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More Douglas A-26 Invader questions! Now a JD-1 question!


RidgeRunner

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Calling all Invader experts!

 

  • For a TB-26 was the gun laying apparatus in the rear section removed?
  • Where the turrets blanked over with circular flat plates? I think from memory that the Airfix kit includes these plates?
  • What are the gun arrangement options. Many I am looking to build have them set in a horizontal plane rather that the two vertical sets of 4 in the Airfix and Italeri kits.

 

Thanks.

 

Martin

Edited by RidgeRunner
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The 6 horizontal gun arrangement was on early aircraft, the 8 gun vertical mounting came later.  However the entire nose section was interchangeable, being originally designed for additional options including a 75mm gun on one side.

 

Yes the turrets will have been blanked over if removed.  Normal practice on all types.

 

If the TB-26 had the turrets removed, then the gun laying apparatus will have gone too.

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I'm unsure whether the nose shape was actually or at least significantly different, so it could be just a matter of placing the guns differently, or at least with minimum reshaping.

 

You don't quote a scale, which usually means 1/48, but I suspect that the 6 gun nose may come in at least one of the 1/72 Italeri/Revell boxings.

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31 minutes ago, RidgeRunner said:

Thanks Graham.

 

I guess, therefore, that the horizontal gun layout will be a scratch build effort for me. There is no resin available? 

 

M

RR,

 

No resin 6-gun nose for either 1/72 or 1/48 scale A-26B's that I am aware of, but I have attached some links to photos of both types for you to examine. I think the nose contours for both the 6 and 8 gun noses were the same, but the access panels were different. Be aware that early production A-26B's had the flat plate canopy, with egress hatches that were hinged at the front, while later production examples had a bulged canopy with egress hatches that opened upward and outward. I'm not aware of any vacform flat plate canopies in either scale- the 1/72 Falcon sets only have the later bulged canopy, and it is engineered for the Airfix kit. (More than ready for Airfix to do a new-tool Invader in 1/72 scale, as the Italeri kits, while pretty nice, have some issues- most because they tried to get too many versions from the same molds, but the oil cooler intakes on the wing are undersized and lack the proper contour around the lip.) Do these help?

Mike

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Douglas+A-26B+gun+nose&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj05o3iw77XAhWKslQKHRx2DU4Q_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=654#imgrc=-oFQA6dhYwpv6M:&spf=1510678459868

 

http://napoleon130.tripod.com/id488.html

 

http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/Aircraft/A-26_Six_Gun_Nose.jpg

 

http://ww2live.com/sites/default/files/images/20161108184404.jpg

 

http://www.aviationspectator.com/files/images/Douglas-B-26-Invader-25.jpg

 

This one from the Squadron Signal In-Action

http://napoleon130.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/candev.jpg

 

http://www.aviation-history.com/douglas/a26-9a.jpg

Edited by 72modeler
added text for clarity
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There are plenty of machines with the later canopy but the earlier 6-gun arrangement, especially in the post-war era (e.g. Korea), you really need to look at photos.  As has been said, the noses were interchangeable.

 

Plenty of foreign operators had aircraft with later canopies and 6 gun arrangements too.

 

If you can find it this book Foreign Invaders is really helpful

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3 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

The old "not quite 1/72" Monogram kit has the flat canopy.

I am impressed, Graham! I went back and rummaged through my two unbuilt Monogram kits, and lo and behold, they do look like they have the  flat plate canopy, although the framework looks like it is simplified. I found an A-26 website that has some good drawings and other reference material- maybe it will be useful! (The last time I built the Monogram kit was in 1958, so my memory was fuzzy  as to 1/72 early A-26 canopies, but since the kit is a little off from being true to scale, can I at least have technicality points?  I loved the box art of it taxying out! I do recall the original box price was 60 cents from the Myrtle Beach AB BX, as my Dad bought the kit for me!)

Mike

 

http://napoleon130.tripod.com/id245.html

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Many years ago, I shortened the wing of the Monogram Invader and took a section out of its fuselage to make it nearer 1/72.  IIRC, I also used Airfix cowlings/props, nose and canopy to do it as a JD-1.  So unless memory is really off, the Monogram canopy can be used on the Airfix kit.  The Monogram kit may have had the 6-gun nose, too.   However, I wouldn't recommend it even if you could find one today, other (perhaps) than the canopy.

 

PS it also had smoother cowlings as on the B-26K/A-26A, which I intended to use on an Airfix kit with T-33 tanks, but that combination hasn't made it out of the box.  Yet, it could be said but probably shouldn't..

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@72modeler ... i have both a 6 gun and an 8 gun resin nose in 1/48 bought them in 1995. I used the 6 gun but will be pulling it off when revell does a repop of the invader in December. I still have the 8 gun just sitting in the box i remember they were in a beautiful shade of pastel pink resin. I can take some photos of the unused 8 gun. I dont have any photos of my 6 gun invader id have to take some. 

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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Thanks all - very helpful.

 

Yes, Wez, thanks. I have that great book. 

 

My my builds are all aimed at Latinos or French and so the later canopy isn't an issue.

 

i am using Italeri kits. I saw, though, that Special Hobby are bringing out an Invader. It is showing on Hannat's listing already.

 

best regards,

 

Martin

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19 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

@72modeler ... i have both a 6 gun and an 8 gun resin nose in 1/48 bought them in 1995. I used the 6 gun but will be pulling it off when revell does a repop of the invader in December. I still have the 8 gun just sitting in the box i remember they were in a beautiful shade of pastel pink resin. I can take some photos of the unused 8 gun. I dont have any photos of my 6 gun invader id have to take some. 

That's why I am 72 modeler....what I know about 1/48 kits and accessories will fit on the top of an Airfix rivet!

 

Ridgerunner- Special Hobby has had the Invader as well as several other kits on their future release list for more than a few years...will believe it when the sprue shots are displayed on BM!

 

Mike

Edited by 72modeler
corrected spelling
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Sorry chaps but another .....

 

I've searched the net and cant find images that show the exhaust configuration. I want to build these in to my kit (as they are not there currently) but without any source of reference I am stuck :(

 

Thanks.

 

Martin 

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9 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

Sorry chaps but another .....

 

I've searched the net and cant find images that show the exhaust configuration. I want to build these in to my kit (as they are not there currently) but without any source of reference I am stuck :(

 

Thanks.

 

Martin 

Martin,

 

After looking through the numerous walkarounds on the Invader that I have, it appears there are three recessed areas on each side of the cowling immediately aft of the cowl flaps that contain the exhaust outlets. The uppermost recess on each side has two pairs of exhaust stacks, with four outlets in each stack, The remaining two recessed areas each  have one stack with four outlets in each one. Now comes the confusing part, at least for me; the R-2800 engine has eighteen cylinders, so how are the exhaust manifolds configured to fit the exhaust from eighteen individual cylinders into the 32 total outlets? I did find a photo of a pair of A-26 exhaust stacks for sale, and each one had two exhaust pipes feeding four outlets, which would seem to me to indicate that exhaust from two cylinders fed the four outlets, but if that's the case, that only accounts for sixteen of the eighteen cylinders. This doesn't affect the number of outlets, which is what you were asking about for your model, but now I'm going bonkers trying to figure out how the exhaust was routed. I was not able to find any photos in the walkarounds or print references I have that showed the exhaust manifolds. There was an A-26C at our airshow two weeks ago, and if I had seen your question earlier, I could have checked this out and taken detail photos. Maybe somebody who knows Invaders better can shed some light on the subject?

Mike

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6 hours ago, Finn said:

There is a pic or two here showing the exhausts of a C:

 

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/bill_spidle2/a-26c_nl202r/

 

Jari

I had the same walkaround, Jari. Each of those indented areas have four exhaust outlets, and I think that's all that Martin needs to know to do  his model, but what I was trying to figure out was how the  individual exhaust ports from the 18 cylinders in the two rows was combined/trunked/siamesed into four groups of four exhaust outlets on each side of the cowling, for a total of 32 exhaust outlets. I know that using the multiple small outlets is to reduce the  flare of the aircraft's exhaust at night, so on many aircraft the number of exhaust outlets is going to be more than the actual number of cylinders...I was just curious as to how the exhaust was plumbed from the cylinder to the outlets. (Are we model builders a crazy bunch or what?)

Mike

 

BTW- thanks for sharing the walkaround! 

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Back in the 80's, Airspray Services kept a few firebombers at the local airport every summer. In "86, I managed to get a few closeups. One had been fitted with an old 6-gun nose.

 

FMA'86 002 001

 

FMA'86 007 001x

 

 

 

Chris

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