Marauder Mayhem!
& the Return of the Flaming Fatso!
- Subject:
Martin B-26B-45-MA Marauder
US Army Air Forces (1941-1947)
391 BG, 572 BS P2-D | 42-95812 Rationed Passion
1944 - Matching, Essex
Olive drab, Neutral greyMartin B-26F-1MA Marauder
US Army Air Forces (1941-1947)
586 BS, 394 BG 42-96255 Miss Manookie H9*P (Thomas C. Howard)
Augusti 1944 - Holmsley South
NMF- Skala:
- 1:72
- Status:
- Idéer
I have not had a B-26 of any variety built & on my shelf since I was in middle school. That was the fun old Snap-Tite Monogram B-26. I was just starting to experiment with scratch-building interiors & I decided to do this with my kit. The trouble is that there was no internet back then & I had positively ZERO reference material so it was entirely fictitious. Once I reached high school, the kits I used to develop some real modeling skill earlier, wound up being personal embarrassments & as a result they had a limited "shelf life."
THIS project was a surprise choice for me. During my youth, my experience with Airfix was a mixed bag. There were some kits that I positively loved, like their big British bombers. However, there were others that I hated. Well, most especially their Vickers Wellington. That's a story unto itself though.
After Valom & Hasegawa released their own model kits of the B-26 I figured I'd pick up an early version from Valom to replace the original Snap-Tite kit in my collection. (As I understand it, the Snap-Tite kit has the shorter wings characteristic of a B-26A or more likely an early B-26B. This is a very old memory so don't quote me on it.) Then I would pick up a couple of Hasegawa kits to represent the later B-26B/C & B-26F/G.
Well, that was the plan anyhow. When I returned to the hobby the Valom kits could still readily be found at some hobby shops but they were pricey. There were other limited run kits I thought I'd better snag quickly before I went back for those. By the time I looked back the Valom kits were nowhere to be found & Hasegawa had even stopped producing either B-26. The only place either could be found at were on eBay with many of the prices being the epitome of the term obscene.
I really wanted to build an adulthood Marauder though. One day, out of sheer boredom, I took a look at the 1973 vintage molded Airfix kit instructions. My reaction could be summarized in a single word, "astonishment." Dating back to the year when my late mother finished junior high school & still during the course of the Vietnam War, it had a level of detail in it's interior & wheel wells that were way ahead of their time. I cannot even imagine what builders of the time must have thought of this kit.
Thus I set about picking up this interesting antique, my example having been popped from it's molds when I was in preschool & even managed to find some aftermarkets specifically intended for this remarkable model kit. I'm looking forward to this project, even if it will mean a little more work than a shake-and-bake Hasegawa kit. I still hope to add a Valom Marauder early type & a Hasegawa late type to sit on either side of her.
Projekt inventering
Fullständiga kit
Detalj och omvandlingssatser
![1:72 Martin B-26 A-B, P-61 A-B Wheel Set & P-61 Mud Guard (True Details 72026) 72026](/products/img/8/5/4/958854-16253-55-t180.jpg)
Dekaler
![1:72 B-26 Marauder (Kits-World KW172075) KW172075](/products/img/9/9/8/174998-10644-t180.jpg)
Masker
Del av min Samling
Kommentarer
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While I have a tentative decal scheme I'm aiming for, with one reserved over at Super-Hobby/Moje-Hobby, but in all reality I would REALLY prefer to build a well decorated example of Flak-Bait as depicted on the project header. Much to my surprise however it does not appear that any company has produced aftermarket decals to build 'Flak-Bait' in 1/72 scale!
Currently, I have an message in with Warbird Decals since they did Flak-Bait back in 2020, in 1/48 scale, so maybe they'd be willing to produce a set in 1/72. If that doesn't pan out maybe Ladislov over at LF Models/Kora Models would take up the job. Print Scale is another option, perhaps? Suggestions are welcome!