Cyber-Hobby 1/72 A-25A-5-CS Shrike
By Bill Glinski
In 1940 the USAAC placed an initial order for 100 A-25A Shrikes. In March 1941 an additional 3,000 were ordered. By 1943 the USAAF no longer needed dive bombers and canceled the contract after 900 had been built. The Army then turned over 410 A-25As to the USMC (designated SB2C-1A). The RAAF kept 10 and canceled their order for an additional 140. According to various sources the Army and Marine A-25As were never used in combat but were relegated to training and non-combat duties.
The first 10 A-25s were identical to the SB2C-1, but changes were made during production to meet Army requirements. These included non-folding wings, removal of the tail hook, larger main wheels, a pneumatic tail wheel, ring and bead gun sight, longer exhaust stubs, and Army radio equipment.
The Kit
This is Cyber-Hobby's third Helldiver kit release. The first was the SB2C-4, followed by the SB2C-3. The only changes for this release are the box art, decals for one version, a new sprue for the A-25, and photo-etch for the non-perforated dive-brakes. The new sprue includes 3-bladed prop and spinner, new tailwheel, wider main wheel halves, pitot tube, single .50 cal rear gun, and .50 cal gun ports.
If you want an accurate A-25, be prepared to make a lot of corrections. This kit doesn't represent any version of the Helldiver, out of the box. First, the 3-bladed prop should be an uncuffed Hamilton Standard. The dive brake inner surfaces are for the SB2C-4, which should have the brakes with fewer perforations. The rear sliding canopy is for the SB2C-3 and later. The fixed canopy section is for the SB2C-4, instead of the early section of the A-25 and SB2C-1, with the glazed section aft of the cockpit. The kit provides the .50 cal gun ports, but it doesn't include the extended gun tubes depicted in photos of armed versions. If the .50 cal gun ports are used the modeler may want to fill in the 20mm spent cartridge opening and rescribe openings for the .50 cals.
My initial study of the instructions revealed some errors. The tail hook should be omitted in step 6. In step 8 the .50 cal gun ports are labeled D6 (7) instead of G6 (7). In step 10 parts D18 for the radar aerials should be omitted. Markings and paint guide are for one Army version of an unknown unit. The paint guide shows olive drab over neutral grey. I believe this is incorrect: photos of this plane show the leading edges of all flying surfaces having irregular patches of medium green.
Conclusion
The engineering and detail of this kit are unparalleled, but the lack of specific details for the A-25 is a real letdown and is evidence of poor research. Based on the parts breakdown I would expect to see a kit of the SB2C-1. I hope Cyber-Hobby will do their homework and make the necessary corrections. I would have liked to see additional markings and parts, particularly for a WASP flown target tow aircraft. Based on the lack of correct parts in this kit I personally would pass this one by for my collection. I would like to thank Dragon Models USA for providing the review sample.
