Liberator and Privateer (B-24, B-41, PB4Y, P-4)

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Just been browsing the 'Stash' thread and noticed that a few brave souls have bought the Revell re-issue of the excellent Matchbox 1:72 Privateer. Therefore thought it may well be time to open a dedicated thread for this beastie...... So I s'pose I'd better get the ball rolling:

Engines
Could it be re-engined with Merlin's or Griffin's or even Mamba's for post-war Coastal Command use. How about those monster power-palnts from an Academy B-50 ? or something more simple, a prop-swap for a four blader from a B-29 or P-51 - yes I appreciate that means canabalising four Mustang kits  - how's about auxilliary jets a la P-2 Neptune or C-119 Boxcar.

Weapons
Remove all of them, fare-in the nose and tail turret and you have an excellent post war ocean patrol platform. Alternatively a couple of pylons outside the main engines for torpedos or 5" HVAR's.

Users
Where could you stop ? - Post-war Japan, Canada - in pseudo Lancaster style colours, Coastal Command (even late war Coastal Command would look great as would RNZAF or RAAF), Brazil, Argentina, Chile - with huge dayglo orange panels for Antarctic ops, SAAF with the aforementioned Griffin engines and a pair of 20mm in the nose (think Shackleton).

OK, now, over to you lot......

Ian

[Doc Yo]

 Revell HAS re-issued the Privateer?!? I'll have to take a look around!

First thoughts- slighty bigger waist blisters to house a pair of observers (eash) for B-29 style remote
turrets ( each with a quartet of .50 cals ) up top, a ball-mount 37mm in the nose, and a Bat under each wing.

And wingtip tanks.

[jcf]

If one was to use the R-4360s from a B-50 I'd suggest only using two and have the aircraft a developed version of the
Consolidated Model 38 proposal.
The Model 38 was to use the wing, twin R-3350 engines and empennage of the Model 31 flying boat mated to a B-24D fuselage,
the B-24 (Model 32) used the basic wing design of the Model 31.

I recently picked up a 1/144th B-24J and a 1/144th B-29 to do a possible late series Model 38, probably as a PB3Y-4 (based on an alt scenario of the PB3 designation being reassigned from the canceled Model 30).

So following the logic of the alt scenario an R-4360 powered Super-38 could possibly be a PB6Y?

BTW I believe the Matchbox kit could be built as an RY3 (Model 101) transport so the facility to build the kit without guns should be in the box.
The RAF and RCAF both used the RY3, so using the bomber version isn't too much of a stretch.

A few P4Y (re-designation of the PB4Y occurred in 1951) were used for cargo by civil operators in Latin America in the sixties (Mexico, Brazil, Chile).

Jon

[famvburg]

    PB4Ys used for fire fighting in the US were re-engined with R-2600 QEC & props from B-25s.

Just been browsing the 'Stash' thread and noticed that a few brave souls have bought the Revell re-issue of the excellent Matchbox 1:72 Privateer. Therefore thought it may well be time to open a dedicated thread for this beastie...... So I s'pose I'd better get the ball rolling:

Engines
Could it be re-engined with Merlin's or Griffin's or even Mamba's for post-war Coastal Command use. How about those monster power-palnts from an Academy B-50 ? or something more simple, a prop-swap for a four blader from a B-29 or P-51 - yes I appreciate that means canabalising four Mustang kits  - how's about auxilliary jets a la P-2 Neptune or C-119 Boxcar.

Weapons
Remove all of them, fare-in the nose and tail turret and you have an excellent post war ocean patrol platform. Alternatively a couple of pylons outside the main engines for torpedos or 5" HVAR's.

Users
Where could you stop ? - Post-war Japan, Canada - in pseudo Lancaster style colours, Coastal Command (even late war Coastal Command would look great as would RNZAF or RAAF), Brazil, Argentina, Chile - with huge dayglo orange panels for Antarctic ops, SAAF with the aforementioned Griffin engines and a pair of 20mm in the nose (think Shackleton).

OK, now, over to you lot......

Ian

[dogsbody]

RAF version with Bristol Centarus engines.

USAF version with either R-2600's or R-2800's, bombays removed and replaced with two 37mm AA guns and a single 75mm gun from a B-25H. The guns mounted sideways to be used as an early " Spooky " gunship.

[ChernayaAkula]

^  Or give it the Spooky-treatment, but keep it in the Navy and give it the paintjob the AP-2H Neptunes carried in Vietnam. CLICKY!

[kitnut617]

RAF version with Bristol Centarus engines.

This would be good, oddly when Avro were offering the Shackleton MR.4, one version proposed had R.3350-85's. I had wondered why not the Centaurus.

[Jschmus]

I have a vauge recollection of a proposed tilt wing B-24 but I am unsure if it was real or I was having one of those drunken conversations.

There was a fellow over on Starship Modeler who talked about building such a thing, but I don't know if he ever built it.

I dredged this thread out of the ether because a couple of days ago, December 28th, was the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the Consolidated XB-24.  There aren't many of the old birds still in the air (three, according to Wikipedia) these days, but the fact that there are any is a testament to the design.

[GTX]

There is a B-24 under restoration in Australia (seee http://b24australia.org.au/) - I'm not sure, but I thought the intention was to restore it to flightworthy condition.  Whether or not this means it will actually be flown is a different matter though.

Regards,

Greg

[PR19_Kit]

I have a vauge recollection of a proposed tilt wing B-24 but I am unsure if it was real or I was having one of those drunken conversations.

If Our Glorious Leader can build a tilt-wing Ford Tri-Motor ANYTHING is possible!

Martin, your call.......

[Radish]

A Tilt-Wing B-24 sounds good....I like it.

I also had an idea for an AEW version in Finnish service....a big U-shaped aerial on the top, "lucky" to spot anything!! They also flew it inverted to count reindeer.....
an Israeli AEW would be good too.

[GTX]

Many of you will be familiar with the JB-17G turboprop testbed:



Well, what if it was the JB-24 instead:



Regards,

Greg

[famvburg]

       What do you do about the prop tip clearance to the ground?

Many of you will be familiar with the JB-17G turboprop testbed:



Well, what if it was the JB-24 instead:



Regards,

Greg

[Doc Yo]

 You either give it taller nose gear, or mount the whole rig on a pivot.

[McColm]

Did anyone build an AEW version, as I have acquired the AeroClub Shackleton MR2/AEW conversion kit?