Eduard 1/72 Marauder B-26F/G

In 1939, the United States Army Air Corps issued a specification for a twin-engined medium bomber, Circular Proposal 39-640. Six months later, Glenn L. Martin Company presented a design to the Air Corps. Peyton M. Magruder led the design team for this aircraft after Martin won the contract. This design, Martin Model 179, was accepted for production before a prototype even flew, due to the desperate need for medium bombers following the intensification of the war in Europe.

Once the first aircraft came off the production line in November 1940, Martin conducted tests, the results of which were promising. The first B-26 with Martin test pilot William K. "Ken" Ebel at the controls, flew on 25 November 1940 and was effectively the prototype. Soon after, it was turned over to the Army Air Corps to be service tested. It went from paper concept to working plane in less than two years.

While the B-26 was a fast plane with better performance than the contemporary B-25 Mitchell, its relatively small wing area and resulting high wing loading (the highest of any aircraft used at that time) led to tricky high-speed landings (approach at 140 mph (225 km/h) and stall at 130 mph (210 km/h) indicated airspeed). The R-2800 engines were reliable, but the electric pitch change mechanism in the propellers required impeccable maintenance and was prone to failure. Failure of the mechanism placed the propeller blades in flat pitch with instant total loss of power. Due to the rotund fuselage, the B-26 engines were placed far outboard, and loss of power on one side resulted in a violent snap roll flipping the aircraft on its back. This led to a high number of accidents during takeoff, thus earning B-26 the nickname "Widowmaker" by its pilots. Other colorful nicknames included "Martin Murderer," "The Flying Coffin," "B-Dash-Crash," "The Flying Prostitute" (because it had no visible means of support, referring to the small wings), and "The Baltimore Whore" (because the Martin Company was located there) (Higham 1975).

The toll eventually led to a halt in production. During this time a commission of inquiry (led by then-Senator Harry Truman) was appointed to look into the problem. When Truman and the other commission members arrived at the Avon Park Bombing Range, they were greeted by the still-burning wreckage of two crashed Marauders. Indeed, the regularity of crashes by pilots training at MacDill Field — up to fifteen in one thirty day period — led to the only mildly exaggerated catchphrase, "One a day in Tampa Bay."

The resulting aircraft (designated B-26B) had a 6 ft (1.8 m) increase in wingspan, and other changes, some of which reduced the aircraft's speed. The newer version had reduced landing and stall speeds. The safety of the B-26B was an immense improvement: it had the lowest attrition rate of any aircraft used during the war. Nevertheless, it remained a challenging plane to fly and continued to be unpopular with potential crews throughout its life.

B-26 crews began flying combat missions in the South Pacific in spring 1942, but most of the aircraft were sent to England and the Mediterranean. The 22nd Army Air Force Bomb Group was originally based in northern Australia to protect the aircraft from Japanese fighter attack but often staged its flights out of Port Moresby, New Guinea. On 9 June 1942, Lt. Cmdr. Lyndon B. Johnson flew on a bombing mission departing for Lae, New Guinea. Johnson's B-26 developed engine trouble and was forced to return to base.

Like the B-25, the B-26 had been designed for medium-altitude bombing, but the war brought medium bombers down to treetop level, and later versions of the B-26 were equipped with a side-mounted battery of forward-firing machine guns for strafing ground targets. The low-level bombing of Utah Beach by the Marauders during the Normandy Invasion contributed to the low casualties among the American assault force.

The B-26 was phased out of Army Air Force service before the end of the war. Their last mission was flown in May 1945.

According to an article in an edition of AOPA Pilot on Kermit Weeks's "Fantasy of Flight", the Marauder had a tendency to "hunt" in yaw. This instability is similar to "Dutch roll". This would make for a very uncomfortable ride, especially for the tail gunner.

I'm going to start this description by stating that I was not able to find any sprues that were listed specifically for the F/G variant. What's more, I've not bought or seen the earlier B-26B kit so cannot comment on whether or not the fuselage is different between the two to take into account the difference in wing incidence angle. I've been told that his has been. Looking at the parts diagram in the instructions, it seems that there are only a few small parts not used in this kit. I do note that there is no D, H, or I sprue with this one. Perhaps those are the ones that are different. Another note is that there are two sprues like the one with the prop blade. I only used one in the photo.

Anyway, the kit is very nicely molded and I noticed no molding flaws in my inspection of the kit parts. It very much looks like Hasegawa has decided to continue the detail level of their superb B-25s by offering full cockpits, full bomb bay and detailed gunner's positions. In fact, the horizontal stabilizer assembly is in clear plastic as there are two small windows on the upper portion of it for the rear gunner. Even the rear gunner station is nicely done for this scale. The landing gear are rather complex and though it looks fragile, it should hold up well. The bomb bay provides a full load of four 500 lb bombs and one has the option of having the bay doors open or closed. Of course, closing them allows one to be lazy and not install the bombs.

The upper turret is a mini-model in itself and looks quite complex. This kit includes side gun packs which may not have been part of the B kit. I found it odd that the two props have separate hubs. There are a considerable number of small windows in the Marauder and those are so designed to allow external application, a real plus for most of us. I should also point out the the instructions have one open the hole in the nose transparency for the nose gun, yet the description above indicates that this gun was deleted on the F model. I can attest that this aircraft is a major tail-sitter, thanks to the forward raked main gear as much as anything. Finding room for nose weight seems pretty well impossible as it will take a considerable amount. A tail stand is provided.

As usual with Eduard reboxes of this type, you get a bunch of extra items. This includes a color p.e. set that is mostly for the cockpit along with a standard fret for a number of other items around the airframe. Fortunately for thos who don't like p.e., you don't have to use them. Also included is a set of transparency masks, something that is most welcome. Add to that a set of resin replacement wheels that have greater detail than the kit version.  

Instructions are the usual for Eduard kits like this in that you get a nice booklet of which about half is construction and the rest is for the markings options. Color info is provided as Gunze references, but you can use a variety of brands as there are no really unique shades used. Half of the options are overall metal while the other half have OD upper surfaces that wrap around the leading edge of the flight surfaces. Seven options are USAAF while the eighth is a French aircraft. Three of the seven US versions are with the 394th Bomb Group with the diagonal tail stripe. Those two with the triangle marking are with the 344th Bomb Group, while those with the large tail numbers are with the 320th Bomb Group. This latter bomb group was based in Italy with the other two in either the UK, Netherlands, or France. Most of these planes have some sort of nose art, so one is not lacking in options. The large decal sheet is very nicely printed and should work as well as any aftermarket sheet. I don't know if this is one of theirs that can have the carrier peeled away as the instructions make no mention of that feature. For one of the nose art options, you'll have to paint the blue background.

So there you have it. For those of you who are tired of waiting for Hasegawa to re-issue this kit, here is your chance. All the additional items and the large number of markings options make this a fairly good bargain for those who were going to purchase most or all of those additional items anyway. I built the base boxing when this kit was originally released by Hasegawa, and if you want to see how that turned out, you can visit the article here.

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June 2024

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