**** DONE: GB-52 1/72 B-24H Hotcha Baby/ Me Worry!!?- Heavy Hitters IV

[T Bolt]

User Name: T Bolt
Name: Glenn
Category: Advanced
Kit: Minicraft B-24J "Liberator"
Scale: 1/72nd
Accessories: Scratch-built modifications to improve the kit and convert it to A B-24H. Aero Master and Home made decals. True Details wheels. Kristal Klear vacuform canopy, top turret and astro dome


This is another B-24 from one of my father's bomb groups, this time the 484th BG, 15th​ AF, and this time an aircraft he flew in on his 1st​ and 3rd combat missions with the 484th​.

The 484th​ Bomb Group Association has a wonderful website with loads of information where I found my father's name on the crew list of the mission documents as photographer in B-24H 41-28935 on Feb 15th and 20th​ 1944 which were his 1st​ and 3rd​ combat missions with the 484th​ after being transferred from the 490th​ BG, 8th AF

41-28935 was a B-24H 15 DT, an early "H" from the Douglas plant in Tulsa Oklahoma. It had the name "Hotcha Baby" on the starboard side of the nose along with a picture of the cartoon character "Miss Lace", while on the port side it had the name "Me Worry!!?"

The 484th BG Association's site had a few pictures of Hotcha Baby/ Me Worry!!? which I've included below Including the first one of Dad sitting on a motorcycle (the guy driving) right in front of Hotcha Baby/ Me Worry!!?

Photo Credit: Mike Kokai

Photo Credit: 484th Bombardment Group / USAAF

Photo Credit: 484th Bombardment Group / USAAF

Photo Credit: Mike Kokai

Photo Credit: Mike Kokai

 

[Crimea_River]

This should be fun to watch Glenn, Nice one.

 

[T Bolt]

I'm looking forward to it Andy.

I've made a start with the nose art decals and here's what I have so far. They still need to be sized to fit the model before I print them on decal film. I plan on doing what I did back in Heavy Hitters II with "Booby Trap", using 2 layers of the decal. The first one printed on white decal film and cut out just inside the outer edge and the second decal printed on clear film. It worked out pretty good back then so should work this time fingers crossed. A couple of them look a bit 'pixelated' but that should disappear when they are reduced to size.

 

[Crimea_River]

Nice work in those.

 

[rochie]

really nice Glenn

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Great subject Glenn, looking forward to watching the progress.

 

[fubar57]

Good stuff Glenn

 

[T Bolt]

"Hotcha Baby" was a very early B-24H and therefore had open waist gun positions so at least I wont have to make any modifications there.

The color scheme was bare aluminum with the outside top of the tail fins painted red with the 484th​'s red bow-tie below.

The inside surface of the tail fins above the horizontal stabilizer not including the rudders was also red on many of the 484th​'s Liberators but from the pictures I have I can't tell if this was one of them, so will decide on that later.

The bow tie symbols I think I have on a decal sheet somewhere, if not I will mask and paint them.

The nose had the number 26 on both sides and was topped with OD anti-glare.

The 'Hotcha Baby' lettering and the pin up was on the starboard side of the nose and 'Me Worry!!?' and a big black bomb with mission symbols on it was on the port side. Also the number 26 was repeated on both sides of the rear fuselage just behind the waist gun windows. I will have to piece together the serials from number decal sheet I have.

The below color picture is NOT 41-28835 but it would have looked quite similar except that it appears from the pictures I have of it that the cowlings were not painted and remained bare aluminum.

 

[Wurger]

 

[T Bolt]

Here's the kit I got from Hobbylink. It was the only version of these Minicraft B-24's that I didn't have in my stash. I hope to start work on it this weekend Starting with gluing on the nose sections and putting the wings together

All the sprues look good which I really wasn't expecting as this is a new boxing of the old molds . Almost no flash and only one sink mark (shown by the red arrow) which is in a location that I will be modifying anyway

The kit decals which I may not be using anything from

The Aero Master decals which include a bomber from the 484th​ bomb group. I will only be using the 'bow tie' tail markings and possibly the national insignia

 

[Wurger]

 

[T Bolt]

Finely made a start on it. Glued the nose sections on to the main fuselage sections being careful to get them lined up as good as I could. The fit wasn't too bad bit will still need a bit of smoothing out.

Also glued the wings together. A bit of downward warp here outbound of the nacelles so I glued the inner portion up first then after it had set, glued up the outer portion while bending it against the warp. Lots of clean up to do along the seams.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Looks great so far!

 

[Crimea_River]

Good stuff. Sounds like you tackled that warp well.

 

[Wurger]

 

[T Bolt]

Looking at pictures I took on Witchcraft few years ago I could see there needed to be some added detail in the waist gun area starting with the floor.

Here are a the pictures I took

First I added the upper floor area I built around the ball turret

After adding the corrugation on the port side of the turret hole and the paint. I still need to paint that vertical step green

 

[Maty12]

Very nice detailing, Glenn!

 

[fubar57]

Beauty

 

[rochie]

looks great !