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| Expected release date is 31st Dec 2024 |
| Hobby Master 1:72 HA3229 B-26K Counter Invader - USAF, #64-17672 Prototype, 1960s |
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| Scale: 1:72 |
Length: 9.25" |
Width: 11.75" |
Composition: Diecast |
SKU: HM-HA3229 |
Period: World War II |
Preorder Expected Arrival - DEC 2024
The B-26K Counter Invader was a major redesign of the Invader, produced in the mid 1960s for use in Vietnam. Work on the B-26K began in 1962, but was given more urgency after a series of wing failures in 1963 and early 1964 forced the Air Force to ground its fleet of elderly B-26s. On Mark Engineers, of Van Nuys California, was chosen because it had developed some expertise in converted surplus B-26s into high speed commercial transport aircraft.
The prototype YB-26K made its maiden flight on 28 January 1963. After a series of tests it was accepted by the Air Force, and in November 1963 On Mark were given a contract to convert 40 B-26s to the new standard. Only 30 of the original 40 airframes selected to be converted were actually modified using the new 64-xxxxx numbers, the remaining 10 were kept for spares. The last conversion for the Air Force was completed in April 1965.
Designed as a single-pilot light attack bomber, the A-26 first flew on July 10, 1942. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company, this twin-engined aircraft was met with little enthusiasm in the Pacific Theatre, prompting General George Kenney to proclaim "We do not want the A-26 under any circumstances as a replacement for anything." The early A-26 suffered from poor visibility, a problem that was corrected in 1944 when a clamshell canopy replaced the earlier "flat-topped" style. Later models were well-received in Europe, and the A-26 went on to become a greatly successful bomber, also serving in the Korean War and in several major Cold War conflicts.
Hobby Master's 1:72 scale A-26 Invader is loaded with quality features. The fully rendered cockpit interior features a detailed large center console and equipment boxes. The the rear gunner's compartment has a masterfully recreated ocular periscope system and the aft fuselage features rotating dorsal and ventral machine gun turrets. The solid metal wing has razor-thin leading and trailing edges and crisp panel line details. For easy configuration, the nose gear, main gear, and bomb bay area are molded as single snap-in units that include the doors in the opened position. Some releases include eight nose-mounted machine guns and/or four optional under-wing mounted machine gun pods.
Info: B-26K Counter Invader - USAF, #64-17672 Prototype, 1960s
