Help with identity of 59 Squadron Liberator

[BBRBOB]

Hi,

 

I wonder if anyone can help me?  My Uncle flew with 59 Squadron on Liberators from 1944-46.  I have a picture of him with a Liberator with nose-art that I want to model. It is a Liberator V with a kicking donkey on the left side nose. I have bought the Eduard Overtrees and believe that it's either the first Liberator he flew with 59 - FL944 'G' - or the one he flew on his first operational sortie - BZ712 'D'.  I could be wrong though and it's just one that was parked up and they wanted a picture!

 

Pictures of 59 Squadron Libs seem really rare (Even on Lorenzo's great website which seems to be down at the moment) and any help or other pictures would be really appreciated.  I have tried displaying the image here from both Photobucket and Flikr, and read the guides but it either doesn't show or I just get a red box, arghh! 

 

This is the link that should work though -

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53460050@N03/27082037827/in/dateposted-public/

 

Thanks.

 

Bob.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2018 by BBRBOB
Formatting..

[Graham Boak]

J Oughton's Liberator book for Air Britain has two photos of 59 Sq Mk.Vs.  BD717 1.X with Dumbo radar, BP tail turret, no top turret, and BD781 1.X, with no nose radar, no visible top turret.

Edited May 7, 2018 by Graham Boak

[BBRBOB]

Graham, thanks for that.  I've been doing some Googling and another person was looking for the same A/C about a year ago.  They posted this picture -

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/53460050@N03/40152731440/in/dateposted-public/

 

This shows more of the fuselage and identifies it as a 59 Squadron Liberator "E".  I have checked my Uncle's logbook and he flew in this plane for his 3rd Op on 27/09/44.  It is recorded as serial number FL792.

 

Now does anyone have any advice on how to cobble together some decals for this plane and how to scan and print the kicking donkey?  Thanks for the help.

 

Bob.

 

 

 

[Graham Boak]

Should be FL972, recorded as 59/E.  FL792 is not a Liberator serial.

 

You don't say which kit you are using.  Eduard do a CC Mk.V which should provide you with most of the relevant markings.  Code Letters and serials can be obtained from a number of sources, with Hannants being your first stop.  Hasegawa do the best early Liberator but expensive.  I don't know whether the Eduard one is based on the Hasegawa or the cheaper but less accurate Academy.  (Somebody will.)

 

For the donkey - you can buy a sheet of blank transfer sheet and practice painting it until you get it satisfactory.

Edited May 7, 2018 by Graham Boak

[Seahawk]

55 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

I don't know whether the Eduard one is based on the Hasegawa or the cheaper but less accurate Academy.  (Somebody will.)

Hasegawa.

[72modeler]

Bob,

 

The Eduard kit is the Hasegawa kit reboxed with parts and decals to do the British Liberators.

You could scan the photo you posted with the kicking mule and then resize it to what you think would be correct in 1/72 scale. Then you can make copies and trace over it, painting or inking over the lines in whatever color/s you estimate the nose art might be- good luck on that one! Hope you can pull it off, as a Liberator in that scheme, with the modifications made by the British, as well as the nose art, will  make it a very distinctive Lib, indeed!

Mike

[Troy Smith]

20 hours ago, BBRBOB said:

I have tried displaying the image here from both Photobucket and Flikr, and read the guides but it either doesn't show or I just get a red box, arghh! 

 

This is the link that should work though -

Liberator by bbrbob, on Flickr

 

on bottom right, 4 symbols, the 'right pointing arrow' says 'share photo'  clcik, and then look for 'BB code'

cut paste that code , and pic shows.

HTH

 

[BBRBOB]

Liberator FL972 'E' by bbrbob, on Flickr

 

Thanks!  Are those REALLY whitewall tyres though? American???

Edited May 8, 2018 by BBRBOB

[Graham Boak]

Nothing American about it - the outer sides were painted white to assist the camouflage.  Note that the inner sides remained unpainted.

 

"Kid" Hofer's P-51 had whitewall tyres, but that was just in order to look flash.