1/48 Monogram A-26B

Bay of Pigs A-26B, Operation Pluto, Bay of Pigs

 by Jim Birchfield

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  United States of America Independence Day 2008 

 

This is the Monogram B-26C kit modified with a resin set that I have no idea where it came from or who manufactured it. The resin was pink in color, and included the gun nose, filler plate with antenna for the upper turret position and the wing stations. Being an older kit also meant dealing with fuselage warpage and the need for heaps o'putty. I replaced the kit engines with a pair from Quick Boost, added a second seat, control column and additional instrument panel from the spares box. Some of the wing stations were not completely molded, so the missing areas were completed with sheet styrene and more putty. The nose guns are drilled out styrene rod. Decals came from the Zotz multi sheet on Nasty Invaders.

As a side note, most of the A-26's flown in the Bay of Pigs ops were from the inventory of Alabama Air National Guard units in Montgomery and Birmingham. Some missions were flown by Alabama Air Guard pilots.  Aircraft 933 is on display at the Havana Aviation Museum, and is an early A-26 with the horizontal gun nose configuration. Aircraft 935 was shot down by a Cuban T-33 which is also on display at the Havana Air Museum.

Jim 

Photos and text © by Jim Birchfield