The Douglas built A-20 havoc first flew on October 26, 1938. Designed by Jack Northrop and Ed. Heinemann, Douglas produced over 7000 of them, making it the most produced light bomber.

Originally ordered by the French, the American Army Air Corps quickly caught on and placed an order three months later. Nearly half of the production run went to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act. Many feel it was one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the war, being in service from before the war, all the way through to the end, serving in nearly every theater and utilized by most Allied nations. Its roles included bombing, ground attack, strafing, torpedo attack, photo recon, night intruder, and interceptor.

The test shot is highly detailed, and came in light gray plastic with recessed and raised detail. It also came with highly transparent clear parts and a small photo etch fret. I believe this model is an A-20G with a top turret, my personal favorite version. The spruce trees are flash free, with the trees attached to the gluing surfaces of the parts. When cleaned up, it minimizes damage to any surface area of the part. There are details everywhere, with interior ribs and stringers molded into the fuselage, wheel wells, and on top of the bomb bay. The wing structures have nice ribs and spars molded into them, making it a very rigid wing. It appears the wings are made to snap on and slide back into position without gluing. The horizontals need to be glued as they will sag when not glued in place but clean up should be a snap because of the extended stabilizer fairings.

The weighted tires are nicely done, and I think they look better than most kit provided tires. There are options for the bomb bay being open or closed, the landing gear up or down, and separate cowl flap pieces that can be positioned open or closed. By my count there’s roughly 512 pieces, plus the photo-etch fret.

The 19 page, 57 step instructions seem clear and well defined, and include a paint guide for AK interactive, Gunze/Mr. Hobby, and Tamiya paint colors. Although I didn’t get decals, I am very excited about this kit, as the detail is excellent, and the fit looks tight.

Thank you to HK models and IPMS USA for letting me get a first look at this kit.