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For the longest, I thought that this was the rear gun position on all until the turret. The guns, whether single or dual, regardless of caliber, would be on a semi-circular skate rail similar to the pulpit in the halftracks of the time. Singular .30 Cal Browning: Dual .30 Cal Brownings: Single .50 Cal Browning with 30 round box: A-20B TM image showing .50 Cal on a semi-circular skate rail: Then, I saw this in the Crowood book and it has a transverse straight rail which was installed from the A-20G-1-DO to the A-20G-15-DO. Now let's look at the lower, aka ventral, gun position. From the Boston and early Havoc manuals, we see a fold down arm incorporating a swing arm and the mount at its tip: The Russian manuals love using these types of illustrations as opposed to photography.. Starting with the A-20G-1-DO, the manuals show a belt fed .50 Cal and it also seems mounted on a straight transverse track. Image from the A-20G Aeroplane Parts Catalog by Aero Trader: Image from the A-20G-1-DO manual:

Next installment is on the life raft locations. Here we see what appears to be an A20B but pay attention to the verbiage about difference in models. "Airplane models and equipment stowage vary... Adapt this procedure to fit the specific model you are flying" I don't know the publication date but the inset on the top right does show a life raft and supplies in the walkway behind the pilot's cockpit: A close up of text instructions for each crew member: However, the actual A-20B manual has this figure stating that the gunner is to remove and inflate the raft, see step III: Another ditching instructions for the early Boston/Havoc. Locations of parachutes, circled, and the dinghy (boxed). Note that the locations did vary from model to model. Text for pilot from illustration below. Left side: Pilot - Exits through top hatch either by turning plane on its back and dropping out, or by crawling back over port wing and dropping from trailing edge. Last to leave plane. Right side text for Pilot: Pilot - Wears back-type parachute and dinghy in seat position. Exits through top hatch, either by turning plane on its back and dropping out, or crawling over port wing and dropping from trailing edge. Last to leave plane. My point is to take care to cross-check documents prior to believing them blindly. Moving backwards in the production timeline for USAAF aircraft. The A-20A manuals do not state anything about life rafts, simply life preservers. Here is a USAAF A-20A serial 40-109, named Spook, and written off in an accident on November 5th, 1941. Flying from New Guinea over open water and should be equipped with a life raft, if at all. However, the walkway behind the pilot is clear, as you can see in the video after the screen grab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ0esWOZ56c No mention of rafts in the Havoc Mk. IIIa/A-20C manuals I have... The Boston Mk.III manual mentions K type dinghies for the crew. These are one-man rafts. This is the raft, the container, Type C, will follow. Sources of image and others: https://www.historicflyingclothing.com/en-GB/ww2-raf-survival-equipment/raf-k-type-dinghy-complete/prod_16130 https://www.airministrymilitaria.com/en-GB/escape-survival-gear/raf-k-type-dinghy/prod_10118 RAF type C dinghy pack, for the single man K type dinghy. Source of image plus others: https://www.airministrymilitaria.com/en-GB/escape-survival-gear/raf-k-type-dinghy-pack/prod_10388 Now, for the Boston Mk. IIIa based on the A-20C - A screen grab from a video claiming these to be Havoc Mk. IIIa (again, I defer to Wing Leader's greater knowledge) but I do see the horizontal windscreen brace introduced with the A-20C production for the armored windscreen glass. While the USAAF had it inside the cockpit with a folding mount. The British seem to have it mounted here on the outside, like the Spitfire. Video source for the screen grab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q87tdo--QZU Since HKM has released a 1/48th scale Boston Mk.III, I also took a look at that - I believe this is a Boston Mk. III. The ground crew is obviously standing where you placed a life raft. The video from which this screen grab was taken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7J_QZlI4xg After the A-20C, the A-20G entered full scale production. From the A-20G-1-DO to the A-20G-15-DO, I have not found any images or videos showing a life raft positioned in the pilots walkway. Screen grab from an A-20G-15-DO, serial 42-54282: Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpGcFnqnfwo However, with the introduction of the Martin turret, the life raft, when so equipped, would be too cumbersome for the hatch aft of the turret so all models produced from the A-20G-20-DO on, to include the A-20H/J/K, would have the stowage standardized at this location:

Let's look at images of the secondary aircraft controls located in the gunner's compartment. I'm trying to find a usable image from an A-20C (Havoc Mk. IIIa) manual. A-20A Manual: From A-20A Parts Catalog. Of interest is the stowage for the control column (A). F-3 (Reconnaissance variant of A-20). The zippered curtain is access to the camera man's location if what is the rear bomb bay section. F-3 could revert back to their bomber roles as no equipment was removed, only added. F-3 (recon variant): A-20B Manual. A-20C interior... Still looking for manual image to see of the control stick is stowed or missing. A-20G-1 Manual (note the gun nose and the open rear gunner's area). Aileron controls don't reach the gunner's compartment, therefore the aircraft controls are no longer there. Rudder and elevator controls do run to the rear past the gunner's compartment so can't be used to prove the lack of a secondary set of aircraft controls.

While not included in any scale Havoc or Boston kits, the A-20B had an interesting formation light pattern (seen on the A-20C and the A-20A which describes it in the manual): A-20A manual description of lights and locations - A-20B with rear firing nacelle guns as well. This one seems to have a light (formation or passing) on the top of the bombardier's section of the nose: A-20B serial 41-3040L On the A-20A (this one might have another formation of passing light on the nose above the bombardier): A-20C:

Hello team, Here is my Special Hobby 1/72 DB-7B Boston finished as A28-9 She's Apples from 22 Squadron RAAF. I didn't really enjoy this build. Maybe it was the kit, maybe it was me or a combination of both, but it seemed like it was 1 step forward 5 steps back. The final thing that knocked the wind out of my sails was when I was sticking down some stencils for the markings that I had cut out on a sheet of Tamiya tape on my Silhouette cutter to use instead of the kit decals, they lifted the paint and primer off back to the bare plastic. Is it the primer? (Alclad black) The paint? (SMS Acrylic Lacquer) Or should I have given the model a wash before priming to remove my fingerprints? Maybe different manufacturers of primer and paint? I've never had this happen before. If anyone has any ideas, I'm open to suggestions. Anyway, I just wanted it to be over with, so I finished it with the kit decals (along with slight silvering) and decided to use it a bit of practice for weathering oils so all was not lost. I also had a go at adding a bit of detail to the kit engines using 0.3mm lead wire and stretched runner. It's a little overscale and not the best paint job, but I had fun doing it and it makes the engines look a bit busier in the cowls. Thanks, JG.

DB-7 in French Service (FR0052) 1:72 Azur Frrom The Douglas DB-7, otherwise known in US service as the A-20 Havoc, and better known to those with an interest in the Royal Air Force as the Boston, was a light bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, California to a US Air Force specification issued in 1937. The aircraft’s initial customer was the French Air Force, who had been impressed by its performance whilst visiting the USA as part of a pre-war purchasing commission. The order was not able to be delivered in its entirety to the French however, as by that time they were overrun and the armistice with Germany had been signed in 1940, so the remainder of the contract was taken up by the RAF instead, who needed every aircraft they could lay their hands on. In RAF service it was known by the name Boston, and by the service code DB-7, with no fewer than 24 British and Commonwealth squadrons operating the Boston, either as a light bomber or night fighter such as the Havoc I Turbinlite, which was fitted with a powerful searchlight in the nose. The French DB-7s were amended to their own needs by the fitment of metric instruments, French machine guns, radio gear and other equipment, the initial shipment handed over to French crews for delivery to France where a few squadrons began working up to combat capability. Due to the parlous state of the war in France, they decided to send their more modern aircraft to their North African colonies, with the DB-7s amongst them, fighting against the Axis forces until the Allies landed in 1942, at which point the remaining airframes joined the Allied forces, with at least one still in existence in 1944. The rest of the contract taken over by the British were renamed as Boston or Havoc I and IIs to confuse everyone, playing their part in the war as a capable light bomber. The Kit This is a new tool from Azur-Frrom in collaboration with Special Hobby of this niche early variant of the Boston/Havoc. The kit arrives in a blue themed top-opening box, and inside are five sprues of grey styrene in a resealable clear plastic bag, plus a clear sprue in its own bag within, a decal sheet that is also separately bagged with a sheet of paper to keep moisture at bay. The instruction booklet is printed on glossy paper in colour with a portrait A5 format, and colour profiles in the rear to assist with painting and decaling. Detail is good, extending to all the usual places, and including fine engraved panel lines, internal details inside the fuselage and gear bays, as well as the rendering of the individual cylinders of the twin Pratt & Whitney engines. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with a stepped floor that comprises two parts, onto which the front bulkhead, instrument panel with decal, nose gear bay underneath, pilot seat, control column and rudder pedals are fitted. The upper gun position is an oval opening that is glued to a pair of lightened rails, gluing it into the starboard fuselage half, then adding the compartment floor, ammo storage and pedestal seat, plus a stepped three-part bulkhead at the front. This permits closure of the fuselage halves, fitting detail inserts each side of the cockpit after detail painting the relevant sections of the fuselage interior. The wings are built next, comprising top and bottom halves, making the lower engine nacelles from halves, that have bulkheads at each end of the gear bay opening, all of which is painted in green primer before they are set aside while the engines and main gear are built. Each gear leg is made from a lower strut with twin uppers, a cross-brace and complex retraction mechanism, plus separate scissor-links near the bottom. They are positioned on the underside of the wing after priming it green, then the lower nacelles can be lowered over them and joined by the engines in their cowlings. The engines have both banks depicted with good detail throughout, sliding them inside the cowlings and adding an intake on the top, closing it from behind with the firewall that is keyed to ensure correct alignment. An exhaust is fitted along with the cowlings to the front of the nacelles, building the nose gear from a two-part strut with separate scissor-link and Y-shaped retraction jack leading aft. The wheel is flex-fitted between the two arms of the yoke, and installed in the bay, which you will have hopefully already painted. The main gear are finished by installing two-part wheels and bay doors on each side of the opening, fitting two to the sides of the nose gear bay. Additional intakes are added under the engine nacelles, then the model can be set on its wheels to complete the build. The nose is entirely clear out of the box, and should be weighted with 10g of nose weight inside, bearing in mind that this aircraft was an early adopter of tricycle landing gear, the bane of forgetful modellers everywhere! There’s should be enough room, but the bomb aimer’s station, sight and cushion need space within the nose, so take care when installing it. The upper gun station has a machine gun with large drum mag fixed to the short pedestal mount, fitting its canopy around it in the open or closed position. The cockpit canopy is in two parts, comprising the windscreen with moulded-in side windows, plus a top section that hinges to the side, with lightening holes moulded into the rear portion. That too can be posed open or closed as you wish, finishing the model by inserting the two three-bladed props into the fronts of the engine nacelles. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, all wearing variations on the typical three-colour scheme of grey/green/earth over a light bluish grey underside. From the box you can build one of the following: No. 83, 3rd Sqn. of GB II/32, Casablanca, Morocco, June 1940. Sgt Duhamel No. 45, GB I/32, North Africa (Aircraft Group Commander) Coded Red 0 No. 2, 4th Sqn. GB II/32, Laghouat, Algeria, 19 March 1941, Adj-Chef Picard. Coded 5, with BR 219 Crest. The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion This kit is a slightly more left-field variant of the usual Havoc/Boston kits in 1:72, so should appeal to Francophile modellers, but it could be re-purposed as an RAF airframe that was part of the remainder of the French order, simply by picking up additional decals and camouflage profiles. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

UPDATE: it'll be a 1/72nd Douglas DB-7 Boston - ref. FR0052 http://www.frrom.com/index.php?page=frrom_fr0052 This FRROM Armée de l'Air DB-7 initial boxing will eventually followed by Special Hobby RAF DB-7 Boston I & II boxings. ‐-------------- Marketing teaser campaign... FRROM game: guess our next kit project. First clue on Tuesday December 12th evening. Source: https://www.frrom.com/index.php?page=jeu_N4-2 I've got dreams: 1/48th scale Vautour II, Mystère IV and Alizé, as follow up and at the same quality level as their recent Super Mystère SMB2. 🤞 However, considering the FRROM/Azur boss aviation main focuses (for Interwar & WWII a/c in 1/72nd scale) and the most probable partnership with Special Hobby for the design and production, I admit that I have no illusions. V.P.

A-20A/B/C/DB-7C Havoc/Boston "Early Gunships" 1:72 Special Hobby The A-20/DB-7 Havoc, known in Royal Air Force circles as the as the Boston, was a light bomber developed by the California-based Douglas Aircraft Company. Designed to a US Air Force specification issued in 1937, the aircraft’s first customer was actually the French Air Force, representatives of which had been impressed by its performance whilst visiting the USA as part of a pre-war purchasing commission. Those aircraft not delivered to France by the time the armistice had been signed in 1940 were taken up by the RAF instead. The Soviet Union was a major user of the type, with the Soviet Air Force and Soviet Naval Aviation acquiring nearly 3000 Bostons before the end of the war. The Kit It Was back in 2009 first iteration of this kit was released under the MPM Production label. The kit has been re-released about 20 times since then, including a re-box of the Boston Mk.V by big boys Revell. This time around the kit includes extra parts in resin, plastic and photo etched brass for earl;y gunship versions featuring extra guns in the nose. Inside the box are the usual five sprues of grey plastic and two sprues of clear plastic (the original sprue plus a new sprue for the turret transparencies. Together they hold over 160 parts, which is very respectable for a kit of this size. The mouldings look crisp and clean and there are no flaws in the plastic as far as I can tell. Surface details are comprised of fine, engraved panel lines and convincing textures on the rudder and horizontal tail. Although Special Hobby have had their money's worth out of these moulds, they seem to be holding up well and the overall impression is pretty good. The cockpit is rather well-appointed for a kit in this scale. It is made up of a floor, seat, rudder pedals, two-part control column, instrument panel, sidewalls and bulkheads. Details on parts such as the instrument panel are picked out with fine, raised details. The bomb aimer/observer position is just as good and includes a very nice bomb sight. The rear gunner's position is just as good, with nice extra details such as spare magazines for the lower defensive machine gun. The engine nacelles are made up at this point also and put aside for later. Once the fuselage halves have been joined together, the wings and horizontal stabilisers can be assembled and fixed to the fuselage. Unlike some limited run kits, the parts have location tabs and slots to help ensure a positive fit. The prominent nacelles, which house the large Double-Cyclone engines, are each made up of seven parts, while the engines themselves are made up of three parts – two rows of seven cylinders and the reduction gearing. They are nicely detailed and should look good once assembled. New resin cowlings are included for some of the decal options. The undercarriage looks well detailed, but frighteningly complex. Each of the main gear legs is made up of no fewer than six parts, plus the wheels themselves. I would recommend taking great care over these stages in the instructions as you don't want to end up with a wonky aeroplane when you come to rest it on its boots. The main gear legs actually fit directly to the wings, and it is possible to fit the rear engine nacelles over these parts afterwards. This should make things a little less frustrating as you will be able to place the parts precisely rather than having to stuff them inside a cramped undercarriage bay, but it will obviously make the task of painting the model a little more laborious. The remainder of the build is concerned with the addition of the transparent parts and some fine details such as the the radio antenna and propellers. The transparent parts are thin and clear and shouldn’t present any problems, although I have not been able to check to see how well they fit at this point in time. Different parts for the different nose gun options need to be fitted into the nose the decal option being modelled. Side blisters with additional guns are also added where needed. Decals Markings for five aircraft are provided on the decal sheet. A-20 13357/14 "Dirty Gertie" 47th Bomb Group, Tunisia 1944 A-20A 0166/13 "Little Hellion" 89th Bomb Sqn, 3rd Bomb Group, Port Moresby, 1942. This aircraft crashed and was repaired, later it was renamed "The Steak and Egg Special" As above but sporting the "Steak and Egg Special" Officially a non existent airframe re built from 2 crashed aircraft (and bits of others including Japanese ones) by mechanics. Again as above but stripped of its camo., and polished, the name was shortened to "Steak & Eggs" This aircraft then crashed of Low Wood Island Australia, where the wreckage remains to this day. Boston III, RAAF A28-9 "She's Apples" The decals are nicely printed and look quite thin and glossy. Conclusion This is the only modern tooling of the Boston in 1:72 scale, so it’s fairly easy to recommend it to modellers interested in adding the type to their collection. It looks good on the sprue, although opinion seems to be divided as to how easy it is to build. Some people have reported fit issues whilst others have stated that the kit practically falls together. Nevertheless, it is still the best Boston out there and with the interesting twist of the new gunship marking options, it can be firmly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A-20G Havoc Low Altitude Raider (SH72478) 1:72 Special Hobby The A-20 Havoc, better known to those with an interest in the Royal Air Force as the Boston, was a light bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, California to a US Air Force specification issued in 1937. The aircraft’s initial customer was the French Air Force, who had been impressed by its performance whilst visiting the USA as part of a pre-war purchasing commission. The order was not able to be delivered to the French however, as by that time they were overrun and the armistice had been signed in 1940, so the contract was taken up by the RAF instead, who needed every aircraft they could lay their hands on. In RAF service it was known by the name Boston, and by the service code DB-7, with no fewer than 24 British and Commonwealth squadrons operating the Boston, either as a light bomber or night fighter such as the Havoc I Turbinlite, which was fitted with a powerful searchlight in the nose. The A-20 was also widely used by the USAAF after being met with initial indifference, and by the end of the war, almost 7,500 of the type had rolled off the production lines. By the time the A-20G began production in 1943 the glazed nose had been replaced by a solid nose that carried a gun-pack, initially with four 20mm cannons plus two .50cal machine guns set slightly back under the nose, although they reverted to six .50cals later, due to the inaccuracy of the cannons. The rest of the armament was standardised with .50cal guns in the newly powered top turret and the ventral turret, the former requiring the widening of the fuselage to accommodate its bulk. The engines were upgraded to more powerful variants of Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engines, and became the most numerous variant, serving in US, British and Soviet Air Forces amongst other operators, replaced by the H and J variants with more powerful engines amongst other improvements. The Kit This is a reboxing with additional parts of a kit that was first released in 2007, although it doesn’t seem to have been affected by time one iota. The kit arrives in a modest red-white-grey themed top-opening box, and inside are four sprues of grey styrene in a resealable clear plastic bag, plus a clear sprue in its own bag, a decal sheet that is separately bagged with a sheet of paper to keep moisture at bay. The instruction booklet is printed on glossy paper in colour with a portrait A5 format, and colour profiles in the rear to assist with painting and decaling. Detail is good, extending to all the usual places, and including fine engraved panel lines, internal details inside the fuselage and gear bays, as well as the rendition of the individual cylinders of the twin Pratt & Whitney engines. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with a stepped floor, onto which the front bulkhead, instrument panel with decal, nose gear bay, pilot seat, control column and rudder pedals are fitted, the gear bay located on the underside of the floor. The upper turret is built on a detailed ring, adding a pair of guns into slots, then covering the assembly with a clear domed glazing, with the option of leaving the guns mobile if you don’t glue the pivots. This permits closure of the fuselage halves, fitting detail inserts each side of the cockpit, being careful to remove a tiny triangle of raised styrene from the starboard insert to improve fit. The upper turret and a clear window are added to the top of the fuselage during closure, adding a pair of oval windows on the sides, and shaving off an antenna over the wing root for accuracy. The wings are built next, comprising top and bottom halves, plus an insert on the top surface, and landing lights underneath. The engine nacelles are then made from halves, and have bulkheads at each end of the gear bay, plus an insert that details an intake on the side of the nacelle, all of which is painted in green primer before being set aside to build the elevators from two halves each. The next step sees the wings, elevators and a two-part nose with 20g of nose weight added inside, bearing in mind that this aircraft was an early adopter of tricycle landing gear, the bane of forgetful modellers everywhere! There’s plenty of room, and nothing will be seen of the area once completed, so a little more won’t hurt. The engine nacelles can’t be installed until the engines and their cowlings are completed, which starts with the twin banks of pistons, which have cooling vanes moulded-in, and a separate bell-housing in the centre, mating to a bulkhead in the rear, then they are slipped into the one-part cowling, one for each side of the aircraft. The landing gear is built before the nacelles are installed, and the nose wheel is first, the strut having a separate scissor-link and moulded-in yoke that accepts the two-part wheel, with retraction jack heading aft into the bay. The main gear is built with a box-like frame that is made from several parts with the main strut central, leaving the wheels off until after the nacelle is fitted. Once the bay roof and the gear assembly is complete, the nacelles are lowered carefully over the struts, and are joined at the front by the engine and cowling assembly. The main wheels are each two parts, and they can be glued onto the axles at this stage, along with the bay doors that run along both sides of all the bays under the aircraft. Putting the model on its wheels for the first time, the canopy and its long top-opening section are glued over the cockpit, the props are inserted into the front of the engines, and the nose cone with six .50cal barrels protruding from the holes moulded into it. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet that is included in the box, both of which are predominantly olive drab over neutral grey, but having some brighter green splodges here and there. From the box you can build one of the following: A-20G-25 Havoc, 43-9105 J, ‘Sweet Li’l Kitten’, 312th BG, 388th BS, USAAF, Gusap, New Guinea, Summer 1944 A-20G-45-DO Boston, 43-22148, A-28-78/DU-R, No.22 Sqn., RAAF Morotai, Podzim, 1944 <ul style="list-style-type:upper-alpha"> The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion The Havoc/Boston is one of the many aircraft that served without the fanfare of the Lancaster, Spitfire or Mustang, but it served valiantly thanks to its crew, and this is a good model of the type. It’s mean and green, with a forest of guns in the nose. These things appeal to me, how about you? Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Special Hobby is to release in June 2016 a 1/72nd Douglas A-20B\C Boston with a UTK-1 dorsal turret kit - ref. SH72337 Source: http://www.specialhobby.net/2016/05/sh72337-20bc-boston-with-utk-1-turret.html V.P.

A-20/DB-7C Boston RAAF Crew (F72374) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby Quite often its great to have a figure, or couple of figures to add to a finished model on a base to bring it more to life. This set from CMK is for a Boston, though it can be used for a variety of Allied WWII aircraft. The set arrives in the usual yellow-themed CMK blister pack, with the instructions sandwiched between the resin parts and the header card. Inside are the two figures. The casting is up to the usual high standards from CMK/Special Hobby with minimal clean up being needed. One of the arms for the second figure is moulded away from the figure to be removed and added, apart from that no other work is needed. Conclusion Detail is excellent, and will add a great touch to any suitable model. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A-20G/H/K/J Havoc/Boston Mk.IV/V Resin Upgrades (4726 & 4727 for Special Hobby) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby These two sets are to upgrade the detail to Special Hobby’s 1:72 kit, with modular upgrades that require minimum alteration to the kit parts. Both sets arrive in the yellow-themed blister pack with card backing and instructions supporting the resin and Photo-Etch (PE) parts from harm, with a further acrylic sheet provided to prevent denting of the PE parts by the resin jostling during transport. Interior Set (4726) This set includes 10 resin parts, a small fret of PE and a slip of pre-printed acetate sheet. In preparation for insertion, the fuselage sides should be sanded or scraped thin to accommodate the sidewall detail parts, which is best done before main assembly. The cockpit is made up on a stepped two-part platform, with instrument panel and PE/Acetate sandwich applied to the front, PE rudder pedals, resin and PE control column, pilot seat with PE belts and a dinghy pack to the rear. The kit front bulkhead and nose gear bay are attached, then with the aforementioned sidewall details pre-fitted, and an insert to the sides of the dinghy bay added, the new cockpit can be fitted between the fuselage halves, with a small PE sight added to the windscreen hoop. Gun Turret (7427) This set increases the level of detail in the fuselage under the mid-upper gun turret, as well as replacing the kit guns with new more detailed resin parts. Again, the fuselage where the bay will be placed needs scraping thin to accommodate the bay, which is made up from an L-profile floor, two large side parts with another two small parts adding length and detail. The turret itself is augmented with the guns, plus turret base and curved part over the top. The kit’s glazing is utilised to close-in the new detail. Conclusion The devil’s in the detail, and at 1:72 these sets will make quite a difference to the finished model, begging to be shown off. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Boston Mk.IV/V 'The Last Version in RAF and Free French Service' (72413) 1:72 Special Hobby The A-20/DB-7 Havoc, better known to those with an interest in the Royal Air Force as the Boston, was a light bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, California. Designed to a US Air Force specification issued in 1937, the aircraft’s first customer was actually the French Air Force, who had been impressed by its performance whilst visiting the USA as part of a pre-war purchasing commission. The aircraft not delivered to France by the time the armistice had been signed in 1940 were taken up by the RAF instead. The first squadron to be so equipped was 88 Squadron of Bomber Command. By the end of the war, no fewer than 24 squadrons had operated the Boston, either as a light bomber or night fighter such as the Havoc I Turbinlite, which was fitted with a powerful searchlight in the nose. The A-20 was also widely used by the USAAF and by the end of the war, almost 7,500 of the type had rolled off the production lines. The Boston has been a stalwart of Special Hobby's line up for quite some time, from which one must deduce that it has sold well consistently. Nestled inside Special Hobby's familiar top-opening box are four sprues of grey plastic and a single sprue of clear plastic. Together they hold a total of 118 parts, which is pretty respectable for a kit of this size. There is no flash present anywhere and as far as I can see, there are no flaws in the plastic. Surface details consist of fine, engraved panel lines and there is a convincing stretched fabric effect on the rudder and horizontal tail. The overall impression is somewhat favourable. The cockpit is well-appointed for this kind of model. It is made up of a floor, seat, rudder pedals, two-part control column, instrument panel, sidewalls and bulkheads. Moulded detail is good and the instruments are picked out with fine, raised detail. The bomb aimer/observer position is just as good and includes a very nice bomb sight. The crew positions are completed by the mid-upper turret, which is a little more basic than the other positions, but still good enough to pass muster. Once the fuselage halves have been joined together, the wings and horizontal stabilisers can be assembled and fixed to the fuselage. The parts have location tabs and slots to help ensure a positive fit. The prominent cowlings, under which hide the large Double-Cyclone engines, each have to be fitted with nine cooling vents. Fortunately Revell’s instructions are very clear in this regard, so you shouldn’t have any problems. The engines themselves are made up of three parts – two rows of seven cylinders and the reduction gearing. They are nicely detailed and should look good once assembled. The undercarriage looks well detailed but rather complex. Each of the main gear legs is made up of no fewer than six parts, plus the wheels themselves. I would recommend taking great care building the undercarriage, lest you end up with a wonky aeroplane when you come to rest it on its wheels. The main gear legs actually fit directly to the wings, and it is possible to fit the rear engine nacelles over these parts afterwards. This should make things a little less frustrating as you will be able to place the parts precisely rather than having to stuff them inside a cramped undercarriage bay. The remainder of the build is concerned with the addition of the transparent parts and the remaining fine details. These include the radio antenna and DF loop as well as the .303 Browning machine guns. The guns are very nicely recreated and the cooling sleeves in particular are convincingly detailed. The transparent parts are thin and clear and shouldn’t present any major problems A generous four options are provides for on the decal sheet. Boston Mk.IV BZ453 'OA-B', 342nd Squadron (Free-French Lorraine, RAF 137th Wing) B-50 Air Base, France, October 1944. Boston Mk.IV BZ507 'Y', flown by Pilot Sergeant John Samain, 18th Squadron, RAF, Italy, 1944-45; Boston Mk.V BZ611 'Z', 13th Squadron, RAF, Italy 1945; and Boston Mk.V BX604 'B', 18th Squadron, RAF, Italy 1945. Each aircraft is finished in Olive Drab over Neutral Gray. The decal sheet is nicely printed. Conclusion As this is the only modern tooling of the Boston in 1:72 scale, it’s fairly easy to recommend it to modellers interested in adding the type to their collection. It looks good on the sprue, although opinion seems to be divided on how easy it is to build. Some people have reported fit issues whilst others have stated that the kit is a breeze to build. Nevertheless, it is still the best Boston out there and can be firmly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Does anyone know where I can lay my hands on drawings of the disruptive camouflage pattern for the Boston/Havoc? The best I can do is the instructions for the Special Hobby 1/72 Boston III but the patterns (DE/DG) on that bear no relation to the colour demarcations on the 771 Sq Boston (EDSG/DSG) shown in colour on the cover of Sky Over Scapa? The old Ducimus Camouflage & Markings booklet deals more with early all-black schemes..

Hello all; I hope you have a great Christmas and are looking forward to the new year. There's a long story behind this build, literally a 12 year effort across two continents. The full story, as usual sits on my website. The short version is that this one started as a build for a friend; he wanted a super-detailed RAF Boston. I ran out of enthusiasm and interest long before it was finished and it became a shelf queen. For some reason I kept the carcass though, and eventually, after a move to Australia, I retrieved it from Canada on a return visit and finally finished it a couple of months ago. As usual, comments and critique are welcome. Thanks for looking. Mark.

Hi comrades! Here is my take on AMT kit. Despite the kit's age, it was a pleasant build. Aftermarket used: Foxbot decals (excellent!) Eduard brass (intermediate, not everything helpful) True detail resin wheels and rescue inflatable boat - (nice) Montex masks for canopy and standard markings (excellent) Quickboost engines, cowlings and browning's - (good, but engines were additionally wired ) Scratchbuilt: engines wiring, wheel wells wiring, wings navigation lights, tail light enhanced. Thanks for looking The build is here

RAAF A-20A's, in May 1943 it was agreed between 5th AF HQ and RAAF HQ that with the losses and shortage of new aircraft that the 89th BS 3rd BG would hand over their A-20A's to 22 Sqn RAAF when the total number got below 15 aircraft in the Sqn, in Oct 43 89th BS had reached that level and with new A-20G's being available in the new year, 9 of the last 15 A-20A's were transferred to RAAF control, these were war weary aircraft having served with the 89th since the start of 1941 and brought out to the Pacific when the unit deployed in 1942, these aircraft had upward of 70 + missions each and were worn out. These aircraft were transferred to 15 ARD in Nov 43 for repair and modification and the first aircraft was not issued to 22 Sqn till early 1944, several were broken up for parts and some stored at 15ARD, only about 4-5 were operated by 22 Sqn for only a few months mainly in the training role to take the load off the operational DB-7B's and A-20C's. These aircraft were in the Std US Olive Drab over Neutral Grey in US service but it appears were repainted into the same scheme as the DB-7B's of Dark Green/Dark Earth over Sky (could be Sky , NG or Sky Blue), photo's exist of only 2 x A-20A's in RAAF service. While with 22 Sqn only 3 operational missions were ever flown with A-20A's, A28-34 and A28-35 , by Jun 44 all A-20A's were withdrawn from use , used as parts sources and converted to components in early 1945. The odd aircraft out was A28-39 this aircraft was transferred to 3AD and stripped to NMF, had all armour and armament removed and used as a test aircraft and test pilot and pilot training aircraft . it was struck off charge in 1945 and scrapped in 1948, the last Boston in RAAF service. A28-32, (US data 40-0085 "She's Right" with 89th BS) A28-33 , (US data 40-0143 "Cracker Jack" with 89th BS) A28-34, (US data 40-3160 "Hell's Fire/FIFI" with 89th BS) DU-B with 22 Sqn A28-35, (US data 40-0162 "Kentucky red/The Shadow" with 89th BS) A28-36, (US data 40-0077 "Baby Dumpling" with 89th BS) A28-37, (US data 40-0118 "Bloody Bucket" with 89th BS) A28-38, (US data 40-0139 "Maid in Japan" with 89th BS) A28-39, (US data 40-0144 "Salome" with 89th BS) A28-40 , (US data 40-3159) A28-34 DUB 22 Sqn 1944, note DG/DE scheme , std RAAF 36" 5/3 roundels in all 6 positions, 24" Sqn codes and serials in white, fin flash , note upper panel on nose is still the Perspex access panel , also 2 angled panels in lower nose remain Perspex, also ADF fitted. How she looked with 89th BS early 1943 A28-39, stripped to NMF and with post June 44 markings , 48" 5/2 roundels , fin flash and serial in black, note most of nose converted back to Perspex panels. Amberley 1945 used as a test and chase aircraft for new Mustangs, being in NMF and with all armament and armour removed was a very fast aircraft. being scrapped 1948. With 89th BS early 1943

Special Hobby is to re-release the MPM 1/72nd Douglas Boston Mk.III Intruder kit - ref. 72398 Source: http://www.specialhobby.info/2018/11/sh72398-boston-mkiii-intruder-boxart.html Box art V.P.

As a follow up to the A-20G's and Beaufighters in RAAF service I did , here is the A-20C's. By the end of Sept 1943 22 Sqn was in dire straits, they were down to about 6 operational DB-7B's and despite several more in Australia trying to be brought up to operational std the Sqn was almost non operational , in early Sept 43 steps were already in motion to get 22 Sqn more A-20 Boston's , 9 x A-20C's left over from the P-70 conversion program were made available and began arriving at 3AD Amberley from mid Sept to late Oct 43, these were quickly reconverted back to the Bomber/Strafer role and had long range tanks , bomb racks and ADF fitted, these aircraft were unique in that they had an armament of 5 x .50's fitted to the nose , unlike the DB-7B's and A-20A's which had their .50's clusted in a group of 4 firing thru what had been the bomb aimers panel , the A-20C's had 3 x .50's mounted across the nose above the bomb aimers glass panel, they also had the cheek .30's replaced with a .50 and the blister with the second .30 removed giving them 5 x .50's in the nose, also with the bomb aimers glass being retained a strike camera was mounted in the nose to record strafing attacks, these aircraft were turned around as fast as possible by 3AD Amberley and only had their US markings and serials crudely painted over and RAAF markings and serials applied, many publications in the past have stated these aircraft were painted all over Foliage Green, probably because they look very dark in B&W photo's , but as was pointed out to me by Peter Malone, the paint was too rough to be a new coat of Foliage Green and the aircraft were needed desperately by 22 Sqn, records show these aircraft were at 3AD for only 2-3 weeks each before dispatch to 22 Sqn only enough time to fit them out , and get them serviceable , not time for a repaint. A28-23 to A28-30 (23 DU-O, 24 DU-P, 25 DU-N, 26 DU-Q?, 27 DU-R?, 28 DU-U, 29 DU-V? and 30 DU-W) were all delivered to 22 Sqn thru Oct 43 in std US Olive Drab over Neutral Grey, RAAF markings were std 36" 5/3 ratio roundels in all 6 positions with the RAAF roundels covering the centre of the US stars and bars - (to give positions on wings and fuselage) Std RAAF fin flash and Mid Grey serials under the tail. these aircraft were the first to have ADF fitted to them with 22 Sqn as the role of 22 Sqn as the A-20C's was coming on strength was long range airfield suppression missions and barge strikes on New Britain from Goodenough Island in preparation for the landings on Cape Gloucester . The A-20C was faster and had longer range than the DB-7B's and took the majority of the missions thru late 43 into the first half of 1944 . There are two variations to the Std OD/NG scheme worn by the A-20C's at 22 Sqn and that was A28-25 DU-N which was badly damaged in a bombing mission in early Nov 43 when a bomb prematurely exploded under the aircraft doing serious shrapnel damage to the aircraft , it was returned to 26 MRU who rebuild it over 6 weeks and also repainted it in the same scheme as the DB-7B's Dark Green/Dark Earth over Sky (lower surface could have been Neutral Grey, Sky Blue or Sky no-one knows), she then returned to service with 22 and served till scrapped in early 45, The other oddity was A28-31, this A-20 never served with 22 Sqn but was retained at 3AD Amberley as a test and training aircraft, this A-20 was the only A-20C Boston in RAAF service to actually be painted in the correct attack aircraft scheme of all over Foliage Green, she also had the later 32" 5/2 ration roundels , fin flash and grey serials, it was also the only A-20 in RAAF service to be fitted with tropical intake filters and despite having the 5 x .50 nose fit of the other A-20C's retained a full glass nose, she was scrapped in Tocumwall at 7 CRD in mid 1945. DU-O, DU-U and DU-W Sqn codes were not used on the later A-20G's as these A-20C's were still in use with the A-20G's. 3 x nose .50's on unidentified A-20C Loading nose guns , note strike camera behind bomb aimers glass unidentified A-20C, note upper single .50 , DB-7B's and A-20A's ran twin .30/.303 A-20C undergoing maintenance, nose and cheek .50's and strike camera visible, this is the same aircraft in the top photo with the nose guns , but I have not been able to identify it. Either A28-23 DU-O or A28-24 DU-P, unable to confirm which, note how far the .50's stick out of cheek position compared to .30/.303, and how rough the paint is, lines on all the panel joint lines is staining/fading from tape to seal joints during sea voyage from US, also note outline of removed cheek blister. A28-28 DU-U, note how rough the overpaint of the US markings are , also this was the only A-20C with an ADF loop not a faired ADF like all the others. A28-30 DU-W A28-31, note nice even all over Foliage Green Scheme, later style markings and tropical intakes and glass nose, photo 3AD late 1944 and at Tocumwall in 1945 awaiting scrapping.

Ok after the Beaufighter thread with the minefield of schemes I thought I would do something a bit more definite, Boston's are my favourite subject and have been researching them for years, much is written about the early Boston III's but little is written about the A-20G's they were only used on ops for about 4 months before most were written off in a night bombing raid by Japanese aircraft on Morotai on 22/23 Nov 44 destroyed over half the Sqn which then converted to Aust build Mk 21 Beaufighter's, The Sqn did not want to convert to Beaufighter's as they much preferred the Boston ( many of the pilots in the Sqn had flown Beaufighter's and wanted to keep Boston's) and the US 5th AF was willing to supply more Boston's but the RAAF HQ decided to go with an all Beaufighter strike fleet. Unlike the earlier DB-7B Boston III's and A-20A's and A-20C's which were on RAAF strength , the A-20G's were on "Loan" from US 5th AF stock and all serviceable A-20G's were returned to 5th AF after withdrawal from service. In the 4 months of service with 22 Sqn they flew more missions then the previous 20 mths combined with the earlier model Boston's and build up an excellent reputation with A-20 units with the 5th AF, 22 Sqn operated side by side with the 417th BG for 3 months on Noemfoor Island and got most of there spares from the group , all serviceable A-20G's were assigned to the 417th after use with 22 Sqn. All RAAF A-20G's were brand new aircraft either straight from the US or from US stock held at Finschafen (not second hand as some sources quote)(except for 6 x early A-20G-10's used as training a/c) and as they were new aircraft and on loan from the US operated in Std US scheme of Olive Drab with Medium Green Blotches over neutral Grey, they were not repainted in any RAAF paint schemes but did have repairs painted Foliage Green or new Olive Drab paint. The 29 x A-20G's were delivered in 5 batches and this is were the markings changed with each batch. Sqn code letters were issued alphabetically on delivery or when an A-20G replaced one of the older DB-7B's or A-20C's. DB-7B's A28-11 DU-L , A28-18 DU-Y and A-20C's A28-23 DU-O, A28-28 DU-U and A28-30 DU-W stayed on strength at 22 Sqn when the A-20G's arrived so these Sqn code letters were not used on the A-20G's. Batch #1 A28-50 to 60 and 64 This first batch of A-20G's were new delivery -40 aircraft direct from the US to 3AD Amberley in Jun 44, these 12 aircraft were modified to RAAF spec and also had a RAAF designed strike camera fitted to the rear of the R/H engine nacelle, the rear cone of the nacelle was truncated and a strike camera fitted into the empty area in the back of the Nacelle, this was operated by the pilot on his strike run and took photo's of the bomb damage , it also allowed the lower .50 to be used during low level bomb runs something std US A-20's could not do if the rear crewman was using a camera for bomb damage assessment thru the lower hatch. These aircraft were marked exactly as per the RAAF instruction AGP Pt 3 issued 26/5/44, which we will see caused problems, "Bomber" roundels were to be of the 5/2 ration 48" in diameter, serials were to be 8" Medium Sea Grey on fuselage side fwd of leading edge of Horizontal stab and Sqn codes to be 36" high on each side of fuselage, 34 wide x 24 high fin flash and all US markings painted over. well the Boston fuselage was not big enough to take 48" roundels and 36" Sqn codes and with the serial fwd of the Horizontal stab the Sqn codes covered the serials, when the aircraft got to 22 Sqn and coded were applied , 24 " was as big as could be applied and on some aircraft the code letter even partially covered the fuselage roundel , the last two aircraft of this batch had unofficial 40" roundels applied to try and fit the fuselage better. Roundels in 6 places on these machines. A28-50 DU-A, A28-51 DU-B , A28-52 DU-C, A28-53 DU-D, A28-54 DU-E, A28-55 DU-F, A28-56 ?, A28-57 DU-J, A28-58 DU-K, A28-59 DU-M (DU-M applied both sides not the usual reverse on R/H side), A28-60 DU-P and A28-64 DU-N. Batch #2 A28-61 to 63. This second batch were also new delivery -40 aircraft from the US to 1AD Laverton in Jul 44, after 3AD tried to follow the official instructions 1AD interpreted them differently, the serials were applied under the horizontal stab on the fuselage side and 32" "fighter" roundels were applied which better suited the space on the Boston fuselage side, no fin flash was applied and all US markings over painted. The strike camera mod was not fitted. Roundels in 6 places on these machines A28-61 DU-R, A28-62 DU-S, A28-63 DU-T. serials in White not Medium Sea Grey, all later delivery batches also had all serials and Sqn codes in White. Batch #3 A28-65 to 68 This third batch came from US stock at Finschafen and were new delivery -45 aircraft in Aug/Sept 44, markings start to get rough now despite being new aircraft the US markings are just brushed over and 32" roundels applied , no fin flash is applied and the A28 is dropped from 65 onward only had two digit serials. Roundels in 6 positions on these machines. A28-65 DU-G, A28-66 DU-H, A28-67 DU-V ( DU-V was also the same both sides), A28-68 DU-X (also DU-X both sides) Batch #4 A28-69 to 74 This batch were the second hand A-20G-10's from the 417th BG only used as training aircraft not used on ops and never had Sqn markings applied Batch #5 A28-75 to 78 These last 4 Bostons were later model -45's (some of the last A-20G's built) straight from the US to 22 Sqn On Noemfoor island in Oct 44, these Boston's were unique as they ran mixed markings , the US stars and Bars were retained on the wings and the US serial retained on the tail with RAAF roundel applied to fuselage sides with Sqn codes and 2 digit RAAF serial under horizontal stab, why the mixed marking no one is sure, some of the reasons mentioned were friendly fire incidents from US troops (unless it had Stars and Bars they shot at it ), also these were Loan aircraft so maybe the MU became lazy and just applied RAAF markings to Fuselage sides ( I have seen RAAF P-40's and C-47's that retained the Stars and Bars on wings).Roundels only on fuselage on these machines. A28-75 DU-A, A28-76 DU-?, A28-77 DU-? , A28-78 DU-R. The CO of 22 Sqn did not like art work or individual markings so personalisation was rare, the CO's aircraft A28-60 DU-P had a May 44 Vargus pin up on his aircraft and was called "Hilda Shane" , after his Wife and Son and had approx. 20 mission marks on it ( ground crew applied the artwork one night , the CO relented and said it could stay but no other art work was to be applied it also had polished spinners as the CO's aircraft, A28-55 had 9 mission marks unusually on the R/H side not the normal L/H side and A28-78 was called "Topsy" also unusually marked on the R/H side, these are the only individual markings I can find on RAAF A-20G's. A28-52 DU-C, note large 48" roundel , Sqn codes (C) covering serials , note strike camera mod rear of R/H engine nacelle A28-54 DU-E, note 48" roundel , fin flash, Sqn code (E) covering serial, also in background A28-67 DU-V - reversed Sqn code on R/H side and 32 " "fighter" roundels and no fin flash applied and two digit serials to later batches.. A28-60 DU-P undergoing repair post raid on Ambon 05 Oct 44, note reduced 40" roundel , fin flash, Sqn codes covering serial and strike camera position A28-59 DU-M post raid on Morotai late Nov44 (Aircraft written off), note 48" roundel , reversed Sqn codes on R/H side, removal of modified aft R/H nacelle fairing for strike camera , fin flash and covered serials. A28-63 DU-T post crash landing Noemfoor 06 Sept 44, note serial under tail not covered by Sqn Code , 32" roundels. A28-67 DU-V L/H side. A28-78 DU-R, "Topsy" note mixed markings, US Stars and Bars under wing and serial retained on tail, overpainting of nose cone and around US star and bar on fuselage side , may be Foliage Green (note semi gloss finish), 32" roundel

I've started an early (W-serialled) Boston III. I believe (pse correct if I'm wrong) that these were ordered against a British contract and that therefore the fuselage interior would be UK interior green. But what of other interior areas like the wheel wells and engine cowling interiors? Zinc chromate yellow? Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello All, Was there an OTU for the Boston and Mitchell bombers in England? If not, from where would replacement aircrew have come? TW

Morning all and Happy New Year from Canberra. It's been a little while since my last post in RFI, so here's some photos of the last four models completed for 2016. All 1/72 in case you're wondering. By the way, this post has taken about an hour to put together due to the delights of Photobucket. Any suggestions for an alternative that doesn't give me time to start and finish a Lancaster?? First is Airfix's Blenheim If from 226 Squadron at RAF Digby, Lincolnshire, spring 1940... The second ever Mosquito built - W4051 from 1 PRU, RAF Benson, August 1943. This is the Tamiya kit with AlleyCat engine nacelles... An Airfix Beaufighter from 404 Squadron RCAF, RAF Strubby, August 1944... and finally MPM's Boston III from 88 Squadron, RAF Oulton. This aircraft was piloted by F/Lt Johnny Reeve on the Eindhoven raid, 6 December 1942.

This group build has been my main focus for this year and I have given it a lot of thought. I love the MTO and everything about it, it's probably the part of the war I read/know most about, so this GB was always going to be a tough decision! However I have avoided ny natural impulses to jump to malta with a trio of blue spits and gone for something I don't do often. I have always liked the following three AC's for their agressive and powerful looks, it must be the big radials strapped to the wings! They looks very American in my eyes, or a least how I see American aircraft looking, fast and powerful! Like class muscle cars.... but in the the sky.... So enough ramble here is the muscles Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr No I did not get the marauder for the 55p woolworths price tag. They are a mixed bag, the italieri one being of the lowest standard out of the three, but the will not be lots of clever rescribe work or detailing. ....I plan to get these finished! So the options I intend to complete. B-25 will be my first American airforce build, and in NMF which will be a first for me! Transfers are form the hase boxing of 'bottoms up ii'. This is also a little gift to the wife, she is a yoga teacher and supposedly this is a yoga move! Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr And she is also a fan of the pin up look on it and the colour.... its cool I am told bottomsup by robert mulvey, on Flickr An in game computer generated image off Google B25_DSC4312 by robert mulvey, on Flickr And a better view done by a much better modeller than me on JAM forum! As ever pictures found on Google but if anyone wants them removed then let me know and they are gone! Next is the airfix marauder and I must say I am really rather impressed with the amount of detail in this kit, especially considering the age. She will be done as the below SAAF marauder from the hannants Med twins part 1 sheet, which has had the great input of forum member Tony O'toole. Nice work Tony it's a cracking set. Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr And then finally it's the revell Boston, the best for detail and the newest out of the lot! It will be built OOB as it comes with a set for a RAF bomber in Italy. ... which is also on the Xtradecals set Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr So that's a south African, American and a brit all walk into a group build.... let's see what happens! Cheers Rob

A-20B/C "Boston with UTK-1 Turret" 1:72 Special Hobby The A-20/DB-7 Havoc, known in Royal Air Force circles as the as the Boston, was a light bomber developed by the California-based Douglas Aircraft Company. Designed to a US Air Force specification issued in 1937, the aircraft’s first customer was actually the French Air Force, representatives of which had been impressed by its performance whilst visiting the USA as part of a pre-war purchasing commission. Those aircraft not delivered to France by the time the armistice had been signed in 1940 were taken up by the RAF instead. The Soviet Union was a major user of the type, with the Soviet Air Force and Soviet Naval Aviation acquiring nearly 3000 Bostons before the end of the war. In the harsh winter conditions on the Eastern Front, it was found that the rear gunners suffered in the elements and so the UTK-1 turret was fitted, sometimes with higher calibre armament. It's around nine years since the first iteration of this kit was released under the MPM Production label. The kit has been re-released at least eight times since then, including a re-box of the Boston Mk.V by big boys Revell. This time around the kit includes extra parts in resin, plastic and photo etched brass for a Soviet version fitted with the UTK-1 mid-upper turret. Inside the box are the usual five sprues of grey plastic and two sprues of clear plastic (the original sprue plus a new sprue for the turret transparencies. Together they hold over 160 parts, which is very respectable for a kit of this size. The mouldings look crisp and clean and there are no flaws in the plastic as far as I can tell. Surface details are comprised of fine, engraved panel lines and convincing textures on the rudder and horizontal tail. Although Special Hobby have had their money's worth out of these moulds, they seem to be holding up well and the overall impression is pretty good. The cockpit is rather well-appointed for a kit in this scale. It is made up of a floor, seat, rudder pedals, two-part control column, instrument panel, sidewalls and bulkheads. Details on parts such as the instrument panel are picked out with fine, raised details. The bomb aimer/observer position is just as good and includes a very nice bomb sight. The reworked rear gunner's position is just as good, with nice extra details such as spare magazines for the lower defensive machine gun. The new turret is a multi-media affair, with new plastic parts (including a gun moulded from clear plastic – presumably for logistical reasons) and photo etched details for the fine stuff. Once the fuselage halves have been joined together, the wings and horizontal stabilisers can be assembled and fixed to the fuselage. Unlike some limited run kits, the parts have location tabs and slots to help ensure a positive fit. The prominent nacelles, which house the large Double-Cyclone engines, are each made up of seven parts, while the engines themselves are made up of three parts – two rows of seven cylinders and the reduction gearing. They are nicely detailed and should look good once assembled. The undercarriage looks well detailed, but frighteningly complex. Each of the main gear legs is made up of no fewer than six parts, plus the wheels themselves. I would recommend taking great care over these stages in the instructions as you don't want to end up with a wonky aeroplane when you come to rest it on its boots. The main gear legs actually fit directly to the wings, and it is possible to fit the rear engine nacelles over these parts afterwards. This should make things a little less frustrating as you will be able to place the parts precisely rather than having to stuff them inside a cramped undercarriage bay, but it will obviously make the task of painting the model a little more laborious. The remainder of the build is concerned with the addition of the transparent parts and some fine details such as the the radio antenna and propellers. The transparent parts are thin and clear and shouldn’t present any problems, although I have not been able to check to see how well they fit at this point in time. Markings for two aircraft are provided on the decal sheet. A-20B Havoc 'White 20' in US camouflage scheme with over-painted markings and a caricature of the Adolf Hitler on the nose; and Boston III 'Yellow 5' in British camouflage with over-painted markings. The decals are nicely printed and look quite thin and glossy. Conclusion This is the only modern tooling of the Boston in 1:72 scale, so it’s fairly easy to recommend it to modellers interested in adding the type to their collection. It looks good on the sprue, although opinion seems to be divided as to how easy it is to build. Some people have reported fit issues whilst others have stated that the kit practically falls together. Nevertheless, it is still the best Boston out there and with the interesting twist of the new turret and marking options, it can be firmly recommended. Review sample courtesy of