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Douglas DC-8-62 1/144 Minicraft (converted), Lima November decals. After the VC-10, the next best looking airliner is the Douglas DC-8, and the best looking of those are the shorter fuselage versions. The Minicraft DC-8 series of kits are amongst the very best airliner kits you can get, they are beautifully moulded, accurate, and have flawless fit. It's a funny thing about the Minicraft range, all the Douglas aircraft are really good, and all the Boeing ones are... well, I don't buy them. This is the 'Hawiian Air' DC-8-63 boxing, with the fuselage cut down to convert it to the shorter -62. Very helpfully the kit has engraved cut lines inside the fuselage to show you where to cut. Other than that, the construction is pretty much straight out of the box. The wings and tailplanes are such a good fit I haven't even bothered to glue them in. They just fit nice and snug on their own. I've used multiple shades of Alclad on the metal areas, and Halfords appliance white on the fuselage top. The Lima November decals come in the Longboat scheme for the versions of the DC-8 that SAS used, the 55, 62, 63, and Freighters. A huge number of fleet names & reg's are provided, along with enough cheat line for the longest, that you may need to cut down for your chosen version. That's what came out of the fuselage fore and aft of the wing; And finally, the 'With something esle' shot. This time the Airfix Caravelle generously given to me when I couldn't find one, by that true gent, Martin Hale, and finished in 26 deacls SAS scheme. Thanks for looking, John [EDIT] 11/08/2014 Wow, thanks for all the kind comments folks, it is very much appreciated. I thought airliners were very much a minority interest Thanks, Gary I can do one of those. The DC-9 & decals are in the stash waiting its turn, and the Viscount is planned, but I have this one; And then it's predecessor, the DC-7C [/EDIT] Thanks again everyone.

New to me (but from 2010!), New Ware Space Kits Series (http://mek.kosmo.cz/newware/) proposes a 1/48th Douglas F4D Skyray (Tamiya kit - ref.61055) with NOTS 1958 US Satellite Launch Vehicle - ref.NW013 Source: http://www.aviationmegastore.com/skyray-with-nots-1958-us-sattelite-launch-vehicle--tamiya-nw013-new-ware-space-kits-series-nw013-model-conversion/product/?shopid=LH355008e014dba38dcc7f1b6102&action=prodinfo&parent_id=212&art=128822 V.P.

Douglas A-26 Invader. "Hard to Get" is an A-26 Serial Number 44-35710 displayed at The Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison, Texas. This is an airworthy aircraft. Pics thanks to GeorgeUSA.

Hi, all This is my last completion for 2014 - a "Scooter" from Airfix in Vietnam war markings. I liked the construction process a lot - Airfix offering is really well engineered and requires minimum dry fitting and putty. Major modifications made to the kit: - Eduard PE set used wherever appropriate - cockpit, wheel bays, interior surfaces of dropped slats, released flaps, etc. - I armed Scooter with LAU-10 launchers from Hasegawa weapons set. I went for this option as I came across a photo of the prototype with LAU-10 being recharged on board of Intrepid - Bobtail fuel tank supplied by Airfix has a very slim rear part. Kit's standard fuel tanks with stabilisers have better shape. So I did some surgery by cutting standard tank and reshaping its fin to resemble what's seen on photos and drawings. - I added some extra panel lines on underside as Airfix omitted many of them. Not bad actually if you don't like Airfix's engravings.. Markings are for VA-15 'Valions' on board of USS Intrepid in 1966 from Xtradecal set for A-4B. Actually that is the only alternative if you do not like kit's 'Green Lizards' but want a Vietnam A-4B. From what I was able to find on the Web, no other squadrons were equipped with A-4B's in Vietnam. Should I wait for another couple of months - I would definitely buy a resin mod to get an A-4C which allows much wider choice of Vietnam war options. A warning note! Please do not even attempt to apply Airfix red stripes for intake! These decals should be longer and have curved shape to get into place smoothly. I failed to read about this issue in other posts of completed Scooters... So I ended up brush-painting red edges on my intakes trying to match with "danger" arrow color... Stupid oversight from myself and ridiculous error from Airfix The only suspicious thing about kit parts fit was attachment of speed brakes in extended position. Initially I wanted to make them fully extended. But if attached as is, they are visibly sloped down. I decided to avoid surgery and attach them in just slightly opened position as can be seen on many photos of Skyhawk standing still on the deck or airfield. Finally here are the photos: Happy New Year to everyone! Dennis

This Dakota is actually KP208, a C-47B built in 1946, this was one of the last two to serve with the RAF in 1970. It had been on display at the Airborne Forces Museum at Browning Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire until the museum closed in December 2007. It is now at Merville Barracks in Colchester. KP208 represents KG374, a D-Day veteran that was shot down during Operation Market Garden at Arnhem on September 19, 1944. The pilot, Flt Lt David Lord, won a posthumous Victoria Cross - KG374 was hit twice by anti-aircraft fire with one engine on fire. Lord managed to drop most of his supplies on the drop run, but two containers remained. Despite the damage to his aircraft, Lord made a second run before ordering his crew to bale out. A few seconds later the Dakota crashed before Lord could escape. The Dakota fund is currently trying to fully restore this aircraft, if anyone feels they can help pls contact me for details. many thanks to Ruari for these pictures. Exterior Shots;

Douglas C-47 Skytrain Airfix 1/72 Famed for its part in the D-Day assault into Northern France and folklore status in civil aviation history, the C-47 first flew in civilian guise in 1935 as the DST on the request of a sleeper aircraft for American Airlines based on the successful DC-2. The primary purpose for the aircraft was to provide East-West flights across the US in less than 24 hours. The DST became more famously known as the DC-3 when the sleeper arrangement was replaced by seats. Only one year later, KLM were taking the DC-3 from Amsterdam to Sydney, Australia to replace its DC-2’s on that route. Production of the DC-3 surprisingly ended in 1942 with only 600 airframes; however the demand for the aircraft was overtaken by the military for the transport role due to its excellent capacity and cabin uninterrupted by the wing spar due to the low wing layout. Only minor modifications were made to the C-47 including a reinforced floor and cargo door allowing wider loads to be carried. It could carry 6000lb of load such as a Jeep, a 37mm cannon, 28 fully loaded soldiers or 14 stretchers and medical staff. With this incredible flexibility, over 10,000 C-47 & C-53’s were built with production ending in 1945. Attempts were made later on to introduce a Super C-47, but the huge number of ex-military aircraft after the war meant that there were affordable alternatives for the airlines to purchase. To summarise the incredible career of this aircraft that still flies today, over 50 versions were built and it’s been operated by around 100 hundred nations in every corner of globe. The kit (Build review HERE) With the recent 70th anniversary of D-Day, the release of a new kit in D-Day guise is no accident. Whilst the aircraft has been tooled before by ESCI and Italeri and boxing’s of these by ESCI, Airfix, Italeri and Revell, this is the first new tooling since the early 1980’s and most welcome it is. Packed in the new style sturdy red box with stunning digital artwork by Alan Tooby, first impressions are very pleasing. There are 5 light grey sprues, a clear one obviously and an impressive instruction sheet that really adds to the quality presentation. Panel lines are of the recessed design and whilst heavier than your typical Hasegawa or Tamiya kit, aren’t as excessive as recent concerns led me to believe and there is virtually no evidence of flash or sink marks Assembly starts with the interior as you’d probably expect. The cockpit and rear cabin interior are very nicely detailed with pilot and co-pilot figures included too. There is room for improvement which will no doubt come from the aftermarket community in due course, such as the cockpit seats which look rather clunky when compared to what can be provided in etch format. The instrument panel only has a decal option for the instruments, although I’m guessing that not much will be seen once assembled anyway. The diagrams in the instructions are excellently drawn using colour to assist in clarifying assembly stages. The rear cabin is fitted out with bench type seats as an option, however you may choose to have a stripped out cargo area by omitting those. There are ejector marks on the interior surface, however I suspect that they won't be that visible once the kit has been put together. Assembly of the interior looks to be very straight forwards, with the whole assembled section being sandwiched between the fuselage halves. My first impressions of the fuselage made me question the profile by comparing it to drawings in the Squadron Signal publication. Whilst I accept that there is a risk of the drawings being incorrect or even my aligning the part against an image on the screen, they indicate that the fuselage profile is a little thin with the upper section being about 1.5mm under nourished which affects the profile above the windscreen. That sounds like I’m being critical of the kit, but I’m not, I’m just trying to be open with my observations. Obviously this is open to debate due to my unscientific approach and I’m happy to be corrected. Surface of the fuselage is catered for by a mixture of recessed panel lines and some raised surfaces which look like either reinforcing or armour plates. You may want to tone the panel lines down slightly, a few coats of primer or paint should address this. I will also add some evidence of rivet lines when I build this too as a personal preference. With the fuselage joined up, the lower wing mid section is fixed in place with a spar to reinforce the wing structure. There are a few strange assembly steps in this kit which caught my attention. The first being separate upper wing roots that need fitting before the upper wings are attached. I’m not sure why they aren’t just moulded as part of the fuselage. A nice little touch is the addition of oil tanks inside the nacelles that will be on show when looking in to the main gear bays and detailed rear engine bulkhead for the same reason. Detailing across the wing surface is predominantly represented with recessed panel lines with various raise details such as the wing kink reinforcing plates. Whilst these are obviously not scale accurate, they give a good representation of the panelling. The fabric effect on the ailerons and tail feathers is well moulded giving a good contrast to the metallic surfaces. The engine detail is quite well dealt with; the only thing that lets them down is lack of texture to represent the ribbed air cooling surfaces of the cylinders, similar to those found on the Lancaster B.II. Both banks of cylinders and the gearbox come as separate components that are to be mounted between the two nacelle halves. The undercarriage can be positioned in the raised or lowered position and of course has the option for skids if you choose the MATS scheme. The intricacies of the gear legs is well represented with no less than 6 parts making up each main gear leg excluding the skis which are made up of another 5 parts! All the doors are provided as separate parts. Whilst there is no internal detail on the front door near the cockpit, the cargo door has pleasing detail to enable you to have these in the open position. With this in mind, there is a great opportunity to detail the rear cabin and admire your handy work afterwards! The cabin windows are fitted from the outside which is good for assembly purposes, no pushing them in by mistake. The second feature that I find a bit unusual is the fact that the windscreen is made up of 3 parts; side windows and front section. Given that this is always a tricky part to avoid getting glue on, particularly for novice builders, a one piece windscreen or even a moulded section for the upper cockpit area could of made assembly and prevention of glue marks easier. Assembly finishes with the props and various aerials. Two types of prop blades are provided, both paddle and needle type. Decals The decal sheet is somewhat lacking in colour due to the liveries provided, however the register and crispness is superb. A large collection of stencils is included on the sheet and despite the very small size, eyesight permitting are actually readable! Markings provided are: C-47A-65-DL 41-2100521 “Kilroy is HERE”, 92nd Troop Carrier Sqn/439th TCG, Operation Overlord operating from Upottery, Devon 6th June 1944 C47D 43-16062 Military Air Transport Service (MATS), Isachsen airstrip, North West Territory, Canada, 1949 Conclusion This is an eagerly anticipated kit for many including myself. There are some things I’ve criticised, including the profile above the cockpit and the panel lines may be regarded as deeper than necessary, but be in no doubt, it is a kit that won’t disappoint. Assembly on the whole looks fairly straight forwards and the level of detail is enough of a balance to satisfy both novice and experienced builders alike. With over 50 versions of the aircraft in the history books, I should imagine there will be plenty of options from the aftermarket industry in the pipeline to use this kit as a base model for modification too. Review sample courtesy of

Douglas Boston IIIa 'Over D-Day Beaches' 1:72 Special Hobby The Boston / Havoc was relatively fast, manoeuvrable and rugged. That coupled with the fact that it had no real handling vices, it was well liked by aircrew. The aircraft was born from a USAAC specification for an attack aircraft in 1937. Douglas designed the Model 7a powered by two 1100hp P&W Twin Wasp engines in competition with North American, Stearman and Martin. Despite its manoeuvrability and speed, there were no orders made initially from the US, but there was interest from France. Overlooking the ‘Neutrality Act of 1935’ development continued with support from France and an initial order was made by them of 270 aircraft. With the collapse of France in 1940, the aircraft that had been delivered were shipped to North Africa, but fell under the control of the Vichy government although never got much use against the Allies. The remainder of the order was sent to the UK. The Boston I was underpowered at 1050hp using P&W Wasps and lacked the range needed for daylight operations in to Germany. The Boston II brought further power from the Wasp engine delivering 1200hp, but the Boston III was a major improvement and was brought in to service with the RAF in the summer of 1941. Using Wright Cyclone engines of 1600hp, it had much larger fuel tanks important for the ‘Light Bomber’ missions the RAF needed from it and better armour protection. Amongst its first combat missions, 99 & 226 Squadrons took part in an attack against the German warships Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen and Gneisenau which were returning to German ports from Brest in Feb 1942 in what has become known as the ‘Channel Dash’. In 1943, 342 Sqn (Free French) became the fourth squadron to operate the type. Under the control of the 137th Wing of the 2nd Tactical Air Force along with 88 & 107 squadrons, they focussed on bombing targets in Northern France including coastal defences, communications and German Airfields. Bostons were also used in the night intruder role across Europe and in Northern Africa contributing to the fall of German occupied Tunisia in May 1943. In all, 13 RAF squadrons operated the Boston with a further two SAAF squadrons supporting the North African front. The kit The A-20 series of aircraft from MPM have been around since 2007 following the first release of the A-20G with its solid nose. The first ‘glass nosed’ British / French kit came in the guise of the later Mk.IV/V. Having built this kit, it was very impressed with the quality of both detail and general fitment and it builds up in to a beautiful rendition of the Boston. There were a few minor issues I had to deal with and I’ll pick them up later. This new Boston III under the ‘Special Hobby’ brand differs most notably from the later version by having a rear gun opening rather than the Martin turret as well as a panelled nose glazing. On opening the kit, you’re presented with 5 medium grey sprues, one clear sprue and a resin one containing the smoke laying tubes used on some aircraft. Detailing on the parts is extremely well done. The fine smaller parts are exactly that, very fine and well detailed. Surface finish is superb, finely recessed panel lines leave you in no doubt as to the quality of the kit. I can’t see any signs of sink marks and flash is minimal. The instruction booklet is A5 in size printed on good quality gloss paper with colour throughout. The steps are clearly drawn and easy to follow. Assembly starts with the cockpit and rear gun station interiors. Detail here is more than adequate for the most part. Separate side wall detail is supplied to enhance the detail in the cockpit. The only thing that is lacking is the dingy that resides behind the pilot which if you decide to leave the canopy open will be an obvious omission. I made one out of rolled up tissue paper for the mk.IV I built soaked in Kleer before painting which gave a good representation when complete. Assembly of the engine rear nacelles comes next. Again, more than enough detail is presented both internally and externally. With the interior complete, they are simply fitted in to the fuselage halves before sealing them up. Be aware at this point, the kit is a tail sitter (guess how I know? !!). An instruction included for a 10g weight at the front but there isn’t much room. My suggestion would be to include more weight located below the dingy stowage which is a little further backwards but much more room to house it. There will be a little space in the nose section below the floor later in the build, but better to have too much than too little! As mentioned previously, surface detail on the fuselage is very refined with finely recessed panel lines and the fabric effect on the rudder subtly represented. The carburettor intakes above the wings come as separate parts and fitment is good. Quality of surface detail on the wings mirrors that of the fuselage in terms of quality. Assembly of the engines and cowlings comes next. Be careful here on which version you want to build as two variants have the type with exhausts protruding through the cowling covers, whist the other two have the exhausts backed together in a ring behind the cowling. For the former, the small exhausts protruding from the cowlings are individually fitted which is a little time consuming and fiddly to place accurately as per the instructions, but look good once in place. Both banks of cylinders are provided with good representation of the cooling gills on each cylinder block and a separate gearbox. Assembly of the gear is again a little fiddly due to the framework that has to be assembled for the main legs to sit on. My recommendation here is to dry fit the nacelle around the assembly before the glue dries to make sure that it doesn’t foul correct fitment of the nacelle once everything has hardened. I found fitting the clear parts to be a little problematic on my previous build. Having heard of others who had the same issue, be prepared in case this arises in your build albeit a different version but the same configuration. The windscreen on mine didn’t quite align to the contours of the fuselage and I ended up snapping it on the Mk.IV trying to bend it under hot water. The nose part was also a little difficult to align to the main fuselage, so I’d recommend plenty of dry fitting before you insert the floor part in to the glass section to see how it all lines up. The issues I had could well of been self- induced on the glass nose, but looking at it on the shelf now, everything looks well. The floor section within the nose includes the side panel details and an additional bomb sight and seat is supplied too. The rear gun station instructions are leaving me a little confused. The drawings show the guns to be positioned protruding rearwards over the top of the fuselage, but the clear part is supplied in the ‘closed’ position. I can’t see how this will work unless you cut away the clear section that opens up on the real aircraft. The rest of the detail pretty much ‘bolts’ on to the built aircraft including gun side blisters, aerials, props, wheels and gear doors. The interior of the gear doors and opening canopy section are nicely detailed too. If you decide to do the version with the smoke generators, the resin parts are fitted to the lower fuselage bomb bay doors. The decals Four schemes are provided in the kit, all from the D-Day period as you would expect from the title! They are printed by Aviprint. Register is good as is colour richness. I don’t remember any issues affixing them on my earlier build. The schemes are: 1. BZ264 / RH-B – 88 Sqn RAF operating from RAF Hartford Bridge, Hampshire 1944 2. BZ389 / RH-E – As above but with smoke generators (Operation Starkey) – operated as decoy to D-Day plans 3. BZ208 / OA-G – 342 ‘Lorraine’ Sqn sporting French roundels – RAF Hartford Bridge July 1944 4. Unknown serial / OA-A – 342 ‘Lorraine’ Sqn sporting British roundels – RAF Hartford Bridge July 1944 Conclusion Having built the Mk.IV version a couple of years ago, I can thoroughly recommend this kit if you’re wanting to build a Boston. The detail and generally assembly is good but watch for the few issues I mentioned with the clear parts. MPM also do a coloured etch set to accompany this if you prefer a little more detail, but the basic kit looks good without. Review sample courtesy of

Source: http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68170&start=3270 AZ Model/Admiral is to release a 1/72nd Douglas TBD-1 Devastator kit - ref. ADM7210 & ADM7215 Box art V.P.

Lone Star Models (http://www.lonestarmodels.com/) has announced a 1/48th Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster resin kit. Source: http://www.lonestarm...mpletekits.html More about the XB-42 Mixmaster: http://en.wikipedia....XB-42_Mixmaster V.P.

The Dauntless and the Banshee were in effect the same aircraft. The army Banshee did not have a tailhook and had an pneumatic rear tyre instead of a solid rubber one. This aircraft was built as an A-24B but restored to look like the Navy Dauntless. Pics by Chris.

Douglas A-3 Skywarrior, pics by bootneck

Airbase Coventry, G-APSA