1:48 B-24 Liberator

Over the Adriatic with the Fifteenth Air Force

The subject is a four engine Consolidated bomber of the B-24H-5-FO version with serial number 42-52106 and the name Sunshine. It served with the 719th Bombardment Squadron of the 449th Bombardment Group, a unit stationed in southern Italy. Raids on targets in Austria, Hungary and on the Romanian oil fields ran from there, that is on the routes where antiaircraft artillery was densest.

A long wing, a long range

The Liberator was given a narrow wing of high aspect ratio, which gave it greater range and load than older four engine machines. It paid for that with more sensitive behavior when damaged and a lower tolerance of heavy hits. The H form is recognized by the nose turret, which replaced the glazing and removed the weakness of the forward sector. It was exactly this form that most of the aircraft flying from Italian bases in 1944 had.

Large areas call for calm

The fuselage of the bomber offers continuous areas with no breaks, so every bubble and every fold of the film shows on them. Working on a model laid flat proves itself: settle the motif in the middle of the area first and only then roll it out toward the edges with a soft cloth. Let the remaining water evaporate in a warm place, not by a source of hot air.

The personal markings of bombers

American crews often added a row of small marks for missions completed to the name of an aircraft. For a model that means the name on the nose is only the beginning, and that it pays to look at a photograph of the period before deciding on the placement of further lettering. On a single machine the placement changed during service.