1:48 B-29 Super Fortress

Yokota, 1951

Both subjects belong to the 98th Bombardment Group, which during the Korean War operated from the Japanese base of Yokota. The first machine, with the number 44-61872 and the name Ace in the Hole, flew with the 343rd Squadron; the second, with the number 44-62281 and the name Fire Ball, with the 345th Squadron, where the data dates it to May of that year. These are therefore a pair of aircraft from one unit and from one short period.

The last war of heavy piston bombers

Superfortresses entered the Korean conflict as a proven type, but against jet fighters they lost their advantage in daylight. After the first heavy losses their missions moved to the night hours, where darkness and jamming protected them. For a modeler that means machines from this period often carried matte black undersides of fuselage and wings, in contrast to bright metal on the upper surfaces.

Checking the position against the drawing

On this type the lettering on the nose has an exactly defined place relative to the cockpit frame and to the forward turret. It therefore pays first to compare the instructions with the outline of the model and to find a reference point, a panel joint or a line of rivets for example. Without a reference point a motif is easily settled a few millimeters lower, which on a large fuselage is immediately noticeable.

Unit markings

Groups operating from Japan carried prominent geometric markings on the vertical tail surface, by which they were told apart in the air and on the airfield. A model with a marking like that therefore comes across entirely differently from an aircraft without one, and it is worth verifying the shape against a photograph of the period.