ICM B-26B Marauder with USAAF Pilots & Ground Crew (48322) 1:48

[Mike]

B-26B Marauder with USAAF Pilots & Ground Crew (48322)

D-Day 80th Anniversary

1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd

 

 

Now 80 years ago, D-Day 6th of June 1944 was one of the major turning points of WWII, when the western Allies opened a second front that comrade Stalin of the Soviet Union had been asking for at meetings for some time.  The land operation was named Overlord, and was timed to take place when the Allies were at maximum readiness in an attempt to secure success, although in war there is no such thing as a 100% guarantee.  Southern England became the staging ground for millions of troops, their equipment, backup staff, and the aircraft that would provide critical air cover during the operation, in addition to heavy around-the-clock bombing that took place in before and after the big day.  During a break in the poor weather that summer, a massive seaborne force undertook Operation Neptune, which transported them across the Channel/La manche to Normandy through the night of the 5th, landing early on the morning of the 6th of June.  Many air raids were scheduled at other locations to confuse and distract the Germans into expecting the main attack elsewhere, which along with the acts of some very devious psyops under the banner of Operation Bodyguard were very successful, as Mr Hitler took several days to come around to the fact that Normandy was the main attack and not a diversion, giving the Allies some leeway to establish a beachhead, although the battle to get ashore was still intense, especially Omaha beach, where the American troops suffered horrific casualties.

 

Overhead, a huge effort was expended by Allied fighters and bombers of every class.  The fighters accompanied bombers to support their attacks, also seeking out targets of opportunity to weaken the enemy’s defences to ease the impending arrival of Allied troops and armour as they moved inland after the initial day’s assault, heading for crucial locations such as Caen.  The Luftwaffe put up what defence they could, but their numbers and skill-base had been substantially eroded over the preceding years of warfare, losing many of their experienced pilots and manufacturing capability, which coupled with fuel and equipment shortages kept the skies from being filled with enemy fighters, although the pilots of the RAF and USAAF would probably beg to differ, as these things are always relative, and based upon individual experiences.

 

To minimise friendly-fire incidents between air-assets and ground-to-air assets, ‘special markings’ were mandated for Allied aircraft, which became colloquially known as ‘invasion stripes’ or ‘D-Day Stripes’, consisting of black and white bands on the wings and fuselage, using prescribed colours and widths that were adhered to with varying levels of accuracy and tidiness depending on the individual unit’s available manpower and time before take-off, which has caused many disagreements between modellers over the years.

 

 

The Set

This set includes the newly-tooled B-26B Marauder, and adds a recently tooled USAAF figure set that was previously available separately, all three decal options for the Marauder wearing Invasion stripes to avoid friendly fire when over Europe from jittery Allied soldiers or otherwise friendly Anti-Aircraft installations.  The figures add human scale to the model, and will lend themselves to a diorama situation if you have one planned.

 

 

B-26B Marauder

Instigated on the eve of WWII in Europe, the Marauder was a medium bomber developed over two years by the Glenn L Martin company, entering service in early 1942.  Due to its high wing and relatively small planform, loading was high, which resulted in a faster than usual landing speed, which could cause problems for an inexperienced crew during final approach, and similarly if a single-engined approach was necessary.  Its stall speed would bite the pilots aggressively if they varied even slightly from the documented landing procedures, resulting in excessive losses due to accidents, which earned it the nickname ‘Widowmaker’ amongst crews.  To counter this, changes to the aircraft’s aerodynamics and wing length were undertaken, together with additional crew training, a combination that proved successful, and led to the type’s loss rate being amongst the lowest of the Allied bomber fleet.  After initial orders, more followed, and improvements led to the B-26A, and soon after the B-26B, which by Block 10 benefited from longer wings and the other improvements that gave its pilots a longer life-expectancy.

 

The type saw extensive service in Europe, flying with the US Army Air Force and with the RAF, where it was known as the Marauder Mk.1 for B-26A airframes, and Mk.1a for the B models.  It also saw service in the Pacific, with a total of over 5,000 airframes built, 500 of which were flown by the RAF, with all airframes withdrawn from service by 1947, after which the A-26 Invader was given the B-26 designation, creating confusion amongst many aviation buffs and modellers over the years.  Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine in nacelles under the wings, the rotund fuselage could carry up to 4,000lbs of bombs in a bay between the wings with a range of 1,500 miles at a substantially higher cruising speed than a B-17, giving it a better chance against fighters and flak, which contributed to its low attrition rate.  An early adaptation saw the main armament increased from .303 machine guns to .50cals in all four turrets that could take a bigger bite out of any enemy fighters that ventured too close.

 

 

The Kit

This is a re-boxing of a brand-new tooling from ICM, of an aircraft that has been neglected for many years in 1:48 scale, so there was much joy when the kit was announced, and many of us, myself included, have been waiting as patiently as we can manage for its release.  The kit arrives in a top-opening box with an attractive painting of a colourfully marked Marauder getting ready to brave the flak over Europe, and under the lid is the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and under that are eight large sprues in grey styrene, another separately bagged grey sprue for the figures that we’ll cover later in the review, plus one sprue of crystal-clear parts, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour with painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages.  Detail is up to ICM’s modern high standards, with most of the fuselage full of detail that includes the cockpit, bomb bay and fuselage compartments around the turrets and waist gun positions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the fuselage halves for a change, preparing the interior by drilling out some flashed-over holes for gun packs used on two decal options, and adding the outer bomb racks plus other small details, along with the windows and hinges for the bomb bay if you plan to pose them open.  There are also two decals to be applied to parts of the nose compartment, one on each side.  The nose bay is built upon its roof, adding side walls and details to the interior, then the cockpit floor is layered on top, fitting the pilot’s four-part seat and separate rudder pedals, making the centre console from another five parts, and attaching the instrument panel to the rear, both it and the console receiving decals to depict the dials.  The cranked control column has a bow-tie yoke, applying them to the floor in front of the pilot’s seat, and a bottle behind it, plus a single-part co-pilot seat, two-part yoke, and a stiff neck from straining to view the instrument panel.  In the front of the floor is the bomb aimer’s seat, with a three-part sight for him to look through when the time for dropping bombs arrives.  The bomb bay front and rear bulkheads have spars moulded-in and show off the circular cross-section of the fuselage, detailing both with small parts, and joining them together via the roof, which is ribbed for strength.  Six bombs are built from two main parts with a separate spinner trapped inside the fin structure, gluing three to each of the central bomb ladders, then mounting those onto a pair of rails that fit into the bottom centre of the two bulkheads during the installation of the bay roof.  The completed assembly is inserted into the port fuselage half, hiding the short empty sections of the fuselage by inserting another bulkhead behind the bomb bay and in front, the latter having the cockpit floor slotted into it before installation.

 

Before the fuselage halves can be closed, there is a lot of armament to be built, starting with the rear gun turret, which has two guns glued to a central support, sliding the barrels through the two slots in the rear cover, and adding a tapering bracket to the top.  The fuselage waist defensive armament is stowed away inside until needed, mounting the two guns facing aft on a section of flooring via two supports, which is depicted with two options, although I can’t see any differences between the two, but it’s late.  The waist guns are glued into the rear fuselage on a flat area, inserting the rear turret in the aft, and fitting an armoured bulkhead forward, which the gunner sits behind on a circular seat that is also included.  The top turret has the front section with ammo cans built first, inserting it and the gunner’s seat into the turret ring from below along with the control levers.  The twin .50cals are inserted from above with the sighting gear between them, slotting the completed interior into a surround, then sliding the glazing over the barrels and securing it with a non-fogging glue before it is slipped into the cut-out on the upper fuselage.  Another ovoid bulkhead with a hatchway is inserted between the rear gunner and waist gunners, suspending a box overhead in the waist compartment, then sectioning off the nose from the cockpit with a horseshoe-shaped bulkhead.  If you skipped ahead and prepared the starboard fuselage half to speed through painting and weathering, it’s all good, otherwise the starboard fuselage is drilled out and dotted with detail parts, windows, braces and bomb racks, plus bomb bay hinges if you are leaving the doors open, then closing the two halves after putting 50g of nose weight in the space between the cockpit and bomb bay to keep the nose wheel on the ground when the model is complete.  The tail fin is a separate assembly on this kit, starting by gluing the two halves of the fin together, then building the stabilisers as a single unit made from a full-span lower and two upper parts plus two smaller inserts.  The two assemblies are brought together at the rear, covering the rear of the fuselage, and adding a curved insert behind the cockpit, covering the nose weight, whilst giving you a last chance to add some if you forgot earlier.  The rudder and two elevators are each made from two halves, and can be glued into position deflected if you wish, to add some individuality to your model.  The bomb bay has four actuators fitted to each of the fore and aft bulkheads, installing the four doors folded into pairs, or covering the bay with a pair of doors if you intend to close it.  Two of the decal options carried cheek-mounted gun packs, which mount on the holes drilled earlier, after building each one from fairing, barrel, and nose cap for each of the four, with the instructions advising to install them after applying decals in that area.  The main canopy and tail gun glazing are attached, adding two clear roof panels to the canopy, and making the nose glazing with a rectangular box on one side, and a gun in the centre before it too is glued in place.  Two detail inserts are applied between the spars that project from the wing root, with the detail facing inward, so remember to paint those at the same time as the rest of the interior for your own convenience.

 

 

 

 

The wings are each separate, and slide over the spars that are moulded into the bomb bay bulkheads.  Before closing the wing halves, the gear bay structure is made, consisting of three parts forming an H-frame, adding two more ribs in the forward compartment, and closing off the rear of the bay with a final stringer, painting everything as you go.  A bay insert is also included for the ailerons, and this is fixed to the lower wing as the upper is brought in and the two halves are mated.  The two-section flaps are each made from upper and lower halves, as is the aileron, and all three are fitted in the trailing edge of the wing, attaching actuator fairings, detail parts inside the nacelle roof, a landing light in the leading edge, and a tip light over the moulded-in recess, which has a likeness of a bulb moulded into the area.  A pitot probe is cut from near the wingtip, then the same process is carried out on the opposite wing in mirror-image, setting the completed wings to one side while the engines and their nacelles are built.  Each Double-Wasp engine is made from a layer of six parts, depicting both banks of pistons and push-rods, adding the bell-housing and magnetos to the front, trapping a prop axle between them without glue, and inserting the intake ‘spider’ at the rear, with nine exhaust stubs mounted behind the engine.  The completed engine is then locked between two circular carriers, and two exhaust collector parts are attached at the rear next to the cooling gills that are moulded into the rear carrier.  The cowling is a complex shape that has a substantial portion moulded as a single part, inserting a curved plate inside to create a broad intake trunk in the base, then fitting two more inserts into the top sections of the cowling that fit into position, creating the familiar intake ‘ears’ at the top.  The engine slides into the cowling from the rear until the cooling gills butt up against a cut-out, then attention shifts to the nacelle, which is made from two halves after adding covered exhausts and hinge-points to the gear bay sides on a single carrier per side, then gluing the two halves together with three bulkheads holding everything to shape.  Once the glue has cured and seams have been dealt with, the engine and cowling are glued to the front and fitted under the wing.  Again, the same process is carried out in mirror image for the opposite nacelle, after which the wings can be slid into position and glued in place.

 

 

The Marauder was another tricycle gear equipped bomber, and the nose leg is made from the main strut with scissor-links added on both sides, fitted into the bay with a retraction jack behind it.  A crew access ladder is provided, and is fixed into the roof at the rear of the bay, locating the two bay doors on the sides after fitting hinges along the upper edges, with a small retractor jack installed at the mid-point to complete the area.  The main gear legs are fitted with twin supports at the top and door openers mid-way down, inserting them into the nacelles along with a V-shaped strut, and a pair of bay doors on each nacelle.  The main wheel tyres are made from two halves, with two more parts for the hubs, as is the nose gear wheel, but with flat hub caps, all three installing on stub axles so that the model can sit on all three wheels, or the rear two if you forgot the nose weight.  I can’t laugh, as I recently did that on a kit I was building, but got away with it.  I’m certain that wouldn’t be the case with this kit however, and made sure I applied a little bit more than prescribed in a neat box behind the cockpit.  An aerial and a faired-in D/F loop are fixed under the belly, and another aerial is mounted behind the cockpit, with just the two four-blade props with separate spinners to complete the build.

 

As is common now with ICM kits, there is a page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the canopy, using the printed shapes on the bottom of the page and the diagrams above to create your own masks if you wish.  It consists of only thirty-two elements, some of which are used on the side windows, landing lights and around the cowlings at the front of the engine nacelles.

 

 

USAAF Pilots & Ground Crew (48088)

Moulded on a single sprue of grey styrene and with a glossy instruction sheet with spot colour profiles of the five figures that can be found on the sprue.

 

 

There are three crew members, two of whom are dressed for flight, complete with their life jackets and harnesses, while the third crewman is wearing olive drabs and a leather flying jacket with an officer’s cap and his hands in his pockets.  Two of them have large kit bags at their feet, while the guy in the peaked cap is carrying a parachute pack in one hand and a glove in the other.  The two ground crew figures are dressed in overalls, one kneeling with a spanner pack to his side, while the other is reaching up with what looks like a screwdriver in one hand.

 

 

Sculpting is excellent, with an abundance of crisp detail throughout, even down to the sewn-in ribbing on the underside of the crewman’s turned up cap bill.  The poses, breakdown of parts and fabric drape is also beyond reproach, and they should build up into an excellent set of figures to distribute around your new Marauder.

 

Since this review was completed, I've painted the figures, and am really pleased with the sculpting and poses. 

 

 

 

Markings

There are three decal options on the large sheet, all of which were European-based during Operation Overlord, with only one wearing camouflage, whilst all wear invasion band ‘special markings’ appropriate to the period they were in operation after D-Day.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• B-26B-55MA 42-96077 ‘Ladies Delight’, 584th Bomber Squadron, 394th Bomb Group, probably Boreham, England, Summer 1944
• B-26B-55MA 42-96214 ‘Coral Princess III’ 494th Bomber Squadron, 344th Bomb Group, Pontoise, France, Autumn 1944
• B-26B-55MA 42-96165 ‘The Big Hairy Bird’ 599th Bomber Squadron, 397th Bomb Group, Peronne, France, December 1944

 

 

 

Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Conclusion

Like a lot of modellers, I’ve had a soft spot for the Marauder for a while, and was extremely pleased that a new well-detailed model was released by ICM, with the prospect of more boxings, this being the first of them.  The figures are a useful inclusion, and increase the fun factor as long as you’re not phobic about painting them. 

 

The Marauder saw a lot of action, so there are plenty of opportunities to depict a well-weathered example, and having built the original boxing, I can confirm it’s a good kit that goes together well, although I wish I had more time on my hands to finally finish painting it.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

 

If you’re looking for reference material, you can also visit our Walkaround material below.

 

Review sample courtesy of

[Mike]

I've updated this review with the completed figures that I pinched out of the box

[georgeusa]

Well done on the figures.  I am just rubbish at painting figures.