Revell; Douglas A-20 Havoc.

[Markh-75]

Actually i'm quite well on with this build since completing the Helldiver, but here are some pictures anyway.

Its a good kit, a bit sparse on the interior side and not much space to put anything in, and by the time i've painted the clear parts there wont be much to see in it anyway. Its an older kit but is in very good shape, came to me in perfect condition, absolutely nothing missing or broken, it has gone together very nicely, very crisp, tight build! Everything fits together perfectly!

 The fuselage and ALL parts of this model have gone together sweetly, i thought it was a snap together kit at one point! In the days this model was released, Revell didnt seen to be putting much inside the aircraft so its a blank canvas; and by the time the clear parts are painted there wont be much to see in it anyway. The blue colour in these two pictures is because i didnt have my desk lighting on at the time i took them.

 The wings, nacelles and engines just seemed to go together so effortlessly too! Care was needed to make sure i had the landing gear leg in the right way; so the main wheels are on the outside! Its all just so snug together! The two supports holding the wings are actually free parts you get with a TV for holding the cables together on a TV table but they always come unstuck,  they are perfect for holding parts while they dry.

 

 It hasn't taken long to get to this stage, In the bomb aimers position i have attempted to put weight in the front of the model but it seems that i wont be able to get enough weight to make it stand anyway. There is a little post with this kit that fits into the rear underside to support it anyway.

 The props are ready!

 

 I had finished the wheels today so i fitted them this evening! Always looks good with its wheels on.

 The engines are painted with steel silver, with bright silver highlights on the faces and green on the engine body.

 Looks great already!

 Again, you can see the lead weights i used in the front of the kit; it turns out that these are in the right place for disguising the forward machine guns belt storage, there just isnt enough space to take enough weights but i kept this in anyway. I'll find a suitable piece of plastic and make a bombsight for in here.

 

Paint is again an issue for this model I'll have to shop around for the light gull grey and the desert pink; the grey is for the underside and it will have standard green and brown camo but with desert pink splodges over it, the decals weren't in a good condition for the kit so i ordered some in from Hannants. I hope to be painting this by the week-end but i want to fit exhaust pipes to the outer sides of the nacelles, another one of my 'tweaks'. I'll file the ends of the machine guns flat and there are two air inlets on the insides of the nacelles, it wasnt suitable or possible to drill these out and shape them. I'll highlight them somehow.

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Markh-75

[Markh-75]

A-20 Havoc (Continuum)

This morning i drilled out and shaved the holes and revetments for the engine exhausts   

 

Once i'd spent time shaping the holes, making sure they were right and that the pipe could be angled back sufficiently, i cut two x 1cm long sections of WD40 straw and superglooped them in place   

 

I'll wait until later on and then trim the tubes at an angle so they're at the same plane (no pun intended) as the nacelles and then bore the tubes out for a larger hole in them before i start painting the model.

Edited February 14, 2020 by Markh-75

[alt-92]

If you still have some sprue putty at hand, you could add a drop on the sink mark on the right front side of the cockpit. 

Probably caused by the alignment socket there.

[Markh-75]

Yes there are one or two little hollows that will be filled before painting, Thank you.😉😀

there are the same depressions on the top rear of the nacelles, but they’re all filled now. Cheers.

Edited February 14, 2020 by Markh-75

[Markh-75]

Douglas A-20 (in continuum)

Wasnt feeling great this morning but i got some work done on the model later in the day; i fitted the landing gear doors, the aerial and even made a tiny little metal box on a tiny metal stalk and glued it in the bomb aimers compartment as a bomb sight! I have a few spare bits of etch about, and i dont know how i managed to get the little box made without shouting at my (at times) inept, clumsy big fingers, but i did!, its glued in place and just needs a coat of black and some highlighting!😎

I fitted the aerial.  

Painted the engine exhausts and fitted the landing gear doors  

and made a tiny little box out of some photo-etch i had lying spare!  

Heres a better picture of that.  You can see the other landing gear doors too.

 

  

 

I'll start painting it next. I have the Olive Drab, two colours of it in fact so i did wot i always do and did a colour check. I'll be using the 155 but i have a darker green on order as well as two browns; one is desert sand and the other is desert pink, again, i'll do a colour test before i use them but it can be painted in Olive drab once everything is set and dry. It will be OD with the darker green on places and either desert sand or desert pink 'splodges' all over that; the underside will be Gull grey.

I also ordered the Gull Grey for underside and one or two others (for other kits), all from Sovereign!

Edited February 15, 2020 by Markh-75

[HOUSTON]

BRILLIANT  Work from you.

 

 

[franky boy]

Nice scratch building. Good to see a Boston in wip. 

 

James

[Markh-75]

Thank you for your kind words folks I really appreciate it. I love the support from other members in this group!

i like to have various models and various guises; they don’t all have to be all green or silver and they don’t all have to be in star and bars but they do have to be aircraft flown by US Navy and/or USAAF in WW2.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Markh-75

[Markh-75]

Douglas A-20, (continued).

I painted the upper side in olive drab this morning, and was going to give it a second coat at teatime but have decided to wait for the other colours because other wise areas will have up to four coats on them (have you ever tried to paint with four coats on?🤣😂). When the other colours do arrive i'll do the underside before i continue with the camo' scheme, no point in over-painting it and then painting some more.

 

    You can just see the bomb sight i made in these pictures; there are little areas that will need to be painted in.

 

 

Heres a better shot of the bomb sight!  

 

I also painted the clear parts.  

 

IF any of the other camo' colours are in the area of clear parts i can always paint it on. You can also see the tools i use to remove the overpaint; i carefully go around the edges  of each 'pane' with the metal stylus first and then use the wooden 'manicure stick'. The wood is excellent because it will remove the residue from the clear parts and will not mark or scratch! Next time you see the clear parts they will have been cleaned up, excess removed and more than likely installed on the model! I dont worry anymore if i get paint where it shouldn't be, because it will come off, but its best to wait a few hours or even overnight because heavier coats can still be tacky underneath and it will just smudge. If the clear parts need another coat i make sure i have cleaned up the first coat first; i never leave two coats to be tidied. I always do ANY details under my magnifying glass, i get right into the corners and if need be i can touch areas in. You can get the sticks in Lloyds Chemists; the metal 'stylus' i got as part of a four craft knife set in 'The Range' (comes with a sharpening stone and other blades)

 

When i have a long thin line to paint, and it comes as a decal, i dont use the decal; i prefer to paint the line on, i paint the lighter colour first in a line, second coat if required and once fully dry i mask it off so i can paint the model. If the tape (i use the Tamiya tape) is pressed down nice and tight it will come away leaving a crisp sharp line! Its easier for me to do it this way than lose a battle of wills with a long thin decal! Heres where the magnifier comes in! When i paint up to the line by plain sight (in my case plain sight includes glasses!👓) i can do a tidy job but when i check it under the magnifier there is always a thin .5mm line left unpainted! So i always back paint and do fine details through the magnifier!🔎

Edited February 16, 2020 by Markh-75

[Markh-75]

Haven’t been able to do anything on the kit in the past couple of days while I’m waiting for the paint to be delivered; it’s on it’s way but I don’t know when; there’s nothing in the carriers tracking page so I presume it’s to be uplifted yet. One thing is for sure; when it arrives I’ll get on with it.

 

the break has given me the chance to repair my die cast E.E. Lightning! The two missiles broke off and the probe broke off; I made a better way to mount the missiles so I can take’ the missiles off instead of them breaking off. I used my pin-vice to drill the nose probe mount a bit deeper and I’ll glue it back on. I’ve been wanting to get that sorted!

[TonkaGuy]

Looking great so far 

[Markh-75]

Thank you 🙂

Edited February 19, 2020 by Markh-75

[wombat]

Is that one of Revell’s ex matchbox moulds?

[Markh-75]

To be honest, I don’t know. Still a good kit though; there aren’t many A-20’s about.

Ive started another kit today, it’s an Airfix Grumman Duck, seaplane. I was bored waiting for the paints so I thought I’d get cracking on another model. Going well.

 

[bbudde]

14 minutes ago, wombat said:

s that one of Revell’s ex matchbox moulds?

This must be the Revell moulding, if it's 1:72. I have one. Matchbox has negative engravings as far as I remember. Could be a former Frog moulding like their '70 He 111, Me 110 G, Arado 234, etc..

Cheers

[Markh-75]

Yes as fas as panel details, the kit is well marked out; when I think about the Helldiver, the matchbox wings were almost devoid of panel markings, mainly basic lines, which was why I decided to merge the (much) better Airfix wings. Ironically the Matchbox wings were made so they could be folded or straight. Airfix wings had superior details but could only be displayed out or folded permanently.

[dogsbody]

Revell. The engines on the Matchbox kit are too large for the scale.

 

Below: Revell on the left, Matchbox on the right.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[72modeler]

The Matchbox A-20 kit was for an A-20G, with a later release being for an A-20H- see the attached photo. The original Revell 1/72 A-20's were for the A-20C and a later boxing had the parts to do a P-70 nightfighter. Revell has also reboxed  both Matchbox A-20's. I have attached a link to some basic reviews of 1/72 A-20 kits for you to examine. The MPM kits are newer, have decent cockpits and enclosed wheel bays, and are nicely scribed, but the Revell A-20's can be made into pretty nice models with some aftermarket and scratchbuilding in the cockpits and wheel bays.

Mike

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/matchbox-pk-120-douglas-boston-iv-havoc-a-20g--128684

 

https://modelingmadness.com/review/allies/us/usaaf/bakera20.htm

[Markh-75]

Terrific info there, Thank you!

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

Revell. The engines on the Matchbox kit are too large for the scale.

 

Below: Revell on the left, Matchbox on the right.

 

 

 

 

Chris

Gotta admit the Revell engine looks far bettererer!

 

[Markh-75]

Got my paints i ordered from Sovereign today, means i can get the Havoc all painted!

[bbudde]

56 minutes ago, Markh-75 said:

Got my paints i ordered from Sovereign today, means i can get the Havoc all painted!

I think so.

 

[Markh-75]

I’m also working on a Grumman Duck, I started it while I was waiting for the paint. It will be my first biplane! Just doing it in nice easy stages, taking my time.

 

i painting on the Forest Green in patches on the wings and tail. I’ll second coat the OD before I apply the desert pink blotches but I have the underside to paint too, needs to be done first.

[Kushan_Farsight]

Looking good! Was just wondering, if your still having problems with the model tail-sitting, could you add some weights into behind the engine nacelles? Would probably be enough to enourage the model to 'lean' forwards! But i may have come in with this comment at too late a stage in the day!

 

[Markh-75]

Thanks for your comments, I did try but it needs quite a bit of weight and there is little space for it, I might try adding some in the footwell in the cockpit. I have a fair amount in the bomb aimers position, disguised as the belt trays for the front machine guns but it appears to be woefully inadequate. I do have a small post to put in the rear under the tail, I haven’t painted it because it’s a neutral colour and will not be noticed much anyway. It’s good chunky solder I use so if I put some draped over the nose it will give me an idea of how much I need Vs. Can I fit it all in?!🤨 cheers.

[Markh-75]

There wasn’t enough room for weight in the engines.

 

Painted the undersides today, two nice coats of “Colourcoats” ‘light aircraft grey’ looks good!