B-26B Marauder Flak Bait

Another work model nears completion now, this time a US medium bomber, the B-26 Marauder. The aircraft chosen to model is 'Flak Bait', a severely worn out veteran of 202 missions. Painting is now complete but for a dirty wash and a clear matt coat. The model will be shipped to the USA in early September.

Hats off to you Steve. Stunning.

Thanks. More pictures once it is done.

How many hours to get to this stage?

Hmmm, not entirely sure. The project was started by Phil as a personal project 10 years ago. Most of the basic airframe structure was built in his spare time over the next five years, then his business took over his spare time and nothing happened until March this year when an American saw pictures of the part built model on a forum and made Phil an offer for the model to be completed.

So in March, we started serious work to complete the model; Phil four to five days a week, and three a week for me ( I was working two days on another project ). Now near the end of August, we need to apply the dirty wash, clear matt coat, and re-install the engines, fuel tanks, landing gear, batteries, and stick it in its 10x5x2ft shipping crate!

We've had to make a number of moulds to produce the vacuum formed glazed parts, and carbon fibre bomb doors and landing gear doors.

The B26 Marauder is one of my all time favourites. I last saw one in flight ten years ago at Kermit Weeks' place in Florida. Fantastic. The model looks just as fantastic!!!

Bar a couple of small jobs like fitting the gun packs and a centre of gravity check, it's done. Unfortunately there isn't time to take it to a nice location for photographs with the scale props before it goes in its crate on Friday. Then it's off on its journey to the USA.

Here's a few more pictures taken today with the scale props on.

Here's a few more pictures taken today with the scale props on.

 

 

 

Looks real good in this picture.

No kerb to give away the scale and you could probably pass the hedge off as a wood.

Could almost pass as the real thing.

The weathered paint job must have taken some work to getting looking right.

Mike

The weathering took some time, but not as long as applying the rivets! After a silver base coat, using original photos as reference, vaseline was applied to the silver before the olive drab top coat. Once the green was dry, the vaseline was scraped off, cleaned with panel wipe to remove any grease left, then a dirty wash applied with a sponge. The wash was 90% water, 10% paint, applied front to back on the wing, and around the diameter of the fuselage to represent dirt from rain etc. Once that dried, it was rubbed with wire wool in the same directions, then a matt sealing coat.

That looks absolutely stunning.

With ref the scale props, I take it that for flying they cant offer the thrust needed due to the reduced diameter or is there another reason? what are they made of? are they purely for stationary use or are they able to withstand some rotation?

Cheers

The scale props are just resin cast, so can't be run at all. While the engines might be able to turn a scale prop, they wouldn't turn them at any useable RPM. Almost all real aero engines, certainly for this type of aircraft, are geared, so the massive power can turn a multi blade prop at a slow efficient RPM. At model size, multi blade props are very in-efficient as the following blade hits the turbulance of the previous blade, and the engines don't have the torque to drive them. These 80cc flat twins operate at a much higher RPM than would be useable on a multi blade prop.

We have flown some aircraft on closer to scale props, but have always had better performance from scimitar shaped two blade props.

It's been a while since this model was delivered to the customer, but the winter in Denver isn't friendly for flying a new model, so it has been hangared until recently. After a good check over, 'Flak Bait' made it's first flight on June 5th. Here's a few stills grabbed from a video of the flight.

Incredible.

Thank you for posting.

Ken

Nice to se eher in her own enviroment.

Here's some different views...

Looking across the wing. Notice how little aileron movement is used during turns.

Underside cam.

Well done shes a real credit to both of you that built her , do you make other aircraft of this scale or is this one a one off ?

And can i ask what happened to the real flak bait wasnt she based at bury st edmunds in suffolk before 1944 ?

great videos btw and i hope her new owner is very pleased she sounds lovely !

cheers

The original's front fuselage is on display at the Smithsonian. The rest is stored at its Garber facility.

We build models full time at Fighteraces. Here's a few of the other projects we've done, except for the Tigercat, built on my own.

1/6 scale F-5E Tiger, powered by a gas turbine

1/5 scale Fw190D-9, powered by a 62cc engine

1/5 scale Grumman F-7F Tigercat, powered by two 150cc radial engines

1/4 scale Spitfire Mk1a, electric powered

Spitfire Cockpit

I've got some more pictures, thanks to RC Universe. I emailed the site owner who took these, and got permission to reproduce them on this side of the pond. Credit - Photos by Ken Isaac of RCUniverse.com

Ground view of flight number 2.

[video=youtube;GQOZY-vHkNc]

Very nice Steve looks fantastic hope you all are very proud of her, hopefully Peter can convince you to bring some of these down to OW sometime.

Steve

I don't fly any more, except the odd glider, as I'm too busy with the Jeep and Dodge. Planes are just a living now. The size and weight of stuff we used to fly, makes Old Warden impossible to fly at without breaking the ANO and insurance rules because of safe distances and over flying buildings etc. The farm/houses on the live side of the field are the problem.

WOW

Looks even better in flight than on the ground.

Didn't realise you built it to actually drop bombs.

A real credit to you.

Mike