Revell B 24D Liberator 1:72 scale by Popeye the Sailor

[Javlin]

Denis I think we can officially name you Commander of Bomber Command!!!!!!!!!!

[popeye the sailor]

  ohhhhh,  I dunno,  I'm just a wingman     something about those big birds.........

 

  hey.........whilst I'm here,  I may as well post a few update pictures.   I went a bit further on the paint work.   first I masked and painted the blue areas on the wings,  fuselage and rudders.  one thing I noticed is that the wings don't possess the same panel texture and rivet detail.   odd given the fact that the Atlantis and the other Revell kit are identical....then again,  they come from the same molds.  there are some minor flaws with the paint,  but I will go over them once all the colors are on.

after I gave the blue some time to dry,  I began masking the wings.  I just followed the panel lines as a guide.  the ailerons were taped in place,  so they could get their portion of the striping.

I did the other wing by eye,  keeping with the spacing of the above wing.  I didn't do too badly.......I think  

this is some pretty good tape.......comes in three different widths.   the tape I wanted to use.....I can't.   I used it on the Futura....and I guess the thinner is the culprit.......but it left the adhesive on the part I masked up.  it's been a task to remove it.....still more to go.  once I made sure that the tape was firmly pressed down,  it was off to the paint booth.

the admiral wanted to go to the store.........so I had to hold off on further work.   when we got back,  I removed the tape to see how much {if any} crept underneath {I get mixed results}.  I was happy to see that only a few visible imperfections occurred.  real tiny ones I'm not concerned with....but there are some I will touch up.  the rudders and stabilizer will be next.

more soon  

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking good!

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Phil for the kind comment and thanks to all for the likes     more has been done in the paint dept.  I had a though to paint the top surface in front of the cockpit.........I was going to do flat black for this,  but I decided to do it in the bomber green.

then I moved on to the rudders and stabilizer.  I was reminded that I only painted one side of the rudder flaps.....so I still gotta do that.  the stabilizer is now masked for painting.

this tape that I'm using is Testor's pin striping tape........comes in three different widths.  it is a trustworthy tape for me    the outside surfaces of the rudders will not be striped,  since they are now flat blue....just the inside surfaces.  the bottom sections under the stabilizer,  will be done in light gray,  like the underbelly of the fuselage and wings.  the fuselage halves were next to get the masking job.

 

the cowls will be done in flat white,  later to get their decoration,  yet to be see    ...and then it came to the paint  

by this time,  I had to leave to take the admiral to her doctor's appointment.  now that I'm back,  I can remove all the masking and see what it all looks like.   more on the process soon........reminds me of the scene where the doctor remove the bandages from Joker's face,  in the first Batman 

[popeye the sailor]

after a bit of 'do this and do that',  I finally got to remove the masking.  I can say that covering over some of the imperfections with these colors is a bit on the hard side,  especially if they are darker than the paint covering them.  I need to wait anyway.......all this needs to fully dry before trying anything.  I did in a couple of areas and the paint became active........  if I can't touch it up with a brush,  I'll need to remask and spray.  where I masked over the gray on the fuselage,   there were a few spots that showed the base plastic.....I've already touched these areas up.

the main thought was how the stripes will run.........either differently on the fuselage and wings,  or all in the same direction.   I think the latter will look better.  when I was removing the rudder parts from the masking,  a tip on one of the rudders almost broke off........I patched it with cement and will let it dry.  I also painted the gray areas on the inner rudder parts.

....and here are the rest of the parts to complete the color scheme   

still a lot more painting to go  

[lmagna]

It's amazing how interesting this plane is compared to the average B-24 build. For that reason if for no other, it is also kind of surprising that these Assembly Planes are  also not better documented. It seems as there were no two alike. I'm really liking your choice. 

[Javlin]

Love a formation Bird!

[Old Collingwood]

Those bands are really making her stand out Denis  - lovely work mate.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks gents........I never knew that there were so many.........then again,  that they even existed.  I saw them........but the wild paint made me thing that it was someone's idea.......it wasn't real.  I'm not into building models that don't exist,  although I have built a few because of the novelty aspect they possessed.   you buy a model and look up the subject,  only to find not a shred of evidence that there was an actual plane or vessel.  I did that with the Nordkap........I found squat on her.  but I was told here on the site,  that there was such a vessel....a person who is quite knowledgeable.......I had no cause to disbelieve him    after looking up the Buffalo Bill........I quickly found that it was nothing more than B.S.  

    the assembly ship is interesting.....there is a creative value to it.  the planes themselves aren't from military blueprint........they are painted by the squadrons they represent........'field paint'.  the planes are older planes that through repeated repairs and age,  are given an entirely new use instead of scrapped or cannibalized.   strange to hear that after a war's end,  the military would destroy pieces that they don't intend to bring home.  from what I've read about PT boats,  very few were actually brought home....the rest were scuttled or burned.  these planes were stripped of armament and other equipment {which I may have stated earlier},  but a few of them possessed just enough to get home on.  there are times that the mission took them close to the action {I'll have a few guns on mine}.  I'm almost ready to get some of these parts assembled.......just a bit more to go  

 

thanks again all........thanks to Lou for pointing them out  

[popeye the sailor]

I ordered some decals last evening............and I also found out that I can't use the subject 'old Glory'.   I'm going to have to decide on another premise.  I neglected to book mark the info I found.......I'll tell yas why when I find it again.

[popeye the sailor]

it wasn't hard to find.........

 

How the Flag Came to be Called Old Glory | History | Smithsonian Magazine

[mtaylor]

I'm puzzled, Dennis.  Why can't you call this bird "Old Glory"?  The link you posted is only about 1-2 flags.  Many folks call the flag "Old Glory".    Maybe some research will give some idea of what your plane was actually named.

[popeye the sailor]

it is interesting Mark........old glory is in reference to ships........or the captain of a ship.  this is a plane,  but it can be,  and has been referred to, as a ship.

  there is no actual plane { that I'm aware of} that was called Old Glory,  it was the catchy phrase that came to me with the idea for the paint scheme.   I can't with good conscience take away from this gent, because of his affiliation in the Military..........he came up with it.........Betsy Ross didn't even coin the phrase when she sewed the first flag { she should have}.   his story is an interesting one.........think of it.........he had the flag....the confederates went to his house to take it from him..........he said he didn't have it {he sewed it in a quilt}........they searched his house and couldn't find it.  the man must have been laughing his a$$ off!   what he told his daughter before he died was touching.....a real sense of importance.

 

   but it's OK though.......it wasn't hard at all to come up with a new angle.   when I expanded Wenzel's Wharf on Word Press,  I named a page that I posted all of my aircraft models......Popeye Squadron.  at the moment,  I'm stuck because I haven't finished the Guillow's Fokker Dr 1....{I really should}.  I have some catching up to do when I finally finish it.......I have several models done since then........I'll likely do a recap,  especially the string of captured planes.

   I also found an image that best suits the page,  though it is hardly shown anywhere.......but I kept it in the event that I ever do.

she will be renamed " all American".    I had also sized it down to use as an avatar at one time.........   the only other model that has anything to do with Popeye,  is none other than the Nordkap.   in the helm room,  there is a picture of Popeye and Olive dancing,  and a picture of Poopdeck Pappy,  Popeye's father.  I did it as a funny joke for Tom Richardson,  as I was sending him built logs to post on his website BB USA {my god........this seems so long ago}.  if I were to used it on the model,  it would be downsized so much,  it would be illegible.........might look better on a 1:48 or even a 1:32 scale model.  this paint scheme is VERY tempting....but without the mistakes I made with this one.  I'll see what it looks like.  I got a notification on the decals I ordered......they initially said Saturday,  but the one I got this morning says today.........I hope!  I'll explain more when I get them.

 

to be frank.......many folks call the flag 'old Glory',  but they have no idea of the phrase origin....some don't even care to find out.  research give one a better understanding of things.....and to be honest,  I'd rather not shadow anything anyone has done......there is more satisfaction in one's own creation.  even though Popeye is naval in appearance,  his bulging muscle has shown many facets of military hardware.......be it a Battleship,  a tank,  or an artillery piece......even an electric generator!  

[popeye the sailor]

so hey.........whilst I'm here......I may as well lay some more pictures on you!    there were a couple of "awww nutz" moments,  but they were fairly easy to overcome and proceed.  the nacelles are being painted at the moment,  and the other sides of the rudder ailerons have been given the coat of white...now I just have to stripe them.  the wing ailerons have been assembled......I didn't continue the striping where they mate the wings......I hope this doesn't bite me later,  but that's how they painted,  so I stuck with it.  the landing gear have also been painted.

there are quite a few 'bleeds' as well.......I will try to touch them up as best I can.  I likely will have to let a near empty bottle of white sit and separate,  siphon off the liquid,  and use the pigment to do the touchups.  fresh paint.....and this color combination in particular,  is prone for becoming active and mixing........last thing I want is a pink plane   the wings themselves are kinda complex........the flaps,  ailerons and landing gear must be assembled all together.  the flaps were a bit of a let down.......they are very thin and bowed enough to make them look sloppy if left in the down position.  so I'll be showing them in the closed position.  it would have been good if the ribbing inside helped to align the flap,  but they don't even touch them.  

I didn't notice this till after the fact,  but I have them on the wrong side.   the pins for the pivots should be inward and not showing on the outer surface of the wing....they appear more inset than they should.  looking at the assembled wing,  it doesn't look too bad though......the hinge parts look sunken in a bit more,  but it add to the detail that these parts are movable,  just like the ailerons {they don't have that 'molded' appearance}.  the stabilizer was assembled......other than a few 'bleeds',  it looks really good.  the misgiving of the fuselage stripes shows up badly here......I'm not going to even try to fix it........thoughts of pink come to mind.

in this somewhat dim picture,  you can see what happens when the fuselage halves were poorly matched when I masked off for the blue.   I will have to repair this.

the cockpit was cemented in place on only one side of the fuselage........still more to add before this can happen.  the landing gear will be cemented in place too.  the kit features landing gear that can be retracted or in the down position.  I have very little need for movable gears,  so I had to arrest the gear in the wing as it dries.  once they are set,  I can assemble the wings.   it can be seen how much of a gap there is on the flaps........this will be less when the wings are assembled and clamped in these areas.

the starboard wing is assembled........don't know why I always start with the starboard side.........habit I guess    I fixed the stripe with the blue.

 

the port side is clamped up..........

the blue on the fuselage has also been repaired......

as mentioned......I should see the decals today,  then I can elaborate on that further.  I'm gonna look in the other decal packs I have to see if I can use any of those too.......I should have enough  

 

[popeye the sailor]

AWESOME!   they are here!  first...from Gofer racing decals,  I saw this sheet and figured that at least a couple of them might work.  they are for 1:24 / 1:25 scale models,  but I'm glad I bought them.......

the other sheet is from Archer.......these are a bit different than the normal waterslide.  they are what they call NCF decals {no clear film}.  they are national insignias for jeep and 1/2 ton truck models.......just the stars.  they come in what looks like several different sizes.   I was hoping to find a sheet that were all the same size,  so I could arrange them in a flag formation.  but I wasn't opposed to laying them in odd sequences either.  looks like the latter wins out.

now to go digging through the archives.

[popeye the sailor]

got an update for yuns........got more time on her last night.  I was going to do the other side of the rudder ailerons,  but never got to them.......trying to figure out the belly turret.   it's the large opening under the fuselage........the assembly is built on the filler,  and then cemented in place.  the big thing is.....will it touch the two tabs that are inside the opening?!  I've been hoo-doo'd by assemblies of this nature before.......put it all together,   only to find that id won't fit.........too tall and won't seat correctly.   the filler plate and the frame for the turret assembly has ben assembled...the part that is now on the top is my concern.   the rudders are ready for the paint booth.

 

the ball was painted on the inside and the glass has been added to it.  I use window maker to fill in the gun slots...there will be no guns in it.  there will be guns at the tail,  the dorsal....not decided on the nose.  there will be no waist gunners......as mentioned,  some 'teeth' but that's it.  I did some more fiddling before sack time..........this morning,  the rudder ailerons were painted.   one has been assembled,  so you can see what the outer side will look like.  I'm still wrack 'in my head about the nacelles.

the outside of the ball has been painted.......the areas where the yoke connects to the ball,  has also been painted.

........and now both of the rudders are assembled.......I let the striping go all the way down,  instead of breaking it off with the gray.

[Jack12477]

Nice work !

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Jack  ........almost ready to be put together.   I'm itch'in to see it all together.... I swear..........I haven't even done a dry fit!   that's going some for me..........    while I was presenting the latest update,  I assembled the tail assembly.   most of my brushes I have out have become misshapen,  so I got a couple of fresh ones and touched up a few of the more noticeable bleeds.  I like it  

 

 

 

 

I previously did a few touch ups on the wings........they are fully dry now.   I painted the tires and the outer hub caps as well.

 

[Old Collingwood]

Looking mighty fine Denis  -  going to be really colourful.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC........working on the nacelles at the moment......  mixed reviews 

[popeye the sailor]

I am such a weakling...........I couldn't stave off such an impulse.   id didn't help much that my two older grand sons quizzed me about what I have been working on.  I had been lax in sending them pictures of the recent planes........I made up for it that early evening when we got home from their house.

   I told them about the assembly plane.......I also told Chase {the oldest} about the KG 200 book.   he doesn't know,  but I'm going to get him a copy,  since there is a lot of history involved with it.  so I cobbled together these two pictures  {minus the blue tape}.....

 

the wing span is about 18 1/2 ".........makes for a fair size model.  my son gave me three more kits.......a MidWest kit of a Skiff,  an HO kit of a 40 foot refrigerator car,  and an HO building,  which is part of the Keystone Locomotive works facility.  the works is located in Pulteney,  New York......it's an actual place........I looked on google map.  strange though that there are no train tracks anywhere in the area  {just what I need,  another rabbit hole}.

  the Refrigerator car is produced by Findex Systems INC. , Milwaukee......kit looks old.  might be missing a few parts......I will research it and see what I can find out about it.......cool.  

[Canute]

Denis, they disappeared years ago. May have gone into QualityCraft, going into GloorCraft... They did a lot of logging equipment for detailing backwoods sawmills and other old facilities. May have to check HOseeker.com for their instruction sheets.

 

Post a picture of the refrigerator car. Another old train supplier that went away in the 60s, maybe? Is it mostly wood and  white metal parts? May be able to give you a steer for generic parts.

 

Your assembly bird is progressing nicely. Brave painting the red and white stripes without going pink. Operation Petticoat, anyone?

[popeye the sailor]

I'll look into that site Ken......thanks for the head's up.    so they are defunct.........I would imagine,  so is Findex.   I couldn't find anything on them,  just that E Bay has the Refrigerator car listed too.    both of the kits has the instructions......the refrigerator car seems to be missing the outer shell.......it is laid over a wood plug.   unlike the B& M snow plow,  the kit has the trucks and couplers.   in my building what I've done on the snow plow,  I bought parts for the couplers.........been a while since I was in the box I have it all in.  it ended up in a closet and it's been there ever since.  I'll start a log and show you what I've got so far  

 

as for the Keystone Loco works....there are several kits that make up this facility.  what I have is the power house and boiler house.  the instructions even give suggestions,  if one plans to detail the interior.  I'll show that kit as well in the log.

 

the Skiff appears to be complete.......the contents don't  look as if they were ever touched.

 

painting the plane wasn't a big issue.......it's touching it up that is chaotic....this is why I mentioned the pigment.   I couldn't touch it up right away..... the paint was becoming active and blending was occurring {I was getting the pink}.  with a near empty bottle of white {red isn't the problem},  I'm allowing it to separate,  so I can utilize the 'full strength' pigments,  without the suspension additives.  I'm hoping to be able to touch up most of the 'bleeds'.  at the moment,  I'm cementing in the windows and working on the turrets.   the goal for this step is to get the fuselage together.   thanks for the likes and kind comments!  

[Canute]

Those old ca kits sometimes used card stock car sides. I have a few published in O, S HO and N scales in modeling magazines. You got some Northeastern Models  wood floors, roofs and end blocks at the local hobby shops. Get some trucks and couplers, a bottle or two of Floquil paint and maybe some brake parts. Voila, a nice car for your layout. 😉 Most folks don't build kits like those any more. Can't wait to see what you come up with, Denis my buddy.

[popeye the sailor]

I've see old kits on oldmodelkits.com that look interesting.........and they are relatively cheap.  I've also seen some of the work Andy does,  and I'm blown away    I book marked the HOseeker site......also browsed through some of the fridge instructions.......Ambroid has a real nice one.   the refrigerator car comes with a set of Bettendorf trucks.......to me,  they look a bit clunky.........I'll start the log very soon     thanks again Ken  

[Canute]

Happy to help, Denis.😄

[popeye the sailor]

I did a contents shoot of both kits Ken.......I'll have the log up soon.  who knows.......it might even get me to continue with the Snow plow  

 

on the assembly plane front.........it's been a lot of paint.   the tires and associated parts,  and the turrets for the most part..........and I've been touching up the fuselage halves and adding the needed parts to them to close her up.  I even found another use for the window maker.   there are pictures,  but I'm still in the process,  so I'll have them up later.   more soon  

[popeye the sailor]

add another vehicle to my list to work on........just got back from looking at a 2007 Ford Explorer.  gonna need some work but not a bad rig once it's caught up to date.

 

the belly turret is assembled and painted.  it won't have guns,  so I might leave it in the retracted position.  I'm not too keen on the gap that's all around it

the nose gear doors have also been added.  once they are dry I can paint them.

the dorsal turret glass has been masked and painted.  for this one,  I decided to paint the frame flat white........the tail will be blue,  since the turret body base has been painted blue.  I felt that white would have ben a nightmare to paint.

here's where it got funny........when I took off the tape,  I saw a few bleeds,  so I lightly scraped them off.  this did mar the clear surface a little,  so to fix it,  I painted a little window maker over the scrapes.  it dries clear and it will blend right in.....and it does    I painted a few more parts,  in prep for assembly.

the dorsal turret was assembled after it dried.........really can't tell the difference!

 

still need to paint the rest of the glass........I will paint the frames in the color that rules.  I still have 1 more nacelle to paint......one needs some touchups and will look pretty good,  given the scheme.  the nose landing gear was assembled........tire on and such,  and cemented in place on one half of the fuselage.   it was joined together for alignment purposes.

I should have waited.......I've done a couple other things while writing this.  it will make it for the next update....perhaps the fuselage will be finally joined together permanently   

 

[Old Collingwood]

Looking the bussiness  Denis   - loving the contrast  of the stripes  and the undersides  - really nice mate.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC    ....bit bit closer towards  the big step.   I went to put the gear doors on the main landing gears and found that I should have done this before the wing was assembled.  a short part of the doors fit inside,  and now there is no room to do this.  there are two locator pins on the gear and two holes on the door.......seeing that the top pin is just inside the opening,  I cut off part of the door and slid it in.  I did the same with the other wing gear.

I also painted the fourth nacelle cowl........the outboard cowls are done in red and white.  this was done by cutting a strip of tape in half lengthwise,  and then cut triangular pieces out of it.  wondering what to use for a backing for the tape....I though about what might not stick badly,  so I used parchment paper.  this proved to be too poor of a sticking surface,  but I used it anyway,  clamping the tape down firmly so I could cut it.  in the end it worked,  but the combination of paints were another issue.  the red and white came out good......but my decision to paint the inboard cowls blue,  came out less than perfect.  even with the final cowl,  I will need to do some touching up.  the outboard cowls are added to the wings.

 

I've made more progress since this was done........I'm waiting for the last cowl to dry,  before touching it up.   more soon