Search the Community

HobbyBoss is to release a 1/48th Consolidated B-24J Liberator kit - ref. 81774 Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

Hobby Boss is to release in 2018-2019 two 1/32nd B-24 kits - ref. 83211 - Consolidated B-24J Liberator - ref. 83212 - Consolidated B-24D Liberator Source: https://www.facebook.com/TrumpeterModel/photos/ms.c.eJxFkdGRRTEIQjvaUVGj~;Te2czHmfTJROJhWQVhLnOo~_8tefdtVWg5Zdbfm9F3w0kOaR0Xr1Eeo4d16KWnu0VY~;~;zjfol3cewjzrmwcbHpfV~;vmlYPMP5yN3nzxp6w8M3~;I6~_Vt9~_3Bf8~_5bkz~_xPDH5uvk6~;rr~_ciZv74Wk3~_vv8b37735GHom9j7P~;4y~;6xet7gv20lof3anl8xXdcPyTvW~_8~;qumHWp7J0~;wHK7NkWQ~-~-.bps.a.910352652456662.1073742118.103526326472636/910353465789914/?type=3&theater V.P.

Hello! My next build is the fantastic looking Eduard "Riders in the Sky" Coastal Command Liberator. There are 13 (!) options for different schemes and I've decided to model the Mk. V, BZ755 as I like its clean lines and the two-tone camouflage on the uppers: First impression of the kit when you open the box is that there is a lot of plastic! As I'm sure lots of you know, Eduard have re-boxed a Hasegawa kit and added in some extra sprues to build up a GR Mk. III or V. The exterior detail of the kit is lovely with subtle, recessed panel lines and rivets all over. Inside is a bit varied, the bomb-bay detail looks good but cockpit and front gunner / bomb aimer position are pretty bare, there's also no detail in the front wheel bay. After checking out some previous builds on here and watching some walkarounds on youtube (of US B-24s admittedly) I've come up with an initial plan of action which will address the main areas which I think will make a difference: - Add detail to the cockpit and bomb aimer position, e.g. framework on the walls, some cabling, scratchbuilt bits and bobs basically. I might pose it with the cockpit windows open so a bit more can be seen - Do something about the front wheelbay, probably scratch built from plasticard - Add Eduard photoetch to the bomb bay, along with new resin bomb bay doors - Improve the rear crew compartment with framing on the walls, resin oxygen bottles and scratch made ammo boxes, etc - I'll display it with the hatches open so we can see a bit of what is going on inside - Resin wheels, engines and turbochargers Extra goodies arrived yesterday along with some paints so I can get started on the interior: I've started with the cockpit, taking off the blocks for the seats to sit on (I'll replace these with something later) and adding some plausible looking detail with aluminium tape. I've also removed a load of plastic from the panel which goes in front of the cockpit as this appears to have a bin a frame rather than a bulkhead. Thanks for taking a look, any hints or warnings greatly appreciated, and yep, I know I've got to find somewhere to stash a load of weight so it isn't a tail sitter: tungsten shot from my father in law's shotgun cartridge usually does the trick! I'm afraid my builds usually take ages so relax and put your feet up if you want to follow along. Cheers, Sam

Greetings all, This rather large box somehow appeared on my doorstep this week - how these things happen I shall never understand... I love the 8th Air Force and the B-17 and B-24 in particular, so decided to have a go at the recent HobbyBoss release of the B-24, or the 'crate the B-17 was delivered in' if you spoke a B-17 crew. Not very fair really, especially when you consider it could fly farther, faster and with a greater bombload than the Fort. The kit looks fairly simple in places as has been discussed at length elsewhere, but that's just what I'm after at the moment - something nice and straightforward but with an imposing end product. We shall see... Customary box shots: IMG_0197 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0199 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And progress so far... I thought I'd ignore the instructions and start with the main undercarriage bays. First up was a spraying of aluminium and a grey Flory wash to bring out some of the lovely detailing: IMG_0195 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Following by it all slotting together rather nicely into a very sturdy box-structure: IMG_0200 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0201 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr All that only took a couple of hours in total - lovely! Take care all, Tom

This one is full of different greens inside Enjoy!

Hi mates! I've finally finished a project that I originally started as part of the Obsolete Kit Group Build. The kit I chose is the old (and very obsolete) kit from Revell USA of the PB4Y-1 Liberator in glorious 1:72 scale. This kit first saw light of day in 1965, and I can remember my brothers and I building this (and blowing it up) several times in my errant youth. To pay for such past injustice, I was sentenced in my adulthood to think this would be an easy, quick project. Yikes! Project: Consolidated PB4Y-1 (B-24D) Liberator Kit: Revell Kit H-205 (1965) Scale: 1:72 (The Only Scale That Matters) Decals: Iliad Design Sub-Hunting Liberators No. 72001 Decals: Aviaeology B-24/PB4Y-1 Stencils No. AOD72S01 Resin: CMK B-24D Cockpit Set No. 7234 Resin: Quickboost Liberator Antisubmarine Radar No. 72170 Resin: Quickboost B-24 Propellers No. 72329 Resin: Quickboost B-24 Oxygen Cylinders No. 72319 Resin: CMK B-17 Waist Gunners Detail Set No. 7205 (used for the 0.50 Brownings) Resin: True Details B-24/PB4Y Wheel Set No. 72016 Photoetch: Eduard Big Ed B-24D Set No. 7252 Paint: Tamiya XF-2 Flat White, Gunze H54 Non-specular Sea Blue, Gunze H56 Intermediate Blue, Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black, Gunze H95 Smoke Grey, Alclad Klear Kote Flat Weathering: Pastel chalks Swearing: Loud and often Improvements/Corrections Removed all rivets; re-scribed all panel lines (they were already engraved, but inconsistent - not sure I improved it!) Replaced kit flight deck and nose gunner/bombardier station with CMK resin set and details from Eduard PE set Added all guns (resin stock and PE cooling jackets) and equipped with PE ammo belts Eduard PE colour seat belts in all stations Added port cheek window (not in kit) Scratchbuilt front landing gear structure from plastic rod and PE Main landing gear wells made from Eduard PE Scratchbuilt entire waist gunners area including fuselage structural members, floor, and gun supports Waist gunners area detailed with PE and resin oxygen cylinders PE ammo belts realistically draped from overhead ammo box into waist guns Added relief tube to port waist gun area (really!) All guns have PE gunsight (and I no longer have any eyesight!) 83 grams added up front to prevent tail-sitter! Waist gunners window panels made from film sandwiched in PE pieces Modified engine housings so propeller would be in correct position; replaced kit props with Quickboost resin Replaced wheels and tyres with True Details set (had to make the resin tyres not look flat) Added main landing gear retraction strut; detailed all landing gear with PE brake lines and oleo scissors Added radome in place of belly turret Scratchbuilt interior of top and tail turrets; replace kit clear parts with vacuform Replaced kit canopy with vacuform; added bulged side windows; added vacuform astrodome Replaced Fowler flap actuators and posed flaps in landing position Lowered elevators slightly; posed ailerons in off-neutral position Added PE deflectors forward of waist gunner windows Used decals to represent tunnel gun windows (because I forgot to put holes in the fuselage!) Added radial panel lines on both sides of each vertical tail with pencil Weathering by post-shading with paint and pastels; chipping on props with silver pencil Gear doors from Eduard PE Scratchbuilt forward pitot probes from styrene stock and hypo needles Added all antennae: Marker Beacon (underside of bomb bay catwalk), Command, Liaison, ADF, Sense, and one more that I have no idea what it is! 0.005" Nitinol wire used for aerials. Elapsed time: Approximately five months (too freaking long!) You can find all the details in two WIP threads, Part One in the Group Build, and Part Two in the normal WIP section. On with the pictures! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed this crazy obsolete kit build! A few in-progress shots: Cheers, Bill

So I decided to go big or go home this time. like many of you back in the day these larger kits were birthdays or Christmas presents. I love the 4 engine bomber kits as their size alone made them really impressive, especially hung from the ceiling fighting off hoards of Messerschmitts! The B-24 was always the ugly sister to the B-17 and was a less rugged aircraft. This rather elderly Airfix kit has all the old school moving parts and suffers accordingly fit wise. Despite all that I will give it a good shot. It's not too often you see a bomber with a shark mouth after all ! Tfl Greg

Well hi everyone! my builds are mainly focused on little planes with roundels on and mostly from the ETO/MTO, however I got sent some Transfers in an exchange from a lovely chap in Chicago... you may know him? Procopius is his name and he kindly offered to send some mozzie transfers in exchange for a set of Hampden ones i had. i was surprised to find a number of other sets it the envelope for B-24's that flew in the SEA theatre, what a nice guy! so Mr P consider this for you and your growing family... since getting them I have really wanted to build the below Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr I mean who wouldnt?! its got a massive sharks mouth! I have been hunting for an affordable lib kit ever since.... so while taking a jaunt round Telford with CedB i noticed a bargain, as Ced said they are bargains for a reason, and this ones reason appears to be its bomb aiming window is short shot... Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Not an issue as the front turret is also the wrong type and the astro dome needs moving forward to the nose, so I bought the squadron vac form set which should sort all my issues!? Its winging its way to from hannats as we speak and should be here tomorrow! Anyway, I have 'Balls out' to finish, the revell P-47 and a wild cat that's nearly there, so once they have been sorted i will start this.... wish me luck as its a bit of beast, and its my first four engined bomber in some time! I will get shots up of the kit and extras once I start this.... if anyone has any watch outs about the kit then please let me know! Rob. P.s. I think i may have a SEA phase coming up.... Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr

Didn't see this one coming: https://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/data/8wm201jteuwrebynljq7.html

Eduard is to rebox in 2017 with the appropriate add-ons the Hasegawa's 1/72nd B-24 liberator kit as Coastal Command GR.Mk.V. The Coastal Command's Liberators are iconic symbol for the Czech Units fightings alongside RAF. As for the recent Eduard's Mil Mi-24, this kit will be provided with a book on the type. Sources: http://www.72news.eu/2016/09/eduard-consolidated-b24-liberator-gr-v.html http://pwm.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=78501&sid=2fed11272508b70cc053fe34bdf286c4&start=645 V.P.

B-24 Liberator BIGSIN SET (SIN67212) 1:72 Eduard BIGED for Eduard/Hasegawa Kit Eduard now bring us a BIGSIN Set for the 1/72 B-24. These sets work out better for the wallet than buying all the sets as separates. Engine Set This set gives us complete one part engine castings with a PE wiring harness and other PE details Supercharger Set This is a set of drop in superchargers which are prominent on the aircraft. Some minor surgery is needed on the kit parts. Wheels Set This contains a full set of replacement set of wheels and the mud guard on the front leg. Masks are included for painting (not shown). Bomb Bay Doors This contains a full set of open bomb bay doors. These were unique on the B-24 the way they slid up the fuselage. This BIGSIN Set is recommended if you want to goto town on your Liberator Review samples courtesy of

Hello, Here is a conversion of the Academy/Minicraft 1/144 B-24J into an early C-87. The C-87 was a cargo/troop version of the B-24D. It had a rather poor reputation, in part due to numerous crashes while flying “the Hump”. One was built to function as the first Air Force One, but it was decided that the C-87 was too dangerous too carry FDR. The nose art is “Hump Happy”. The decals are ALPS printed. The olive drab/neutral gray paint is Mr. Color lacquer. The conversion required modifying the nose to a shorter solid piece and adding many side windows. The small windows were done with Kristal Klear and decal film. The tail has been modified and corrected. The cowlings and engines are resin replacements. The canopy has been replaced with a reshaped vacuformed part. If I can fix some of the problems that popped up in this build, this resin conversion may be released by Muroc Models. The issues included the vertical fins being angled too far back and the kit sitting tail high due to long main gear struts. The 7 grams of weight I put in the nose was not quite enough to make it sit on its nose wheel (In the pictures the model is sitting on a down-slope to make it sit properly). The Minicraft B-24 is a bear of a kit. You can see that a second test build is under way with the cargo door opened up. This will be finished as a bare metal aircraft. David Muroc Models

Riders in the Sky 1944 - RAF Liberator 1:72 Eduard Designed by the Consolidated Aircraft Company of California, the B-24 Liberator is famous for having been produced in greater numbers than any other Allied bomber of the Second World War. 18,482 examples were manufactured in total. Often overshadowed by the better known Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 was actually faster and could carry a heavier payload over a greater distance. Consolidated’s design incorporated a number of innovative features for the period, including tricycle undercarriage and efficient, high aspect ratio wings. The GR Mk V was developed from the B-24D, which was in turn an improved B-24C fitted with uprated R-1830-43 engines. The GR MK V was adapted for anti-submarine duties, with aircraft receiving search radar and underwing Leigh Lights. Some aircraft were fitted with underwing rockets as well. The introduction of the Liberator is credited as having an important bearing on the Battle of the Atlantic. The long-range patrol aircraft were able to close the mid-Atlantic gap and were credited in full or in part with the destruction of 93 U-boats. Eduard's latest Liberator borrows plastic from Japanese giants Hasegawa, sprinkled with extra Eduard goodies. Those goodies are not limited to photo etched parts, pre-cut paints masks and decals, but also include two complete sprues of new plastic parts that enable RAF GR Mk V variants of the famous aircraft to be produced. Also inside the box is a fairly hefty book about Coastal Command Liberators, with a particular focus on 311 Squadron. All of this is found within a commodious and lavishly illustrated top-opening box. As you would expect, the Hasegawa plastic parts are pretty much perfect. Surface details are crisp, clear and fine, while the overall finish of the plastic is beautifully smooth. The Eduard parts are distinguishable from the Hasegawa parts, but only just. Construction starts with the interior structures. This structure runs from the cockpit to the tail turret, and includes a full bomb bay and stations for the waist gunners. The spar for the wing is also accommodated within this sub-assembly. The cockpit is very well detailed by Hasegawa standards, and of course it benefits from extra parts such as a photo etched instrument panel seat harnesses, etc. The Liberator, with its tricycle undercarriage, is a notorious tail-sitter. Eduard's instructions show the placement of nose ballast but not the amount required, so you may wish to maximise the amount you can cram in just in case. Once all of that lovely detail has been sealed inside the fuselage halves, most of the clear parts can be fitted. The pre-cut masks come into their own here; they really are a God send when building a large kit such as this. The tail unit is a surprisingly simple part, with rudders and elevators moulded in place. Parts are provided for both the nose-mounted and ball-turret mounted ASV radar sets, so you will need to commit to a specific aircraft at this stage of the build. The bomb bay is nicely detailed and include bomb racks, but you can seal all of the detail behind the bomb bay doors if you want a more streamlined finish to your model (or if you simply can't be bothered to paint all of that detail). As with the tail, the wings are relatively simple, comprising upper and lower halves with the main gear bay sandwiched in the middle. The elevators are moulded in place. The engines are a more interesting proposition, with each pod made up from seven parts, including the two-part engine. The landing gear is nicely detailed, with flats moulded onto the tyres and separately moulded hubs. A nicely detailed Leigh Light is provided on the Eduard sprues, which also provide replacement parts for the turrets. There are three separate tail turrets to choose from depending on the option you wish to build. Optional rockets are also provided. The clear parts - both Eduard and Hasegawa - are nicely moulded and crystal clear. Several of the Eduard parts had become detached from the sprue and were loose in the bag however, so watch out for this. A staggering twelve options are provided for on the decal sheet: Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ721, flown by S/Ldr Terence Bulloch, No. 224 Squadron, St. Eval, July 1943; Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ723, flown by S/Ldr Alois Šedivý, No. 311 Squadron, Tain, October 1944; Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ774, flown by F/Sgt Otakar Žanta, No. 311 Squadron, Beaulieu, Autumn 1943; Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ779, flown by F/Sgt Josef Kuhn, No. 311 Squadron, Beaulieu, October 1943; Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ786, flown by P/O Jan Irving, No. 311 Squadron, Beaulieu, Autumn 1943; Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ796, flown by P/O Oldřich Doležal, No. 311 Squadron, Beaulieu, December 1943; Liberator GR Mk.V, FL961, flown by F/O Jan Vella, No. 311 Squadron, Predannack, June 1944; Liberator GR Mk.V, FL949, flown by F/O Josef Pavelka, No. 311 Squadron, Tain, October 1944; Liberator GR Mk.III, FL936, flown by P/O Ben Hall, No. 160 Squadron, Sigiriya, Ceylon, Autumn 1943; Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ832, flown by F/O Lloyd A. Trigg, No. 200 Squadron, Yundum, Gambia, August 1943 Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ862, No. 354 Squadron, 1944; Liberator GR Mk.V, BZ755, North West Air Command, Canada, Summer 1946 The painting and marking options are illustrated in full colour, while a seperate diagram is provided for the extensive selection of stencils. Conclusion A tie-in with Hasegawa was never going to be cheap, but with the extra plastic parts, the photo etch and masks and the excellent book, Eduard have managed to make this kit into a value proposition. Although they have released plenty of extra bits and bobs for this kit, what you get in the box is a pretty comprehensive package. If you want to build a Coastal Command Liberator, then this is a much better starting point than the Academy/Minicraft kit. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Greetings, styrene surgeons! Found these sent to me this morning- hoping this is the right location for this post- if not, Adm. please relocate! Some excellent early and late B-17F photos, as well as B-17G's, B-24's, and assorted WW2 types; some very famous examples scattered here and there, but I have not seen most of them before in other publications. I hope you enjoy them. (Sure wish the photographers had future model builders in mind when they took the photos- serials and codes would have been a real blessing!) Mike https://www.pinterest.com/pin/323977766931388450/?utm_campaign=homefeednewpins&e_t=b1ea75f7bb3b4e44b3750d519a4ead25&utm_content=323977766931388450&utm_source=31&utm_term=5&utm_medium=2025

All, I've just taken another look at the DK decals main website and they have now included the latest images of their five newest 1/72 decal sheets. 72014 - B-17 Flying Fortress in the Pacific. http://www.dkdecals.cz/B17_pacific_navod1.jpg 72015 - B-17 Flying Fortress in RAF & RCAF service http://www.dkdecals.cz/B17_RAF_navod1.jpg 72016 - 100 Group RAF http://www.dkdecals.cz/100GR_navod.jpg 72017 - B-24 in RAF & Commonwealth service http://www.dkdecals.cz/B24_RAF_navod.jpg 72018 - No. 311 Sqd. RAF http://www.dkdecals.cz/311_navod.jpg I especially like the 100 group subjects and have both books penned by Martin Streetly in my personal Library. I also have some of the earlier RAAF sheets and can honestly say that these are very nice decals indeed. Cheers .. Dave

Consolidated B-24 Liberator, B-24J 44-44175 Bungay Buckaroo at Pima Air & Space Museum, pics thanks to Mike. B-24M 44-51228 Dugan at The Imperial War Museum, Duxford. Pic thanks to Mark Mills.

Here is my latest one I just finished. Built for my brother in law as a present for his 40th birthday. He's obsessed with Warsaw Uprising of '44 so I've decided to make him B-24 Liberator from 1586 Special Duty Flight - a Polish squadron delivering supplies for the fighting Warsaw in August and September '44 from Brindisi, Italy. Front of the plane is a little inaccurate as the Liberators from that squadron didn't have front guns but I kinda liked this side window and the guns so I've kept them. Again, some Photoshop work to blend the diorama with the background photo. Thanks for viewing. Hope you like it (and him too).

Consolidated B-24 Liberator Warpaint Series No.96 In 1934 the United States Army Air Corps (US AAC) issued a directive, known as 'Project A', for a design to be produced for a long-range heavy bomber, which would have a range of 5,000 miles (8,045km); at a speed of 200-250mph (320-400kph); with the ability to carry a bomb-load of 2,000lb (907Kg). This defined range was judged to be sufficient for the defence of the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and Panama. The directive was issued to Boeing, Douglas and Martin aircraft companies for them to submit appropriate designs for selection. Boeing produced a winning design in their Model 299, of which a prototype was built and flown in 1935 and designated YB-17. Boeing was awarded a contract to produce the aircraft, by then designated the B-17 and full production started in 1939 and had the claim to be the fastest and highest climbing bomber in the world at that time. In 1938 the US AAC approached Consolidated Aircraft Company with the aim of getting this company to produce more of Boeing's B-17's under licence, thereby enhancing the production rate of these aircraft; however Consolidated had their own design for a very long range bomber using a new aerofoil type of wing, which had been previously patented for a seaplane, the Model 29. Consolidated was awarded the contract to design and build a test frame similar to the B-17 but after many design changes and adaptations the final prototype looked totally different and was designated the XB-24. Final acceptance, in the form of the YB-24 in 1939 led to the start of production of the B-24 version in 1941 and was supplied to both the US AAC and Britain from the outset and went on to become the world's most produced bomber - The Liberator. The Book Number 96 in Warpaint Books' series of aircraft titles, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator is considerably larger in content than most previous volumes; being 120 pages compared to the average 50 - 80 pages. The design continues with the longstanding and successful layout; which was originated by the late Alan W. Hall, of descriptive narratives detailing the history, advancements and variants that evolved, interspersed with good quality colour and black/white photographs, and illustrated with fine colour profile drawings professionally produced by Richard J. Caruana. The book, which has been excellently compiled by Ian White, starts with a typical introduction and explanation of the design history of the B-24 Liberator and this is complemented with black and white photographs of early design and production variants. Throughout the book there are tabulated information sheets, detailing aircraft serials and types; allocated formations and bases and also includes listings of aircraft allocated to British units with their serial numbers. There are other tables that include details of axis submarines sunk by AAC and USN Liberators and also some which were operated by Air Transport Command's civilian airlines. Another nice addition is the inclusion of colour maps, each showing operational areas with their base names and allocated units. Not only are the bomber units described, such as those of the US Eighth & Fifteenth Air Forces; RAF 100 Group and RAF Middle East etc., but also the B-24 variants which were used by RAF and Commonwealth maritime squadrons. The colour profile illustrations enhance the narrative and the illustrator is to be congratulated on deciphering the colours and markings which, for many, must have been interpreted from black and white wartime images. It is not just the B-24 that is fully described and illustrated in this fine volume but also its near sister the PB4Y-2 Privateer; the central vertical tail version operated by the US Navy & Coast Guard and which also saw service in the RAF as the Commando. The B-24 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer also had a successful post-war life, both in military and civilian service; including BOAC and QANTAS. There are some nice photos of aircraft in civilian guise, both in black & white and colour, which are accompanied by small discriptives of their operating airlines; such as Scottish Airline Ltd; Hellenic Airlines; Ste de Transports Aeriens Alpes Provence and Flight Refuelling Ltd as examples. The penultimate section contains various in-detail photos including a walkaround of the Liberator at the RAF Museum at Cosford and show Liberator B.VI, serial KN751. The final section consists of three pages of tables with listings of B-24 model kits; by scale, producer and version - plus decals and aftermarket products to enhance these kits. It is not clear whether these listings are of all kits, decals and aftermarket items that are currently available or a complete breakdown of what is and has been available but possibly now out of production. At the end of the book there is a set of general arrangement plans to 1:72 scale. Obviously at this scale the plans need to be large and these are produced on a glossy, landscape format, double sided A2 sheet which is bound within the last page and the end cover. The image below shows part of a plan on one side produced on an A4 size sheet. As you can see this only shows a quarter of the whole plan and there are two of these. The only criticism here, which is a minor one, is of the binding of the plans into the book. This obviously prevents the plan from becoming detached from the book and lost, however - being so large and folded to fit, it is not possible to open up the plans without having to cut them from the book. Conclusion This is another excellent book from the Warpaint publishers and is profusely covered throughout its 120 pages of historical data, photographs and profiles. The size of the book is to be applauded, with over 160 b/w & 27 colour photos; 26 datasheets; 37 full colour side-profiles on 6 pages; 6 maps and a large A2 size, two-sided set of plans on glossy heavy paper. All together this book should become an essential and major reference work on the B-24 Liberator and be kept near the modelling bench. Review sample courtesy of .

Hey everyone, As a young lad, I remember being really taken with the story of B-24 'Lady Be Good', the mystery of the plane herself and the subsequent story behind its discovery and its crew. (I think I read about it in a book called 'Great Air Mysteries') Then, there was Shep Paine's iconic diorama of the same plane which like a lot of his work, really inspired me to get into the hobby. I was thinking about maybe having a go at a similar diorama of the plane..but I'm wondering whether you think it's been done before and might look like a sad attempt at copying what is a great build? Even though it was a terrible ordeal for the poor crew, I really think it's a story that deserves telling in a hobby kind of way. Look forward to your thoughts.. Dermot

In the sequence of this thread (and I thank again all the contributors for the very good information) I started the work on the Airfix kit in order to convert it to a civil aircraft. It will be, most probably, either G-AGZI in Scotish Airlines livery or the same airframe in Greek colours. As discussed previously, the airframe was an LD-30 converted to the C-87 configuration, with a belly structure in place of the bomb bay. The photo bellow is from the warbird tech book: The bomb bay in Granger's plans: May I assume that the new belly profile is a straight line from E to G? It is what it seems to be on the photo above and, of course, it's a simpler structure than a gentle curve shown on some C-87 technical drawings. By the way, I also assume that this is the very same structure used on C-87's, not only one converted LB-30's. Is that correct? May I go ahead? (As a side note, the Academy bomb bay profile is wrong, being a straight line from E to G; As you may see from the plans and from many photos, [EF] is not in line with [FG]. They probably used Diamond Lil as reference, that was backdated from a C-87) I already took out the engine nacelles from the wings - will modify the kit rear nacelles and use the Revell PBY fronts as a model to make my own (the Academy Catalina engines are under scale). The wing profile also will look much more like the Davis airfoil of the prototype. The too small fins and rudders were enlarged with plastic card but must be finished, namely in the airfoil. Both Airfix and Academy made the sides uncorrectly parallel. The wing root was relocated 8mm to the back and the fuselage was extended by the amount needed to conform to the plans, as is was not tall enough. Still must cut it at the back, where a new tail cone must be scratched. The rear art of the fuselage was also thinned and must do the same to the nose. I have lots of in progress photos but no time at the moment to publish them.

Hi mates, Does anyone make aftermarket pitot tubes for a 1:72 B-24? These are the ones mounted on the top of the forward fuselage section, leaning forward looking like horns. I've just discovered that the ones included with my 1965 vintage Revell PB4Y-1 are not correct. Imagine that! Cheers, Bill