1:72 Boeing B-29A Superfortress

A poker card on the nose of a bomber

The nose art of this Superfortress referred to poker slang: an ace held back in reserve is a card the opponent does not expect. The machine with the serial number 44-61872 belonged to the 98th Bomb Group and announced its affiliation with a large letter H set in a square on the vertical tail surface.

Deployment over Korea

The Superfortress had a second career after the Second World War. Over the Korean peninsula it flew daylight and night raids against bridges, railway stations and industry, with antiaircraft fire and fighter defense forcing it to fly higher and at night. According to the supplier this very aircraft was hit by antiaircraft fire during an attack on Sinanju and landed damaged at the base designated K-14.

What the sheet contains

• the nose art with the poker design and the lettering belonging to it
• the tail marking of the group, that is, the letter set in a square
• the serial number in the form the machine carried on the fin

Version B-29A differed from the basic form in the construction of the center wing section and in a slightly different span. On a model this difference shows mainly at the point where the wing joins, which is worth taking into account when choosing a kit. The dimensions of the lettering on the sheet are reckoned for 1:72 scale.

Before seating the large tail markings it pays to even the area out to a gloss so that no air is left under the film. Smaller lettering will stand up to dry seating into a layer of clear coat, but on large areas a drop of water and subsequent blotting with the edge of a paper towel is safer.