Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA3224 Douglas B-26K Counter Invader AF64-651, 609th S.O.S., 59th S.O.W., Nakhon Phanom, Thailand 1969

True 1/72 scale. Professionally painted. Great attention to detail. All markings are Tampoed (pad applied). Option to display the model on a stand that is provided. Model can be shown with the landing gear in the down or up positions. Canopy can be removed to place figures inside. 3 figures included. Extremely heavy metal with a minimum of plastic. Highly collectable.

In 1941 Douglas Aircraft Company began work on their twin-engine medium-bomber A-26 Invader. By the end of production there were 2,452 aircraft produced for all variants. The A- 26/B-26 was the only U.S. bomber to take part in three wars, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The confusion with the use of the designation B-26 began when the Martin B-26 Marauder was retired and in 1948 the USAF dropped the “A” (Attack) designator so the Douglas A-26 Invader became the B-26 Invader. The A-26 made its first European appearance in late 1944.

In early 1967 the B-26K Counter Invader was delivered to the 609th Special Operations Squadron (SOS), 56th Special Operations Wing (SOW) based at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base. These aircraft used call-sign Nimrod and tasked with impeding the flow of men and supplies from North Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh trail. In November 1969 the 609th SOS operations ended with most aircraft being sent to the U.S. but B-26K 64-17651 that was originally built as B-26C 44-34119 is displayed at the KAI Aerospace Museum, Sachon, South Korea.

Douglas B-26K Counter Invader Specifications Modified From A-26C To B-26K By - On Mark Engineering Maiden Flight - May 26, 1964 Designated A-26A While In Thailand Nickname - Nimrod Number Of WWII A-26 Modified - 40 Dimensions Length - 51.7 ft (15.76 m) Wingspan - 71.52 ft (21.8 m) Height - 19 ft (5.79 m)

Maximum Take-Off Weight - 38,312 lb (17,378 kg)

Performance Power-Plants 2 X Pratt & Whitney R-2800-52W Water-Injected Radial Engines, 2,500 hp Per Engine Maximum Speed - 322 mph ( 519 kph, 280 kts) Maximum Range - 2,700 miles (4,345 km, 2,346 nm) Service Ceiling - 30,000 ft (9,144 m, 5.68 miles)

Armament Standard 8 X .50 Caliber (12.7 mm) Forward-Fixed Heavy Machine Guns Mounted In Nose Optional 8 X External Hardpoints For Up To 8,000 lbs Mixed Ordnance Up To 4,000 lbs Mixed Ordnance In Bomb Bay