Airfix B-24J Liberator

[aerotechi]

Another finished model for your critical eyes as always.

This one I'll admit is not my best nor my worst. The 1980s boxing of the 1960s Airfix B-24J.

Here depicted as B24J 2110037 of 445th bombardment group of the 2nd air division of the 8th air force based at RAF Tibenham 1944.

Decided on this scheme as having read the excellent (and I highly recommend) book on Jimmy Stewart, I found this aircraft was based at the same group and station of Tibenham as Stewart so it seemed fitting.

A few issues with the build all down to its age really:- yellowed decals (did manage to lighten them a bit in the sun), big gaps around the turrets and cockpit glazing, ball turret is completly wrong so hid that away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by aerotechi
Added pic

[kapam]

Wow, you’ve done an excellent job of that!

It’s clear that, in the right hands, the venerable Airfix B-24 can still turn out swimmingly. 👏👏👏

I wonder if Airfix are considering a new tooling on the B-24 one day. 🤔

 

 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

A real pain of a kit, and you did well, sir!

[Keeff]

Very nice!  You've turned an old kit into a lovely thing .... 👌

 

Keith 😁 

[72modeler]

Brings back so many memories! Back in the day, I used the Airfix B-24J mated to a Revell B-24D nose to do a Ploesti  raid Lib. Conversion turned out well, but like an idiot, I couldn't leave well enough alone, and opened up and detailed the bomb bay- with all the nose weight and no solid structure in the center section, due to the bomb bay area being cut out, it kept popping the upper fuselage seams! Should have put tabs in the fuselage halves! IIRC, until the new-tool Hasegawa kits came out, the Airfix kit was the only one that got the positive incidence of the horizontal stabilizers correct- if you look at period photos taken from the side, you will see that the rudder hinge line is angled back from the vertical, due to the up angle of the stabilizers. I think you did a bang-up job on a classic kit that was 'way ahead of its time! Considering the engines were molded with the cowl rings, they were very detailed, as I recall. 

Mike

 

As stated above, it would be great if Airfix would release a new-tool B-24, as they would be cheaper than the Hasegawa kits and more accurate than the Academy kits, and with some clever engineering- they could d get several variants from basic set of sprues. combined with appropriate extra sprues.

[Toryu]

Oh yes! I built that one in 1971 (?) in its original natural metal finish, but it didn't look half as nice as yours. Thanks for this bit of nostalgia.

[franky boy]

Great work!

 

This one brings back memories for me too. I had this kit finished in the same markings hanging from my bedroom ceiling for many years. 
 

Thanks for sharing. 
 

James

[georgeusa]

Great job on an old and somewhat difficult kit to build.  Just cause it is not the latest, newest and greatest, doesn't mean you cannot make a fine model out of an old kit.  Thanks for sharing.

[aerotechi]

On 9/25/2023 at 4:47 AM, kapam said:

Wow, you’ve done an excellent job of that!

It’s clear that, in the right hands, the venerable Airfix B-24 can still turn out swimmingly. 👏👏👏

I wonder if Airfix are considering a new tooling on the B-24 one day. 🤔

 

 

 

On 9/25/2023 at 8:49 AM, TheyJammedKenny! said:

A real pain of a kit, and you did well, sir!

 

On 9/25/2023 at 11:11 AM, Keeff said:

Very nice!  You've turned an old kit into a lovely thing .... 👌

 

Keith 😁 

 

On 9/25/2023 at 4:52 PM, 72modeler said:

Brings back so many memories! Back in the day, I used the Airfix B-24J mated to a Revell B-24D nose to do a Ploesti  raid Lib. Conversion turned out well, but like an idiot, I couldn't leave well enough alone, and opened up and detailed the bomb bay- with all the nose weight and no solid structure in the center section, due to the bomb bay area being cut out, it kept popping the upper fuselage seams! Should have put tabs in the fuselage halves! IIRC, until the new-tool Hasegawa kits came out, the Airfix kit was the only one that got the positive incidence of the horizontal stabilizers correct- if you look at period photos taken from the side, you will see that the rudder hinge line is angled back from the vertical, due to the up angle of the stabilizers. I think you did a bang-up job on a classic kit that was 'way ahead of its time! Considering the engines were molded with the cowl rings, they were very detailed, as I recall. 

Mike

 

As stated above, it would be great if Airfix would release a new-tool B-24, as they would be cheaper than the Hasegawa kits and more accurate than the Academy kits, and with some clever engineering- they could d get several variants from basic set of sprues. combined with appropriate extra sprues.

 

On 9/25/2023 at 4:55 PM, Toryu said:

Oh yes! I built that one in 1971 (?) in its original natural metal finish, but it didn't look half as nice as yours. Thanks for this bit of nostalgia.

 

On 9/25/2023 at 5:06 PM, franky boy said:

Great work!

 

This one brings back memories for me too. I had this kit finished in the same markings hanging from my bedroom ceiling for many years. 
 

Thanks for sharing. 
 

James

Thank you all for some very kind words for a kit that I struggled with.

[Smudge]

Good job on that old classic. Nice that you have chosen a Tibbenham based aircraft. I've just started reading the Jimmy Stewart book myself (up to arriving in the UK). The guy was a proper legend, one of my Heroes 

[JOCKNEY]

Currently reading the book thanks for the recommendation. 

 

Your B-24 looks the business, congratulations 

 

Cheers Pat 

[Fred piket]

beautiful build! You gotta love a Liberator..