****DONE: 1/48 B-24D Liberator 'Fightin' Sam' Heavy Hitters Group Build

[Maglar]

Name: Maglar
Kit Manufacturer: Revell
Scale: 1/48
Category: 3
Info: 65-CO, 42-51457, 389TH Bomb Group, 566TH Bomb Squadron, Hethel, Norfolk, England, 1943-44.


Well I had several models to choose from given the category for the build but Harry had the Do217 locked down and dirk / alex / daniel were doing their thing with the B17 so I thought I would build something else to keep the variety fresh. This kit has a lot to offer and i'm going to capitalize.. possible dio with the crew and tractor? Oh yes! [Ive been quoted for saying that before, but trust me it will happen this time ]

Well lets get the meal started with some pics -

 

[B-17engineer]

Wonderful choice! Can't wait!

After I buy the B-26 this was next on my list than I'll have all of them (B-17, B-24, B-25, B-26) except the B-29 now I just need some room....

 

[Micdrow]

Should be a great one Maglar!!

 

[Maglar]

Don't forget the B-52!

 

[Wayne Little]

Good choice Corey, look forward to it!

 

[Maglar]

Before we continue.. what the heck are 'rubber shoes' in regards to the tow tractor?

 

[vikingBerserker]

Nice choice Corey!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Nice choice Corey, this should make life interesting for the judges.

 

[Heinz]

Great stuff mate, damn I really really want a Lib myself now!

Can't wait its going to be sweet

 

[Micdrow]

Interesting serial number there Corey as I think the serial number for the model is wrong. I think its 42-40506. Picture below is of Lt Masons crew in early fall of 1943. Picture source is here. Sorry for large picture but has great detail.

389thbg.net

 

[Micdrow]

Co pilot and history of co pilot here.

Chester County Hall of Heroes - Thomas Baum

 

[Micdrow]

Not to may get this chance, a color pictures of there aircraft. source of picture.

B24D 42-40506 Fightin' Sam

 

[Maglar]

Beautiful paul! Got a nice picture of the airfield and found out that Fightin' Sam wasn't lost.

 

[Heinz]

Wow great info Paul!!

 

[Micdrow]

Beautiful paul! Got a nice picture of the airfield and found out that Fightin' Sam wasn't lost.

Very true was converted to a carpet bagger aircraft. Though to two pictures I posted are different so you have two different schemes to choose from as this decal sheet shows.

 

[Maglar]

Presto! In that colored pic she looks pretty beaten with heavy sun fading.. great start!

Revell has the second option in the kit, as you can see the bomb icons increased as it killed off more enemys between the time period.

 

[Micdrow]

Wow great info Paul!!

Thanks!!!

 

[Micdrow]

Presto! In that colored pic she looks pretty beaten with heavy sun fading.. great start!

Revell has the second option in the kit, as you can see the bomb icons increased as it killed off more enemys between the time period.

Yep, check out last picture on first page. You will need to pick which one you will do

 

[Micdrow]

Another early version of fighting Sam.

 

[Micdrow]

FIGHTIN' SAM
To throw more confusion into the mix, let me tell you about another emblem in the 389th whose use was exclusive to certain personnel in a limited time span. The "Fightin' Sam" image became the de facto insignia of the 566th Squadron after Capt Thomas C. Conroy had it painted on his B-24D. The symbolic image is a determined-looking Uncle Sam rolling up his sleeves in preparation for a fight. He has a black eye, representing the blow America suffered on December 7, 1941, when Japan attack Pearl Harbor. Reportedly, when Conroy saw this political cartoon in some newspaper, he wrote to the publisher and received permission to emblazon the inspiring image on his heavy bomber. This bomber, serial number 42- 40506, was an original 389th ship assigned to the group before it deployed overseas. No one knows for certain where or when the nose art was added, but the crew chief of FIGHTIN' SAM, M/Sgt John G. Petrocelli, felt certain that it was not painted in the U.S. Those 389th veterans that were on detached service in Bengasi in the summer of 1943 agree that the nose art was also not added while they were in the desert. (And by the way, despite anything you may have read elsewhere, this B-24 was not flown on Operation Tidal Wave.) So it would seem the artist's brush was applied sometime after the group returned to England in late August 1943.
The FIGHTIN' SAM nose art was a source of pride among the 566th Squadron personnel who began drawing/painting it on walls, signs, leather jackets, and even metal plaques wired to their bicycle crossbars. It became so popular on the base that many combat crews who never flew this bomber, and didn't even belong to the 566th Squadron, had their crew photos taken in front of this B-24's nose. Although FIGHTIN' SAM was transferred on May 23, 1944, to the 492nd BG "Carpetbaggers," the popularity of the artwork lived on at Hethel.

http://www.389thbombgroup.com/photosother/fightinsam_insignia.jpg

LEFT PHOTO: 566th pilot Tom Conroy had this inspiring nose art painted on his B-24. The symbolic image is a determined-looking Uncle Sam rolling up his sleeves in preparation for a fight. The black eye he has represents the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. CENTER PHOTO: It inspired the men of the 566th to adopt it as an unofficial emblem of their squadron, and they painted it on jackets, walls, and even metal signs wired to the frames of their bicycles, like 566th Operations Clerk Sgt John Rhoads here. RIGHT PHOTO: A color rendering by the author.

Source 389th Bombardment Group