1:48 Consolidated B-24 Liberator in RAF Service

The bomber that closed the gap over the ocean

In British hands the Consolidated B-24 made its name somewhere other than over Germany. Its long range made it the only machine able to cover the mid-Atlantic, where until then submarines operated with no fear of aircraft. Crews flew out here with radar, depth charges and sometimes a retractable searchlight that was switched on only at the last moment before an attack. Allied convoy losses fell markedly within a few months as a result.

From gray-blue patrols to a tropical sky

The appearance of these aircraft differed according to the task. Maritime patrol machines wore light undersurfaces that hid them against the sky, while bomber squadrons in the Far East flew in dark upper colors over the jungles of Burma. It is precisely this variety of finishes that makes the Liberator a rewarding subject: under one name hides a machine with a glazed nose, with a turret and with a radar fairing in place of the nose gun position.

Working with large areas

The fuselage of a four-engine aircraft offers extensive flat areas on which every mistake shows. Set the position of the markings by the panel lines and rivet rows, not by eye, and apply them gradually so a large motif does not wrinkle. The package contains the markings alone; the aircraft itself is bought separately. Trim the carrier film close to the artwork so that it does not form a visible rectangle over a gloss surface. On large national insignia it helps to break the motif up with water into several smaller steps and to press the edge down gradually with a cotton bud.