On Mark Marksman WIP

Horrible little kit! Couldn’t think of any more appropriate way of introducing this model, nothing lines up nor fits as it should and some pieces are horridly shaped. Finding this one for under $10 with shipping I thought it a steal as I usually watch them walk away for in excess of $20 on ebay. Then it arrived, the image on the box has nothing to do with what lies within. The only decals are four later post-1947 stars and bars and the assembly directions are on the interior top of the box, so there is also no color or markings guide. The propellers have a set of spinners for attaching, thank goodness as the coned disks that are meant to represent hubs should not be allowed the light of day. The gun nose is molded to represent the later stacked style but, what you have to deal with is two vertical trenches 1/16” deep at their centers to which you are supposed to insert rods to represent guns. Flaps, ailerons and bomb bay doors are molded separately and provide the impression they should be moveable - nope not happening, the pins prevent the parts from sitting correctly or the wings from closing together, so off with all those mounting pins. The plans that were forming after ordering and before receiving the kit had to be flushed and a new plan devised.

Onto the plan and how I intend to salvage this little nightmare. I always considered the Douglas Invader a good looking and operationally impressive airplane, so wanted a small one for the collection and the Kawai 1/100 seemed to fit the bill. Being what it was the search was on to find an appropriate subject to base my model. Although I consider it probably the least attractive and essentially a butchering of the Douglas Invader the On Mark Marksman conversion looks like the perfect camouflage for this kit. I am not hunting for measurements, instead I am applying and beating putty and plastic to the shape that looks like a Marksman on my shelf in a fictitious finish. I will have to create a new canopy and raised roof and scribe the passenger door before painting on all the windows. It is being built as an inflight Marksman to avoid exposing the kit offered landing gear. As can be seen it is consuming mass amounts of gap filling super glue and putty but is beginning to take an appropriate shape.