B-24's

Also like the Liberator. Monogram kit while suffering in quality, at least with aftermarket decals, you can make lots of different ships. I have "Strawberry Bitch", "Short Snorter", "Hail Columbia", "Suzy Q", "On De-Fense", "Jerks Natural", "Duffys Tavern", "Sneezy", "Snow White", "Teggie Ann", and "Boulder Buff". Several are low level Ploesti ships. Had to take pics in a hurry, asphalt getting warm. Not good for glue or styrene... After flying A-20's in Italy in WWII, father went to work for United Air Lines, stationed at Willow Run (Ford Liberator factory) for three years in early sixties when it was the hub for commercial airlines - Detroit. There was a liberator parked by the side of a road for years on display back then, was vandalized, finally vanished. Mark

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Couple more pics...

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Whew! That's a lot of desert pink!

Nice collection. Great work. Where do you display them all?

Ken

Ken Alexander
Son of 1st Lt. Clair B. Alexander Jr.
Pilot, B-24s: 10/12/1944 - 04/24/1945
15th AF, 49th Wing, 461st BG, 764th BS
Torretta Airfield, Cerignola, Italy

Hi Ken, I'm running out of wall space and shelves. Want to build a bunch of 1/32nd scale P-47's now that Hasagawa and Trumpeter have got some real nice kits out there. EagleCals Decals making many choices of squadrons/mounts possible. Have to start taking over another room... Mark

Mark,
Been following all your postings..NICE COLLECTION!!!! Just curious is it all WWII stuff or do you venture outside the era? and any B17's to be seen on here next????
Regards,
Clint

Hi Clint, I haven't ventured far from WWII era, some earlier trainers, current gliders. I'll attach my 17's here.... Thanks for your interest! Mark



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Mark,
Your most welcome! All I can say is it's a Gorgeous Collection!!! Gonna send you a PM hope you dont mind..thanks,Clint

Hi,
 
Such a great collection of B-24... especialy with the Monogram kit that requires much to make it correct !
 
Here's my B-24... that served with the Carpetbaggers at Harrington
 

 
The whole story is on http://target42d.free.fr but is not yet translated into english. I wish to have time to do it one of these days
 
Happy Modelling,
 
Renaud

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Alone Unarmed Unafraid

Excellent! Very nice work. I expected the men to start moving and climbing aboard the plane it looks so real. This diorama one can look at a long time, and the details just keep coming. Very impressive. I must know where you got the figures, vehicles, etc. Usually my patience is limited to the aircraft! Well done Renaud. You should get an instant promotion to Group Member with that kind of quality. Thanks for sharing, Mark

Hello Mark
 
Thanks a lot for your post. The figures on this diorama are "based" on commercial figures such as Verlinden, CMK, Aires or Teknics for the crew. Some other comme from the french brands "Tarmac" and "gasoline". These two brands are available on the internet : http://www.phpshopxml.com/quakit.shop . By "based", I mean that I use to split these figures into separate boxes (left/right arms, legs, bodies, heads...) as soon as I buy them. They are then adapted according to my needs. At last, the "joes" have been created for this diorama by my friend Eddie L. Rosier and are now sold by Maurice Dès (Dèskit) http://deskit.online.fr/01_systeme/pages_systeme/home_page.htm .
 
Happy Modelling,
 
Renaud

Alone Unarmed Unafraid

After flying A-20's in Italy in WWII, father went to work for United Air Lines, stationed at Willow Run (Ford Liberator factory) for three years in early sixties when it was the hub for commercial airlines - Detroit. There was a liberator parked by the side of a road for years on display back then, was vandalized, finally vanished.

 
Mark,  I usually don't go onto the "modelling" sub-forum, bu was surfing a bit today to get some ideas on model plane building.  I have not done this since childhood (plastic, balsa), but I have three boxed kits waiting on my quickly approaching retiremen. (I have  a Monogram B-24J, an Academy B-24M and an Academy PB4Y-1).  From the sound of your post, I suspect that Monogram's are not necessarily the best kits, but I wouldn't know.  I do have a rather nice collection of die cast display pieces, both 1:72 and 1:48 scales, which I use for display and presentations at the former FO WR Plant where I am currently employed in the GM WR Plant. The ones I have by "Nose Art" are:  B24M Million Dollar Baby, B24D The Squaw, B24D The Strawberry Bitch, B24H Pistol Packin Mama, B-24D (MOD) Sky Witch, B24J Dragon and his Tail, B24J Booby Trap, B24J Michigan, B24J Sleepy Time Gal, and B24H (a Mickey) Yellow Nose Monster. Hopefully I'll get some detailing ideas by studying these A/C's.  I really liked your display of Libs on the "tarmac."  I believe you had posted and/or PM'ed me last year about the B24 "at the park," about which you posted above.  Have you seen the PB4Y at YAM since the exterior's been completed?    (Picture Attached)    Best Regards!   Steven

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Best Regards!
Steven P. Puhl
Willow Run Historian  (RET.)  
Home of 8685 Ford B-24 Liberators
Life Member: Yankee Air Museum

Mark,   Good Morning from frigid AA!  Second post here in two days, but was wondering this morning if you were aware of the proposed "Willow Run Endeavor" at the YAM?  We are looking for modellers, as there is going to be an actual scale L/O of the former FO WR Assembly Room. If you are aware of it great, and just maybe there are other local modellers out there who might be interested.  I've included the YAM "link" and attached one photo of a "rough mockup" of the room.  Ohers can be found in the link to the "Hanger Happenings" for December, 2007.  Best Regards!  Steven
http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/
 

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Best Regards!
Steven P. Puhl
Willow Run Historian  (RET.)  
Home of 8685 Ford B-24 Liberators
Life Member: Yankee Air Museum

Mark,  Third in a series of posts on your "Thread."  Being that you are a "MEEEEchigander,"  I am wondering if you are familiar with the Hobby.  Modelling Shop in Tecumseh, MI called  "J-Bar?"  They have  "Run-of-the-Mill" Models on display (plastic, balsa, stick), but also they have some very professional ones on "consignment" which are outstanding and, needless to say, under "lock and key."  One of them is a detailed FO WR B-24J, clean skin.  OUTSTANDING!  This place is huge, and, in fact, there is so much in it, it's like visiting a museum!  Best Regards!  Steven

Best Regards!
Steven P. Puhl
Willow Run Historian  (RET.)  
Home of 8685 Ford B-24 Liberators
Life Member: Yankee Air Museum

Focus Cat,
My father was a dispatcher in the 36th BS out of Harrington. Nice model. Did you modify the ball turret to make the joe hole? Would like to see more close ups as I am trying to build a model of his ship, "US Express" 41-23674.
Terry 

Mark,     Great modelling job!  Your "desert sand 1:72 scales look so realistic.  Thought I'd attach a pic of the Scale model (stick) used to L/O the FO WR Facility in 1941.  You may have already seen it, but from a modeller's perspective, it  sets the size and plan for the facility.  Best Regards!  Steven

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Best Regards!
Steven P. Puhl
Willow Run Historian  (RET.)  
Home of 8685 Ford B-24 Liberators
Life Member: Yankee Air Museum

Hello Steven, I saw the 1/72nd scale Bomber Plant pics with my new issue of "Hanger Happenings" Looks great! What a fantastic idea, great for folks to be able to see what it was like back then. My desert pink Libs are my attempts to duplicate the low raid Ploesti ships. When I was a kid growing up in Ann Arbor MI, always remember my fathers book on the shelf at home "Ploesti" "The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943." I read it probably 9 times by the time I was 16 years old. 1st edition book too, 1962. James Dugan & Carroll Stewart. A classic, gripping minute by minute account of the battle. My Libs are all 1/48th scale Monogram kits, if you guys were to duplicate the factory in that scale, it would be considerably larger! Are you guys going to build the whole plant like the pic of the stick model with Charles Sorenson in it? My hats are off to you... Mark

Mark,   Sorry about the error in the scale.  Also, you may have noted the "Cover Pictures" in the YAM's Hangar Happenings about the scale model of the FO WR Assembly Area.  The plan is for Assembly only, not the entire plant as pictured in post #15.  Also, in post #12 is a "mock up" of the proposed room, which also appears again with other pics in the March 2008 HH.  I have not been involved directly in this project as yet, but will be doing a tour through our facility soon to give emphasis to specific details with the planning team.  Best Regards!  Steven

Best Regards!
Steven P. Puhl
Willow Run Historian  (RET.)  
Home of 8685 Ford B-24 Liberators
Life Member: Yankee Air Museum

Mark,   Thought I'd pass along this article (link) which appeared in this past week's Detroit News.  It is about the plans for the 1:72 scale FO WR exhibit at YAM.  I don't know if you saw it or not.  On Wednesday, 12MR08, I hosted a tour for the YAM Project Team, the Curator of the Transportation Exhibit at Henry Ford Museum, a HFM architect and other personnel at WR. We did a tour of the Bomber Plant Assembly Room as it existed in August of 1944 using an actual Process Flow Diagram dated 01AU44.  Along with our Plant photographer, tape measures, high intensity flash lights and historical pictures, we attempted to "nail down" key points, distances, etc. for the scale model project.  In the copies of Hangar Happenings, you've seen the work that's been started. Hopefully, going forward, there will be some pics to post on this sub-forum which might be of general interest to the members of the Site.   Best Regards!   Steven
 
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080318/METRO01/803180380

Best Regards!
Steven P. Puhl
Willow Run Historian  (RET.)  
Home of 8685 Ford B-24 Liberators
Life Member: Yankee Air Museum