The Turks bought the W-139 WT, the export version of the Martin B-10, in 1937 and were the THK's first modern bomber. By 1943 they were showing their age, but were given the job of flying escort cover to Turkish merchant sea convoys along the Black Sea coast of Turkey as several Turkish ships had come under Soviet and sometimes German attack in the previous year. To make it plain that they were neutral aircraft their normal green and brown upper surfaces were repainted in a high-visibility orange. The type left the THK in 1949 when the Douglas B-26 replaced it.
The B-10 has always been a favorite of mine; it was the world's first all-metal monoplane bomber and the first to enter service with all of its bombs carried internally. The only previous kit in this scale was the Williams' Brothers one from the 1970s, nowhere near as nice as this one, which is a much more professional offering. Like all of the latest Special Hobby kits, it is very well engineered with a detailed interior, very little of which can be seen through the small canopies (and glare from the upper surfaces
).
Although beautifully engineered, the kit is quite hard to assemble and I didn't feel like this build was quite as good as it might have been; the engines are particularly tricky to fit, and would repay more care than I seem to have given them. The Montex mask I bought for the complex glazing wasn't too good - quite a bit of paint bled under the mask, especially on the turret, and cleanup wasn't as thorough as it could have been.
Nevertheless it's a good addition to the Turkish collection and let's be honest - I'm never going to lose it!
looking good
