1:48 A-20A Havoc 'The Grim Reapers' 1942

A-20A Havoc, The Grim Reapers 1942, DK Decals 1:48

This is a decal sheet, not a kit. Its subject is the Douglas A-20A Havocs of the American 3rd Bombardment Group, which carried the nickname The Grim Reapers, as they were in 1942. The markings are worked up for models in 1:48 scale.

The real subject

The Douglas A-20 was designed as a fast twin-engined attack aircraft, and the A-20A form was among the first batches delivered to the US Army Air Forces. In the southwest Pacific it turned out that conventional bombing from altitude did not work against dispersed Japanese airfields and shipping, so the Havocs were modified in field workshops: machine guns firing forward were fitted in the nose and attacks were made from minimum altitude. The aircraft of the 3rd Bombardment Group over New Guinea therefore flew in a form that differed markedly from the factory standard, and they also carried rich personal artwork. The year 1942 moreover means the early phase of operations, when the aircraft still carried an older form of national insignia than later in the war.

Working with the decals

• Prepare a smooth gloss surface under the decal.
• Cut the motifs out as closely as possible so that a minimum of film is left.
• Only release the decal in water and transfer it onto the model with a damp brush.
• Use a softener over engraved lines and unevenness and let it dry.
• Seal the finished markings with a clear coat in the degree of sheen you have chosen.

Who the sheet is for

For modelers who build American attack aircraft from the Pacific and want to capture the early, field-modified form instead of the standard contents of the box.