Wreaking Havoc 2: A-20G-1-DO Amorous Amazon

[Sharkmouth]

It seems the canopy also had a first aid box to add:

the folded down head armor is different than usually seen but I don't know which production block this is but it is definitely from the A-20G-1-DO to A-20G-15-DO as it has the armored glass insert for the windscreen (along with the horizontal reinforcement braces) and the first aid box is relocated from the A-20G-20-DO on...

 

[Steve Ski]

Great ref pics, perfect! I always got a kick outta short weapons loaders. On the F-15 that Aim-9 could be loaded with two, but three was preferred. Short loaders were placed in the middle of the load crew so either end wouldn't take a dive, HA! I've seen it so many times, the short feller with his arms up in the air, touching nothing! lol.

 

[Sharkmouth]

 

[Sharkmouth]

Well, it IS easier to add bracing to the windscreen than remove it!

What kit supplies:

To what is needed:

 

[Sharkmouth]

This post is repeated on the A-20B thread. Some work was done on the engine cowlings for both the A-20B and A-20-G-1-DO as they are the same. This meant adding five (5) exhaust ejector pipes on the outer upper fixed flap (see A-20G-1-DO tech manual image below whose engine cowl cover would the be same), four (4) exhaust ejector pipes on the inner fixed flap, and five more, to complete fourteen (14), underneath the stamp shaped movable flaps on the lower side:

Port outer engine nacelle where one clearly sees five exhaust ejector pipes under the foxed cowling:

Starboard outer engine nacelle:

In this photograph, you can see how much I thinned the fixed cowl flaps which should cover the 3 inner and 5 outer exhaust ejectors. I also stated drilling out the formed movable flaps when I noticed something that made me stop. Do you see it? Hint, how many cylinders does this engine have?

Being solidly molded, I can easily remove the lower formed movable cowling engine exhaust ejector covers and replace them where they need to be. However, where is that? Why did AMT mold seven on one side and six on the other?

@Heavens Eagle noticed the asymmetry and different number of 'bumps' and their spacing. More to follow as I investigate and learn! Humility goes a long way in this hobby and I will admit I was wrong in my thinking about symmetry and didn't bother looking at the documentation where it clearly stated 5 on the outer and 3 on the inner fixed cowl covers leaving six remaining of the 14 cylinders. I thought it was 5 on the outer and 4 on the inner leaving 5 under the formed cowl covers with a symmetrical pattern on two on the outer and three on the bottom skewed towards the inner sides.

 

[Sharkmouth]

From the A-20G training film, we see that the inner port engine has a pair:

So, it appears that the port side had them in pairs? Actuator is in the middle of paired ejectors. So, from outboard to inboard, 5 (under fixed cowl), flat cowl, pair formed cowl, flat cowl, and another pair formed cowl. If this is followed by another pair formed cowl, then it is a 2+2+2 configuration:

Outer starboard is identical to the earlier cowling seen on the A-20B (other post) with a pair under the fixed cowl covering 5 ejector ports):

This one is configured differently so is starboard nacelle. We know that there is a pair on the outer port side under the formed cowl covering 5. Then we see a blank one, a pair formed one, a single formed one, and another pair formed one. Photo taken from the inner lower side of the starboard nacelle:

So, what is missing? Is this a single formed cowl cover positions to clear the oil air cooler intakes found on the inner sides of the nacelles? No...

It is the three which now has me thinking... I see three under the formed cowl at the top, two under one cowl, a single under another cowl, another pair under a formed cowl and a blank cowl after that. From other photos, we know that there is a pair unde the large formed fixed cowl.

So, could it be that the technical manual text is wrong and the port out formed cowl only covers 4 ejector pipes? There are only 14 cylinders on the R-2600! Seems like the TM image only shows four ejector pipes but I assumed (yes, assUme is to make an ass our of you and me) it was cropped off!

To be continued...

 

[Sharkmouth]

One of the reasons I DON'T trust restorations is this. Symmetrical 2+4 configuration on the Lewis Air Legends flying example:

Out of curiosity, I checked the HK Models 32nd scale kit and they copied this, along with the inaccurately sized nosewheel from the museum example, perfectly!

Here, they made up by placing four ejector pipes under each fixed formed cowl flap! Count the red dots representing the exhaust ejector pipe openings:

 

[Sharkmouth]

Another photograph to support the theory that, on the starboard side, there are the 4 ejectors under outer fixed cowl + 2 pair formed flap + blank flap + 2 pair formed flap + blank flap + 1 formed flap + 2 pair formed flap + 3 ejectors under the inner fixed cowl):

If this is so, AMT is correct then!

 

[Sharkmouth]

Almost done, will post photographs after making some repairs (damage from motor-tool slippage). Another photo showing the asymmetric layout:

 

[Sharkmouth]

Formations lights on an A-20G-1-DO. The circled spot on the spine might be a white ceramic fixture for the antenna wire: