This is my first model post to this site/forum. I've posted in a couple of other modeling sites and just recently joined here to check it out.
Our club is doing a "1/48 Bomber Build". I jumped in after a fellow member, who kicked it off with a B-24H conversion, offered me the PB4Y-1 side of the Koster package. Since I'm a former VP Navy guy I took him up on the offer. It's a pretty straight forward conversion, nothing crazy. The hardest part was ensuring I didn't jack up the ERCO nose turret...that item pretty much defines these Navy Liberators and will be a focal point of the model no doubt.
Once the vac formed section was attached and completed the kit pretty much became an OOB B-24 build, though I will use the clear vac "high hat" top turret and aft turret provided.
At this point in the build I'm into the homestretch, she's decaled, just finished painting and weathering this past week, though I may add a bit more weathering...
There are no decals in 1/48 scale for a PB4Y-1 so I resorted to the spares box. I was going to shoot for an historically accurate aircraft but I haven't got the time to wait on having a one off custom set of decals made. Instead I made one up! I pulled the nose art from a Cutting Edge PB4Y-2 Privateer sheet, and the words "FIGHTING LADY" from a 1/32 P-51. The Nose numbers I made on the home printer after downloading the font to represent a VPB-116 aircraft. The co-pilots older brother was killed early on in the war while serving aboard USS Lexington (aka "Lady Lex"/"Fighting Lady"), so the crew named their aircraft in honor of him.
Aviology Decals does do a set of B-24/PB4Y-1 data and I did use some of those on this model. They went down very nicely.
On to the "fiddly bits" next. Cheers.
11 attached images. Click to enlarge.
