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1:72 Douglas Boston Mk.III 'Intruder' *FINISHED*


Dunny

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Hi All,

 

My next build will be Special Hobby's Douglas Boston Mk.III Intruder. Here's the box art:

 

20210828-130628.jpg

 

Here's the sprue shots:

 

20210828-130754.jpg

 

20210828-130813.jpg

 

20210828-130848.jpg

 

The decals look nicely in register:

 

20210828-130715.jpg

 

There's a small PE fret:

 

20210828-130730.jpg

 

I'm going to model this as AL468 of 418 'City of Edmonton' Sqn, RCAF, based at RAF Bradwell Bay, December 1942 to June 1943. 418 had the highest kill tally of any squadron within the RCAF. Their hazardous Intruder missions were flown deep into enemy territory at low level, in order to engage night fighters taking off or landing at their home bases, all without the benefit of radar - brave men indeed.

 

Here's the scheme:

 

20210828-124245.jpg

 

I cannot find any photos of AL468, but I am dubious as to the accuracy of this scheme. SH call out OG & DG over night, whereas I would have thought it would be in the standard night fighter scheme of MSG/DG over Night - I have asked the hive mind for clarification.

 

In researching this kit I have found that there is potentially a nasty step between the fuselage & glazing, so I thought I'd investigate this early, so I could be prepared to shim the fuselage:

 

20210828-131844.jpg

 

20210828-131848.jpg

 

Although there's a very slight step, it's nothing to write home about - maybe I got lucky? (or maybe the fuselage will push out with the interior in place - I shall proceed with caution). I'm off to start chucking primer around, so watch this space!

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Roger

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I have this kit as well, another project in the future, so I shall be watching with interest.

 

FWIW, the red code letters on the decal sheet does not look quite right.  DK decals does a sheet that covers this aircraft.  I think the red tone on their sheet looks a little better:

spacer.png

 

DK does a second sheet with the same code letters but different serial number:

spacer.png

spacer.png

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23 minutes ago, Wm Blecky said:

I have this kit as well, another project in the future, so I shall be watching with interest.

 

FWIW, the red code letters on the decal sheet does not look quite right.  DK decals does a sheet that covers this aircraft.  I think the red tone on their sheet looks a little better:

spacer.png

 

DK does a second sheet with the same code letters but different serial number:

spacer.png

spacer.png

Hi Wm,

 

I had not noticed this, but on further inspection you are absolutely right - the red in the roundels and fin flash are a distinctly different shade. Fortunately the a/c codes and serial number appear to be the 'correct' shade, so hopefully a raid of the spares box will yield appropriate replacement roundels - thanks for the hot tip!

 

As an aside, there are some nice photos of the 'other' TH * O (WB268) - they do appear to be copyrighted but here's a link:

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsilverhawkauthor.com%2Fcanadian-warplanes-3-douglas-boston_735.html&psig=AOvVaw3IW_fA53Yr2qL1rivVpnlc&ust=1630214869534000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCJj4jOX90vICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAb

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Roger

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Hi Roger,

Nice choice, theses build up very nicely if careful and with lots of test fitting, good choice of scheme too.  Looking forward to seeing it progress.  You had me scurrying around RFI looking for the Beaufort as I thought I had missed it, I  have been away  although  checked the Forums occasionally whilst away.

Chris

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3 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Hi Roger,

Nice choice, theses build up very nicely if careful and with lots of test fitting, good choice of scheme too.  Looking forward to seeing it progress.  You had me scurrying around RFI looking for the Beaufort as I thought I had missed it, I  have been away  although  checked the Forums occasionally whilst away.

Chris

Thanks Chris,

 

I had a bit of a 'mare with the Beaufort. My chipping went badly wrong and it now looks like a robot seagull has had aluminium diarrhoea all over the wings - not a good look, and it's now languishing on the Shelf of Uncertainty. Did you go anywhere nice?

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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10 minutes ago, Dunny said:

Thanks Chris,

 

I had a bit of a 'mare with the Beaufort. My chipping went badly wrong and it now looks like a robot seagull has had aluminium diarrhoea all over the wings - not a good look, and it's now languishing on the Shelf of Uncertainty. Did you go anywhere nice?

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

Oh no, I am sorry to hear that Roger.  I hope you can summon the mojo levels to sort out the Beau.  

We went to Devon and Cornwall and it was lovely.  Very busy there, but needed a break. 

Stayed with my sister and her family . Visited Eden Project, a heritage railway among other things and the FAA museum on the way home.

Excellent time, off out to another Railway today  Kent and East Sussex Railway.

Thanks Roger, hopefully will be able to get some bench time later!!!

Chris

 

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From the IWM:

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs

Boston Mark III (Intruder), W8325, at the Burtonwood Repair Depot, Lancashire, following conversion from a standard Boston Mark III. The aircraft served with No. 418 Squadron RCAF until 11 April 1943 when it failed to return from a night intruder mission over Melun-Villaroche, France.

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs

Boston Mark III (Intruder), W8317 TH-S, of No. 418 Squadron RCAF, parked at Ford, Sussex at nightfall. Canvas covers are protecting the glazed nose and the front of the engine cowlings

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs

In September 1942 No 418 Squadron, RCAF, was operating Boston IIIs on night intruder sorties from Bradwell Bay. Its usual targets were Luftwaffe airfields, the French railway system and occasionally factory buildings. The aircraft in the photograph carry ventral fuselage gun packs housing four 20mm cannon.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

 

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9 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Roger: I'm watching this build closely, because I will likely build the A-20B/C kit in the future!  From the photos you enclosed, the parts look good on the sprue, especially the clear parts.  Alex

 

9 hours ago, alt-92 said:

Keeping an eye on this as well, with an ex-MLD DB-7C and a Turbinlite Havoc in the stash somewhere :)

 

Thanks for looking gents! I will be sure to document any foibles or oddities...

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6 hours ago, dogsbody said:

From the IWM:

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs

Boston Mark III (Intruder), W8325, at the Burtonwood Repair Depot, Lancashire, following conversion from a standard Boston Mark III. The aircraft served with No. 418 Squadron RCAF until 11 April 1943 when it failed to return from a night intruder mission over Melun-Villaroche, France.

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs

Boston Mark III (Intruder), W8317 TH-S, of No. 418 Squadron RCAF, parked at Ford, Sussex at nightfall. Canvas covers are protecting the glazed nose and the front of the engine cowlings

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs

In September 1942 No 418 Squadron, RCAF, was operating Boston IIIs on night intruder sorties from Bradwell Bay. Its usual targets were Luftwaffe airfields, the French railway system and occasionally factory buildings. The aircraft in the photograph carry ventral fuselage gun packs housing four 20mm cannon.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

 

Thanks very much Chris! I'm informed that the OG/DG over Night was an experimental scheme, so I shall go with it. The ventral gun pack was apparently also phased out by 418, so I shall omit it,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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Hi All,

 

A little progress on the Boston. I've spent the last couple of days priming and spraying Interior Green, but I've started putting the cockpit together today. A quick check online showed me that the pilot's seat is correctly called out as black by SH:

 

061004-F-1234-P-008.jpg

 

Here's my rendering:

 

20210829-151523.jpg

 

20210829-151530.jpg

 

You can see that I've added a harness using painted Tamiya tape. I also added some throttle levers using stretched sprue:

 

20210829-154033.jpg

 

This is typical SH - 'carefully clean parts A20 and A21', but showing parts A19 & 20. A quick check of the sprue diagram confirms that the former is correct. :poo:

 

20210829-132219.jpg

 

I also had a rummage around for some replacement roundels, which as @Wm Blecky kindly pointed out are far too bright. Here's the originals along with the replacements:

 

20210829-105220.jpg

 

Appropriately enough sourced from an Extradecal 'Yanks with Roundels' set (incorrectly purchased in 1:72 after one too many wines - I knew it would come in handy one day!🤣 )

 

That's the lot for today - thanks for looking,

 

Roger

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Interior looking good Roger, glad youblocated some replacement decals,  those drunk purchases do come in handy sometimes,  I must tell SWMBO!!!

These love to tail sit and despite lots of weight just behind the cockpit tub it still sat back.  I ended up drilling the front wheel and adding a bit of rod and added it to a base with the rod acting as a retaining pin to keep it on its wheels. 

Chris

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3 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Interior looking good Roger, glad youblocated some replacement decals,  those drunk purchases do come in handy sometimes,  I must tell SWMBO!!!

These love to tail sit and despite lots of weight just behind the cockpit tub it still sat back.  I ended up drilling the front wheel and adding a bit of rod and added it to a base with the rod acting as a retaining pin to keep it on its wheels. 

Chris

Good tip Chris - I may well do the same. The decals rank pretty low on the Drunk Internet Shopping Index - could've been a 1:32 Lancaster (oops - not really!)

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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40 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

I have learnt the hard way about drunk purchasing,  it hurts twice, once getting over the hangover and then the explanation to SWMBO whilst she is stood in her pinnie menacingly holding a rolling pin !!!

Chris

I feel your pain 🤣

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Roger, what's your opinion on the propellers in the kit?  I pulled mine off the shelf and was going through it and I took a look at the props, thought that perhaps they could be replaced.  I was not able to find any info on the web, but comparing pics of the real thing to other aircraft, I thought that perhaps the Quickboost B-25 props would be a good substitute.  Any thoughts on that?

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19 hours ago, Wm Blecky said:

Roger, what's your opinion on the propellers in the kit?  I pulled mine off the shelf and was going through it and I took a look at the props, thought that perhaps they could be replaced.  I was not able to find any info on the web, but comparing pics of the real thing to other aircraft, I thought that perhaps the Quickboost B-25 props would be a good substitute.  Any thoughts on that?

Hi Wm - you could well be right, although I'll probably stick with the kit parts

19 hours ago, Giorgio N said:

While you're test-fitting, check the wing root! On my build of the A-20G I found that making the wing thicker by adding some plasticard at the leading edge helped a lot...

Thanks Giorgio - I'll be sure to check this! Much appreciated...

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16 hours ago, dogsbody said:

A little something from @Carl V ( author Carl Vincent 😞

 

“Possibly this might be a slight addition to the detail  available on this aircraft.” 

 

51410722278_95827eab17_b.jpg

 

 

 

 

Chris

Thanks Chris - that does look lighter than Ocean Grey, but difficult to be sure!

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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Hi All,

 

Some good progress on the Boston today! I decided to open up the rear canopy, so took to it with a razor saw:

 

20210904-113628.jpg

 

The rear section slides under the forward section on the real aircraft, so I'll see if it's practical to replicate that arrangement (otherwise I shall probably just omit it and keep quiet - who'll ever know?:lalala:) Next I made up a life raft from some tissue soaked in PVA, and a couple of lashing straps made from Tamiya tape. Here's before painting:

 

20210904-115137.jpg

 

And after:

 

20210904-123658.jpg

 

I brush painted the straps in olive drab, for want of any better information. I also masked and sprayed the interior of the distinctive top glazing:

 

20210904-123359.jpg

 

Here's a 20g lead weight added to try and avoid tail sitting, bonded into place with lashings of PVA:

 

20210904-132137.jpg

 

I'm reliably informed that the bomb sights were omitted from 418's aircraft - the front cockpit also needs some surgery to make it correct. Here's before:

 

20210904-140139.jpg

 

And after surgery:

 

20210904-151708.jpg

 

It's a bit shiny as the oil wash is still wet. This cutout allowed the bomb aimer to see through the ventral glazing panel (which was also his means of access to the compartment) - all bombs were dropped from low level by eye!

 

Here's the engines and exhausts following an oil wash - they went together without any drama:

 

20210904-151647.jpg

 

Here's a final shot showing the fuselage prior to closing up. The good news is that a quick dry fit shows no significant gaps - even better the front glazing seems to fit perfectly 🤩:

 

20210904-154909.jpg

 

That's all for now,

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Roger

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This is progressing very well Roger and looks great.   Fingers crossed the weight is enough to prevent tail sitting.   I like your raft too that will really enhance the already lovely cockpit area you've created. 

Great work fella. 

Chris

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11 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

This is progressing very well Roger and looks great.   Fingers crossed the weight is enough to prevent tail sitting.   I like your raft too that will really enhance the already lovely cockpit area you've created. 

Great work fella. 

Chris

Thanks Chris,

 

The airframe has actually gone together without an issue, and the glazing fits perfectly - it's a miracle! I've seen others add the raft and it will surely add a bit of interest,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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On 8/28/2021 at 4:52 PM, alt-92 said:

Keeping an eye on this as well, with an ex-MLD DB-7C and a Turbinlite Havoc in the stash somewhere :)

 

You're obviously a refined gentleman with impeccable taste. ;)

 

Pulling up a chair!, I have some of these in the stash as well. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

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