1/48 AMT Douglas A-20B

[jeaton01]

I have been slowly working on this one.  Too many distractions this summer!  The kit can be built as a B or C version, I have another kit to build the C version.  Actually as is usual for me I have kits for the G, H, J, and P-70, as AMT was kind enough to do them all.  I'll pass on the Turbinelite as it is best forgotten as a bad idea.

I am using the Vector cockpit and an instrument panel from Yahu.  All in all it wasn't much fun to do but looks pretty good.  I'll just use the Yahu panel on the rest of them and do them canopy closed.  One opened up is enough.  I made a mold from the life raft in the Vector kit so I can add resin copies of that on the rest of the A-20's as AMT didn't supply any.

I had to build up the landing gear so I could figure out how much weight to add. It seemed easiest to build it in place, as there was warpage and one or two minor breaks, these are very delicate parts. Would have been nice to have another hand but once together it all looks good. AMT said to paint the bottom of the wing in the nacelle zinc chromate green, and the insides of the nacelles neutral grey. Made no sense to me so I painted it all green. The landing gear parts are neutral grey, though.

I used very small lead shot fixed in place with canopy glue, and tested the balance by taping all the major parts together. Looks like it will work, and all the additional weight to be added will be forward of the main gear. AMT had a really unclear instruction on installing the bombs, I ended up clipping off a bit of the frame on one end and then gluing it to the back of the nose wheel bay and to the front of the gunner compartment bulkhead. The gear doors and bomb bay doors are all molded to build the model gear up and have to be split down the middle. I did that with a Tamiya scribing tool. Never mind the thin paint on the top of the bombs, I promise I did better on the bottom of them.

 

  

  

[Steve Zuleski]

Excellent progress, John !

[TJ]

Great start John. Like you I've got a few of these

[kyledehart5]

Cool John! I’ll be watching!

[lyle]

Nice work, John.

[handiabled]

Great start John. I'll be following along with this one.

[stuart]

Fabulous work John and what a cool subject.

Is this going to be a USAAF or RAF bird?

[jeaton01]

US, Stuart, as that's what the kit markings support for the A-20B. Parts are there for a C as well in RAF markings but I am doing the B. I think maybe the RAF went from the DB-7 to the C and skipped the B.

[stuart]

That makes sense John. I don't actually know a huge amount about the Boston/Havoc family to be honest, other than it was another great looking US aircraft operated by the RAF. I shall have to build one at some-point.

[jeaton01]

More progress on the A-20. Boring OD and NG scheme, but I did use two different OD's. Maybe some staining and weathering will liven it up some. It has been a nice fitting kit once I got past the cockpit additions.

[keavdog]

Great progress John. Coming along nicely.

[jeaton01]

Thanks, John. A few more shades of green and some markings painted on today. Trying to get some fading and modulation going.

[handiabled]

Fantastic paint work John! Used your own printed masks?

[buddho]

Coming together beautifully. Always loved the A-20.

[kyledehart5]

Beautiful color modulation!! This is looking fantastic.

[406 Silverado]

I haven't seen this kit in like.......forever it seems and I'm most certainly glad to see one getting built up. You're coming along pretty dang good with this one and I'm really liking the color modulation that you're putting on this. I'll be in on this one now that I've found it John.

[jeaton01]

Thanks, everyone, for the generous comments. Yes, Brent. Scanned the decals and drew them in Autocad, cut with the Silhouette Cameo. I used transfer tape to keep the walkway lines in shape.

[tcoat]

Another beautiful job on an "older" kit!

[jeaton01]

After some back and forth the decals are on. The decals on the kit worked about half right. Some worked and the others were removed with masking tape after going all the way up to Walthers Solvaset and in some cases Tamiya Extra Thin. A combination of ALPS printed replacements and part of the decals from a second kit resolved the problems. Using the decals from the second kit won't cause a problem because I will build a British A-20C from it. I see some clean up needed around the canopy and nose transparency but it is getting close to a flat coat and some weathering with oils, maybe not in that order.

[spook]

Looking good 

[tcoat]

[Tojo72]

Hey john,that's real beauty you got going there

[jeaton01]

Thanks, the spook and the two Tonys!
One more photo for the night, all that is left is the two nose gun barrels. The paint is drying on them.

[TJ]

Great finish John. The A-20 is such a sleek looking bomber

[dupes]

Boring? Anything but! I love seeing these get built up...I have the same collection you do. Your decal woes have got me a little worried, though!

[handiabled]

Glad you got the decal issues worked out ok. I'll be watching for the spinning props picture next!

[keavdog]

Wow that looks great John. Why did they have the canopy open that way? Didn't they board with a ladder from below?

[brandonk]

I missed this one. Sorry John. Splendid work, she's a beauty all around. I have one of those older AMT kits as well. Glad to know it works out so well.

[jeaton01]

Thanks for the comments and interest, everyone.

John, my understanding is the pilot climbed up steps in the fuselage behind the left wing, walked up the wing and into the cockpit from above, while the other crew had hatches from below. Not an issue for WW II since you couldn't get through pilot training without being some form of athlete, but I don't know how that works for an old guy flying one now. The stay brace on the canopy is conjectural, because the gluing area is minimal. There was probably some other method for that. I have seen a recent flying restoration on Youtube so there is at least one A-20 flying. The CAF had one but lost it in a crash years ago.

Here's some pictures. At the end is a couple with an Accurate Miniatures B-25C and P-51A, along with a Special Hobby Martin Maryland and Tamiya fuel truck. And then a spinning prop photo with the bonus of the left engine on the Maryland also running up. Sometimes the stars align, or at least the propellers.

[406 Silverado]

John that looks just great and IMO is one of your best ones yet man. A VERY good effort and it all shows in the end results and I love the paint modulation on this one.

I had to do a double take on that last photo as the props are turning and then I remembered that you do that with your completed builds that the props can turn on. Just adds the cherry on top of an already stellar build.