Hobby Master 1:72 Air Power Series Diecast Model

Grumman TBM-3 (TBF) Avenger - VT-83, USS Essex, U.S. Navy, April 1945

1:72 Scale.  Length: 6.75".  Wingspan: 9”

On April 7, 1945, the battleship Yamato along with one light cruiser and eight destroyers were spotted off the coast of Kyushu headed for the U.S. ships supporting the landing on Okinawa. As part of Task Force 53, Air Group 83 and others launched an assault on the Japanese Task Force. When it was over the Yamato, the cruiser and three destroyers had been sunk, and the other five destroyers fled. It was determined that TBM Avengers from VT-83 scored four definite torpedo hits and four probable hits on the Yamato. They also scored bombs hits on the cruiser and sank one destroyer with a single torpedo.


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. It 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 three man crew: pilot, turret gunner and 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 mi (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 offers a wide selection of quality, pre-assembled, diecast model airplanes. Each model is crafted to a high level of accuracy using specifications of the original aircraft. They are constructed with precision-made diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of a TBM Avenger by Hobby Master features: