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PK-407 1/72 Martin B-26 Marauder


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Hi all!

 

Well, I finally managed to make it into the Matchbox GB after a Christmas filled with Covid cheer and a good week or so of catching up with all the things that can't be done whilst in isolation for three weeks. It's not been a lot of fun. I've been blown away by the scale of this GB and the amazing start it has gotten off to, so I will try and catch up with all the many build threads. That could take until June to do in itself! Time though, to throw my first contribution into the ring.

 

Matchbox's PK-407 1/72 Martin B-26 Marauder holds a special place for the early teenage me. It started a 20 association with Martin's "Baltimore Whore" and the opportunity to meet many 9th Air Force B-26 veterans back in the early 90s. A school friend of mine, another keen modeller, used to volunteer with his Dad at the Rebel Air Museum at Andrewsfield in Essex. A small museum dedicated to the B-26 Marauder and the 9th Air Force in Essex during WW2. This would have been around 1984. They had both previously helped out at the Historic Aircraft Museum at Southend, but moved to the Rebels when the former shut it doors in 1983. I got asked one day if I would like to visit the museum with them, and so spent a great day at Andrewsfield looking at the exhibits and many photos and talking at great length with Stan Brett, the museum's founder. I hadn't really ever heard about the 9th Air Force or the Marauder before. Only the 8th and it's B-17s and B-24s. so I found it to be a really interesting lesson on the history that sat unawares on my own doorstep. Incidentally, the museums prize exhibit was the largest surviving piece of B-26 Marauder left in the UK. A chunk of the tail including the rear gun position. It originally came from a 323rd Bomb Group aircraft based at nearby Earls Colne, where the museum ended up moving to a few years later.

 

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I decided that I would like to join as a volunteer and on the way out, perused the small museum shop. The first thing that caught my eye was a small selection of Matchbox kits, and I just about to part with my money for the B-25 Mitchell, when Stan stopped me. "I reckon being that you are standing in a museum just to the side of what used to be the main runway of a former Marauder base, you really should buy this instead". And on saying this, he put the Mitchell to one side of the counter and put the Matchbox Marauder in it's place in front of me. I must admit, it made me feel like a bit of a pariah for choosing the Mitchell initially, so I readily bought the Marauder and began an association with the B-26 and her crews that lasted 20 years.

 

Come to think of it, the B-26 Marauder was the first Matchbox "Red Range" kit I bought. I was usually restricted to Purple or Orange range kits, but this was one of those rare occasions that I had a little extra cash to spare. I couldn't wait to get cracking on this new Matchbox kit and as soon as I got home, I made a start. I remember being rather impressed with the B-26 and decided to finish the model as "Bar Fly" of the 386th Bomb Group at Great Dunmow in Essex. I wanted to do the colourful "Big Hairy Bird" scheme of the Rivenhall based 397th Bomb Group, but I hated brush painting silver back then. Airbrush? What was one of those? Incidentally, a few years later, I helped the museum recover a blast door from the Norden bomb sight store at Rivenhall. We recovered it as it was still adorned with the original painted record of the group's missions that made a great exhibit! I remember being quite happy with my finished Marauder. It survived a few years and even took part in my English CSE oral exam as I decided to talk about my modelling and museum volunteer hobby. To be honest, I couldn't think of much else to talk about anyway, and it did earn me an A, so all's well that ends well.

 

So! Thanks to this superb GB, I get to revisit the Matchbox Martin B-26 Marauder after 38 years. What are my initial thoughts after all these years. Well, there's the lovely Roy Huxley artwork for starters...

 

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What a beauty! The 397th's "Big Hairy Bird" shown attacking targets behind the Normandy beachhead on D-Day. Probably a bridge as these were the speciality target of the 397th who became known as the "Bridge Busters". For me, this is the classic Matchbox box design for me. The full artwork, the striking Matchbox logo of the late 70s, the window of delights on the back along with the colour illustrations of all three versions, and all the other product information on the sides of the boxes along with images of other kits in the range to tempt. What's not to like?

 

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The all important Matchbox instructions and decals. All standard fare here, except my original instruction sheet was plain white. This time around, I have this funky orange version which must place it firmly in the 1970s. An original 1976 release perhaps? Either way, I am transported back to the time of Draylon with lashings of brown and orange. The decal design looks fantastic and colourful, but I think this example maybe past it's prime. In short, I think it's knackered. I have a spare Airfix sheet that may come to the rescue.

 

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We'll start with this olive drab sprue that contains the fuselage halves as this was always the first sprue to receive a good fondling from me after any purchase. Exactly as I remember it. Even the plastic colour is the same as my original purchase. It's not bad at all. Nice and crisp and the scribed detail is not too heavy at all. There's some raised panel lines thrown in for good measure too. Overall though, it's all quite clean looking which is good as the B-26 was a clean aeroplane construction wise.

 

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Next up, the light grey sprue containing the wing undersides, engine cowlings, intakes and nacelles. Again, all crisply done and looking ok. I remember there being some fiddley fillets between the nacelles and wings and the cowling intakes were a bit of a pain to fit too. We'll see how all that goes second time around. Not oodles of detail, but hey! It's a Matchbox kit!

 

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The final black sprue contains the under trollies, engines and cockpit area and general assorted carpet monster fodder. Again, not bad at all. Decent enough renditions of the R-2800s (well, at least there's two banks of pistons), all of the important bits in the cockpit and some rudimentary nose wheel well detail. We also get three generic Matchbox pilots wearing stuff that resembles Louis Bleriot's aviator clobber circa 1909. Random. The props are ok too. 

 

Ok, it's not as detailed as the rather nice Airfix offering from the same period, but it does knock the old Revell rivet monster out of the park. It's a good, solid rendition of a B-26 Marauder and I'm looking forward to building it again.

 

I'm also looking forward to giving some more love to this aircraft. It's didn't get a lot in it's day, and kit wise, we don't really see a lot built here generally. I came to love the B-26 during my time with the Rebel Air Museum, but not as much as the crews I met that flew combat missions on the aircraft. They were fiercely loyal to the B-26 Marauder. They loved it, defended it's honour and were proud of their combat record and the low loss rate the B-26 had at the war's end. They even called themselves the "Marauder Men". 

 

Right. I have waffled on far too much. Time to build this beast!

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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So good to see you out of quarantine and back doing the things you enjoy Steve. Having just read your brilliant introduction I have even more admiration for Martin's B-26 and the crews that flew them. It's always nice to build something that you have a close association with so this will certainly be a special thread to keep an eye on (...and there's over 140 so far - don't worry, I'll get to all of theml!). I've never had Matchbox's Marauder, however had and still want another Airfix kit, whilst not long picking up Monogram's B-26A (or early b version) as well. Those parts and decal options do look rather lovely and I must remind myself to go back and read Osprey's Marauder Units of the 8th and 9th Air Forces, my first of many book purchases of this excellent series. 

 

Cheers, welcome aboard and best of luck.. Dave  

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Don't write off the Matchbox decals too soon,  they're remarkably resilient. I used an original Matchbox set on the Airfix Marauder a few years ago and they worked perfectly. 

John 

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This Matchbox kit has been a bit shy of the limelight, perhaps overshadowed by the Airfix kit.  I shall be interested to see how it turns out compared with the Airfix one, which in its time set new standards for Airfix interior detail and even today scrubs up tolerably well for those unwilling to mortgage the house for a Hasegawa one.

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Forgot to say: lovely transfers from Matchbox.  Full marks to them for providing invasion stripes for the USAAF variant to assist the hard of masking.  Plus a South African aircraft with nose art.  You can see how Matchbox were such an earthquake when they burst onto the construction kit scene: subjects that people wanted (Panzer III, Sherman Firefly), interesting transfers, reasobaly priced and exciting packaging.

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Thanks everyone! Hoping to get started on the kit this evening. I do think the decals could be saved, and I'm feeling very tempted by the box art version, but part of me also wants to do a 322nd Bomb Group aircraft. They were based at Andrewsfield where I bought my original kit. For that choice, I do have some spare Flak Bait and Mild and Bitter decals from some Airfix kits and both of these options flew with the 322nd. However, I do have a second Matchbox B-26 that I could try and fit into the GB, so I could build both versions!

 

Regarding the Airfix B-26. I have no idea why, but I have never built and finished that kit. I even have a couple in the stash and also bought one back in the 80s, but somehow, I have never finished one.  I must put that right. I'd love a Hasegawa B-26, but the prices of those scare me. Apart from that, a 1/48 Monogram version languishes in the stash with a Eduard Big Ed set. Brainwave! Maybe I should enter that into the Classic Revell-o-gram GB?

 

Steve

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Pat;

 

Not yet I'm afraid. We've spent the last month decorating most of the house here and I haven't even sat at my workbench in all that time. Still got a way to go, but we're planning on taking a break next week, so I'll be making a start on the B-26 then. I think it's just the time of year. There's been so much happening and so many things needing dealt with. Glad this GB runs until June though as I want to crack through my list and get as many Matchbox goodies built as possible.

 

Cheers!

Steve

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I finally made it back to the workbench. Due to a massive amount of decorating to do here (still ongoing) I totally missed the beginning of the GB which I've found really frustrating, and there are so many fantastic builds here to see that I don't know how I'm going to catch up with the WIPs alone!

 

Having decided to take a break from the filler, roller and emulsion paint for the whole of this week, I decided it was high time to get cracking on the B-26. First off, I decided to have a look at the engine cowlings and get the upper intakes fitted and sanded. Also, the small intake at the bottom is completely wrong and the inner lip of the cowling should more or less be a continuous circle. I'm not sure what that little step is above the intake, but it shouldn't be there. A tough one to correct, so I'm not sure what I'll do about this just yet. (Sorry for the blurred photos. My phone wasn't playing ball today!)

 

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With the top intakes fitted and filled, I tried to sand the front of the intakes to a more accurate shape. The one on the left is untouched and looks more boxy than it should do. The other thing that bugged me was (apart from the complete lack of any panel lines on the cowlings) the total omission of the cowl flaps. Again, my original intention was to build this kit oob, but I think that has just gone out of the window. The right hand cowling shows the plastic I have cut away ready to fit some scratchbuilt cowl flaps as soon as I get them made up. I should really try to scribe some panel lines too. 

 

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Moving onto the fuselage halves, I decided I didn't like the heavily engraved lines that are supposed to represent the armour plating under the cockpit. These plates should actually sit proud, so out came the plastic card to fit the four sections of armour plate. I've also started to do a little work inside the cockpit, although how far I go remains undecided. I can't imagine much will be seen once the canopy is on. Just to start with, I've added the floor hatch and seat runners. Next thing I'll tackle will be the centre console as it currently has broom handles for throttle levers. An instrument panel will be needed too.

 

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Finally for today, I decided to cut out the rear gun hatches as these were often seen open on the ground. With the total lack of bomb bay detail, or come to that, any internal detail apart from the cockpit, this kit needs a bit of extra interest added.

 

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Not much, but it's a start. After not being able to get to the workbench since Christmas, It's great to be back in the saddle again.

 

Also, a bit shout out to all the fantastic work that's going on here. I'd love to be able to comment on all the threads here, but I'm so far behind, I need to do some actual modelling. However, a big thumbs up to everyone here in this fantastic GB. Keep up the great work!

 

Cheers;

Steve

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So good to see you crack on with this B-26 kit Steve, which also reminds me, we haven’t been able to unearth Matchbox’s B-25 so far! We’ve all got family and life distractions mate, so don't worry about any lack of progress. We’ve still got a number of months to go and I dare say some of us will need a few extensions to get their kits finally built. A nice update and some welcome enhancement tips already provided - thanks for that. 

Cheers.. Dave 

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@bigbadbadge @Rabbit Leader Thank you gents! Your interest and support is much appreciated. Keeping up with everything happening on the GB is a massive task, so thanks for taking the time to add your encouragement to my humble build.

 

Small update! I originally intended that this Marauder build would be an out of the box effort so as to free up my time for other builds in this GB. I think that may have just gone out of the window. The more I do to this kit, the more I want to add to it. I know it's Matchbox, and that generally means basic or no details, but I can't help but think that this B-26 is crying out for some extra help to really make it shine. So, having made the rod for my back, here's a small update on what's been happening.

 

Those cowlings! They're not the strongest point of this kit. For one, the front doesn't look right at all, and the total lack of panel details makes them look far too sparse. I also re-profiled those top intakes a bit more and they are finally looking better compared to the cowling I haven't tackled yet. So! Time to try and put that right with my extremely ropey scribing skills;

 

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As mentioned above, I really wasn't happy with the look of the cowling from the front. The lower intake is all wrong, and the lip of the cowling is too thick and too square all the way around. I've had a go at fixing this, and although not 100% perfect, I think it looks way better now compared to the one on the left.

 

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Here's where I went off on a total tangent. The insides of the nose gear U/C doors are totally devoid of any detail. OCD me decided that won't do. I don't know why I started looking at the undertrollies at this stage of the build, but that particular cat is out of the bag now. Ho hum! Time for a little plastic rod....

 

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Ah! That's better. It's funny, but it looks a lot clunkier in the photo than it does in real life. It's certainly not photo etch, but better than nothing. It's doesn't look too bad in situ either...

 

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That's it for the moment! Hopefully the next instalment will be a bit more exciting!

 

Cheers;

Steve 

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Great progress and really nice enhancements there Steve. It’s not hard to fall for the trap and stray off the initial OOB build theory, we’ve all done it and still continue to do it. What you have worked on so far really does look the part and will certainly lift this Matchbox kit to higher places. 

Cheers.. Dave 

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Hi all you busy Matchbox beavers!

 

Another quick update on the Marauder build that is quickly becoming anything other than quick! The more I look at this kit, the more I want to add to it, so this one may be a long slog. One thing is for certain, there's been a lot of measuring, cutting and hacking and my workbench is now a right shambles of bits of hacked up Marauder and sanding dust. My only concern is that this poor Matchbox kit is going to end up looking like Father Ted's raffle car by the time I've finished with it:

 

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So what has been happening? Apart from starting work on the main wheel wells (to follow), I got distracted by the fuselage, and decided that it all looks a bit boring. Something like this...

 

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There's really not a lot going on here is there? A large expanse of green plasticky 1970s nothingness. What's needed here is some interest, and my eye was caught by a box containing scrap parts from an Airfix B-26. Hmmm? That kit has some rather nice bomb bay detail. Wonder if it would fit into a Matchbox B-26? First off, would shoe horning a great big chunk of Airfix kit into a Matchbox kit contravene the GB rules? A quick shout out to @JOCKNEY confirmed that enough "Matchboxyness" would be retained to make this ok. So! With the thumbs up given, I decided to whip the razor saw out and attack the plastic. Would this scheme work? Well, yes! I think it did!

 

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Apart from a few more minor tweaks, it all fits remarkably well. I only used the front bomb bay of the Airfix kit as the rear bomb bay was rarely used operationally, usually used instead to house additional fuel. However, the two missing windows in the rear doors will need to be added. I will also be making side walls to add missing detail to the bomb bay and to hide the wing attachment points on the kit. So far, so good! I know this thread is a real plod fest, but I hope the end result will be worth it. Back soon with another update!

 

Cheers!

Steve

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2 minutes ago, stevej60 said:

Great work so far Steve,really taking the kit up a few notches.

 

Thanks Steve! Hope to take it up a few more notches yet, but the big problem is knowing where to stop! Still, I've got until June I suppose.

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Just checking back here and that bomb bay really adds plenty of interest, great job mate. In similar vein to this, I took a spare Airfix Canberra bomb bay and wedged it inside the old Frog Canberra kit and boy, what a big difference that made. This B-26 is looking great Steve and I’m sure it’ll look wonderful once finished. 
Cheers.. Dave. 

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