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acresearcher

acresearcher

Posted
Posted

Good day, all!

 

I've been following this discussion of the upcoming 1/32 B-24's with a great deal of glee and interest. I thought perhaps I should share some information here in anticipation of the kits' releases.

 

First, thank you to those who spoke so kindly of my book, "Consolidated Mess, Vol. I".  While I've found additional materials to go into a future reprint, the book remains true to its original purpose of providing a one-volume detailed overview of the nose-turreted B-24's in USAAF service. I am still working on Volume II on the Glassnoses, as well as gathering materials for Vol. III. \

 

In regard to the old Revell PB4Y-1 kit and its artwork, this aircraft's paint scheme remains a mystery. However, in some discussions with Navy color expert Dana Bell he believes it may be "Deck Blue". The Navy determined that their rather light bluegray made the aircraft on carrier decks stand out too much. They ordered that a new, darker blue be used but was still called bluegray. You can see this color change beginning in later 1941, and I have a color shot of the tail of a PBM that is in a much darker blue but NOT the sea blue later adopted. The underside is still clearly light gray, so I believe this is one of the "smoking guns" of color identification. Dana is planning a book a Navy colors that will go into a lot of detail on the many changes in that took place in aircraft camouflage. He does not have a date for its completion, however. In the meantime, however, Dana is expecting his monograph on OD and Neutral Gray to be published sometime in the next 4-6 weeks. It is chock full of wonderful color photos with lots of info on OD and various camouflage patterns. 

 

Ginter's book on the PB4Y-1/1P is a very nicely-illustrated book on these versions of the B-24. There is one error on Page 5 that needs to be addressed, however. Ginter states that the "droop snoot" ASW aircraft were produced with the Oklahoma nose. This is incorrect. They were provided with the Middleton Air Depot nose which had the side lower nose windows at an angle. The OKCD's aircraft had similar windows but they were horizontal in nature. All this is covered in Vol. I of "Mess". 

 

Earlier in this thread someone stated that the B-24 could fly higher, faster, longer range, etc. This is only partially correct. In the ETO the B-24 could never reach the same altitude as the B-17s, and used a lot of fuel maintaining the altitudes it could reach. This is due to two interrelated factors. The wing was designed for a MUCH MUCH MUCH lighter aircraft than that which went into combat. So the wing design and the literally tons of additional weight added to the B-24 to make it combat-worthy made it very sluggish at high altitudes. In theaters where high altitude formation flying was was not an issue - CBI, all the Pacific theaters, the Aleutians and ASW work, this did not matter much. Thus the B-24's ability to carry more weight farther truly came into play.  In the Pacific especially this enabled them to use additional fuel tanks for extended range in one of the bomb bays and carry a fairly standard load (2000lbs and maybe more) in the other. It is also important to know that in the Pacific a great number of raids were flown by single aircraft, or 5-10 at most on a "big raid". It wasn't until the B-29s were able to hit Japan from Guam, Tinian, etc. that large raids started to take place on a regular basis.  The size and concentration of targets on the Japanese mainland made these practical, but just hitting an island here and there did not warrant such raids.

 

If there are any questions that I might answer please feel free to post them here and I'll periodically check in and see about answering them.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Alan Griffith, author

"Consolidated Mess, Vol. I"

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Juggernut

Juggernut

Posted
Posted

Hello Alan,

 

I NEED a copy of Consolidated Mess!  I missed out on the first printing but won't sacrifice two arms and a leg to get a copy so I eagerly await another release.  Oh, and welcome to our community :post1:

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nmayhew

nmayhew

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Yes...that book commands some serious cash now.

 

Mark Proulx

 

really?

 

i bought it from Amazon UK - but it was a US seller shipping from USA - for £21.50 on the 9th of February.

 

Did i get the last one or something??

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Troy Molitor

Troy Molitor

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Wow, ten full pages of civil Liberator banter.  Thank you all!   We must be seriously getting older & wiser, eh?   Who would've thought this would ever happen?   lol. 

 

I can only imagine the awesome decals and aftermarket items that might eventually come out for the Liberator.   ( Lancaster too).  

 

We live in some awesome times for LSP.  In the 70's-80's we begged for 1:32 kits.  I remember picking up that early Hasegawa high grade FW -190D kit thinking I hit the lottery.   

 

Carry on and finish your model gent's.

 

Troy   

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Troy Molitor

Troy Molitor

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I can certainly agree with your comments Kevin.  I had to go out and buy the Rutmann wing for the darn Hi-tech Dora.  A crappy Verlinden cockpit soon followed.  The list went on and on.  A damn money pit of a kit that Hasegawa finally had enough amusement coming from me to provide us with a really nice second generation Dora.  (finally).   

  

Shall I now direct us back to that 41.25 inch behemoth of a ill performing "at altitude"  monster, kindly referred to as the Liberator?  I'm kindly thinking Sir Clunkmeister has a serious crush on this flying corrugated freight train looking beast.  

Only a mother could love this bird, eh?  lol.  I think they finally put some well deserved horns on the front end of the "J model" Liberator to make it at least look the part.  Ha!   

 

Just humor gents!  

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