"Here's looking at you!"

You're probably wondering what in the heck this pic of "bobble eyes" is doing here. Actually, you'll find some more crazy stuff like this as I go along. As I mentioned earlier, the local Craft Store can have some real treasures when you're trying to come up with materials to fabricate scale details.

I found this little pack of eyes for about a buck at our local store, and they looked like they would work out great for the large circular lense of the SBD's landing light...

I cut one of the "eyes" apart to get just the clear plastic lense first. Then I cut a piece of balsa the same size, about 3/32" or so thick. I sanded a depression into it so it would have a curved "bowl shape" to it. I used HVAC aluminum foil tape (used for duct work) to give it a reflective/chrome surface. I used some styrene to fabricate the filament for the bulb. Lastly I cut a cover ring out of white styrene.

With all the pieces ready, I glued them together into a single finished light fixture. I then cut a circular hole in the bottom of the left wing (yes, that was scary thank you... and yes, this light only goes on the left wing).

I glued the light in place and presto... a nice scale "headlight" looking landing light. On the fullscale SBD, these were extendable and retractable, but mine will be fixed in the retracted position.

Landing Attitude Lights

This light was used by the LSO on the carrier to determine the attitude of the plane as it was coming in on final landing approach.

I made it by cutting a square recession into the leading edge of the wing (yes, scary again) about 1/8" deep. I hardened it with thin CA, then added the foil tape for the reflective surface.

I then cut a piece of clear styrene, heated it with a heat gun, then quickly pulled it across the leading edge of the wing while still soft. When it cooled, it held the contour of the leading edge.

I cut it down to a size about 1/8" larger than the square hole, and masked off the area of just the clear light portion. Afer primering, it gave you a simulated "frame panel" around the light. This was glued over the square hole for the finished light assembly.