Big Cutlass

All I can say is WOW !!! I have been patiently waiting (most of the time) ever since the rumors of this magnificent release began to circulate, but when the sturdily packed heavy box arrived, it was like Christmas morning in July. I have long known about Paul Fishers’ talents as a master pattern maker and craftsman, but this thing literally blew my mind. Again, the care in packing carefully with copious amounts of tissue is something we’ve come to expect in all the Fisher releases (kudos to Suzy, V.P. in charge of tissue!).

Several months ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Iliad’s book, Colors of the Falcons, a thorough examination of camouflage schemes and colors used on Soviet aircraft during the Second World War. Since I rated this publication very highly, I was interested to see if their decals were as good. I was not disappointed.

The subject of this review is Iliad Design’s newly released 1/48 scale “Milestone Phantoms” decal set. As the title indicates these decals allow the modeler to finish a Phantom as one of several significant production aircraft. These include:

Editor's note: This build includes parts from Quickboost.net as noted below:

• B24 Liberator Oxygen Cylinders, P/N 72--319
• B24 Liberator Turbo-supercharger, P/N 72-307

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this model to SSGT M.G. Hobelman who served with the 376^thHeavy Bombardment Group based in San Pancrazio Italy. SSGT Hobelman flew 38 combat missions from September 21, 1944 to April 15, 1945 manning the nose turret of a B24J. Thanks to his son, a good friend of mine, I had the pleasure of meeting SSGT Hobelman and sharing conversation over breakfast about what he experienced during the war. Unfortunately, “Hobie,” as he was affectionately known passed away last year. I thought often of the stories he told me during this build and will never encounter the B24 in the same way as a result. Rest in Peace my friend.