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Revell 1:72 Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator


Navy Bird

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Hi mates,

 

I started this project as part of the BM Obsolete Kit Group Build, but was not able to finish in time for today's deadline. So I've moved the build thread over here so I can continue posting future updates (such as today's). Now that it's no longer part of the group build, let's consider it a photo essay of one man's dark journey into the depths of insanity.

 

The kit itself was released in 1965 when the young Master Navy Bird was a mere pip of a lad, just ten years old:

 

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I remember my brother building this kit (in its B-24D guise) and then promptly blowing it up with firecrackers. Ah, the joys of youth! I bought this kit at a recent club meeting for a mere $1.00 USD, and thought it would be perfect for the group build.

 

But before you go any further...please read the first part of the WIP thread here. If you don't, then you won't know what's inside this little beastie! And there are a LOT of goodies inside!

 

This weekend's progress was not as much as I'd like, but wifey and daughter seem to think there are other kinds of building that I should be doing, like trees and decorations and wrapping and cookies. Oh, and snow removal...arghhh.

 

For those who've been following along, you'll recall that the vacuform canopy and nose glazing (which were designed for the Hasegawa kit) do not fit the old Revell kit. I'm therefore going to use the kit parts even though they're a wee bit on the thick side. The most troublesome part, though, is that the nose glazing had some guide hole pockets moulded on the inside, and they're not hidden by any framing. I sanded them off, and while I was at it I also sanded as much of the inside as I could. I started with 400 grit, advanced through 2,000 grit and then switched over to Micro Mesh and went up to 12,000. The nose glazing then got two coats of Future and the difference was amazing. I could actually see through it, and the residual distortion is caused by the curves, and there's not much I can do about that. The canopy on the right had not been sanded, polished, or dipped in Future yet, and I was hoping for a better before and after effect. The photo does not do this justice!

 

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In order to be able to see at least some of the new cockpit, I decided to open the windows on the canopy. I used my razor saw, following guides made by a scribing tool. I plan on using clear sheet styrene to put the rear window back in, and also for the sliding front window. After cutting the windows out, I sanded, went to town with the Micro Mesh and dipped in Future.

 

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Back to the nose glazing - it seems the typical front armament for the sub hunters consisted of two Brownings mounted in the forward position, one high and one low. The cheek guns are not installed in the reference photos that I have. And since I made the nose glazing so nice and clear, those forward guns are going to be nice and visible. I added two resin gun stocks to the inside of the nose, and I'll add the gun barrel and cooling jackets later (since they protrude out the front, and I'd rather only break them off a minimum number of times)!

 

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I then added the ammo belts, and bent them into a shape that simulated their normal "droop" from the ammo box to the breech. The ammo belts are from the Eduard PE interior set, and are hard enough to fold into the U-shaped cross section, let alone get them into this shape. But they look really cool...

 

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Next I began the dual of the day - masking the nose. I'm not sure why, but Eduard doesn't offer die-cut masks for the 1965 Revell Liberator kit. They're missing a huge market of $1.00 kits lurking in attics across the globe. So out came the trusty Tamiya tape, my old Mark 1 eyeballs, some extensive trial and error, a lot of cursing, and at the end of the day she was masked. I then glued the nose onto the front of the old bird, and you know what? It almost looks like it belongs there. I had to add some framing that Revell forgot.

 

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You may notice that I also added the tail assembly from a few nights ago. In addition, I've temporarily mounted the engine/cowlings since I want them in place when I paint the fuselage. They're tacked in with white glue. Since this plane will have the USN tri-colour scheme, the cowlings get all three colours and it's important that the demarcation lines match the nacelles. I'll do the detail painting of the engine faces after I remove the cowlings, as it will be easier to handle. The nose isn't a perfect fit, so my next job will be to get out the filler (I'll probably use wall filler, or spackling compound).

 

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Before I tackle blending the nose into the fuselage, I painted the nose Interior Green, which is the colour that the inside of the framing should be. If I didn't do this now, and waited until after the blending, then it's possible that the colour of the filler would be visible through the nose glazing (looking through to the opposite side). And that would just be a horrible thing.

 

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That's where she sits right now. I've put the first application of wall filler down, and I'm waiting for that to dry. Then I suppose I will have to go back to work tomorrow morning. Oh drat.

 

Cheers,

Bill

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I reckon you deserved an extra month build time both for the sheer ambition of your project and the fact that you've achieved such incredible things at each and every stage! :thumbsup:

I was seriously contemplating parting with a limb for a couple of Hasegawa Liberators because I thought my Academy kits weren't good enough.....This build has completely changed my perspective! :winkgrin:

Edited by Sgt.Squarehead
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Hi mates,

 

I've blended nose glazing into the fuselage, and then primed the model with Alclad Grey Primer. Here she is:

 

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If I'm lucky I'll get a chance to paint the USN tri-colour scheme soon and get the transfers on. Not a lot left really - and it almost looks like a B-24D.

I just noticed today that the nose gear well opening is offset to one side by a couple of millimetres. Odd, I don't recall reading that the actual aircraft was like that. Well, it's on the bottom, who's going to see it? :)

 

Cheers,

Bill

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I don't normally follow the group builds so I had missed this one. But boy am I glad you moved it over to the WIP section. I've just spent an hour reading up on the previous installments; time very well spent since I have plans, although yet only tentative, to build one of these sub-hunting Liberators. So far I have aquired decals for RCAF Lib's (http://www.aviaeology.com/aod72001.html) from Aviaeology, producer of some of the best researched decals on the market, and some resin parts from Pavla. No PE parts or even a kit yet. But this build will certainly provide inspiration. Will follow this now with great interest and keeping my fingers crossed for a successful completion (not that I doubt it, judging by your previous excellent models here on BM).

Edited by Sten Ekedahl
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Hi mates!

 

Holy Frijole! I actually painted the beast - been waiting for this for what seems like forever. Using the photos of the crashed Gallopin' Ghost, I painted the three tone demarcation lines as best as I could interpret them.

 

Colours used were Gunze H54 Navy Blue (their version of Non-Specular Sea Blue), Gunze H56 Intermediate Blue (their version of, er, Intermediate Blue), and Tamiya XF-2 Flat White. The characteristic black wing and tail de-icers were not installed on the PB4Y-1 fleet in Brazil.

 

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What to do with weathering? Photos of these birds from Brazil indicate that they were pretty clean. Even the crash photos of the Ghost don't show a lot of weathering. I'll probably just fade some panels on top of the fuselage and wings, and then do some light weathering with pastels after the transfers are on and the final flat varnish has been applied.

 

I also made my final decision on the markings. As I mentioned in an earlier post (over the Obsolete Kit Group Build, I think) the decal for the "Gallopin' Ghost of the Brazilian Coast" is slightly out of register (the grey extends beyond the black borders of the letters). Not a lot, but those things bug me for some reason. Therefore, I'm going to use the markings for "Subduer" - which in addition to adding some colour (red), the nose art also goes on both sides of the nose.

 

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I have to do some touch up on the area where the wing flaps retract, and then add the ailerons, elevators, and flaps. Then a quick coat or two of clear gloss, and we'll add the markings.

 

Cheers,

Bill

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On 12/29/2013 at 19:32, dr_gn said:

Stonking job.

I want to remove that masking tape right now. Slowly, to reveal that perfect framing....Owwww yes you little minx.

Sorry, but I really like removing Tamiya tape from trasparent plastic.

 

Ha! Me too! I'm not so sure about "perfect framing" though...

 

Cheers,

Bill

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Hi mates,

 

I added a couple of coats of Future in preparation for the decals and a wash, and then realized that outside of the national insignia, the serial number, and the nose art, I didn't have any additional decals. The model is a pretty big canvas for so few decals...so I began searching for aftermarket sheets of B-24 stencils. It took me a while, but I finally found a 1:72 sheet of Early B-24/PB4Y-1 airframe stencils from Aviaeology in Canada. I promptly ordered the sheet, but it will be a week or more before I get it.

 

So I guess I'm in a holding pattern right now. Back to my Skua project to keep me busy!

 

Happy New Year!

Bill

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On 1/1/2014 at 05:25, Shalako said:

Happy New Year Bill!!!

Your Liberator looks fantastic. It would be nice to see you build a PB4Y-2 also!!!

 

Thanks! I think you're right, a 4x2 would look quite nice alongside the 4x1. I guess the Matchbox/Revell kit is the way to do that, although I've read some bad reviews about that kit. Even still, I've seen it built up, and it sure looks the part. I'll keep my eye out for one, they show up on EvilBay every now and then.

 

And while we're thinking along these lines, how about a B-32? I think Anigrand makes a 1:72 resin kit. Should only set me back about 100 quid.

 

On 1/1/2014 at 08:01, Hamden said:

B-24 looking magnificent can't wait to see her with make up on

Roger

 

I added all the decals I had last night. I'll try to post some more photos today. It's weird working on the PB4Y and the Skua at the same time. One is just a wee bit bigger than the other... :)

 

On 1/1/2014 at 08:22, woody37 said:

She's really coming together now Bill, it's tempting me to have a go at a B-24 next, great inspiration :)

 

For some reason, the B-24 (along with the Lanc) has always been one of my favorite WWII bombers. Probably because it is not elegant in the least, it looks like a freight car full of bombs. Menacing in a way, maybe even brutal. There is a time and place for sexy, elegant aircraft, but I don't think it's bombers! Carrier On-Board Delivery maybe, but not bombers. :):):)

 

Cheers,

Bill

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She's really coming together now Bill, it's tempting me to have a go at a B-24 next, great inspiration :)

I'd buy that for a dollar! :thumbsup:

I'd love to see you do a Coastal Command bird, to cover the other end of the Atlantic patrol. :coolio:

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I'd buy that for a dollar! :thumbsup:

I'd love to see you do a Coastal Command bird, to cover the other end of the Atlantic patrol. :coolio:

Planning for a weathered green 8th Air force one, got the Hasegawa kit...but there's a thought!

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I added the PE deflectors in front of the waist windows, and then applied the few transfers that I had. Now we're waiting for Mr. Postman to deliver the sheet of PB4Y-1 stencils that I just ordered.

 

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This might turn out OK after all. Who woulda thunk? :)

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

PS. That reminds me, I can start popping off the cowlings so I can paint the engine faces. If you recall, they're just held on with white glue, so they should just come right off - or so I hope!

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Its looking gorgeous Bill! Certainly as good as any of that overpriced Hasegawa rubbish. Here's hoping that the US postie is a bit better than his UK namesake!

Martin

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Thanks! I think you're right, a 4x2 would look quite nice alongside the 4x1. I guess the Matchbox/Revell kit is the way to do that, although I've read some bad reviews about that kit. Even still, I've seen it built up, and it sure looks the part. I'll keep my eye out for one, they show up on EvilBay every now and then.

And while we're thinking along these lines, how about a B-32? I think Anigrand makes a 1:72 resin kit. Should only set me back about 100 quid.

Cheers,

Bill

I don't know what your plans would be if you decide to build an PB4Y-2 but, Matchbox's kit (or Revell's - I prefer Matchbox's because of the lovely Indian girl nose art it has) surely looks - overall - accurate.

Now, a B-32? WOW!! That's very tempting!!!!

Cheers

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