Special Hobby/Revell/Italeri 1/72nd Douglas Invader Questions

[Wez]

I'm putting this in the Cold War section because frankly, let's admit it, the Douglas Invader saw more service during the Cold War period than it ever did during WWII.

 

I seem to recall the Special Hobby/Revell/Italeri kit has some faults but IIRC, these faults may or may not apply depending on which version of the kit you're making so can somebody give me the low-down on the kit's faults, I can then decide whether I want to do anything about them.

 

Ideally I'm looking to make a B-26B/C version (rather than the K but I might be persuaded otherwise), so I'm looking at both glass and solid nose versions.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[lasermonkey]

I’m following this, as I have the Italeri B and C which I’ll be using for Bentwaters based machines. It’s an aeroplane I know next to nothing about, but I’m eager to learn.

[RidgeRunner]

Hi Wez and Lasermonkey! Having two more in the store and one built I can say that in my non-expert experience it isn’t a bad kit. I could do with more detail added around the engines, such as exhausts - there aren’t any! I think the fin is a little too square too. Apart from that I can’t remember much more that was negative.

 

Martin

[Trenton guy]

Built the Italeri example in French Indo-China markings. Nice kit. Only real difficulty I can recall is setting the correct dihedral on the wings. The kit joint is very loose and so doesn’t give you much help. The Revell kit is the Italeri one reboxed. I believe Special Hobby once promised  a B/A-26 but it never came to pass.

[RidgeRunner]

5 hours ago, Trenton guy said:

Built the Italeri example in French Indo-China markings. Nice kit. Only real difficulty I can recall is setting the correct dihedral on the wings. The kit joint is very loose and so doesn’t give you much help. The Revell kit is the Italeri one reboxed. I believe Special Hobby once promised  a B/A-26 but it never came to pass.

I just built a simple jig with wood and screws . It was a length of 1” wood with round head screws at either end. It sat across the open bomb bay to give it a level position. I attached it with rubber bands. I then adjusted the screws based on 1/72 drawings.

[Wez]

9 hours ago, Trenton guy said:

I believe Special Hobby once promised  a B/A-26 but it never came to pass.

 

My understanding is that the kit was tooled by Special Hobby and then released by both Italeri and Revell.  Thanks for the tip on the dihedral.

 

4 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

I just built a simple jig with wood and screws . It was a length of 1” wood with round head screws at either end. It sat across the open bomb bay to give it a level position. I attached it with rubber bands. I then adjusted the screws based on 1/72 drawings.

 

Good tip, thanks Martin

[e8n2]

On 4/7/2022 at 11:25 AM, lasermonkey said:

I’m following this, as I have the Italeri B and C which I’ll be using for Bentwaters based machines. It’s an aeroplane I know next to nothing about, but I’m eager to learn.

Could you please provide more information on the Bentwaters machines?  I was stationed at Woodbridge for two years and Bentwaters was the main base, so anything Bentwaters or Woodbridge I am interested in making a model of.  Pictures of Bentwaters birds would be nice.

Thanks.

Dave

[RidgeRunner]

30 minutes ago, e8n2 said:

Could you please provide more information on the Bentwaters machines?  I was stationed at Woodbridge for two years and Bentwaters was the main base, so anything Bentwaters or Woodbridge I am interested in making a model of.  Pictures of Bentwaters birds would be nice.

Thanks.

Dave

Frank would be good for that too  @bentwaters81tfw

[lasermonkey]

5 hours ago, e8n2 said:

Could you please provide more information on the Bentwaters machines?  I was stationed at Woodbridge for two years and Bentwaters was the main base, so anything Bentwaters or Woodbridge I am interested in making a model of.  Pictures of Bentwaters birds would be nice.

Thanks.

Dave

I have only read a very small amount about these aircraft, both from the Action Stations No. 1 book and the Bentwaters Cold War Museum website. I think there was a profile in the Scale Aircraft Modelling issue that was about The USAF in the UK from 1948 onwards. Sadly, my SAMs are now packed away for an impending house move, coincidentally to the Woodbridge area.

[RAGATIGER]

On 4/7/2022 at 11:02 AM, Wez said:

I'm putting this in the Cold War section because frankly, let's admit it, the Douglas Invader saw more service during the Cold War period than it ever did during WWII.

 

I seem to recall the Special Hobby/Revell/Italeri kit has some faults but IIRC, these faults may or may not apply depending on which version of the kit you're making so can somebody give me the low-down on the kit's faults, I can then decide whether I want to do anything about them.

 

Ideally I'm looking to make a B-26B/C version (rather than the K but I might be persuaded otherwise), so I'm looking at both glass and solid nose versions.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi there

 

Let's start that I just got one Revell (only eight nose gun) and one Airfix (eight nose gun and clear nose) Douglas Invader kits just recently/ (if someone needs that decals be my guest as I'll be doing both as Salvatruchan AF post 100 hours Wars) So first of all you all going to need this book

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Foreign-Invaders-Douglas-Military-Clandestine/dp/1857800133

 

Then I understand that the Italeri Douglas A-26A/B Invader also include the eight nose gun and clear nose

 

Then the trouble is the elusive flat 6 nose gun that was mostly used after WWII and if someone around has one as spare please contact me

 

Regards

 

Armando

 

PD here for extra reading

 

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Dan-Hagedorn/dp/1911096508

 

[RidgeRunner]

The Italeri A-26B has the gun nose, and the A-26C has the clear nose. There is/was a 6-gun nose in resin (I have one). I will dig it out to check the maker. 

[e8n2]

17 hours ago, lasermonkey said:

I have only read a very small amount about these aircraft, both from the Action Stations No. 1 book and the Bentwaters Cold War Museum website. I think there was a profile in the Scale Aircraft Modelling issue that was about The USAF in the UK from 1948 onwards. Sadly, my SAMs are now packed away for an impending house move, coincidentally to the Woodbridge area.

I dug out my book, "Bentwaters & Woodbridge An Illustrated History of the USAF Twin Base Complex in East Anglia" by Graham Haynes.  The 7554th Target Tow Flight with TB-26C aircraft was stationed at RAF Bentwaters for nine months between March and December 1952 before moving onto RAF Sculthorpe.  There is one picture of them in the book with red and white stripes on the tail surfaces, similar to what the 86th Fighter Group had.  If you do a search on your favorite search engine you may be able to find some shots of their aircraft.

Later,

Dave

[Trenton guy]

I believe that one of the Italeri boxings had WWII markings and included a six gun nose.

[RidgeRunner]

3 hours ago, Trenton guy said:

I believe that one of the Italeri boxings had WWII markings and included a six gun nose.

You are right, and I didn’t realise. It is kit number 1274. 
 

Martin

[bentwaters81tfw]

I asked about more images when I was at the museum on Sunday. Graham is unaware of any other shots.

@e8n2

[e8n2]

Oh well, stuff happens.  Thanks for checking for me.

Later,

Dave