EXCLUSIVE BUILD
The 1/72 bomber stream from Airfix thunders on as Steve Budd dives on its newly tooled example of the Ford-manufactured B-24H Liberator.
Fans of the mighty Liberator – or ‘Libby’ to some – will know that the defining characteristic of the type is the maze of confusion surrounding B-24 manufacture during World War Two. The Mushroom Model Publishing book Consolidated Mess, by Alan Griffith, is required reading in unravelling the giddying differences in fittings and equipment within each USAAF variant. It quickly becomes obvious that you can’t just pick an ‘H’ scheme option from a decal sheet and expect an automatic match with your chosen kit. This was certainly a primary research challenge facing Airfix from the outset, which it has successfully overcome.
The boxtop scheme is that of Corky/Burgundy Bombers which represents a B-24H-10-FO, while option ‘B’, Valiant Lady, is a B-24H-15-FO (see page 89 of Consolidated Mess). Even within that narrow band of serials, structural variations existed, which Airfix accurately incorporates into the kit – armoured/unarmoured windscreens, for example. One important factor is that the nose is properly accurate, whereas it was incorrect on Academy’s kit from 1991 onwards.
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