1/72 B-26B-MA Marauder (Pacific Theater)

[Maty12]

Hi all,

I purchased a Snap-Tite Monogram B-26B-2 kit earlier in the year and decided to give it some upgrades and convert it into a USAAF B-26-MA or possibly an RAF Marauder Mk. I (haven't committed to a livery yet or bought the paints). I've purchased the Eduard metal landing gear set, and Squadron's vacuformed tail canopy for the conversion, but I haven't been able to find anyone selling spinners. Anyone know who might manufacture B-26 spinners in 1:72? P-61 spinners would also work.

I'm also looking for the Red Gecko decal set "Hot Rod Marauders", but it seems to be sold out everywhere that I've looked.

Best regards,
-Maty12

 

[Davecww1]

Not sure if anyone makes spinners for the B-26, but if you have a scale drawing you can use a wooden dowl chucked in a drill and use a file and sanding stick to shape your own spinner, and heat form a small piece of plastic over it. Takes a little practice but fairly simple to do.
Dave

 

[Maty12]

Not sure if anyone makes spinners for the B-26, but if you have a scale drawing you can use a wooden dowl chucked in a drill and use a file and sanding stick to shape your own spinner, and heat form a small piece of plastic over it. Takes a little practice but fairly simple to do.
Dave

Thank you for the tip, Dave! I'll keep that in mind for next time. I'm sorry to say that I have since cancelled my conversion plans for this kit, opting instead to paint it as a B-26B-2 training ship due to its simplicity and my current skill level.

 

[Davecww1]

Sounds good! If I was able to find one of the short wing B-26 kits I would do the Midway bombers!

 

[Maty12]

Sounds good! If I was able to find one of the short wing B-26 kits I would do the Midway bombers!

Would be great to see. I'd recommend keeping an eye on ebay, there were two on auction last week. The Squadron tail conversion is also available there, though it will require extra parts to connect the canopy to the horizontal stabilizers correctly (not sure why Squadron omitted that, their canopy has the extension to reach the vertical stabilizer). Now, getting the decals and torpedoes is another matter of course.

 

[Greg Boeser]

Sounds good! If I was able to find one of the short wing B-26 kits I would do the Midway bombers!

Nah, everybody does Midway. Do 69th or 70th BS at Guadalcanal.

Or an Aleutian strafer!

National Park Service, John Pletcher collection

 

[Maty12]

Posting not to ask for more info but to provide an update:
I have decided to repaint/remodel my badly faded B-26B-2-MA model into a 69th or 70th BS B-26B-MA. I'm attempting to procure just the spinners from Valom kits on ebay (Valom's B-26B-2 includes the spinners but tells the builder not to use them anyway), but if this fails I'm unsure how I will go about procuring/scratch-building new ones. Buying an entire kit for spinners feels like a waste of a perfectly good kit, not to mention the Valom Kit is very expensive due to its resin parts. I have purchased a set of Mk XIII torpedoes from Eduard and will have to scratch-build torpedo mounts as well as the "biplane stabilizers" unique to torpedoes fitted to the B-26. I will be portraying the aircraft before field modifications as I don't have the skills to scratchbuild package guns, waist gun installations or the 69th BS's modified nose turrets (the 70th's I think I'd be able to, but it makes no sense to only change the nose).

With regards to painting, I plan on keeping the 117 decal already in place and using my spare Doolittle Raid serial numbers for the last three digits and keeping the US roundels already on the model except for the upper wing one which has turned brown (fortunately I have two spares still). I have no U.S. ARMY markings of suitable size, so will attempt to paint this using masking tape (though I have to buy insignia blue paint first). Any noseart will have to be brush-painted, which rules out half of the 70th BS and some 69th BS aircraft due to complexity. I cannot brush-paint mission complete/bomb markings or kill markings at this size either.

I haven't decided which aircraft I'll be making yet, but I've narrowed it down to 5:
41-17564 "Irene" - 70th BS - (noseart appears to have been applied with white chalk, easy to replicate in the manner I did the Whirling Dervish's noseart)
41-17570 - 69th BS - the plane William S. Watson's crew flew in the Battle of Midway (standard B-26 markings as far as I can tell unless it had a squadron number painted somewhere, which makes this a very easy though not very interesting to look at option. was also not field-modified so the model would be pretty accurate)
41-17575 "Sun Down" - 70th BS, went on to serve as a Fat Cat for the 22nd BG - (noseart is written in block letters using insignia yellow, easy enough to replicate)
41-17580 "Judy" - 69th BS, then 70th BS, then as a Fat Cat for the 22nd BG - (noseart is very simple and the only photo I have portrays the plane without field mods anyway, though it was likely later modified)
41-17581 "Black Jack/Wingless Wonder" - 69th BS, then 70th BS, then as a Fat Cat for the 22nd BG (both nosearts were in cursive, complicated)

Will post photos/updates when I have any.

 

[Wurger]

I'm attempting to procure just the spinners from Valom kits on ebay (Valom's B-26B-2 includes the spinners but tells the builder not to use them anyway), but if this fails I'm unsure how I will go about procuring/scratch-building new ones. Buying an entire kit for spinners feels like a waste of a perfectly good kit, not to mention the Valom Kit is very expensive due to its resin parts.

There is no need to purchase the another kit in order to "borrow" these spinners only. The way you have to follow depends on the kind of spinner you want to get.

1. If the spinner is going to be of the solid type, I mean made of one full piece of plastic or resin ...

- the resin :
a - use a piece of wood ( the balsa , for instance ) and shape the spinner.
b - get a cube of plasticine and press the wooden model of the spinner into that twice
c - fill the imprinted shapes with the resin.
d - when the resin got hardened take both parts out of the plasticine mould and clean their bottoms at the flat surface with a sheet of sandpaper. Drill slots for shafts that you may make either of plastic or wire rods and glue into the holes there.

- the solid plastic
a - get a couple of plastic plates/squares/ discs and drill a hole at the centre. Their diameter should be slightly bigger than the spinner one.
b - glue them together keeping the central holes inline.
c - when the glue is hardened , put a sheet metal screw in the holes and fasten it in a driller.
d - using a sandpaper , shape the plastic block while rotating.

2 - If the spinner is going to be of the plastic vacuforma type ... you may make it consisted of two parts I mean the radome and the bottom. The radome is vacuformed while the bottom is just a plastic disc.

a - make the former as depicted in "a" for the resin. The shape dimensions have to be downgraded about the plastic sheet you want to use for the spinner or so.
b - the rest steps for the way you may see in my thread for making the pilot seat. It is exactly the same way I would follow if I were you.
How to make your own pilot's seat for models.
c - drill the slot for the shaft in the bottom disc only .

I cannot brush-paint mission complete/bomb markings or kill markings at this size either.

It is possible .... my own painted decal with a name for my old 1/72 Matchbox P-51D model. Its dimensions 8mm/3mm.

 

[Maty12]

There is no need to purchase the another kit in order to "borrow" these spinners only. The way you have to follow depends on the kind of spinner you want to get.

1. If the spinner is going to be of the solid type, I mean made of one full piece of plastic or resin ...

- the resin :
a - use a piece of wood ( the balsa , for instance ) and shape the spinner.
b - get a cube of plasticine and press the wooden model of the spinner into that twice
c - fill the imprinted shapes with the resin.
d - when the resin got hardened take both parts out of the plasticine mould and clean their bottoms at the flat surface with a sheet of sandpaper. Drill slots for shafts that you may make either of plastic or wire rods and glue into the holes there.

- the solid plastic
a - get a couple of plastic plates/squares/ discs and drill a hole at the centre. Their diameter should be slightly bigger than the spinner one.
b - glue them together keeping the central holes inline.
c - when the glue is hardened , put a sheet metal screw in the holes and fasten it in a driller.
d - using a sandpaper , shape the plastic block while rotating.

2 - If the spinner is going to be of the plastic vacuforma type ... you may make it consisted of two parts I mean the radome and the bottom. The radome is vacuformed while the bottom is just a plastic disc.

a - make the former as depicted in "a" for the resin. The shape dimensions have to be downgraded about the plastic sheet you want to use for the spinner or so.
b - the rest steps for the way you may see in my thread for making the pilot seat. It is exactly the same way I would follow if I were you.
How to make your own pilot's seat for models.
c - drill the slot for the shaft in the bottom disc only .



It is possible .... my own painted decal with a name for my old 1/72 Matchbox P-51D model. Its dimensions 8mm/3mm.

Thanks for the tips, Wurger.

I have heard back about the spinners and the seller has agreed to a reasonable price, so I'd rather take that avenue. The Valom spinners have cutouts and simply clip onto the existing prop assembly, meaning the most I will have to do is enlarge said holes and clip off my current prop's domes. It's not the perfect shape (the real spinners have some bumps that taper into the blades) but is far better than I'd be able to make myself with zero experience, not to mention I'd then have to cut out the blades from my current propellers and glue them at the correct angles to a newly made spinner. I appreciate your faith in me but I'm very aware of my current skill limits. It might be cheaper to make my own spinner but it would require me to pick up a new skill first, which would take weeks, and would then take hours of work. With the cost of supplies (I do not have any wood, plasticine, resin or any equipment to print or vacuform parts) on top of that it's just a lot of effort and risk to save only around 6 dollars.

The markings on your Mustang look good! What did you use to draw that noseart? The only method that got me any results with writing that small was carving out the noseart with a cocktail stick, which is quite
crude and does not allow for sharp points or corners. I found that even my smallest brush or a cocktail stick with paint just made large blobs.

Oh btw Greg Boeser if this is an avenue you'd like to pursue for your spinners for Miss Cookie Lee there is someone else selling the same Valom B-26B kit that comes with but does not use the spinners on ebay.

 

[Wurger]

Thanks for the tips, Wurger.

I have heard back about the spinners and the seller has agreed to a reasonable price, so I'd rather take that avenue. The Valom spinners have cutouts and simply clip onto the existing prop assembly, meaning the most I will have to do is enlarge said holes and clip off my current prop's domes. It's not the perfect shape (the real spinners have some bumps that taper into the blades) but is far better than I'd be able to make myself with zero experience, not to mention I'd then have to cut out the blades from my current propellers and glue them at the correct angles to a newly made spinner. I appreciate your faith in me but I'm very aware of my current skill limits. It might be cheaper to make my own spinner but it would require me to pick up a new skill first, which would take weeks, and would then take hours of work. With the cost of supplies (I do not have any wood, plasticine, resin or any equipment to print or vacuform parts) on top of that it's just a lot of effort and risk to save only around 6 dollars.

The markings on your Mustang look good! What did you use to draw that noseart? The only method that got me any results with writing that small was carving out the noseart with a cocktail stick, which is quite
crude and does not allow for sharp points or corners. I found that even my smallest brush or a cocktail stick with paint just made large blobs.

Just in my opinion a such part of a model can be made from scratch and there is no need to buy it. But as I have mentioned that's just an option. You was interested in so there is my suggestion. Certainly the choice is yours. I hope you can get it sorted out in any way. Looking forward to the final effect.

Regarding the decal for the P-51D ... the writing was done using a fine brush with removed almost all bristles leaving two not too long hairs there. I took a piece of a decal sheet with the clear part that was the remants of other decal markings that I had cut out. I sketched the name letter with a pencil softly. And then I wrote it with the brush following the sketched characters. The paint was thinned with the soaked brush dipping at the edge of the colour drop I put on a piece of white cardboard.
Actually I made the marking three times. As memo serves the second one was the best one and I applied it on the model.

 

[Maty12]

Just in my opinion a such part of a model can be made from scratch and there is no need to buy it. But as I have mentioned that's just an option. You was interested in so there is my suggestion. Certainly the choice is yours. I hope you can get it sorted out in any way. Looking forward to the final effect.

Regarding the decal for the P-51D ... the writing was done using a fine brush with removed almost all bristles leaving two not too long hairs there. I took a piece of a decal sheet with the clear part that was the remants of other decal markings that I had cut out. I sketched the name letter with a pencil softly. And then I wrote it with the brush following the sketched characters. The paint was thinned with the soaked brush dipping at the edge of the colour drop I put on a piece of white cardboard.
Actually I made the marking three times. As memo serves the second one was the best one and I applied it on the model.

Interesting approach, I'll see what I can do. Will be a few weeks before the parts arrive and that gives me more time to pick which aircraft to paint.

 

[Wurger]

Good luck.

 

[Maty12]

Good luck.

Thank you! I'll go ahead and rename the thread real quick so that it follows the site's normal format

 

[Wurger]

 

[Maty12]

Hi all,

First update on this. Brazilian customs are very "fun" so my items were quite delayed, but hey it's just before Christmas and everything's here. Not sure when I'll work on this, as some of you might have noticed I've been spreading myself a bit thin hobby-wise (B-26 technical research, unit research, 3D modeling, the Airfix B-25B, the Academy B-17D, and of course, books).

Spinners arrived and I immediately went to work doing surgery on the kit's props for them to fit. This meant snipping off the prop domes and thinning out the hubs. Here they are dry-fitted:


Other supplies that arrived include Vallejo Dark Sea Blue, which I will use to paint the "U.S. ARMY" markings on the underside of the airplane with the help of a lot of masking tape. Fortunately, there is a markings guide in my stash of microfilm, which is a tremendous help.

Last of the bunch, a set of 3 Mk XIII torpedoes from Eduard, which arrived earlier today. I will need to scratchbuild parts of the biplane stabilizer fitted to these when mounted to B-26s, and also need to scratchbuild the torpedo mounts. How I will go about this I'm not sure yet, but I have some leftover parts from other kits that I believe I can cut to the proper size and shape, including the bits of spar for my He 70 that I couldn't get to fit inside its wing.

I have also started stripping my B-26 of paint, as the old coat of OD would make for a poor painting surface. I also wanted to redo the neutral grey undersides and the deicer boots. I may buy some Mr Surfacer primer, unsure for now. I have been using some cleaning alcohol. This works mostly well but leaves some stubborn areas. I will probably go at them again with the help of a paintbrush or cotton bud or something. May end up dunking parts of the kit in alcohol and rubbing them clean, as I did to remove paint from the B-25's wings.


Other things I'm considering doing:
-Using clear sprue to make new landing lights
-Making the small transparent window on the astrodome hatch by drilling a hole on the roof and then stretching PVA glue over it (have had no luck so far with my cheap Revell hand-drill)
-Fitting the Norden bombsight from the B-25B (unsure if this would be accurate, need to do more research first)
-Sanding down the bottoms of the main wheels to make them look more realistic Done!

Happy holidays,
-Matt

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Good stuff. You probably already have this

 

[Maty12]

Good stuff. You probably already have this

Thanks! I have others, but not this one