Jump to content

Hasegawa 1/72 B-24J, 15th Air Force


Recommended Posts

 

IQRU8Pv.jpg

 

 

 

irNp3eZ.jpg

o4fUAVC.jpg

 

I say ‘representation’ for two reasons; it is not the best build - I really am getting a bit old for this fine work stuff - and I am not really sure the decal manufacturer and the references in one particular book and the interweb have got it right.

 

I was attracted to the Aeromaster 72-020 B-24 Liberators Galore set. The problem is that they have the rudder markings in red. This is correct for the 456th, but the diamond and clover symbols are consistent not with the 456th, but the 455th, specifically the 741st Squadron. In the Osprey work by Robert Dorr, B-24 Units of the Fifteenth Air Force, at p.29, the red scheme is repeated and the aircraft credited not to the 455th, but the 456th BG. This conflicts with Paloque’s Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces and Watkins’ Battle Colours vol. 4. Both publications have the colour as yellow, not red.

 

I resorted to Kenn C Rust’s 1976 publication Fifteenth Air Force Story, which at p.53, shows a 455th B-24 with what he describes as yellow rudders. That photograph is not of great quality but suggests that the engine cowl rings are the same colour. This conflicts with Watkins, who infers a ‘plane-in-squadron’ colour of green. I think green would have shown up darker. However, Watkins, Rust and Paloque concur on the 455th BG rudder colour being yellow and the diamond / clover leaf logo combination being 741st BS.

 

So I took the diamond and clover leaf symbols from the decal sheet and did the rudders and cowl rings yellow. I left off the aircraft name ‘Sissy Lee’ because that seems to have been for a 456th B-24.

 

Michael

 

 

  • Like 28
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Truly rare!

I have 2 waiting in the stash for 2 years now and am afraid to start building them because they require a lot of effort to straighten them up.

The problem with 15th AF is that there weren't a lot of Js, but plenty of Hs and others, so there is very little to choose from.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Josip said:

Truly rare!

I have 2 waiting in the stash for 2 years now and am afraid to start building them because they require a lot of effort to straighten them up.

The problem with 15th AF is that there weren't a lot of Js, but plenty of Hs and others, so there is very little to choose from.

From the literature I have to hand, there were still enough J variants to keep one busy. There are some interesting patterns on the clear nose parts of the Hasegawa kits to give a very good outline of window variations. There is one rectangular outline that would be a very close approximation of that often-found M variant window. Many of these window variations were field modifications, especially when it came to bubble-type rather than flat versions. Whilst the Hasegawa kits do not lend themselves to the inclusion of these bubble windows, they do allow for variations in the nose turret by supplying suffucient bits for the installation of an A-6 or A-15 nose turret.

 

Apart from the references given in the original post, the Squadron / Signal B-24 in Action is particularly helpful in sorting through the variations. The Warpaint series (no. 96) book Consolidated B-24 Liberator, at p.48, suggests there were enough Js to go around.

 

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...