Hobby Master 1:72 Air Power Series Die-cast Model

Grumman TBF-1 Avenger – 8-T-1, VT-8, U.S. Navy, NAS Norfolk, Virginia, May 1942

1:72 Scale.  Length: 6.7".  Wingspan: 9”


Limited production of approximately 800 models

In early 1942 TBF Avengers began to arrive at NAS Norfolk, Virginia and assigned to VT-8. This made the squadron the first front-line unit to be equipped with the TBF-1 Avenger. The first to arrive was TBF 8-T-1 BuNo 00380 wearing the inter-war red tail stripes and circle within the star insignia. Six VT-8 Avengers were sent to Pearl Harbor and on to Midway arriving just before the Battle of Midway. During this battle the 6 TBFs from VT-8 flew against the Japanese forces and 8-T-1 was the only Avenger to survive the encounter.

The TBF/ TBM Avenger was a torpedo bomber used by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. It was developed by Grumman to replace the Douglas TBD Devastator. First flown on August 7, 1941, the Avenger entered service in 1942 and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. The Avenger was the first aircraft to feature a new wing-folding mechanism, created by Grumman to maximize storage space on an aircraft carrier.

The Avenger had a crew of three (pilot, turret gunner, radioman/bombardier/ventral gunner) and was armed with several machine guns for defense. Its large bomb bay could carry one Mark 13 torpedo, a single 2,000 pound (907 kg.) bomb, or up to four 500 pound (227 kg.) bombs. With a 30,000 ft. (10,000 m) ceiling and a range of 1,000 miles (1,610 km.) the Avenger was better than any previous American torpedo bomber.

By 1943 Grumman began to slowly phase out production of the Avenger in order to produce the F6F Hellcat fighter. The Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors took over manufacturing the aircraft, designated TBM. Of the 9,836 TBF/TBM Avengers built, GM made 7,546 of them.


Hobby Master is a manufacturer of high quality, pre-assembled, diecast display models. Every model is crafted with meticulous attention to detail, using specifications of the original aircraft or vehicle. They are made with diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of a TBF Avenger features: