Popular Post tomprobert Posted April 17, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted April 17, 2022 (edited) I've put the finishing touches to this 1/32nd scale B-24 over the Bank Holiday weekend and took advantage of some spring sunshine to take some pictures of the completed model outside in natural light. I've been working on this on and off for a year or so, and it has been the ideal project to pick up and do a bit to as and when I felt like it. This model doesn't get the best press but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. You can spend a fortune on after-market improvements if you wish, but other than some seat belts, resin wheels and gun barrels, this is how it comes in the box. The interior is crammed with detail and took a long time to complete - excellent value for your money when you compare it to the price of the other 1/32nd 'heavies' on the market. Fit was excellent throughout and the only filler used was to deal with a small gap along the underside of the nose where, I believe, I hadn't got the interior aligned as perfectly as I could. The turrets, however, are a weak point of the kit. It's been well documented that the rear turret (and forward turret on the J-version) have a very visible seam right down the middle. Aftermarket replacements are currently sold out so instead I used the kit rear turret and painted the mating surfaces black before gluing and this has made the unsightly join a little less conspicuous. For some reason Hobby Boss put heavy framing on the upper turret which doesn't exist on any B-24 turret I've seen, so this was sanded off and the dome given a good polish so it now better represents the Martin turret fitted to this model of Liberator. I didn't want to risk putting the colossal amount of nose weight into this as I was using the kit's plastic landing gear (which is perfectly strong enough to cope with the weight of the 'un-weighted' model) so I made a tail strut as was so often put in place when B-24s are parked on the ground. The kit doesn't come with the most inspiring of schemes for an olive drab B-24, so I did a bit of research on 'Satan's Angels' and painted the model to represent this aircraft as it would have looked in the autumn of 1943 with the group insignia on the tail and the short-lived red surround to the stars and bars. This aircraft was actually written off in a landing accident at Lympne in Kent, when the nose wheel collapsed and it ended up in a ditch on 13th November of that year. I used Kits World national insignia as well as the Profimodeller stencil set. All in all a very enjoyable build, and if you want a large 1/32nd bomber that doesn't break the bank but still gives you plenty of detail, I thoroughly recommend this kit. All the best, Tom Consolidated B-24D Liberator, 'Satan's Angels' of the 328th Squadron of the 93rd Bomb Group, based at Hardwick, Suffolk, Autumn 1943. Edited April 28, 2022 by tomprobert Typos 97 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted April 17, 2022 Share Posted April 17, 2022 That is one heck of an impressive model Tom, well up to your usual high standards. Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOX Posted April 17, 2022 Share Posted April 17, 2022 Nice work ! Did you do something extra to the canopy ? because the windows look very clean and transparent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deano353 Posted April 17, 2022 Share Posted April 17, 2022 That's great I'd be tempeted with one of these but I don't have the room. It must be massive! I didn't realise the landing gear retracted like that into the wings either that's quite interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted April 17, 2022 Share Posted April 17, 2022 Sounds like a good kit to build. I have the A/B-26B in this series but unfortunately it's too much of a dog's breakfast even for me at this stage! I'm always impressed by your amazing consistency of finish over such large models, really impressive as ever 👏👏👏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted April 17, 2022 Share Posted April 17, 2022 Looks mighty good to me! Seeing what you've done, I'd be inclined to give it a go myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritag Posted April 17, 2022 Share Posted April 17, 2022 Glorious B-24 Tom. Enviably neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweener Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 This has come out very well Tom, I especially like the red-surround roundels. I may have to source some of those for when I get around to finishing my Academy D Model. Speaking of that Academy kit, I was pawing through it again yesterday. I'm choosing not to imagine the scale of the Hobby Boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 Good grief! Polystyrene overcast. Very nicely finished model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted April 18, 2022 Author Share Posted April 18, 2022 (edited) 17 hours ago, Viking said: That is one heck of an impressive model Tom, well up to your usual high standards. Cheers John Many thanks, John - appreciated! 17 hours ago, LOX said: Nice work ! Did you do something extra to the canopy ? because the windows look very clean and transparent. I gave the transparent parts a quick once over with some plastic polish when I was working in the top turret, but even before they were crystal clear. 16 hours ago, Deano353 said: That's great I'd be tempeted with one of these but I don't have the room. It must be massive! I didn't realise the landing gear retracted like that into the wings either that's quite interesting. I think if you were clever with the main spar you could keep the wings as detachable which would help with storage. And yes, the main gear always looks like it’s about to collapse but apparently it was very strong and very reliable - the only mod during its entire production run was to increase the gauge of metal to cope with increased weights as the aircraft evolved. The wheel bay did mean it was a structural weak point, however, and pictures of Libs going down with the outer wing missing are sadly all too common. 14 hours ago, Alan P said: Sounds like a good kit to build. I have the A/B-26B in this series but unfortunately it's too much of a dog's breakfast even for me at this stage! I'm always impressed by your amazing consistency of finish over such large models, really impressive as ever 👏👏👏 Thanks, Alan - and yes I have decided not to invest in the Invader. I’m not too concerned by accuracy issues on the whole, but even I can’t stomach that mess of a kit. And such a beautiful aircraft too. I think I’ll keep my eyes peeled for an ID Models one. 14 hours ago, SAT69 said: Looks mighty good to me! Seeing what you've done, I'd be inclined to give it a go myself. Excellent! Do crack on! 9 hours ago, Fritag said: Glorious B-24 Tom. Enviably neat. Thanks, Steve. Coming from the master of neatness himself, that’s appreciated! 6 hours ago, Tweener said: This has come out very well Tom, I especially like the red-surround roundels. I may have to source some of those for when I get around to finishing my Academy D Model. Speaking of that Academy kit, I was pawing through it again yesterday. I'm choosing not to imagine the scale of the Hobby Boss. The red surrounds do add a nice splash of colour. It’s a shame this style of insignia didn’t last long! And yes it’s big - just over a metre in span… or a smidgen over 3ft on old money. 5 hours ago, Maginot said: Good grief! Polystyrene overcast. Very nicely finished model. Many thanks @Maginot Edited April 18, 2022 by tomprobert Typos 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred piket Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 You've done a great job; much be a huge model😀. I like the weathering; not to much, just enough. And the clearparts look great as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweener Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 It's a shame yes - though if I can find where I placed the prop and canopy, I'll soon be able to post a captured BF-109G with the red surrounds. Seeing an OD/NG 109 with those will never sit quite right! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triet Cam Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 That is a very stunning build Tom. You took great care of the seam lines. It's so well build in every way. Must be a huge model. Great job Regards - Triet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Dyck Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Well, it turns out brilliant! Subtle weathering and nothing overdone. I think you can be very proud of this one! Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted April 19, 2022 Author Share Posted April 19, 2022 On 4/18/2022 at 10:41 AM, Fred piket said: You've done a great job; much be a huge model😀. I like the weathering; not to much, just enough. And the clearparts look great as well. 3 hours ago, Andy Dyck said: Well, it turns out brilliant! Subtle weathering and nothing overdone. I think you can be very proud of this one! Andy Thanks, gents - I glad you liked the weathering as I wanted some tonal variation but nothing 'in your face' - appreciated! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturmovik Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 How sturdy is the landing gear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmerboy Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Stunning build of an aeroplane that is very underrated and pushed aside by more ‘glamorous’ aircraft, love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted April 19, 2022 Author Share Posted April 19, 2022 1 hour ago, Sturmovik said: How sturdy is the landing gear? It’s fine and supports the model without any problems. However, I have not put any nose weight in and the tail prop means four points of contact with the ground. If it had had the recommended 300g of ballast in the nose I think the brass replacement legs would have been a must. 43 minutes ago, Farmerboy said: Stunning build of an aeroplane that is very underrated and pushed aside by more ‘glamorous’ aircraft, love it! Thank you - and yes I always feel the B-24 didn’t get the credit it deserved. It’s a bit like the Lancaster/Halifax, or Spitfire/Hurricane. Considering it was a Liberator that was first to complete 25 missions in the ETO and not a certain well-documented B-17 sums up the situation nicely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted April 19, 2022 Share Posted April 19, 2022 Beastie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAVY870 Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Dayum! That's some sterling work there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepureness Posted April 25, 2022 Share Posted April 25, 2022 Nice, now the question is, where do you display it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 14 hours ago, thepureness said: Nice, now the question is, where do you display it? Thanks - and it will live in my attic along with the rest of the fleet of 1/32nd scale monsters. Room is getting rather tight, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 That`s one impressive beast there, really nice work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Absolutely stunning B-24 Tom, inside and out. Love it!! Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 (edited) A happy ending to this model’s story - I’ve just returned from a fantastic trip up to the wonderful museum at Old Buckenham, in Norfolk, having donated my model to the wonderful curator, Jim. And it’s already proudly on display! At least it no longer resides in my loft where it’s never seen and has gone to a new home… All the best, Tom Edited January 4 by tomprobert 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now