Special Hobby A-20B/C "Boston with UTK-1 Turret" - 1:72 Special Hobby

[Paul A H]

 

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