Minicraft B-24M nose on Hasegawa B-24

[Steve N]

Hi All,

 

I received a request to repost these pics, since the ones I posted years ago disappeared in the Photobucket debacle.  When Hasegawa released their new-tool 1/72 B-24s ten years ago, they boxed a glass-nose D-model and a turret-nose J.  I was curious about adapting the kit to make other variants, particularly a B-24 built at the Ford plant in Willow Run, Michigan (my home state.)  Something on the order of one-third of all B-24s were actually built by Ford, and they had a distinctive nose profile.  The only injection-molded kit of a Ford-built Liberator is the Academy/Minicraft B-24M (when Academy and Minicraft split into separate companies, the molds for all the B-24s went with Minicraft, and have been produced under their label ever since.)

 

When first inspecting the Hasegawa B-24 kits, I was encouraged by the fact that the forward fuselage separates at the diagonal panel line at the back edge of the cockpit, allowing them to use the same basic tooling for both the D and J.  Minicraft uses the same approach with their B-24 series.  As an experiment, I temporarily lashed the Minicraft B-24M nose onto a Hasegawa fuselage.  I was most happy to find that it fits very well.  There's a slight gap along the belly, but nothing a bit of shimming with strip styrene won't take care of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used the Minicraft cockpit canopy in my little experiment, since the Hasegawa kits have the canopy molded integrally with the top of the forward fuselage.  Even the canopy fits pretty well.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Steve

 

[JPuente54]

Nice to know information, thanks!

Joe

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Thank you so much. Ive been wanting an “M” for a long time. Now i know how to get there. 

[72modeler]

1 hour ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Thank you so much. Ive been wanting an “M” for a long time. Now i know how to get there. 

Me. too! I wish I had bought an M when they were first out and pretty cheap- you should see what they're going for, now! I have two D's, two PB4Y-1's and one J, but no L or M, doggone it! I do have a Hasegawa D and a J. I would trade them all for a state of the art PB4Y-2 Privateer!

Mike

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 minute ago, 72modeler said:

I would trade them all for a state of the art PB4Y-2 Privateer!

DITTO !

[Chuck1945]

Thanks Steve. Now to see if I have any Minicraft Liberators.

 

This does apparently answer my rhetorical question from the 72 scale forum asking if the Academy/Minicraft PB4Y-1 ERCO bow turret will fit a Hasegawa 'J'  

[bentwaters81tfw]

To all you guys looking at Liberator front ends, you need a copy of Consolidated Mess, because that describes in nicely. The amount of variation is incredible, even in the same sub variants. I'd like a 1/48 Privateer, but have to be content with the Matchbox 1/72 version, which scrubs up ok.

[occa]

What about the wind shield arrangement of late built Ford AC ?

Is there any kit around that has it ?

 

B-24 Liberator Assembly Line at Ford Willow Run Bomber Plant, circa 1944

 

The Last Ford Built B-24, 1945

 

Pics taken from here:

B-24 and the Willow run bomber plant (Flickr)

 

[72modeler]

3 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

To all you guys looking at Liberator front ends, you need a copy of Consolidated Mess, because that describes in nicely. The amount of variation is incredible, even in the same sub variants. I'd like a 1/48 Privateer, but have to be content with the Matchbox 1/72 version, which scrubs up ok.

Yep- it's my Bible for the gun-nosed Libs...sure hope the author follows it up with a volume on the earlier versions; unless William Wolf has a B-24 book in the works- either way, Lib modelers would be well-served!

Mike

[72modeler]

17 hours ago, occa said:

What about the wind shield arrangement of late built Ford AC ?

Is there any kit around that has it ?

 

B-24 Liberator Assembly Line at Ford Willow Run Bomber Plant, circa 1944

 

The Last Ford Built B-24, 1945

 

Pics taken from here:

B-24 and the Willow run bomber plant (Flickr)

 

Looks like two brand-new B-24N's in the background of the second photo....I just now noticed them!

Mike

[Steve N]

21 hours ago, occa said:

What about the wind shield arrangement of late built Ford AC ?

Is there any kit around that has it ?

 

B-24 Liberator Assembly Line at Ford Willow Run Bomber Plant, circa 1944

 

The Last Ford Built B-24, 1945

 

Pics taken from here:

B-24 and the Willow run bomber plant (Flickr)

 

Not that I'm aware of.  That type of canopy was developed for the single-tail B-24N, part of a major makeover intended to correct all the deficiencies of the Liberator, once of which was poor cockpit visibility.  I'd have to dig out my copy of Consolidated Mess, but I think that canopy was only incorporated of the very last of the Ms on production line.  The B-24M in the American Air Museum at Duxford has it, as it was the last B-24 in USAF service.  The LB-30 AM927 "Diamond Lil" has that style of windscreen as well, because as a company plane she was being continuously tinkered with throughout the war.

 

SN

[Jackson Duvalier]

Interesting topic, Steve.

 

After I finally got my hands on a copy of Consolidated Mess, I was filled with equal parts inspiration₁  and despair₂. A small taste of reference material only makes me want more, and CM is not a small taste.

 

I feel somewhat inadequate as I only have five Liberator kits on the shelf.

 

_1. Huzzah! Lots of information to build an accurate turret nose Liberator!

_2. Aaaargh! The information indicates that no kit is accurate for anything particular... and there's still not enough information!

[ALG]

Greetings!

 

I am indeed working on Volume II of "Consolidated Mess", this to deal with the glassnoses. Nearly every B-24 file in the U.S. National Archives is in the process of being examined and the data gathered. The result is a HUGE amount of data and photos, enough so that there will be a Volume III dealing with the F-7's, C-109's, C-87's, etc. Currently I'm trying to determine whether the experimental aircraft should go into Volume III or into Volume II if they were based on a glassnose and into III otherwise.  

 

In the research process I'm finding a huge amount for updating Volume I, but that process is going to have to wait until I get Vol. II done - or close to it if we are going to release Vol II and an updated Vol. I at approximately the same time. If anything, the glassnoses were more complicated than the turret-nosed aircraft. The most direct reason was going from an idea to a prototype to early production to massive changes to make the aircraft combat-worthy in a period of about 2 years. 

 

With regard to the kit mod being undertaken in this thread, I can't tell from the photos if the Academy kit has the distinctive "shelf" around the fuselage at the turret base. This and the "S" - and there are, of course, variations on the "S" unique to the M - are the distinctive identifiers of the Ford turret nose. There are additional identifiers such as the shape of the bombardier's glass, the fact that ALL Ford nose-turreted aircraft used the Emerson turret, the late M's "airliner windshield", etc. The "shelf" should be your first concern if it isn't on the kit. I'm thinking that layered strips of sheet plastic would be a good way to create this. A look online at any Ford B-24H on up will show you the shelf. 

 

I hope this helps. I'm here to answer any B-24 questions and to help clear up the endless misinformation and misconceptions about the B-24.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Alan Griffith, author

"Consolidated Mess, Vol. I"

[Steve N]

6 hours ago, ALG said:

With regard to the kit mod being undertaken in this thread, I can't tell from the photos if the Academy kit has the distinctive "shelf" around the fuselage at the turret base. This and the "S" - and there are, of course, variations on the "S" unique to the M - are the distinctive identifiers of the Ford turret nose. There are additional identifiers such as the shape of the bombardier's glass, the fact that ALL Ford nose-turreted aircraft used the Emerson turret, the late M's "airliner windshield", etc. The "shelf" should be your first concern if it isn't on the kit. I'm thinking that layered strips of sheet plastic would be a good way to create this. A look online at any Ford B-24H on up will show you the shelf.

Unfortunately, the Academy/Minicraft B-24M lacks the characteristic Ford "shelf."  Here is the same part I used in the above photos, but with a quick brushed-on coat of primer (something resembling Dull Dark Green.)  Still, it's a better starting point for a Ford-nose B-24 than any other kit, although it would take considerable surgery and rescribing to turn it into an H-model. 

 

 

The Minicraft B-24M also lacks the rectangular blown cockpit side windows.  The kit includes what are supposed to represent the side windows with the oval bubble, but are molded in solid clear plastic, which looks awful.  The only way to get the correct M-model canopy is to by Falcon Clear-Vax set #46..unfortunately a rather expensive option.  Or if you have a vacuform machine, you can attempt to make your own..I experimented with that back in the 90s with indifferent results.

 

Thanks for your comments, Alan.  Looking forward to your next book!

 

Steve

Edited April 21, 2018 by Steve N

[tonyot]

I have been trying to get hold of one of these kits for ages but to no avail,....... which is a pity as I really want to build an RAF SEAC aircraft with the later rectangular nose windows and glazed waist positions! 

Good luck with yours,

 

Cheers

         Tony