Curtis Shrike Info

Curtiss produced several aircraft called Shrike.  A-25 Shrike was a land based version of the SB2C HellDiver.  There were big cancelations of orders because of all the problems with the aircraft. As far as I could find out the British and Australians only accepted a small number of aircraft and they were used as trainers and target tugs. The problems with the aircraft were fixed later. The aircraft had stability problems, it was refered to in USN service as the Son of a *** 2nd class. (a play on its designation) becuase of its problems. 

The earlier Shrike, the Curtiss A-12, was a golden age (yellow wings) plane of the thirties.  Czech Models has, or used to have, a very nice kit of it.

Give this link a try:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_SB2C_Helldiver

Gary

From what I recall...the biggest difference, visible, between the Shrike and Helldiver (other than the obvious colors/markings) is the tail wheel.

A-25 had a larger, air filled tire, while the Helldiver had a solid tail wheel. (I can't say that's 100% accurate...but that is what I recall when I was looking into converting an SB2C to an A-25....it's been a couple-few years...so....???) 

Thanks for the info guys.Much appreciated