02/08/2026. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Although the production Model 84 SB2C-1s differed considerably in internal detail from the prototype Model 84 XSB2C-1, they did not carry a revised Curtiss model number. Of the 370 on the initial order, only 200 were completed as plain SB2C-1s. Serial numbers were 00001 to 00200 in the Navy's third series.

Forward armament was changed from two 1.18 in (30 mm) guns on the nose to four 1.97 in (50 mm) guns in the center section outside of the propeller arc. A marking oddity of the SB2Cs was the application of top-surface camouflage to the underside of the outer wing panels. This was done to camouflage the aircraft on the deck of aircraft carriers when the wings were folded, thereby exposing their under-surfaces to observation from above.

The first flight of a production SB2C-1 was on June 30, 1942, and the first few aircraft were used as test vehicles. Like the prototype, SB2C-1 00001 suffered wing failure during a dive test in January 1943. The first delivery of SB2Cs to a fleet squadron was in December 1942 but the type did not see combat for almost a year. Aerodynamic problems continued to plague the SB2C-1s and they were restricted from making high-speed dives in the clean configuration.