The B-24 Liberator has long been one of my favorite aircraft from WWII. While it could never be considered an attractive airplane, and was very ungainly while on the ground, it did have a certain elegance once the wheels were up and the plane was in the air.

I was pleased when I was selected to review the latest In Action book from Squadron-Signal Publications. It features the B-24 Liberator, and is chock-full of period photos in both black & white and color. It follows the typical format of this type of book, covering the entire range of B-24 variants. Starting with the XB-24, it tracks the development of the airframe to its final incarnation, the F7A. Along the way, there are sections dedicated to variants, with photos to show how one differed from the next.

Back in 1986 I was in Great Britain to attend the British Grand Prix. I wasn’t aware of the fact that between the support races they staged an air show. I was very impressed with the vintage British aircraft which included a Lancaster, a Spitfire, a Hurricane among a vast number of classics. The one aircraft that impressed me the most was the Avro Vulcan. When this big bomber passed over, it blocked out the sun and deafened all around. It made several passes both at low speed and also at high and also dirty with everything opened. Since that time, I have always wanted to build a model of this unique big bird.

The Kit

This is another of Hasegawa’s 1/200 series. This is their third 777-300, the other ones being done in ANA markings and a different JAL scheme. There are also two 777-200s in the series, both JAL. This is my first 1/200 scale kit.

The fuselage comes in white plastic, while the wings, horizontal stabilizers, landing gear, wheels, and doors all come in gray. There is no cockpit interior, but there is a clear windscreen.

Early on in the instructions, Hasegawa provides a wonderful feature, a nose weight. It’s a large screw, about 3/8 diameter, and about 1 inch long. It goes through a bulkhead which is glued into the fuselage. It’s plenty heavy, and there’s no danger of this model becoming a tail sitter.

I took a photo of this feature, but I’ve had some computer trouble, and the “in process” photos for this build are gone to the great bit-bucket in the sky.