1:48 Douglas A-20G Havocs

An attacker with a solid nose

The A-20G version differs from older Havocs most conspicuously in the nose. In place of the navigator's glazed station it received a solid cover packed with gun barrels and turned from a light bomber into a low-flying strafer. In the Pacific that way of fighting paid off: the aircraft came over Japanese airfields and harbors at treetop height, silenced the defenses with gunfire and then immediately covered the area with small parachute bombs.

Two crews, two units

The sheet offers two such machines, each from a different bombardment squadron. Their nicknames and nose art are among the most typical things American crews in the southwest Pacific carried on their aircraft, and it is exactly these that turn a model into a particular aircraft with a history of its own. Along with them come the small details that are easily overlooked on the fuselage: numbers, bands and warning lettering around the bomb bay.

What to watch out for

• The nose art runs onto the curve, so support the film with a brush and warm water.
• There is usually gunsmoke grime under the barrels; apply it only once the decals are dry.
• Sort the small lettering out in advance, because it is hard to find on glossy varnish.
• Do not press a wet film with a cloth, because fibers will print into it.

The set contains decals only. Do not look in it for a kit of the twin-engine attack aircraft in 1:48 scale, for paints or for varnish. It is also interesting in that both finishes belong to the same version, so they can be played off against each other as a pair from one sky, with the difference between them consisting purely in the decoration and not in the shape of the aircraft.