Martin B-10B

31st Bombardment Squadron
Hamilton Field (Near San Francisco), California, 1935

The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934. It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to that of the Army's pursuit aircraft of the time. At the time of its creation, the B-10B was so advanced that General Henry H. Arnold described it as the airpower wonder of its day. It was half again as fast as any biplane bomber, and faster than any contemporary fighter. The B-10 began a revolution in bomber design and it made all existing bombers completely obsolete. Rapid advances in bomber design in the late 1930s meant that the B-10 was eclipsed by the time the United States entered World War II. Aircraft in combat in China and South East Asia suffered the same disadvantages as other early war medium bombers, i.e. not enough armor and guns, while it couldn't outrun the latest fighters.

I am not sure where I acquired this kit and I wish I could send it back. The plastic was full of flash, parts were ill fitting with no pegs for alignment and the instructions were barely usable. The clear parts had faint cockpit lines which required heavy magnification to tape. Even so the cockpit did not fit and I cracked the larger observer cockpit pressing it down on the model to dry. Everyone knows how difficult it is to paint yellow and this was no exception - that's 3 coats of paint on the wings. Overall I am happy with the result but I also built it in just over a week under a deadline for my modeling club theme contest. That may have contributed to the stress of the build.