Popular Post ChuckD Posted September 4, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted September 4, 2023 Hello, everyone. If you've been following along the build thread, you're well aware that I was nearing the finish line on Hong Kong Models' new A-20G Havoc kit after starting it the day it arrived in June. If you haven't been following the build thread, but want a painfully verbose treatise on the inner workings of this brand new kit, feel free to dive into it and its ~350 photos. If you'd just like to see the photos, here's the gallery. Anyhoo, as I've stated in a number of other threads, I'm fascinated by the SW Pacific campaigns in the early-mid war years. I'm also a fan of big twins in attack configurations. Thus, when I heard that HKM was coming out with an all new A-20G Havoc in gunship configuration, I was excited to say the least. Unfortunately for me, their boxing was strictly marked and built for the European theater. Not to be deterred, I decided to embark on a bit of a journey. For this build, I'd be doing several firsts. To make a Pacific bird, I'd have to scratch build wing bomb racks and teach myself the art of printing my own decals. I'd also push the idea of masking farther than I had ever done before, so that was fun too. In the end, I'm very happy with the results and they feel pretty close to the original. The photos turned out a little weird, unfortunately; I suspect that's due to my camera trying to compensate for the failing evening light. So, things like the speckling on the nacelles and the dust pigments on the wings are much more pronounced than they are in real life. I found a few close up pictures of A-20s with extensive oil spatter all along their fuselage and nacelles aft of the engine, so that was the inspiration there. Anyway, here's "STINKY" of the 3rd BG, 12th BS in New Guinea. According to Michael Claringbould in Pacific Profiles vol. 3, this aircraft survived hostilities and was scrapped in situ after the war. The photo below is one of two taken of her supposedly while she was in Sydney, Australia. The squadron insignia and serial number were the first decals I ever printed for myself. The nose art was done with a mask. I painted the dark drop shadow, then moved the mask to the 10 o'clock position and painted the yellow. Turned out pretty sharp. For grins, I got my SW Pacific fleet out for a photo op, largely because I wanted to see exactly how the B-25 and A-20 compare in size. LSP_K2, D.B. Andrus, chukw and 62 others 60 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Congrats on such a fantastic result, Chuck! Kev Scale32 and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scale32 Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 What a fantastic result! Well weathered and well built love it. cheers Bevan Martinnfb and ChuckD 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Exceptional work Chuck. A real beauty Martinnfb and ChuckD 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrov27 Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 fantastic build here - looks fantastic and congrats to bringing to completion! The weathering effects are top notch as well Martinnfb and ChuckD 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncarina Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 This has been a very enjoyable and educational build to follow Chuck. Thanks for taking us on the journey! And the final result is spectacular. Well done! Cheers, Tom Martinnfb and ChuckD 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christa Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Convincing from every angle. Great build. ChuckD and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Awesome build! Great to see the first Havoc finished. Brilliant paint and weathering Matt ChuckD and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learstang Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Absolutely brilliant job on what looks to be a fine kit! I see you have the B-25 - how was that to build? Best Regards, Jason Martinnfb and ChuckD 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckD Posted September 4, 2023 Author Share Posted September 4, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Learstang said: Absolutely brilliant job on what looks to be a fine kit! I see you have the B-25 - how was that to build? Best Regards, Jason Thank you! The B-25 was a pretty straight forward build if I recall... It's been a couple years. I made things a lot more challenging as I threw pretty much every Eduard kit on the market into it. The boarding ladders alone took a day to build, and that's coming from someone that's pretty adept at PE. Off the cuff, I recall the wings locking on and staying, so that was challenging. The exhausts and cowling panels are tricky and fiddly to install. I didn't do a build log for it, but here's the RFI thread. Edit to add: The aftermarket props by AMS Resin are an absolute must, but availability is very spotty. The kit props look like canoe paddles. Edited September 4, 2023 by ChuckD Learstang and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael931080 Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Stunning work! ChuckD and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoggz Posted September 4, 2023 Share Posted September 4, 2023 Inspirational and entertaining build with a superb result. And what a great fleet you have there! ChuckD and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aircommando130 Posted September 5, 2023 Share Posted September 5, 2023 That is one good lookin Havoc! The stressed skin from low level maneuvering and probably some hard landings in weather is spot on. Grease, oil and general grime from the South Pacific is awesome! That Air Apache B-25 is a good lookin airplane too! Your Pacific fleet is awesome! Need an SBD and a razorback P-47 to go with them! Great job and thanks for sharing that project! Cheers...Ron ChuckD and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted September 5, 2023 Share Posted September 5, 2023 Fantastic finish to your Havoc Chuck, great set of RFi pictures as well. Lots and lots of fine detail to see. Regards. Andy ChuckD and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustiepal Posted September 5, 2023 Share Posted September 5, 2023 Great build and a fantastic finish! Dave Martinnfb and ChuckD 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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