Douglas SBD-6 54805 Naval Air Test Center Patuxent River

These are 1/72 scale decals for Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless 54805, operated by the Naval Air Test Center (NATC) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, wearing the late-war and postwar tri-color scheme of NS Sea Blue (ANA 607) upper surfaces, Intermediate Blue (ANA 608) sides, and Insignia White (ANA 601) undersides, with bold "NATC" and "805" markings.

The SBD-6 was the final and most powerful production variant of the Dauntless, fitted with the 1,350 hp Wright R-1820-66 engine — a significant improvement over earlier marks. By the time the SBD-6 entered service in 1944, the Dauntless was being supplanted in fleet dive bombing squadrons by the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, but the type continued to serve in training, utility, and test roles well into the postwar period. 54805 at Pax River represents one of the last operational Dauntlesses in U.S. Navy service — a final chapter for an aircraft that had defined carrier dive bombing from Pearl Harbor through the end of the war.

The Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River used a variety of legacy types for chase, utility, and systems evaluation work in the immediate postwar years, and the SBD-6's continued presence there is a testament to the Dauntless's enduring reliability. The tri-color scheme with "NATC" titling on the wing undersurface and fuselage, and modex 805, makes this one of the most distinctive and historically significant Dauntless markings in the entire ootbModels range. Includes two serial options.

A rare postwar survivor and a fitting final chapter for the most important American dive bomber of World War II. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.