LetLetLet ~ Warplanes
Let Let Let - Warplanes => Aircraft Modeling => Topic started by: Second Air Force on December 19, 2013, 06:45:13 PM
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I have some free time coming up during the Christmas week, so I decided it was a good time to finally start this kit. I've had two A-20s in storage for many years, one of the earmarked for this project. This will be another of my Tunisian/North African collection, being an A-20B of the 47th Bomb Group. My father often mentioned the Boston bombers that flew over his positions in North Africa. Both RAF and USAAF versions to him were simply Bostons. When we talked about the identity of the various airplanes it was always interesting that he never used the American number designation if there was a British name for the same airplane. He could run off the string of names such as Spitfire, Hurricane, Boston, Baltimore etc. but never even mentioned the U.S. letters except for the P-38. The method of naming airplanes was simply easier to the average ground-pounder, I reckon! :-ok
Here's the beginnings of this old AMT kit:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20001001_zpse89d152f.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20001001_zpse89d152f.jpg.html)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20001002_zps8ca958f4.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20001002_zps8ca958f4.jpg.html)
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I like Havoc much when I was younger, great machine!!
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It is interesting to know the A-20 prototype was originally fitted with a twin fin.
It is even more interesting it is the only bomber/attack plane receiving a fighter designation (as P-70)
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looking forward to see the " making of "
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:-ok
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:-ok :-ok :-ok
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Thanks, friends!
Nico, I have (somewhere) another photo of the twin-finned machine in French colors. I hadn't seen the one you posted before!
I've had a fair amount of free time to move forward on this project. The kit is really quite nice and easy to work with. The interior sections are pretty nicely detailed for a model of this vintage. To really go with open hatches, though, some scratchbuilding would be necessary. I've decided to go out-of-box with this one and only added seatbelts:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20002003_zps34c24230.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20002003_zps34c24230.jpg.html)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20002005_zps6441a675.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20002005_zps6441a675.jpg.html)
Here are the main sections assembled:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20002006_zpsfa6d81c9.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20002006_zpsfa6d81c9.jpg.html)
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I like cockpit mate, well done :-ok
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All from the box, only paint and seatbelts added!
I must say, though, that there are areas of these kits that need some attention for a top-class model. First off, there is no rib and stringer detail in any part of the fuselage. This should be scratchbuilt for accuracy. Also the bomb bay doors can be opened, but there is no interior whatsoever to show off. This would require forward and aft bulkheads and the entire ceiling of the bomb bay to be built. I've decided to simply keep the doors shut on this one. The main landing gear bays are also quite bare, even though the landing gear struts and supports are nicely done. All in all it begs for superdetailing! As it is I will be quite satisfied with the box-stock version for this first one. I have an A-20G still in the box and will probably build it with more detail at a later time. ;)
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EXcellent! :-ok
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One item of note on this AMT/Ertl kit is the main landing gear must be assembled before glueing the nacelles to the lower wing. If you don't do so, the gear assembly won't fit through the opening:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20003001_zpse6fbbf31.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20003001_zpse6fbbf31.jpg.html)
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Primer day:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20004001_zpsb6c2c6b8.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20004001_zpsb6c2c6b8.jpg.html)
And wings to fuselage, too:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20004002_zpsb0339251.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20004002_zpsb0339251.jpg.html)
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It's a very nice aircraft!
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Beauty coming :-ok
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First a little pre-shading and then the application of neutral grey:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20belly001_zps5647dddd.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20belly001_zps5647dddd.jpg.html)
The plexiglass is all masked and installed, too, so the top color can go on soon.
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:-ok
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I had hoped to finish this A-20 before 2014 began but it will be a few hours short of completion. The markings and O.D. are applied and I've gotten a start on the final painting steps:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/TaifunAssembly002_zps72c46895.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/TaifunAssembly002_zps72c46895.jpg.html)
Happy New Year, friends! :-ok
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Happy New Year and wish all nice models :))
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Here is the finished A-20B. I almost completed it before the first day of 2014, but not quite. :-think
The airplane depicts 41-3011, assigned to the 84th Squadron of the 47th Bomb Group. These were the first American Bostons in North Africa and almost certainly were among those that my father remembered flying over his various positions as his unit moved across the countryside.
My inspiration was a series of photos from LIFE magazine--here is one of them, with "my" airplane nearest:
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/A-20soverTunisia1943_zps60333385.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/A-20soverTunisia1943_zps60333385.jpg.html)
Notice that the splotches of tan/sand were applied very sloppily (maybe with a broom?) in the field over the O.D. The yellow circle under the cockpit is the background of the 84th Squadron emblem that hadn't yet been finished on 41-3011 when the photos were taken. Also note that the upper transparencies in the bombardier compartment were painted over to lessen the effects of the desert sun. When I painted the model I followed much the same methods, spraying the O.D. and neutral grey and then hand-brushing the tan.
I enjoyed the building of this AMT kit. Now that I've done one out-of-the-box a more detailed model in the future would seem to be a lot of fun!
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/HavocFinished001_zps3e8c6e3f.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/HavocFinished001_zps3e8c6e3f.jpg.html)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/HavocFinished002_zpsed1388aa.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/HavocFinished002_zpsed1388aa.jpg.html)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/HavocFinished006_zpsae514c8b.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/HavocFinished006_zpsae514c8b.jpg.html)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/HavocFinished007_zps0a37830a.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/HavocFinished007_zps0a37830a.jpg.html)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/HavocFinished011_zpsbd5d1a44.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/HavocFinished011_zpsbd5d1a44.jpg.html)
(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w117/2AF/HavocFinished005_zps5a101d83.jpg) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/2AF/media/HavocFinished005_zps5a101d83.jpg.html)
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Wonderful my friend :-ok
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I surely enjoyed "slopping" on the tan with my large brush. I even had to practice to get the right pattern of brushmarks on the splotches! These field applications of camo are interesting to me. On this one you can see that the man painting the tan stood on the horizontal stabilizer and reached to the top of the vertical fin to add the new paint with some long handled brush. That's why I figure they used a mop or soft broom to apply the stuff!
I'm going to (someday) build a D-Day striped airplane with the extremely sloppily applied stripes just to make IPMS judges angry!!!! :-jump :-smey
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Years ago I have seen a move at an IPMS event showing how the invasion stripes were applied on Hawker Typhoons for D-Day. They were hand painted with a broad brush and a bucket of paint and it was all done in a great hurry. It was a great difference of those neatly applied stripes on plastic models and I can still hear the laughter!!
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Yes, we had a great thread years ago on WIX about the invasion stripes! Gary Austin and I threatened to get some water-based paint and a mop and painting the very sloppy stripes on a CAF C-47 that was close at hand! ;) No one was amused......
I think I'll go through my kits to see if I have something I can hand-paint some stripes onto!!!! :-wch
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Great! :-ok
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WOW
VERY GOOD!!!
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Thanks, friends!
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Nice job on the A-20!
The invasion stripes on the C-47 in the Air Force museum were done with rough edges. They're not nearly as sloppy as many of the ones done in the field but it's nice to see.
(http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy360/WIXerGreg/NMUSAF%20Photo%20Tour/268.jpg) (http://s807.photobucket.com/user/WIXerGreg/media/NMUSAF%20Photo%20Tour/268.jpg.html)
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That is heartwarming!!!!! Good to see this!
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Precious !!! :-razz :-ok :-clap :-clap :-clap