RNZAF Douglas SBD Dauntless
Pacific Theatre, No.25 Squadron

Ventura Decals, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

The Douglas SBD Dauntless is best known for its service with the US Navy, but it also played a brief yet significant role with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. No. 25 Squadron RNZAF trained on the type in 1943 before receiving SBD-5 Dauntlesses for combat operations in the South Pacific.

Deployed to Bougainville in March 1944, the squadron flew bombing and close-support missions against Japanese positions throughout the northern Solomons and around Rabaul. Operating from forward airstrips under challenging conditions, the Dauntless proved rugged, accurate and effective, attacking airfields, artillery positions, supply dumps and shipping targets.

During its eight-week operational tour, No. 25 Squadron flew more than 500 combat sorties and dropped approximately 280 tons of bombs. The Dauntless was replaced by the Vought Corsair in May 1944, but its service with the RNZAF remains an important chapter in New Zealand's contribution to the Pacific War.

Ventura Decals has a new release focusing on Pacific Theatre RNZAF Douglas SBD Dauntless.

Five subjects are covered in 1/48 scale. They are all finished in US Navy mid-war "Basic (Non Specular) Camouflage of ANA 606 Semi-Gloss Sea Blue Upper wings and tail planes, ANA 607 Non-Specular Sea Blue upper fuselage, wings and tail plane leading edges, ANA 608 Intermediate Blue fuaelage sides and vertical tail and ANA 601 Insignia White under surfaces.

The set is made up from one decal sheet and a double sided A4 folded instruction sheet on glossy paper.

The instructions are a real highlight with eight reference photos, an upper view and lower surface scrap view illustration, colour profiles for each subject and detailed captions along with descriptive text.

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Thumbnail panels:

The decals and instructions are packed in a clear zip-lock plastic bag.

The glossy decal sheet is printed by BOA Decals in the Czech Republic. The colour and saturation look great, and carrier film is thin. These should settle down nicely on your model.

Specific subjects are as follows:

• NZ5055 - ‘He’ll Be Back Again’

• NZ5057 - “HOWA-BAHT-THAT”

• NZ5060- Donald Duck

• NZ5061 - Boxing Kangaroo

• NZ5064 - “He’ll Be Back Again”, April 1944

There is a full set of RNZAF national markings.

The subjects reflect the unusual appearance of RNZAF Dauntlesses, which retained much of their US Navy character while carrying New Zealand national markings and locally applied identification features.

The decals will be suitable for any 1:48 scale SBD-5 Dauntless kit, including offerings from Accurate Miniatures, Academy, Hasegawa and their various reboxings. The markings also lend themselves to weathering opportunities, as RNZAF Dauntlesses operated from rough forward airfields in the demanding tropical conditions of the South Pacific.

This is a welcome release that shines a spotlight on a little-known but historically significant RNZAF combat aircraft.

Well researched, attractively presented and perfectly printed, it offers modellers an excellent opportunity to build something genuinely different from the mainstream Dauntless subjects.

For enthusiasts of RNZAF aviation or Pacific Theatre aircraft, this release comes highly recommended.

Thanks to Ventura Publications for the sample.

Text and Images Copyright 2026 by Brett Green
Page Created 16 June, 2026
Last updated 16 June, 2026

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