In June 1943 USN aircraft began wearing a new tricolor national insignia with a red surround as well as false gun ports painted on the wing leading edges. Between September 1943 and June 1944 VB-16 flew from USS Lexington. On September 18, 1943 VB-16 took part in the raids on the Gilbert Islands, raids on Tarawa and Wake in the fall. On December 4, 1943 VB-16 was part of a large raid on Kwajalein Atoll in an effort to soften the Japanese strong hold prior to the actual invasion in early 1944.

First flown in 1938, The Douglas SBD Dauntless was the United States Navy's main dive-bomber during World War II. The Dauntless featured "Swiss cheese" flaps-dive brakes punched with 3-inch holes, which helped it achieve pinpoint accuracy when diving to the target. The cockpit accommodated the pilot, who doubled as the bombardier and manned a fixed-forward gun. The rear cockpit contained a machine gun and played a major defensive role. During the Battle of Midway, SBD dive-bomber attacks fatally damaged all four of the Japanese aircraft carriers, and heavily damaged two cruisers.

Hobby Master's 1:32 scale SBD Dauntless is a large model packed with features. The cockpit interior is exceptionally rich in detail; the instrument panel, scale flight controls, and side mounted equipment and control panels are beautifully recreated. The free-spinning metal propeller can be removed, which allows the cowling to also be removed - revealing a finely-detailed Wright R-1820 radial engine. All control surfaces are movable and the speed brakes can be fully deployed for a dive-bombing run. The center-mounted bomb can be displayed in a swung position when the model is mounted to a display stand, and the main landing gear is hinged, allowing for easy gear configurations.

Info: SBD-5 Dauntless - USN VB-16, White 45, USS Lexington, 1943