Hong Kong Models let Havoc fly in 1/32...

Hong Kong Models have unveiled their new 1/32nd scale Douglas A-20G Havoc in time for Telford Scale Model World. The kit is due in December - and we have some CAD & test shot images in our preview...

Hong Kong Models let Havoc fly in 1/32...

Douglas A-20G Havoc

From Hong Kong Models

1/32nd scale

Plastic injection & Photo-etch kit

Metal landing gear

Marking choices for two aircraft

Expected: December!!

Hong Kong Models Website

Last week, Hong Kong Models announce that they were heading to the UK for the largest UK aviation (mostly) models show. Scale Model World 2022 at Telford. They gave us a bit of a hint as to what they might be flying in on...

Douglas A-20 Havoc
Flown by the Allies in the Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Russia, the versatile A-20 went through many variants. Initial design work for the A-20 began in 1936 as a private venture of the Douglas Company to design a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft.  Work was delayed by a series of major design changes that increased the size of the aircraft, gave it larger engines and focused the design as a bomber. 

 First flown in October 1938 the aircraft attracted the interest of the French Air Force and the first orders actually came from France rather than the U.S. Army.  France and Belgium briefly used the aircraft before those countries fell to the Germans.  Many of the aircraft were diverted to Britain where they were operated under the names Boston and Havoc.  The U.S. Army adopted the British name Havoc when they began receiving their A-20s after 1939.  

A Douglas A-20 Havoc pulls up  after an attack on the Japanese fleet during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea.

The A-20G, which reached combat in 1943, was produced in larger numbers than any other model. By the time production ended in September 1944, American factories had built 2,850 "solid nose" A-20G models. Attacking with forward-firing .50-cal. machine guns and bombs, the A-20G lived up to its name by creating havoc and destruction on low-level strafing attacks, especially against Japanese shipping and airfields across the Southwest Pacific.

A-20G Havoc ("Eloise") from the 312th Bombardment Group 

The A-20G, delivered from February 1943, would be the most produced of all the series, with 2850 built. The glazed nose was replaced by a solid nose containing four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano cannon and two .50 in M2 Browning machine guns. After the first batch of 250, the less-accurate cannon were replaced by more machine guns. After 750 aircraft had been built, a power-driven gun turret fitted with two .50 in machine guns was fitted, with the fuselage 6 inches (15 cm) wider as a result, and the ventral tunnel gun changed from a .30 in to another .50 in Browning. 

1945 - An A-20G Havoc of the 669th Bombardment Squadron / 416th Bombardment Group.

The power plants were two 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) R-2600-23. Many A-20Gs were delivered to the Soviet Union. US A-20Gs were used on low-level sorties in the New Guinea theatre.

The only remaining flying A-20G's nose gun bay in detail

In most British Commonwealth air forces, the bomber variants were known as Boston, while the night fighter and intruder variants were named Havoc. The exception was the Royal Australian Air Force, which used the name Boston for all variants. The USAAF used the P-70 designation to refer to the night fighter variants.

The new A-20G Havoc in 1/32nd scale from Hong Kong Models:

Anyone familiar with the B-25 from HK in 32nd and 48th scale would know the groundwork for this completely newly tooled kit. There will be a big audience for this model, and even in 48th scale we could do with a decent A-20G.

What you may not know about this kit however, is that HK models have gone to great lengths to recreate the stressed skin effect on the exterior of this model. 

When held to the light, one can see the curved and indented panels of the aircraft skin. The rivets are finely tooled in different sizes as well.

Full gun nose setup can be shown open to the maddening crowd if you like

This kit will include metal undercarriage legs and of course, a nose weight to stop it becoming a tail-sitter. Marking choices are not known as of yet, but there are rumoured to be two choices for the A-20G in the box.

The exterior of the model in CAD

The interior of the kit looks even more detailed than their previous kits. Hopefully that sweet spot will be hit for modellers...

Photos of the kit on the tables at Telford show...

We will have more on this kit when it is released in time for Christmas in December! Check the Hong Kong Models page for more info on their releases...