453rd BG Museum Build - A pair of Liberators

[Stew Dapple]

As has been noted, Jim at the 453BG Museum at Old Buckenham in Norfolk was exceptionally kind to our forum-buddies @Procopius and @Cookenbacher during their last (but hopefully not their last) visit to the UK, so I was very pleased to be asked if I would contribute a build for the museum.

 

I chose to do a couple of B-24D's, because I like the Liberator and haven't built one since the Airfix kit many, many years ago. Jim was having a bit of trouble sourcing kits for this (again, as noted elsewhere on this very forum Liberator kits are taking on the mythic qualities of hen's teeth), but I happened across a batch of part-started Hasegawa Libs which I snagged from ebay and Jim has given the green light and will provide markings for the aircraft he would like done - I don't know which particular aircraft he has in mind beyond that one is from the 44th BG and one from the 93rd.

 

I don't usually buy started kits, but the good news is that whoever started them has done a good job of the parts they have assembled, the downside is that most of the parts are off the sprues and I suspect I shall spend as much time rooting through boxes and bags as I will actually sticking stuff together and painting it. Also, the cockpit interiors have been assembled (but mercifully unpainted) which will make painting them a bit of an exercise  

 

Here's one:

 

 

The others are in amongst here:

 

 

While I was finishing my last build, I ordered in some aftermarket:

 

 

I don't think Jim has a specific completion date in mind, so if fortune allows I may build a couple of B-24H's afterwards depending also on how much fun the Hasegawa kit is to build  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[woody37]

Looking forwards to watching Stu, can't resist a good Lib build!

[Hamden]

 

I will follow along if you don't mind?

B24 one of the best looking aircraft of its class IMHO

 

   Stay safe           Roger

[dogsbody]

Got in early to this one! I like a front row seat.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Johnson]

Interesting project Stew. Must add a B-24 to my collection. What a lot of bits! Best of luck!

[rob85]

This is fantastic Stew! And it looks like you got a good deal on those two!

 

Yeah Jim appears to have had a bit of a time getting hold of lib kits. It is frustrating that a subject that is very popular is so hard to get hold of with out paying big bucks. I’ve said the same to Jim that if I just build one and he can send me some options then that’s fine.

 

he’s popping some transfers in the post and appears to have some other kits sorted and slowly on their way which is good news!

 

interested in you wanting to build some H’s, don’t see that very often.

 

I’ve managed to get hold of an eduard b24D ‘Mission Centenarians’ which comes with all the bits for a D and a J which should kill a few birds with one expensive stone.

 

looking forward to what you do and will be taking notes!

 

Rob

 

 

[Fritag]

I’ve pulled up a chair too if that’s ok.  Always loved the look of the B24, and to see a pair stewed should be a treat 

[Stew Dapple]

17 hours ago, woody37 said:

Looking forwards to watching Stu, can't resist a good Lib build!

 

Thanks Neil, I hope it will be a good Lib build  

 

13 hours ago, Hamden said:

 

I will follow along if you don't mind?

B24 one of the best looking aircraft of its class IMHO

 

 

You're very welcome Roger  It's a good-looking bird, isn't it?

 

13 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Got in early to this one! I like a front row seat.

 

Make yourself comfy Chris  

 

12 hours ago, Johnson said:

Interesting project Stew. Must add a B-24 to my collection. What a lot of bits! Best of luck!

 

Thanks Charlie, I'll feel a bit more confident of where I'm going when the transfers arrive, and yes, the bits in the photos are the bits that are bagged up, I think some digging around will be required amongst the other boxes as I go...  

 

12 hours ago, rob85 said:

interested in you wanting to build some H’s, don’t see that very often.

 

Ah, you got me there Rob, I might have meant a J for at least one of them, I really can't tell the difference  

 

8 hours ago, Fritag said:

I’ve pulled up a chair too if that’s ok.  Always loved the look of the B24, and to see a pair stewed should be a treat 

 

Cheers Steve, I'll do my best of course  Are you back in England now?

 

I've got what I think are the appropriate colours for the interiors: Dull Dark Green for the forward section, Neutral Gray for the bomb-bay, landing gear wells and gear legs and Yellow Zinc Chromate Primer for the rear fuselage:

 

 

Any suggestions or corrections please sing out soonest  Also would appreciate it if anyone knows what colour the turret interiors were? And the insides of the cowlings?

 

I've somehow finagled to have three three-day weekends in a row (happy days) so should be able to make some solid progress   

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[tomprobert]

Re. interior colours - from research I’ve done over the years the rear fuselage would be aluminium. Forward fuselage and flight deck are bronze (dark dull) green as you state, with the bomb bay indeed being neutral grey. Turret interiors would be bronze green with the sights and fuse boxes being black. 
 

Wheel bays and engine cowl interiors are also aluminium. 
 

However, considering the B-24 was built in larger numbers than any other US bomber, as well as being constructed in numerous different factories and sub-depots, there was no hard and fast rule and there were considerable variations. The info I’ve given above is a ‘general rule’ but no one could ever tell you whether your choice of interior colours was correct/incorrect for certain - unless you paint it fluorescent pink of course... 
 

Hope that helps and good luck with the builds - I’ll be tagging along!

 

Tom

Edited May 14, 2021 by tomprobert
Typos

[Stew Dapple]

Thanks Tom, that's exactly the sort of advice I needed  

 

45 minutes ago, tomprobert said:

unless you paint it fluorescent pink of course... 

 

Noted, thanks. Not fluorescent pink 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[franky boy]

Great stuff Stew 

 

Very jealous that you’ve got some Lib kits to build. Looking forward to it. 

 

James

[CedB]

I'm in Stew, of course  

All those boxes - what a great find! I hope you don't have too much trouble sorting out the bits.

 

Very envious of the paint collection - certainly appropriate for a henchman!

[Fritag]

2 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

Are you back in England now?

 

Breakfast in Edinburgh before sneaking back across the border  

 

Amongst other things we cycled part of the ‘Salmon Run’ cycle route - from Pitlochry down as far as Perth - didn’t get as far as Dundee - although I understand the route between Dundee and Perth is beautiful.

[Dandie Dinmont]

Those boxes of loose bits look scary Stew, seems like quite a task you've taken on. I shall follow progress with interest.

 

Craig.

[Cookenbacher]

On 5/13/2021 at 2:06 PM, Fritag said:

Always loved the look of the B24, and to see a pair stewed should be a treat 

Mmmmm, stewed B-24's.

[Stew Dapple]

On 5/14/2021 at 7:33 AM, franky boy said:

Great stuff Stew 

 

Very jealous that you’ve got some Lib kits to build. Looking forward to it. 

 

Thanks James  It's a shame that they are so hard to come by, as it does look a really nice kit

 

On 5/14/2021 at 7:40 AM, CedB said:

I'm in Stew, of course  

All those boxes - what a great find! I hope you don't have too much trouble sorting out the bits.

 

Very envious of the paint collection - certainly appropriate for a henchman!

 

Thanks Ced  Sorting the bits has been a bit of a trial, but I think I'm just about there. Yes, henching does have it's own Employee Benefits Scheme  

 

On 5/14/2021 at 8:46 AM, Fritag said:

Breakfast in Edinburgh before sneaking back across the border  

 

Amongst other things we cycled part of the ‘Salmon Run’ cycle route - from Pitlochry down as far as Perth - didn’t get as far as Dundee - although I understand the route between Dundee and Perth is beautiful.

 

Mmm full Scottish Breakfast I trust  I went camping in the hills near Pitlochry a couple of years ago, the dog picked up about a million ticks and I lost my glasses (don't s'pose you saw them, did you? ). Hope you had a good visit anyway  

 

On 5/14/2021 at 9:16 AM, Dandie Dinmont said:

Those boxes of loose bits look scary Stew, seems like quite a task you've taken on. I shall follow progress with interest.

 

Thanks Craig, I think I'm getting there  

 

8 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Mmmmm, stewed B-24's.

 

I know, it would be delicious  I read it in Homer J Simpson's voice, was that how you wrote it?  

 

My own links with the 8th Air Force are tenuous to say the least - my father was evacuated from Cavendish Street in Ipswich (which was quite near enough to the docks to be at risk from bombing) to Fenn Street, near Debenham, to live with his gran and grandad. He would sometimes go up to Mendlesham where like many of the local boys they would watch the aircraft (of the 34th BG) taking off and coming back. Aside from the excitement of watching the planes, the GI's on the base would throw 'candy bars' over the fence to the children, which no doubt cemented their popularity, as chocolate was rationed in the outside world but not at the PX store on the base. The site of Mendlesham airfield is now a small industrial estate and the location of a large telecommunications mast, most of the outlying buildings and dispersal hard-points are gone, but I believe one of the hangars is still there, or at least was when I was a boy. I should point out that my dad can be something of an unreliable witness; he once told me he had shot down a Ju88 from the top of Mendlesham Mast, which would have been quite an achievement, given that he was about six years old when the war ended and the telecommunications mast wasn't built until the late 1950's but as a child I believed him, as small children tend to believe everything their parents tell them  

 

Anyway: I think I've got enough parts together for the two B-24D's. As far as possible I've tried to use the parts that were already assembled by the previous owner as a gift to Future Me, who can use more of the parts that are still on the sprues for any subsequent builds. I really do spoil Future Me, but he never does anything for Current Me, the ingrate  

 

Here we are:

 

 

Still got to clean up the seams on the wings and tailplanes and other bits and bobs here and there, but I think I'm about ready. The metal things on the left of the bench are self-adhesive tyre balancing weights that Jamie was kind enough to give me some time ago; the instructions indicate a need for 90g noseweight which is going to be a squeeze, to say the least.

 

From what Jim told me about the markings choices he wants used and some detective work on the available aftermarket transfers, I believe the kits will possibly be marked as "Princess"/"Prince-bottom"*/"Prince" from 44BG and "Hell's Wench" from 93BG as these are in the Possum Werks set - I hope so anyway, as "Princess" has a really nice pin-up girl nose-art; from what I have seen of the instructions it looks like an early iteration with only the blue-circled stars (no bars) and without, I imagine, the extra nose-gun fit carried when she force-landed in Sweden in May 1943.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

* Damn you, profanity-filter! I'm sure you get the drift, anyway  

[CedB]

Nice start Stew, looks like you've got it sorted  

[The Spadgent]

That’s a lot of bits!  Great to see another one of Jim’s builds up and running. I’ll pull up a sand bag. 😀

 

John.

[perdu]

Following on from Tom's always valued advice when I was doing my Catalina I found this turret picture which confirms Tom's words, oh by the way of the American biggies from the war Liberators are my favourite so I will be slipping in to the bar occasionally for a light refreshment or two. OK?

 

Ah yes the photo, bronze green/dark green innards to the PBY front turret I think.

[perdu]

Oh yes, Caninophile? Is that in the foothills of the Olympus range?

 

Asking for a friend.

 

Beginning to wish he hadnt nudged me with it at the bar now...

 

 

Ticks.

I remember when our dog, bless his absent soul, picked some up a couple of times.

 

Relentless, evil little gits arent they?

 

Caninophile , looks a nice mate to have.

[Cookenbacher]

16 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

I read it in Homer J Simpson's voice, was that how you wrote it?

You know me too well Stew!

 

Don't get me started on Future Me, he's always like, "Past Me shouldn't have worried so much, didn't he know it would all work out?" Infuriating.

 

Glad to see you're organized as ever Stew, can't wait to see these B-24's get stewed.

[Stew Dapple]

21 hours ago, CedB said:

Nice start Stew, looks like you've got it sorted  

 

Thanks Ced, yep there are no doubt some bits I'll need to find as I go along but that's certainly the bulk of it located  

 

19 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

That’s a lot of bits!  Great to see another one of Jim’s builds up and running. I’ll pull up a sand bag. 😀

 

John.

 

Thanks Johnny, it looks a lot, but for a four-engined heavy it doesn't look that complex a kit (according to the instructions, which may be a cruel lie, of course )

 

18 hours ago, perdu said:

Following on from Tom's always valued advice when I was doing my Catalina I found this turret picture which confirms Tom's words, oh by the way of the American biggies from the war Liberators are my favourite so I will be slipping in to the bar occasionally for a light refreshment or two. OK?

 

Ah yes the photo, bronze green/dark green innards to the PBY front turret I think.

 

Thanks Bill, glad to have you along  

 

18 hours ago, perdu said:

Ticks.

I remember when our dog, bless his absent soul, picked some up a couple of times.

 

Relentless, evil little gits arent they?

 

Caninophile , looks a nice mate to have.

 

He is a good little fellow most of the time; and trusting too - I've got one of those tick-removal tools and bless him, though he gave me many sidelong glances he stood still for me when I had to remove the tick that had taken up residency where his... erm, his man-vegetable bag... joins his body. I think we were both relieved when that one was over  

 

 

6 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

You know me too well Stew!

 

Don't get me started on Future Me, he's always like, "Past Me shouldn't have worried so much, didn't he know it would all work out?" Infuriating.

 

Glad to see you're organized as ever Stew, can't wait to see these B-24's get stewed.

 

Thanks Cookie, I'm under way...

 

The bombays and fittings got a shot of Neutral Gray 43:

 

 

... and I started preparing the front end for the Dull Dark Green. The entire nose section is moulded clear, which seems to me a bit of a disproportionate effort to avoid providing the nose-windows as extra parts but I suppose Hasegawa had their reasons. You can just apply the Eduard mask set to the outsides and spray the whole thing Dull Dark Green before applying the exterior colours, but I thought I'd give the interior a coat too, in case it looks 'shiny' inside due to the paint being on the outside of the clear plastic.  I roughly masked the window areas, put a blob of Blu-Tack in the astrodome et viola:

 

 

Then I filled the starboard forward window framing, which wasn't present on the -D model of the B-24 as far as I can tell:

 

 

That'll need a little rub-down later.

 

Finally, I started a bomb-factory:

 

 

16 x 1000lb bombs for the two aircraft. Hasegawa provide the bombs in four parts, and you drill out two blind holes in one side or the other depending on whether the bomb hangs in the port or starboard side of the bay. The two-piece tails look pretty good too  Hopefully I'll get time to crack on with them later.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[rob85]

That looks like a lot of plastic, and I hope the previous owners work is a good quality!

 

glad to see these moving forward stew, good luck to Past, present and future you!

 

Rob

[CedB]

Great start Stew  

 

Masking the internals is definitely the thing to do, or so they tell me…

 

Four part bombs? Good grief. Having to drill the locating holes is a bit of a pain too but it looks like you've mastered it, as usual.

[rob85]

Yes Ced is right! Sorry missed that last picture of your work. Mask and paint the inside and out as it is easier, coverage is hard work on clear parts. Also your right it will be very shiny and the colour will be darker due to the gloss effect (hope that makes sense?)

 

Rob