ICM B-26K Counter Invader – Early (48278) 1:48

[Mike]

B-26K Counter Invader – Early (48278)

1:48 ICM via Hannants Ltd.

 

 

The A-26 was built by Douglas during WWII as the successor to the A-20 Havoc.  Two types were designed, The C with a glass bomber nose and the B with a full metal nose filled with either 6 or 8 .50cal machine guns, which coupled with the three in each wing gave it quite a punch, deserving of the Strafer title.  It also had a pair of turrets on the fuselage mid-upper and dorsal positions, which were both operated by a single gunner using a complex remote mechanism that flipped between the upper and lower turrets depending on where the gunner was looking through his binocular sights.  This trained the guns accordingly and also calculated the correct offset for parallax and lead, but was very complex and caused some delays to it entering service, and even more issues with maintenance in the field. In 1948 it was re-designated as the B-26 by the US Air Force to confuse us, and later on back to the A-26 just to complete the process of befuddlement.  It was developed a little after the Marauder and despite using the same engines it was conceived totally separately from its more rotund colleague.  It was initially less than popular in the Pacific theatre where its poor cockpit view due to the canopy and engine proximity rendered it unloved by the first users.  It was more popular in the European theatre and was accepted as a replacement for the Havoc fairly quickly.  After WWII it served in Korea, early Vietnam engagements and other conflicts, ending its days in US service with the Air National Guard in the early 70s.  In the mid-1950s some Aircraft were converted to the Drone controller role with the DC prefix to launch Ryan Firebee drones in support of combat training.

 

In a late twist the B-26 would be brought back in the 60s for the Vietnam War because it could still hold its own in combat. The aircraft externally still looked very much like the WWII airframes, but the turrets were removed in favour of fixed forward firing guns and four hard points were fitted to each wing, allowing the carrying of 8,000lbs of ordnance.  The wings of these aircraft were rebuilt and strengthened, the rudder was enlarged, and permanent tip tanks (65 US Gal each) were added to the main wings.  Anti-icing was added to the airframe to cope with cold weather and higher altitudes, and a new anti-skid braking system was also added.  In the cockpit the dials and displays were updated and a secondary control yoke was added to allow piloting from either seat.  New 2,500hp engines were installed inside the existing nacelles, along with cuffed broad chord props to cope with the enhanced power delivery.  The USAF ordered 40 of the "new" aircraft which were known as Nimrods locally to their crews.  As well as combat operations in South east Asia some aircraft flew on secretly with the CIA in the Congo, wearing deceptive camouflage. The last aircraft were finally retired by 1969 when AC-130 gunships took over their night interdiction role.  Only 6 of the type survive, with "Special Kay" having been restored to Flight as a memorial to crews who fought the covert missions in South East Asia.

 

 

The Kit

This is a new variant from the recent tooling from ICM, and this is the third boxing of the Counter Invader, in its secret role.  While you get many parts from the original Invader boxings, this edition features a new fuselage and wing sprues, a new rudder, new engine nacelles, a pylon sprue, and weapons sprues ICM previously released as a stand-alone US Armament set.  It arrives in the familiar top opening box with dramatic artwork of an Invader swooping low over the jungle, and the usual captive inner lid on the lower tray.  Inside the box are a healthy fourteen sprues in grey styrene, one in clear, three decal sheets and the instruction booklet.  A quick look over the sprues reveals that panel lines are very crisp, narrow and restrained, the surface is matt and very neat-looking, with plenty of engraved and raised details on the parts, plus subtly indented flying surfaces simulating their fabric covering.  There are a number of red blocks printed over the sprue map, which shows how many of the parts will be left on the sprues once you have completed construction, such as original wings, props, cowlings and one of the canopies.  If you’re a bit ham-fisted and plan on building many Invaders, you could well find these come in useful down the line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the internal bomb load, which is then placed within the port fuselage half along with some detail panels and bulkheads.  The former gunner’s position and the cockpit are next, creating the pilot's seat, instrument panel (with instrument decals), centre console with throttle quadrant before adding those and the twin control columns to the floor.  The aft compartment is built up around the front wing spar with a set of radio gear hanging from a pair of risers and a pair of wing spars, so you'll have to do some detail painting as you go.  After this the starboard fuselage side is prepped, with the right side of the cockpit and bomb bay with its detailed ribbing.  With that and a quantity of detail painting you can then slide the starboard fuselage over the two spars, and it would be a good idea when fitting those spar parts to let the glue set up with the starboard fuselage taped in place to ensure they make the correct angle when they're set in place permanently.

 

The instructions then have you building up the tail feathers, with the elevators having separate single-part flying surfaces, plus a two-piece rudder to attach to the moulded-in tail fin.  The gun-nose comprising the fixed lower and rear section of the nose are built up out of three parts, making space for the 40g of nose weight you are encouraged to fit before you add the single cowling panel that covers the gun bay, with a pair of four-barrel gun-inserts added through the holes to depict the tips of the .50cals.  You'll need to drill out the muzzles yourself, or take the lazy way out and get a set of Master barrels for ultimate luxury and detail.  The nose section is a straight-forward butt joint to the fuselage, with a small half-moon cut-out that should help align it.

 

The new wings are next with a small radiator intake prism moulded-in to which you add a backing radiator panel, and the lower parts have holes and long depressions ready for the four pylons per wing.  You'll notice that there are fairings and a hump in the upper wing where the engine nacelles will be, and these are separate assemblies to be built up later.  Firstly, the separate two-section flaps, and the ailerons are prepared and added to the trailing edge of the wings, the latter being of one piece each and slotting into the wing via two tabs.  The tip tanks are made of two halves and are glued in place, and underwing landing lights are added from clear parts.  At this stage the instructions have you sliding the wings onto the spars and gluing them in place.  Whether you'd rather wait until you've added the engine nacelles though is entirely up to you.  It’s your model!

 

There are of course two engine nacelles and these build up pretty much identically apart from their outer skins, which are handed to fit their respective fairings as you'd expect.  They are split vertically, and each half has internal structure moulded-in, with bulkheads added fore and aft of the gear bays, coupled with bay lip inserts that bulk out the edges and also hold captive their bay door.  This may require some clever masking and a little care during handling, but it shouldn't hold you up too much, as the hinge-points are relatively robust.  The two halves are joined together, the prominent intake on the top of the nacelle is made up from two parts, then is added to the nacelle front which is in turn glued to the rest of the nacelle, with the completed assemblies attached to the wings from the underside, as yet without their engine cowlings, engines or props.  The engines are added later in the build, and the Twin Wasps are depicted in their entirety with both banks of pistons, push-rods, ancillaries and reduction housing at the front, plus the collector ring and exhausts at the rear, the latter made up from eight parts each.  Again, the engines are identical and interchangeable with each other, and they fit to the nacelles with a teardrop-shaped tab, after which the engine cowling is slotted over them.  The cooling flaps are last to be added in four sets around the rear of the cowling.

 

The top of the fuselage is still open at this point, as it has an insert with the faired over section where the top turret used to be, with another for the former dorsal turret fitted later on.  Each of the three tyres are made from two halves with separate hubs applied from either side, then hung on their respective legs, which have retraction jacks and scissor links added along the way.  Happily, these can be fitted late in the build, so the open bays can be masked quicker than if they were present.  Speaking of bays, you can depict the bomb bay open or closed by using either a one-piece door for closed, or two separate doors with internal detail for open.  This is nice to see, as it's always a little tricky to join two doors and get them aligned with the fuselage so there are minimal join-lines.

 

The main airframe is ostensibly complete save for some antennae and the new broad-blade props, and if you've been cautious with the glue when assembling the engines, the latter should still spin once complete.  The four pylons per wing are each made from two parts, and should have some 0.8mm holes drilled in their lower surface for later use, then you need to make a choice what to put on the pylons, with the help of a load-out diagram provided, or from your own references.  

 

US Aviation Armament (48406)

 

As well as the internal bomb load, there are four sprues containing various munitions, as follows:

 

2 x LAU-10A Pods of 5" Rockets

2 x LAU-69 Pods of 2.75" Rockets

2 x LAU-68 Pods of 2.75" Rockets

2 x BLU-23 500LB Fire bombs (Can be made with or without the fins)

2 x BLU-27 750LB Fire Bombs (Can be made with or without the fins)

2 x Mk.77 750LB Incendiary Bombs

2 x SUU-14 Dispensers

2 x Mk.81 Snakeye Bombs*

2 x MK.81 Low Drag Bombs*

2 x Mk.82 Snakeye Bombs*

2 x Mk.82 Low Drag Bombs*

 

 

 

*All of the above bombs can be fitted with Fuse extenders

 

Markings

There are four options available on the decal sheet, all of which wear the same green top colour, despite my scanner’s best efforts to convince you otherwise.  There are a number of markings variations that were applied to some of the options at some point in their tenure, the details of which are given in boxed-in scrap diagrams, and each option has additional aerial wires that you will need to make from your own supplies.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• B-16K 64-17644, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force
• B-26K 64-17645, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force
• B-16K 64-17646, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force
• B-16K 64-17649, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force

 

 

 

 

The decals are printed anonymously, although they look like DecoGraph's output to my eye.  They have good registration, colour density and sharpness, and include a number of stencils that are legible with the right optics. The decals for the armaments are of the same quality and sharpness.

 

At the rear of the instruction section is a page devoted to a series of mask templates that you could use to create your own DIY masks by laying kabuki tape over them and drawing/cutting them out.  It’s a useful option to have, but I prefer to cut mine in-situ, where you can cut them perfectly to size with a brand-new #11 blade.

 

 

Conclusion

This model is excellent for anyone wanting to an early Counter Invader in some unusual colours at the behest of the CIA.  Detail is excellent and the addition of the weapons is great news.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

 

Review sample courtesy of