Attached is my
latest image. Over the holidays, I built a 1:72 Academy/Minicraft B-24D
Liberator. This was the "Goon" B-24D model kit that many of us have
seen. For the section on my website showcasing famous 1:72 bombers of WW2, I
wanted to include a B-24D from the Ploesti Raid.
The Ploesti Raid took place on August 1, 1943. The mission included 5 bomber
groups - 164 aircraft - from the 9th Bomber Command based in North Africa. The
raiders flew at treetop level to avoid detection. At the Ploesti oil refineries
in Romania, the Germans were alerted to the incoming raid. A fierce battle waged
and after it was over 53 aircraft and crews were lost. Five men won the
Congressional Medal of Honor including Col. John R. "Killer" Kane
piloting the B-24D "Hail Columbia."
For "Hail Columbia" I needed decals. I won a set of Ploesti Raider
1:48 decals on eBay. I scanned the decals and created a smaller version close to
the size of the 1:72 decals that came with the kit.
The kit itself had some fit problems and I struggled to paint and weather it so
it resembled many of the paintings and models I found on the web of Liberators
from the Ploesti Raid - in particular a painting I saw by aviation artist, Steve
Ferguson.
The decals I made were pretty fragile but I was able to use the "Hail
Columbia" nose art decal (phew!) and the tail fin markings. Other decals
came from the kit or my stash of decals.
The artwork behind Hail Columbia is a Photoshop-generated mix of smoke, fire,
and 3D smokestacks. I also created some loose bombs and added those to the image
to show "Hail Columbia" at the beginning of her bomb run.
For more "Famous Bombers in 1:72 Scale" and "Aces in 1:48
Scale" see my website at: http://home1.gte.net/konman/index.html
Konley
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