BY BILL ENGAR

ATLANTIS M6818 --  B-26 INVADER MEDIUM BOMBER -- 39 PARTS MOLDED IN SILVER AND CLEAR STYRENE PLASTIC -- PAINT AND GLUE REQUIRED FOR ASSEMBLY (SOLD SEPARATELY) -- RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 14 AND UP --  DECALS FOR OPTIONAL NIGHT-VERSION INCLUDED -- MADE IN USA -- MSRP $US24.99

Atlantis releases this former Monogram kit with all-new box art.

In 1955, Monogram Models released its 1/67 Douglas B-26 Invader.  The kit was regularly seen in hobby stores until the late 1970's.  After a half-century absence, Atlantis Models has brought it back.  A longtime favorite of many, the Invader was one of Monogram's early aircraft kits.  As a historic model from the early years of the hobby, it has rivets and raised decal locator markings.  Atlantis includes decals for a night-version of the Invader.

Atlantis' B-26 Invader has 39 parts including two transparencies.

The kit goes together like any twin-engine model such as a light bomber.  We didn't detect any major potential snags that will make this anything other than a leisurely nostalgic build.  The model has a simple silver or black paint scheme and of course the builder could leave it in the silver plastic finish.  This model really pops if sprayed silver or it will look super-menacing in glossy-black with red markings.

Small parts include turret guns, missiles, aircrew, propellers, etc.

The other sprue includes engines and rear stabs.

The builder who wants to create a nice replica can expect to clean up sprue attachment points, remove flash, fill some minor sinkholes, and perhaps use some putty in gaps typical of vintage kits.  The turret guns, M2 Brownings, are flat on the bottom.  A simple enhancement is to scrape a round cross-section with a hobby knife.  With eight guns in the nose and six guns molded into each wing, the Invader tops out with a lot of defensive and attack firepower.  Some of the small parts such as the guns, missiles and main landing gear struts have a piece of webbing between them that will need to be cut away and the resulting attachment points cleaned up.  Your hobby knife and some good sandpaper will pay their keep here.

Decals include a cool, optional night-version.

The "glass" is crystal-clear with nicely raised lines to aid in painting the framing.

Being an early model kit, there is no interior to speak of; three aircrew figures are simply glued to posts on the inside of the fuselage.  Transparencies are a tad on the thick side so any added detail will likely be hard to see through the window frames anyway.  Paint the pilots and provide some simple "figure weathering" techniques and they'll provide a sense of realism behind those windows.  Check out our cockpit photos later in the article.  The inside of the B-26 we photographed has a lot of basic-black.  Easy!

Instructions have you flaring the main landing gear axles with a hot knife to make a rivet-like retainer on the axle post so the main landing gear wheels will turn.  The front wheel is molded into the strut and obviously won't spin so there's probably no point in using the knife-trick on the mains.  Instead, cut the axles so the ends are even with the wheel hubs and glue them on.

The model has reasonably accurate lines.  Note the nose wheel, molded into the right-side fuselage half.

Two decal schemes are included.  The primary markings are for an overall aluminum airplane and follow the raised decal locator markings. Unlike many early aircraft model kits which had fabricated serial numbers and nose art, Li'l Nell #434311 was apparently an actual aircraft.   It served during the Korean War Era with the New Mexico Air National Guard.

Note decal locator markings on wing surfaces.  Wing control surfaces are metal.  Only rudder and tail moving surfaces were fabric-covered on the Invader.  So there's no need to paint a dull finish anywhere on the wings.  The Invader didn't have black leading edge de-icer boots, either.  This is one easy aircraft model to paint, or leave that silver plastic as-is!

Even though this was one of Monogram's early all-plastic model kits, the Invader has some impressive detailing which has made it a favorite of modelers of all ages for decades.  The one-piece engine cowlings have some piston and valve lifter engine detail and a very nicely done induction scoop at the top.  We'll have a couple photos in our Bonus Features with a closeup look at P&W Double Wasp engines.  It seems that most Monogram aircraft kits have props that are well done and the Invader is no exception.  We're not so sure the detailing on the pilots compares to the figures in similar Revell kits, but they'll look OK with a little paint and some gentle figure weathering.  The eight guns in the nose of the B-26 are just begging to be drilled out with a tiny bit in a pin-vise.  Use a fine needle to poke a pilot hole as close to the center of the guns as you can get to get the drilling started in the right place.  You don't need to drill very far in; even a fraction of a millimeter will be enough to suggest a gun barrel.  It'll add a touch of realism to your Atlantis Invader!

Closeup of engine detail.  Compare to photos later in the article.

Detail on the pilots is a tad "soft" compared to a Revell kit of the era.

Those eight nose guns are just awesome:  Drill 'em out!

Here's a closeup look at the raised decal guide markings and rivets.

For the alternate night-scheme (red numbers and insignias) , the aircraft is painted glossy-black.  The "E" and red tail# replace the B.  Insignias go in the same place as their day-markings counterparts.  The markings are "close" to the molded-in locator lines but the registration# 434391 was apparently chosen to nearly coincide with what is literally etched in the sides of the model.  Atlantis actually recommends scraping off the raised locator lines if using the alternate decals.  Use an X-Acto #10 curved blade or similar from another blade maker.  With everything painted black, they probably won't be that noticeable if you care to skip this step.

We love that the instructions retain original Monogram artwork.  Twelve assembly steps include English-only descriptions.  This sheet was written before the multi-lingual pictogram era began.

One reason we liked Monogram's A-26 Invader back in the day was the simple paint scheme.  If we weren't content with leaving it in silver plastic, spraying the entire model with some Testors silver spray-paint made it pretty much a one-and-done as far as painting.  Thanks to its mission, the aircraft didn't have de-icer boots so there was no need to paint those (the aircraft's mid-level bombing and attack role did not take it to high altitudes where wing icing would normally be a problem).  If you want to add a level of realism, the moving tail surfaces were all fabric-covered on the actual aircraft.  In our Bonus Features to this article, we'll have pictures!  You'd paint them more of a dull shade of aluminum or silver, or mask them off and spray them with a clear flat-coat to dull them down.

One box side includes kit specs, a brief history of the aircraft and a paint-colors list.

The kit comes with a stick to prevent the built model from being a "tail sitter" but there is plenty of room in the solid nose to add weight to keep the model on its front landing gear once completed.   You might want to fill the notch back there for the stick if you do this.

The other side includes a photo of a built and painted model.  Being manufactured by Douglas, the aircraft's likeness became the intellectual property of Boeing and Atlantis has negotiated with them to license this model kit for your enjoyment.

We think this model will look just fine if you carefully fill the center fuselage seam, working around and preserving the rivets.  Built right out of the box, the model looks great since it's generally accurate and very well-engineered for the period in which it was made.  It's also up to you if you want to sand off all the rivets and re-scribe the panel lines.  You could add more detail including opening up that nose gear bay or adding seats, bulkheads  and an instrument panel to that cockpit.  In our Bonus Features, we include photos of an aircraft that has additional wing stores.  You could add a few more bombs and rockets using or developing your scratch-building skills, or "borrow" some leftover bombs from one of your 1/72-scale projects.

We see plenty here to satisfy most airplane builders and collectors.  In addition to that easy-to-execute, eye-popping silver scheme, the night scheme will also stand out on your shelf.  Better buy at least a couple of these! 

Atlantis Models is an American company.  All kits are made and packed in the USA!

Box-bottom provides some box-art photos of Atlantis' "Greatest Hits."  We built the models shown on the back of the F-100 and F-89 boxes.

This is the view you get when you open the box for the first time.  Why not experience it for yourself?  Order an B-26 Invader or other fine Atlantis model kit today!

The 2Modeler.com guys' expectations were exceeded upon opening up this kit and we can't wait to get to a build.  We give this one Four Enthusiastic Thumbs Up!  

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Click these awesome Amazon links now to check pricing and availability of these Atlantis Models!  It's fun!

BONUS FEATURES

CLEARING THE AIR:  THE ABC'S OF THE A-26 AND B-26

During WWII, Martin's B-26 Marauder was a medium bomber.  It is distinguishable from Douglas' A-26/B-36 Invader by its circular cross-section fuselage and elliptical wings and tail surfaces.  Douglas' A-26 was an attack-plane designated with the letter "A" for Attack during WWII.

The two aircraft were engineered and built by two completely different companies and had two differing missions.  However, they did share the same basic configuration and two major components.  Both aircraft used P&W R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines and Browning .50-cal M2 machine guns.  Martin's B-26 used the Brownings as defensive armament with up to twelve guns installed.  Douglas' A-26/B-26 used the guns for attack.  Your Atlantis B-26 is depicted with 18 Browning M2 .50-caliber guns!!!

Douglas' B-26 was not always the B-26.  It was never the Martin B-26.

Martin's B-26 was always the B-26 but never when Douglas' B-26 was the B-26.  Yeah, we were confused too.

Post WW-II, the Martin B-26 was retired since its medium-bomber mission was quickly made obsolete by advances in technology.  However, the newer Douglas A-26 was barely cutting its teeth.  By 1948 after the USAAF was replaced by the U.S. Air Force, many aircraft types were redesignated and the Douglas A-26 received the B-26 designation.  In 1947, the Air Force retired the A-for-Attack designation so the Invader became the B-26 with the B-for-Bomber prefix that had been a staple of the USAAF for some years prior to WWII.  The "new" B-26 (Invader) was early in its history when this occurred.  It had service yet-to-be performed during the Korean War and Vietnam War and wasn't retired until the 1970's!

However, the story of the B-26's designation didn't end there.  With the commencement of combat operations in Vietnam circa 1962, the Air Force decided to bring back the "A" for Attack designation (the US Navy never quit using it as demonstrated with their A-4, A-5, A-6, and A-7).  B-26's based in Thailand in 1966 were designated A-26A's since Thailand did not want U.S. bombers on its soil during that period (they later relented, allowing B-52's to be stationed there).  It would seem that the B-26 name remained elsewhere.

In the 1970's, the USAF used the "A" designation for its attack aircraft with the development and deployment of the Fairchild/Republic A-10.  However, the famous F-117A Stealth "fighter" didn't receive the A-for-Attack designation even though it was exclusively an attack aircraft.  Top-tier Air Force pilots preferred to fly an airplane with a Fighter designation according to Ben Rich, Development Manager for the F-117A and this has been cited as one reason for picking the "F" designation for what was referred to as the "Stealth Fighter."  The otherwise improper use of the "F" designation was also an aid in hiding the true nature of the aircraft during the relatively lengthy period it was top-secret during its development and early deployment.

VISIT IT!

Visit the SAC Museum (Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum) in Ashland, NE.  It's just down the road from Omaha.

We made a quick stop at the SAC Museum in Ashland, NE on our way home from the IPMS/USA Nationals on Aug 10, 2026 after picking up our Review Kit from Pete Vetri at Atlantis Models.  In preparation for this article, we took a series of pictures of their B-26B Invader, #44-34665.  We found it interesting that the aircraft didn't have nose art or a name, just A-26B 44-34665.

This A-26B has had the top turret deleted.

The SAC Museum received their A-26B Invader in late 1969.  The aircraft was originally delivered to the USAAF just after the conclusion of WWII.  Note that the top turret has been faired over.  The engines behind the cowlings have been painted black as an anti-glare measure.  Crews liked the all-black engines because the paint hid unsightly oil streaks that were ever-present on radial engines.

Seat cushions are olive-drab and cockpit interior bulkheads are Instrument Panel-Black!

Here's a view of the inside of the left-side engine.  Spinners polished-aluminum.  Piston detail is hard to see thanks to spark plug wires and valve lifters.

An accuracy concession is the rather skimpy-looking front landing gear tire on the kit.  The tire should be much fatter, more similar to the much more accurate Mains.  Some of us like to keep the kit "the way God intended it" out of the box with its accuracies as-engineered and that's fine, but the alternative is to appropriate a new one from the spares box or build up the kit part with some sort of putty such as Sculpey.  While you're at it you could scratch-build a new front wheel well.

Here's the left-side main gear wheel well, looking towards the rear.

Here's a look at the front landing gear bay and strut.  Note the chubby-looking tire compared to the kit's.

Our look at the landing gear bays reveals light-gray paint inside on this particular aircraft, not zinc-chromate green.  The front wheel well is fairly shallow.  There's a cutout where the tire fits.

Ailerons and flaps are as shiny as the wing as can be seen in this photo.  All wing areas with rivets are bright silver.

Note the dull-silver on the fabric-covered rudder.  Moving horizontal stabilizers are also dull-silver.  On the kit, those surfaces have lines representing ribs, not rivets.

AFTER HOURS:  THE NIGHT-ATTACK VERSION OF THE B-26

The Hill Aerospace Museum is located near Exit 338 off I-15 at the northwest corner of the base.  Admission is free!  Bring the whole family.

After getting home from the IPMS/USA Nationals in mid-August 2026, I paid a visit to the Hill Aerospace Museum to share some photos of their B-26 in night-attack colors.  Yes, you'll want to purchase a pair of Atlantis B-26 kits because the built model will be spectacular in either scheme.  Brudder Dick and I first visited the HAFB museum together about 40 years ago when it was just a few Korean War-Era fighters parked along a frontage road just inside of Hill Air Force Base.  Today it is one of the country's premier air museums with an impressive collection of historic Air Force planes.  They've acquired some very interesting one-of-a-kind aircraft.  Admission is free!  We definitely recommend a visit.

HAFB's "Grim Reaper" has a similar history as SAC Museum's bird.  Built in 1945 as a "C" model (glass nose).  Backdated to a B-26B and given Korean War Era 13th Bombardment Squadron markings.  The HAFB Museum (now Hill Aerospace Museum) received it in 1990.

"Grim Reaper has a completely different vibe than the SAC Museum's B-26.  Atlantis' kit has an alternate set of markings to build a similar night-version to what you see here.  Of note is the enhanced weapons load in lieu of deleted canisters!  Why not try adding some extra weaponry to your Atlantis B-26?  You could use a pair of M57 (250 lb) bombs from a 1/72 model (they're so close in scale the size won't be noticed).  Rockets could be scratch-built from kit sprue.

Atlantis' night-time markings will go in the same places as their daytime counterparts.  Use the raised locator markings to align them.

This view has a good look at underwing ordnance and placement of that lower wing USAF insignia.

The model will be painted in overall glossy-black.  Propellor blades should be semi-gloss.  Prop spinners glossy-black.  Wheel wells, landing gear struts and wheel hubs should be silver.

There's a lot of stuff in front of those pistons!  Note glossy prop hub and gray crankcase.

Landing gear and wheel hubs are aluminum-silver.

Here's another look at a main gear wheel well.

Use locator-markings for the tail markings.  Painting the red flashes on tail and engines is optional -- the "night scheme" included on Atlantis' decal sheet is fictional with numbers that closely align to the raised decal locator markings.

We noted that Grim Reaper's nose guns are configured a little differently that what is found on the Atlantis kit.  Grim Reaper has six guns with one pair offset to the right side.  This was an earlier configuration than what is found on the Atlantis kit and the aircraft at the SAC Museum.

In our last photo, that's an F-117A on the right side and an A-10 on the left.  Along with the B-26A, this represents about 2/3 of a century of USAF attack air power.  Hill AFB's museum has many other cool aircraft including the one-of-a-kind SR-71C, a U-2, an early F-22, and an interesting trio of F-16A's.  "Little Precious" was a HAFB test bird.  It has wing cameras that were used to verify clean weapons separation.  #81-0678 was one of the famous Thunderbirds and #079-0388 was one of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing's early active-duty aircraft being a favorite thanks to its tail#.  I have a soft spot in my heart for the F-16A as I worked for a while at HAFB on the F-16 during the transition between the "A" and "C".

B-26 BOX ART HISTORY

Atlantis' B-26 Invader has had some interesting box art throughout its history.

Monogram's box art from the first 1955 issue of the B-26 Invader.

In the early 1970's, Monogram changed their boxes to a photo of the model on a white background.  The built model was spray-painted silver.

Atlantis used this 1960's Monogram box art for some early boxes.  Artwork by Lou Drendel.

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