painted.

[navystores]

I am new to this forum and would like to post a question to the person that posted the pictures of the TBD Devastator under construction. I am a long standing volunteer with the USS Midway Airwing (over 7,000 hour) and have spent the last 12 years doing aircraft restoration and maintenance. It was my assignment to take on the Devastator and make all necessary repairs and modifications prior to it going to the ship this past month. With over 600 hours (so far) invested in the plane I was very frustrated NOT be able to contact the company that actually built the plane. Many questions arose during the initial assessment of damage as to how best to repair the styrofoam that was damaged. I contacted Lionsgate Productions Co. to find out who made the plane but they were of no help either by phone or emails as suggested by them. So the bottom line is "would the person that posted the pictures of the plane under construction please contact me with any information that would allow me to speak directly to someone who was actually involved in building the plane". With significant damage incurred due to handling and shipping it would have been nice to know the build process relative to the foam sections of the plane.

[p51]

I contacted Lionsgate Productions Co. to find out who made the plane but they were of no help either by phone or emails as suggested by them.

The main production company usually goes through several degrees of separation in such a case. Lionsgate only knows they had a mock plane to work with, and couldn't have cared who built it, especially now that their concern is the movie making lots of money.
That said, I wish you luck and hope you get the info from the folks who built it.

[Cutlass]

.......However, we have reached a point where we are mostly out of room for new aircraft, so aside from the F7U Cutlass under restoration, we probably won't be adding any new aircraft to our collection.

Not to hi-Jack this thread, but since you shook the tree..... the F7U was delivered to you months ago, in raw form with exposed bondo and exposed surfaces. NOTHING has been done with it to date. It is exposed to the salt air, and worse, unrelenting sun exposure to the filler used to fair its surfaces. It has been, by all means left to degrade in the weather after a long effort expended by the Vought Retirees Group. Can not a temporary spray of Zinc Chromate or Epoxy primer be applied? I understand fully the fact that money is allocated on a triage basis, but as one who holds F7U’s closer to my heart than family, it pains me to see this aircraft languishing exposed to the weather in bare form, while your organization expends time and effort on foam replicas. If the Midway organization cannot devote the work required to at least preserve the aircraft long enough to see it to the paint shop, I have little faith that the final product will do justice to the type.

[daveswarbirds]

Two comments - the photos of the TBD under construction were provided to the Midway Museum by the movie studio as part of the negotiations for the sale. The original source of the photos (or any contact information relating to the builder) is unknown. The museum does not know who built the replica, and has only dealt with the studio in regards to the sale. Perhaps the builders will see this forum and respond, but asking the museum or the movie studio will probably not get you anywhere.

As for the F7U restoration, don't have any worries. Now that the TBD is out of the restoration hangar, the F7U has now been moved inside so that its restoration can proceed. The Midway Museum has never failed to provide excellent restorations, and the F7U will be no different. Due to the construction materials of the F7U the process will not be an easy one, but in the end the finished product will be one that the museum and the aviation community in general will be proud of.

[Cutlass]

I’m happy to assist you in any way.......your aircraft is a squadron sister to mine.

[JOMiller]

Who has contact info for the persons or organization
that has the Wildcat and Dauntless up for sale ?

Help,
Owen



/

[daveswarbirds]

It was a Zero and a Dauntless. They may have been scrapped by now, I don't know. I don't think they would hang onto them for very long because of storage expenses...
It was the studio that sold the TBD to the Midway many months ago.

[JOMiller]

OK, thanks for the info. Can you get me a name and a number to speak
with about a purchase?

Thanks,
Owen

[daveswarbirds]

The replica TBD Devastator at the USS Midway Museum has now been hung in the Battle of Midway exhibit, sharing space with a genuine F4F-3 Wildcat and SBD Dauntless.

The TBD is behind the F4F.

It is wedged into the only place where it could fit.

It is hung as high as possible to keep most people from touching it.

Head-on view.

#14 was George Gay's plane.

[daveswarbirds]

Here is a video of a laser scan that was done of the TBD at its former location in the hangar bay (when it was still missing its wings), in order to find the optimal location where it would be relocated (and to confirm that it would fit there): https://vimeo.com/389406831