In the early stages of WW2, German
U-boats were devastating shipping in the North Atlantic. Faced with overwhelming
losses, the Allies needed to develop a strategy to counter the U-boat threat.
Introduced in 1943, escort carriers or CVE’s like the USS Bogue began
operating in the North Atlantic. Using radio direction-finding equipment, the
Allies could locate surfaced U-boats. At night, the aircraft employed
searchlights to find targets.
The TBF Avenger was the formidable aircraft assigned to anti-U-boat operations.
Carrying bombs and homing torpedoes, these aircraft took a tremendous toll on
the U-boats.
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images below to see larger images
The models:
My friend Mike gave me an old 1:48 Monogram Avenger kit. I saw an article
in FSM about painting “razor-thin” canopies. It featured an Avenger in
North Atlantic camouflage. I picked up some decals for an Avenger that
flew from the USS Bogue. I also picked up the 1:700 Tamiya USS Bogue kit.
The aircraft was a pretty easy build and I think the movable parts are
pretty cool. I used Naval Aggressor Grey for the topside camo and Flat
White for the rest.
The Tamiya Bogue kit is pretty detailed right OOB. I also built two of the
1:700 Tamiya U-Boats – probably the smallest model kits I have every
built.
The ultimate objective was to create
a Photoshop diorama of the Avenger. I composited the USS Bogue and the Avenger
into a basic scene using Bryce to make a 3D backdrop.
Years ago, I acquired a 3D U-boat model. I decided to use this for the diorama.
With some Photoshop to depict the spray from the bomb blast, I had my images.
For more Photoshop dioramas and 3D, check out my website www.shortfuse3d.com
or drop me a line.
Konley Kelley
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