Martin Marauder Gold for FS9 has been released

[Milton Shupe]

Thank you Milton

I've been hoping for this for many years. I can remember the first time my father-in-law saw MSFS. He was sitting behind me as I loaded up the Dave Eckert model with one of Damien's repaints. As I taxied into position, he leaned forward and said "Remember to watch your airspeed on take-off.." then proceeded to critique my flying for the next 20 minutes.

He was a Marauder Man... a pilot with the 397th BG in France and Holland 1944-45

I have some of his archives (he was fairly involved with the B-26 historical group while he was alive) and several boxes that may include more photos but there never seems to be time to sift through them. I'll try, but it won't be until the end of the month (there's a race to be run first)

I'll also put together a list of all the links I've collected on the aircraft (about 30).
There's a B-26 being restored at the MAPS Museum http://mapsairmuseum.org/aircraft-on-display/ -one of the three recovered from "Million Dollar Valley" in northern BC with a few photos (none of the landing gear) and they may be willing to help.
There is also the Marauder Archives at the University of Akron (OH) http://www.b26.com/page/my_trip_to_the_marauder_archives.htm

More later...

LOL Robl very interesting. Thanks for the inputs; always helpful and welcomed.

 

[Milton Shupe]

While doing lead work around Chicago one day I discovered the man I was interviewing had been a Martin B-26 crew chief at a WWII training school INCONUS. He got as much time in the air in the aircraft as he could. On one trip he was at the airplane when the IP arrived (in his tailored uniform) with a student pilot in tow. He said the student was a "Gee, Mr. Wizard!" kind of guy and the IP took advantage of this once they were up by going to a fairly isolated area and attempting a spin in the aircraft - something my host said was STRICTLY forbidden. The IP put the aircraft into a spin and after about a turn and a half started to apply corrective action, which didn't take right away. This gentleman told me he could actually see the sweat flowing out of the pilot's uniform, soaking it around the chute and seat straps while he worked to regain control. The aircraft had gotten away from the IP but he eventually recovered it. As they wearily climbed back up to a safe altitude he recalled the student saying something like, "Gee, sir, that was interesting but I didn't see everything you did to get us out of that. Do you think you could do that again?"

My host and the pilot shared a knowing look once they were back on the ground, but said nothing to the kid. He told me he never before or since ever saw such a display of utter, stark fear displayed like that by anyone.

He didn't tell me, but I'll bet the IP kept that kid's attention on other things than asking questions in public about what they had done.

Very interesting tale Sir! Always a pleasure to hear from those who've been there.

 

[Milton Shupe]

This is certainly great news, I don't think there has been a detailed Marauder for FS9 since Dave Eckert's superb model, which I'm still flying. I got a CD player installed in that ol' bird.... probably will put one in this model too.

Any news of projects from "Shupe Industries" is always great news.

BB686

That was my observation as well, and yet even with age it gets a lot of play and attention. Yes, time for a newer version and I hope that together, SOH contributors can evolve a nice one for FS9 standards.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Yes! Milton doing a Marauder, this is amazing. I can't help too much with the D, but as for the short wing, which is my favorite variant, I can give you:

A documentary showing the stages of building a B-26, including a landing gear retraction/extension test (external and internal shots):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnb0Ib5F9GU

And the Pilot's Manual for the B-26-MA, B-26A and B-26B:
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/B-26/B-26_Operation_and_Flight_Instructions.pdf

I hope they're of use to you

Great! Thanks for any contributions. The gear movement is a key differentiation.
Familiarity with the model variants helps decision making.

I am modeling to the D50 but for the most part it is the same as the C model which added longer wings, main gear changes and other improvements.\
EDIT: From the variant info, the B-26B-55 thru B-26-C45 or 55 and Marauder II models that fit the current focus.

See variant info here.

Still working on the fuselage to get all the features in place before moving on.

 

[Willy]

I like A-20s, but I'm more excited about the Marauder. When someone says medium bomber it's the one that comes to my mind. A new Milton version?? I'm in love already.

 

[Maty12]

Also not sure if you have these, but could be useful:

B-26 Close-ups including gear and flaps
http://www.master194.com/photo_avion/b-26/index.html

Legends in their own time page:
http://zenoswarbirdvideos.com/More_B-26_Stuff.html

List of B-26s by serial number and production block:
http://www.b26.com/img/misc/martin_b26_marauder_specifications.pdf

 

[Milton Shupe]

Also not sure if you have these, but could be useful:

B-26 Close-ups including gear and flaps
http://www.master194.com/photo_avion/b-26/index.html

Legends in their own time page:
http://zenoswarbirdvideos.com/More_B-26_Stuff.html

List of B-26s by serial number and production block:
http://www.b26.com/img/misc/martin_b26_marauder_specifications.pdf

Excellent photos! Just in time Thank you Sir

Some progress here on the home front with all windows finalized, bombay doors cut in and animated.
Now to add the aft bombay doors.

 

[srgalahad]

No wonder there are so many pictures of B-26s after belly landings. I wonder what the emergency gear extension was like, but that is some complex retraction system...
http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/bill_spidle/b-26_walk_4.htm

The other pages have lots of handy pictures as well

 

[Milton Shupe]

No wonder there are so many pictures of B-26s after belly landings. I wonder what the emergency gear extension was like, but that is some complex retraction system...
http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/bill_spidle/b-26_walk_4.htm

The other pages have lots of handy pictures as well

Rob, Yes, great find; very good ref pics. Thank you

 

[Milton Shupe]

Now that I have the basic empennage in place, I can try to sort how that rear gunner area is shaped, then finish the h-tail fairing to fuselage.

 

[Ivan]

Hello Milton,

I got started in Flight Simulators with the help of a Marauder pilot.
I could not figure out why my computer could not run Combat Flight Simulator and he showed me his setup.
There is much more to the story in the thread describing my attempt at building a B-26.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/56695-Martin-B-26-Marauder-Project
I also settled on a late B model as the subject even though my friend mostly flew a G model.
He does have a pretty well known photograph showing him in what I believe to be an early B model though.
The idea was to build pretty much a generic B-26 with the visual (with some license) of a late B model but with the straight line performance closer to that of the early B model. Performance of the later models was much less impressive.

Whose drawings are you using? I could never find ones that had all the details I was looking for.
Specifically, I was and am still looking for a Station diagram and the Erection and Maintenance Manual for any of the long wing versions.

Be careful about the Canopy Framing on the Pilots side. It varies a bit between models.
Another area to watch is the Fin and Rudder. I don't know if the documentation shows it, but I believe there were at least two different possibilities.
Another feature worth mentioning is that this bird had a symmetrical airfoil as one might find in an aerobatic aircraft.
This design feature in my opinion was a major mistake.

- Ivan.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Hello Milton,

I got started in Flight Simulators with the help of a Marauder pilot.
I could not figure out why my computer could not run Combat Flight Simulator and he showed me his setup.
There is much more to the story in the thread describing my attempt at building a B-26.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/56695-Martin-B-26-Marauder-Project
I also settled on a late B model as the subject even though my friend mostly flew a G model.
He does have a pretty well known photograph showing him in what I believe to be an early B model though.
The idea was to build pretty much a generic B-26 with the visual (with some license) of a late B model but with the straight line performance closer to that of the early B model. Performance of the later models was much less impressive.

Whose drawings are you using? I could never find ones that had all the details I was looking for.
Specifically, I was and am still looking for a Station diagram and the Erection and Maintenance Manual for any of the long wing versions.

Be careful about the Canopy Framing on the Pilots side. It varies a bit between models.
Another area to watch is the Fin and Rudder. I don't know if the documentation shows it, but I believe there were at least two different possibilities.
Another feature worth mentioning is that this bird had a symmetrical airfoil as one might find in an aerobatic aircraft.
This design feature in my opinion was a major mistake.

- Ivan.

Hello Ivan

I am modeling to the drawings and specs for the B-26B-10 thru the B-26C45 / Marauder 2.
Drawings are by W.A. Wylam, but I have two other decent drawing sources for cross-reference, plus a pretty good dimensional drawing with key aerodynamic specs and a few station specs. None are original but have suffered copying, reductions, etc. They are generally accurate but contain many of the typical errors and side by side differences. One just learns to deal with that. Strangely his drawings says B-26D; can't find a single reference to that model variant.

I am not aware of any available station drawings with distances stated (at least at freeware sources), and I have not yet seen an erection and maintenance manual. I do have very nice training and POH manuals with important interior details.

I have a list of all the mods made by model variant so I can distinguish where these changes impact my work. I will not have a model with the diagonal brace on the left wing window, at least in the current design. Gun and tail arrangements will be as with the B-55 / C-45 variants (I am aware of the fin and tail differences, and length changes as a result). Initial model will of course then be long wing/tall Vtail/longer nose gear and revised mains with larger 50" tires. With the C-45 onward, the aft bombay doors were welded shut and the area was used for ammo storage for the rear gunner(s). Since I am representing earlier aircraft as well with this model, they will be functional.

Also familiar with the wing NACA 0017.64 airfoil used and its properties (tip was 0010.64). This will be used in the flight model.

With all that said, a precise model is not what I am after. My goal is a good likeness to the variants being modeled with dimensions as close as possible per the drawings and cross-ref'd with the specs. Many drawings have lines that, when zoomed in, are 2-6" wide. Hardly something that can be used for precision when crafting window frames or window sizes. So, I want models that represent the aircraft well in looks and general overall shape/size fidelity. The flight model will hit the numbers; that's a must.

I am considering a short-winged model just because there were so many of them, but changing the fin, nacelles, wings, fuselage tail, gear, tire size along with a new flight model makes me moan. The re-mapping I could handle; that's the easy part, relatively speaking.

BTW, did you ever finish your model?

 

[Maty12]

Before you get into the interior, I should mention what will probably be the best approach for that:

Milton, send Stan Piet at the Glenn L. Martin museum an e-mail. I did two months ago about the XB-33A and got an entire photo library of the wooden mock-up and blueprints that even showed the positioning of all interior equipment, as well as cross sections, and got to see the evolution from the first design to the last. I also asked about the PBM-5a and got a 19k pixel wide detailed drawing of the interior of the fuselage showing everything down to the actuators of the main landing gear to suspension travel to position of fuselage fire extinguishers, complete with a description of each item.

https://www.mdairmuseum.org/

All you have to do is fill out an online form and wait a few days (Or a few weeks, at most). Trust me, you won't regret it.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Before you get into the interior, I should mention what will probably be the best approach for that:

Milton, send Stan Piet at the Glenn L. Martin museum an e-mail. I did two months ago about the XB-33A and got an entire photo library of the wooden mock-up and blueprints that even showed the positioning of all interior equipment, as well as cross sections, and got to see the evolution from the first design to the last. I also asked about the PBM-5a and got a 19k pixel wide detailed drawing of the interior of the fuselage showing everything down to the actuators of the main landing gear to suspension travel to position of fuselage fire extinguishers, complete with a description of each item.

https://www.mdairmuseum.org/

All you have to do is fill out an online form and wait a few days (Or a few weeks, at most). Trust me, you won't regret it.

Thank you for the recommendation. Done.

 

[aeromed202]

Yay! Dad was a Marauder pilot in the 344th BS, K9-X. He didn't talk much about the war but did tell a few stories and I learned a lot from reading Wings of Courage by Jack Stovall. I would tip the scale towards the earlier short wing model if only for the difficulty of flying it well but any model would be a most welcome and handsome addition. My avatar shows him flying somewhere along the Southern Route on their way to combat in England.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Yay! Dad was a Marauder pilot in the 344th BS, K9-X. He didn't talk much about the war but did tell a few stories and I learned a lot from reading Wings of Courage by Jack Stovall. I would tip the scale towards the earlier short wing model if only for the difficulty of flying it well but any model would be a most welcome and handsome addition. My avatar shows him flying somewhere along the Southern Route on their way to combat in England.

Wow! That's great to hear. I agree about the flying difficulty part; a lighter, faster aircraft would be fun to do with that flying challenge. I haven't said "no" to that. Just have to see how things shake out here.

Slow progress today with so many things going on with the fuselage. Trying to wrap all fuselage attached items before moving on. Still have a few more items on the list yet.

Attached is progress today results including the interior model started for checks. Always gets redone many times.

Still unsure about my tall tail. Agrees with one drawing, not the other lesser two. Will resolve soon.

Bombardier's lower flat nose glass to be added, camera aperture windows in rear/aft BB doors, antennas, gun port in rear, and Htail fairing to fuselage. A few more hours and then on to the wings.

 

[Ivan]

Hello Milton,

Sounds to me like you have plenty of material for the project.
Just a minor word of warning though: Wylam wasn't very consistent with his drawings.
I found out the hard way when I used his drawings to build my first P-40E. It just didn't look right.
When I found better references, I found that almost every labeled dimension on his drawing was wrong and the dimensions I scaled from the drawing proved that the drawing was inaccurate as well.
The need for the station diagram is because the drawings I have for the Marauder do not agree in a few details.

As with the vast majority of my projects, it hasn't reached the releasable stage.... yet.
I haven't worked on it in a couple years.

A small anecdote:
After the war in Europe ended, there were a lot of aircraft around and a lot of crew as well but not necessarily a lot for them to do.
My neighbor convinced his squadron commander to come along for an odd test flight:
They took one of the Marauders up and shut off BOTH engines to see how well it would fly as a glider!

- Ivan.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Hello Milton,

Sounds to me like you have plenty of material for the project.
Just a minor word of warning though: Wylam wasn't very consistent with his drawings.
I found out the hard way when I used his drawings to build my first P-40E. It just didn't look right.
When I found better references, I found that almost every labeled dimension on his drawing was wrong and the dimensions I scaled from the drawing proved that the drawing was inaccurate as well.
The need for the station diagram is because the drawings I have for the Marauder do not agree in a few details.

As with the vast majority of my projects, it hasn't reached the releasable stage.... yet.
I haven't worked on it in a couple years.

A small anecdote:
After the war in Europe ended, there were a lot of aircraft around and a lot of crew as well but not necessarily a lot for them to do.
My neighbor convinced his squadron commander to come along for an odd test flight:
They took one of the Marauders up and shut off BOTH engines to see how well it would fly as a glider!

- Ivan.

LOL Ivan; I have not seen an accurate or consistent drawing in the 14 years I have been modeling. If I waited for that, I would never get anything done.

Since 2011, I have released 35 aircraft, a Racing car, and HMS Bounty. IMO, we have to learn to deal with and use what we have. We are not design engineering here; we are modeling to available drawings and doing the best we can with what we have. We create likenesses; that's the best we can do.

If we stand around awaiting perfection; there will not be aircraft to fly in the sim.

 

[Bushi]

I'm with Taff!!

Sooo many cool schemes for this airplane... and some so weathered they are magnificent!

and there is that 'Midway' low level mission mentioned! LOL

 

[Mick]

It's shame that Army PR flacks sullied the memory of their genuine gallantry by falsely claiming that the Army sank the Japanese fleet without any real help from the Navy, a slander that will never die as long as copies exist of John Ford's abominable, shameful Army-backed pseudo-documentary, even though it's been well established that through the entire battle no Army plane put so much as a single bomb, torpedo or bullet on the Japanese fleet.