1:48 B-26F Marauder bomb bay

The Marauder's bomb bay down to the last rib

The Marauder carried its bombs in the space between the wing spars, and a kit usually handles it as a smooth box with a few molded details. The reality was more intricate: walls laced with ribs and stiffeners, racks with shackles and safety pins on both sides, cable runs and wiring above. The crew checked the suspension by hand before takeoff and opened the doors only over the target area, because an open bomb bay noticeably slowed flight in formation.

The set replaces the plastic walls with etched brass sheet carrying an etched rib structure and adds the small things an injection mold cannot do: brackets, consoles and thin struts. The inner surfaces of the doors, which are visible from the side once they are open, are included too. The sheet is bent in a bending tool or between two razor blades and glued with super glue; where time is needed to seat a part, two-part epoxy serves.

Before gluing, the brass has to be degreased, because from the factory it tends to be covered with a thin layer of preservative. The order of work is fixed: first glue in and paint the interior, then assemble the fuselage, and only at the end fit the doors, so that they do not get bent while handling. It also pays to decide in advance whether the doors will be open, because a closed bomb bay hides a large part of the work.

In a finished photograph it is precisely this space that draws the eye first. An open cargo compartment with visible structure says more about an aircraft's service than a flawlessly polished airframe exterior, and the model also fits a scene with ground crew at a trolley.