1:72 B-26 B/C Marauder 3D Full colour Instrument Panels (for Hasegawa and Hobby 2000 kits)

The Marauder, which had to earn its respect

The Martin B-26 Marauder entered service with the US Army Air Forces in 1941 with small, aerodynamically clean wings and a high landing speed. Crews gave it an unflattering nickname at first and did not trust it, but after the span was increased and the training improved the picture turned around: by the end of the war the Marauder had the lowest loss rate per combat sortie of all American bombers in Europe. The B and C variants differed from each other mainly in the production plant and in small details of armament, while the pilots' cockpit stayed the same, which is why one common set covers them both.

What you get

The contents are printed panels in several layers which are laid into the pilots' space. The colors are finished, including white scales on a dark base and colored warning items, so the cockpit equipment goes onto the model without a single stroke of a brush. The assignment is to the 1:72 Hasegawa models and to their Hobby 2000 reboxings. The thin profile of the print guarantees that the fuselage halves will come together without trouble once the set is in.

Working with the panels

• Cut the item off close to the edge and soak it in lukewarm water.
• Slide it onto a dry, clean surface and adjust the position with a toothpick.
• Let it dry properly, and only then close the fuselage up.
• A strong softener will wrinkle a layered print, so avoid it.

The interior of a twin-engine bomber is largely visible through the glazing of the nose, which is why a detailed pilots' station pays off more on a Marauder model than on a fighter. On a single-engine machine such detail would hide under the canopy frames, and here it will be visible from several angles.