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Tanker 59 - 1/48 B-26C Invader Air Tanker

S

SpitfireGuy

New member
Ok so this is my first project thread on here and it is actually a project I am returning too and one that has had at least one identity change over its lifespan.

I have always had a love for the A/B-26 Invader especially its long, interesting and often clandestine career in the years after the Second World War. It is also one of the most beautiful twins ever built. however, the world has yet to come out with a truly nice and 100% accurate kit of this, IMHO, iconic aircraft. What we do have in y scale of choice is the venerable Monogram A-26C and A-26B kits. They are not bad but they do have some outline issues that are hard to correct and they are from the raised panel line era. Granted the raised panel detail is very nicely done and I am not one who has a theological aversion to raised panel detail. If the kit fits reasonably well and has raised detail I am just as happy as a clam....but as is the case with the Monogram A-26 the kit does not fit well and I have to sand and putty to the nth power I have issues with raised detail because there is no easy and convincing way to replace it (WOW inherent to that statement I suggest that scribing is easy and fast.... :unsure: ). Must Have released a new A-26 in 1/48 last year but it turned out to be a revamped Monogram kit of sorts and while it has recessed detail and some nice resin it falls down in a lot of other areas and cost nearly thrice the price of the Monogram kit......

So anyways the blurb above is my introductory piece to suggest why this project began and then stopped and then began again and then stopped and so on until we reach this year where I have declared that I will finish this kit to the standard I desire with no compromises (ok maybe a few little compromies...)

I intend to finish this kit as an Air Tanker with Lynch Air Tankers out of Missoula Montana. Obscure you might say,, well yes sorta but not really. These planes actually starred in the Speilberg film Always with Tanker 59 the subject of my build being the out and out star of the movie.

23_3.jpg


500px-Always033douglastb26cinyx4.jpg


500px-Always030harlandouglastft9.jpg


I am sitting at my breakfast right now but will post some pics of where construction stands and discuss what challenges lay ahead of me this evening.

Zach
 
The ohio based outfit I worked for in the 70's actually had one of these and it had been converted to a VIP bird.

Beautiful airplane but didn't get used much . Too expensive to fly for what they used it for.

Alas I did not even own a camera in those days . :(

Cheers, Christian B)
 
Okay so here we go with some actual build pictures.

The starting point here is the Monogram A-26B kit. It is a more recent boxing of this kit and I have to say the molds have not held up all that well. Fit is generally poor at this point and the plastic in this issue is soft and prone to over-sanding if you are not careful. Since starting on this I have acquired a Monogram A-26C kit since starting this project and it is in much better shape comparatively.

This project started as a a military Invader but I am now going to move forward with it as Tanker 59.

As you can see the military interior was used. this is in part because the project started as a military invader but while some air tankers did get dual control interiors others kept their original control layout. So I feel this is potentially accurate though I have no pictures of Tanker 59's interior to verify this. The interior is stock with airscale decals for instruments



In these shots you can see the plugged turrets and the large seems we are contending with. The area just aft of the canopy had an awful step that required me to use plastic card and expoxy putty to build the area up and shape it to match the other side.



I have a box of A-26 parts from two Monogram C's and I robbed the nose section from one of the derelicts and grafted it onto this kit as I had no viable C kit when I started this project. You can also see here the sanding I have done to the fuselage sides. This was done to remove the armor plating depicted by the kit. The civilian Invaders had all of this plate removed.


Zach
 
Just curious, but what type of load could these drop? The bomb bay doesnt look like its been modded for extra extinguisher material.
James
 
The standard Invader slurry tank could carry 760 Imperial Gallons of retardant. It was an internal system installed in the bomb bay.

I had originally thought I would build out the tank in the bomb bay for this build but I could not find good pictures for the project.


A-26 Invader specs

Check out the link above to see more technical details on the slurry tank. you and to scroll down some but there is a fair bit of information there.

Zach
 
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