Hobby Master 1:72 Air Power Series Diecast Model

Douglas B-26K (A-26) Counter Invader – #64-17660, 609th SOS, 56th SOW, USAF, Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand, 1969 (Vietnam War)

1:72 Scale.  Length: 8.25".  Wingspan: 11.75”


Limited production of approximately 700 models worldwide

Operating from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand the 609th SOS, 56th SOW spent 1966 through 1969 flying highly modified B-26K / A-26B Counter Invader (Nimrods) on nightly patrols of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in search of North Vietnamese supply trucks. In December 1966 there were over 3000 sorties flown with B-26Ks flying 6.5% of the sorties but attributed with 64% of the 195 trucks that were destroyed. Thailand didn’t allow bombers, so the B-26K was designated as A-26A, “A” for Attack. B-26K Counter Invader 17660 ex 44-35608 was the 60th SOS / 56th SOW CO’s aircraft and was scrapped in 1972.

The Douglas B-26K Counter Invader was a modified variant of the A-26 Invader, a light bomber first flown on July 10, 1942 and used in World War II. Redesignated as B-26 in 1948 the Invader served again during the Korean War from 1950-1953 and was used primarily as a night intruder against North Korean supply lines. Removed from service in 1958 the B-26 was recalled for use in 1961 and deployed to South Vietnam with the 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron under Project "Farm Gate". The squadron’s mission was to train crews of the Vietnam Air Force to fly older U.S. aircraft including the B-26 and T-28. Combat duty and two decades of wear took their toll and in 1964, after two accidents, B-26s again were removed from service.

The first production flight of the extensively upgraded B-26K Counter Invader took place on May 30, 1964. The aircraft had improved engines, propellers and brakes, strengthened wings, wing tip fuel tanks and other refinements. The B-26K returned to Southeast Asia starting in 1966 and were deployed to Thailand during the Vietnam war to help disrupt enemy supplies moving along the Ho Chi Minh trail. In May 1966, B-26Ks were reassigned their old designation of A-26A. The last A-26 in active U.S. service was retired in 1972 by the U.S. Air Force.


Hobby Master offers a wide selection of quality, pre-assembled, die-cast model airplanes. Each model is crafted to a high level of accuracy using specifications of the original aircraft. They are constructed with precision-made diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of a B-26K Counter Invader features: