Peter seems to have hit the nail on the head. That it is a camera housing (as originally seen on NX622) is discussed in the MMP Lancaster Survivors book on page 127

A forum should be a community were we talk and listen to each other not a kind of one way traffic like television….

Agreed – Fascinating to Google “Pampa14” and see how many forums this guy posts on – using the same text every time – and never responding after his first post to bait the trap.

As a fully paid-up and certified member of the Roundel Police, did they just paint an RAF Roundel over the star part of the stars and bars, leaving the bars visible – like they did in the British Pacific Fleet – or has the paint weathered back to reveal the bars. If that’s the case then it’s odd that so much of the roundel remains.

And don’t get me started on those hideous computer graphic representations of Beaufighters etc. The covers of Airfix boxes 40 years ago were more realistic and I know because I was making those models!

Same difference – the artist is the same one who does the boxart for Airfix nowadays. Don’t forget that Key also publish Airfix Model World so there is likely to be some connection there.

Does anyone know if the plane came into action during WW2?

You could always try Googling to find the answer

Wikipaedia states

“While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18, the B-23 was not comparable to newer medium bombers like the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat overseas, although for a brief period, they were employed as patrol aircraft stationed on the west coast of the United States. The B-23s were primarily relegated to training duties although 18 of the type were converted as transports and redesignated as the UC-67.

The B-23 also served as a testbed for new engines and systems. One was used for turbosupercharger development by General Electric at Schenectady, NY”.

But then nobody would click on your blog and you wouldn’t get any money

Although I’m not in the business, I can’t see recent generations of aircraft (perhaps with the notable exception of Art Nialls Sea Harrier F/A.2 and the Thunder City jets) being flown on a private basis – so what you see is what you’re likely to get – cut-off and timewarped at early/mid 1960’s technology. I guess even that pool will be reduced as spares run out or become shelf-life expired – and the small number of airworthy examples and their value means that the new manufacture of spares is uneconomic

In terms of gaps in the static population I guess that some of them will be filled by serendipitous discoveries like the African/French Maryland(whatever happened to that??) or by dogged individuals willing to go the extra 100 miles to rebuild/reproduce/re-create viz Stirling/Whitley/Whirlwind/Mosquito etc