Trumpeter 1/32 TBM-3 Avenger
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History
 The main torpedo bomber of the US Navy during World War Two, the Avenger
saw widespread service throughout the globe. After the war, the plane
soldiered on in both military and civilian roles, with some converted
firebombers only just recently being retired. Detailed histories on the
Avenger can be found all over the Internet and in print, so I will send
you to Google or your local library for more information on this famous
aircraft.
The Kit
 Trumpeter just keeps banging out those big 1/32 kits, to much fanfare.
This is no exception. The large box hints at the big aircraft inside,
and this is no small model, folks. With a wingspan of 526mm (that's over
20 inches to you non-metric people) and a length of 386mm (15+ inches),
the finished model will occupy some serious real estate on your shelves.
Don't let this turn you off entirely, though, as for those who are running
out of room, you can fold the wings on this big bird. More on that later.
The box comes packed with lots and lots of parts, nearly 500 in all.
The kit includes  plastic, photoetch, and vinyl pieces, and a decal sheet
provides markings for two aircraft. The parts all feature recessed panel
lines with rivet detail, and the detail throughout is quite high. So
let's dive in and see just what you get!
The instructions start out with the assembly of the engine. This is
easily a model in and of itself. Both rows of cylinders are included,
with each row split into a front and rear portion. There are separate
push rods, individual exhaust pipes, a detailed engine back, and all
the various mounting hardware that is needed to secure this engine in
place. Assembly alone is likely to be a good several days, and the painting
and weathering could  stretch this out into a couple of weeks, easy. But
when done, you will have one nice looking engine (which, of course, is
promptly covered by the cowling).
For a more exposed area of detail, the instructions turn next to the
interior. The instrument panel has a clear front, acetate instruments,
and a solid plastic rear, for a very detailed and realistic finished
look. There are also photoetch knobs and handles, which could probably
benefit from a blob of white glue on the ends to make a round  knob. The
seats get photoetch seatbelts, while the front office has separate side
consoles and bulkheads to create the cockpit. Once together, the modeler
will once again have to do some very serious detail painting to do all
this homage.
Moving to the rear, the bomb bay and rear cockpit areas use the same
floor/roof piece. For ease of assembly, the instructions have you detail
up the bomb bay section first, and here you get a choice of a fuel tank,
torpedo, or two sizes of bombs to fill the bay with. Flip this piece
over, and the finished cockpit and radio assemblies fit in place, leaving
just  the gunner's position to finish. The turret is very well done, and
the gun mount is quite detailed. Photoetch comes out again, this time
providing the gunsight. All of this fits underneath a very clear turret
glass, and it would appear that the kit is designed to have the finished
turret moveable.
 The sidewalls are a combination of molded-in detail and added parts.
The structure of assembly and alignment for the cockpit/bomb bay assembly
is very positive and should keep everything perfectly in place. The tailwheel
has its own bulkhead assembly, and it too has very positive locators.
With the rudder trapped in place and all the interior fittings done,
the fuselage halves can slide together. Once that's done, the next step
is to turn to the wings.
 The wings, as I mentioned before, can be positioned in either the folded
or extended manner. The folding mechanism looks to be quite sturdy, and
should this be the route you take, there should be no worries with fragility.
The inner wing panels are split into upper and lower halves, as are the
outers, with the hinge mechanism connecting the two. While most modelers
will choose one way or the other, it appears that Trumpeter has engineered
this well enough to keep the wings foldable. Additionally, all the control
surfaces are separate, so you can have the flaps up or down.
 The landing gear is very nicely done, with the main wheels consisting
of no less than four pieces, including the vinyl tires. The gear legs
are very sturdy and should have no problem supporting the weight of the
finished model. The elevators are separate from the stabilizers, and
connected with the standard Trumpeter pin and hinge setup, like all the
other control surfaces.
A word needs to be said about the weaponry included in this kit. This
is truly remarkable, as Trumpeter has included just about everything
the Avenger ever carried. As I mentioned before, the bomb bay has a choice
of a fuel tank, torpedo, or two styles of bombs (four each). For under
the wing, there are even more options, with two drop tanks or two bombs
on  the inner wing sections, and eight rockets on the outboard wing sections.
All of these are very nicely detailed (the rockets have accurate nozzles,
even), and the options presented will allow you to build a specific loadout
on a specific Avenger, based on whatever photo you manage to turn up.
Well done, Trumpeter!
All that's left at this point is the small details and the canopy. Trumpeter
provides options with the canopy, either open or closed, which is a nice
touch. The wingtip lights have clear covers, and all the fuselage glass
is nicely engineered to be fit in place on a lip, so no worries of it
pushing through and rattling around in the fuselage. For those who fold
the wings, the wingtips have the little doors open so you can tie the
wingtip down to the tailplane.
 For marking options, you get a large decal sheet with plenty of stenciling
and two aircraft choices. The first is what you would expect, that being
the aircraft of George Bush. While this plane is famous due to its pilot,
it really is not that exciting in terms of markings. Finished in the
standard three-color camouflage, the plane has names painted in yellow
on the fuselage side and white numbers on the tail. The second option
offers some rather interesting markings. This aircraft is the one on
the boxtop, and is an Avenger of VC-94 off of the USS Shamrock Bay in
early 1945. This plane is overall gloss sea blue, with white wing markings
and a shamrock on the tail. A large string of mission marks is underneath
the cockpit window as well. Both options are well printed by Cartograf
and there should be no problems in application.
Conclusion
This kit will undoubtedly please many large scale modelers, with its
high level of detail and interesting subject matter. I am sure it will
not be too long before we start seeing some interesting aftermarket decal
and accessory sets. My thanks to Stevens International for the review
sample.
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