"Unbroken" B-24D Superman or Green Hornet

[airdave]

The B24 kit I sell does have internal formers...thats because Marek designs with full internals.
My B24 is derived from one of Marek's older smaller scale B24 kits.
So all credit goes to his original design as being the basis of (what I think is) a decent kit.

John Dell has a really nice larger scale B24, with formers,
but its a later version (not the D model).
Unfortunately he isnt selling his kits any more at ecardmodels.

I've been busy with other things...creating new B24 kits is not on my priority list.
And B24s are really poor sellers, another reason I can't commit the time.
I also won't produce a kit without the proper reference material and research.

From what I can fathom, B24D 41-23938 was named Super Man and had Superman comic style artwork on the left side of the nose.
I can't find a good enough photo of the artwork, so I would have to fill in the blanks (and I don't like doing that).
[yes, I already have the two or three images making the rounds online]

I have yet to find proof of the artwork on the right side of the aircraft.
Many of these bombers only had the "big" painting on the left side.

The aircraft was modified to receive a rotating tail turret up front (at the nose) replacing the greenhouse.
After that, the nose art was repainted a little different, and on the right side.
But I have yet to see photographic evidence of the new artwork repainted on the left side.
(although it makes sense that it was repainted after the nose modifications)

The aircraft was damaged heavily in combat, with severe nose damage.
Is that the damage and crash landing depicted in the film?
Reports are that the nose turret controls were severed and the turret had to be manually rotated to free the gunner.
Another claim is that the aircraft was so badly damaged, it was scrapped.
And yet, 41-23938 is known to have become Sexy Sue IV (so it wasn't scrapped).

I haven't seen this film you guys are talking about...in all honesty, after Red Tails, I can't handle the bad CGI.
Why are all these films so blatantly inaccurate, or have impossible scenes involving aircraft?
The aircraft seem to do amazing things in many of these films, I'm reluctant to see the B24 crash landing in Unbroken.

I've yet to see screenshots from this film, showing the CGI B24 with the proper nose turret.
(assuming that it really did have a nose turret as online reports state)
...so is it just another romantic film with less than accurate wartime imagery?

[Irondog1970]

Originally Posted by Butelczynski

S&P Liberator bundles 2 and 5 have early B-24. Nr 2 is likely too early while top model from nr 5 bundle needs a bit of corrections of markings and change of rear turret to earlier "crows nest" type of gun position unless filmmakers got it wrong and mixed up two versions of B-24 (it wouldn't be surprising).

Either way S&P #3953 is your best bet. Lou Zamperini plane was caller "Superman" and it was version B-24D-20-CO.

Update-go figure-someone on Warthunder did skin for this very plane and it's available for download. If I could extract nose art and tail numbers from that skin I could make that recolor in short order.

Sorry for not replying sooner as I was travelling. Thank you, I will search for that skin and compare the tail numbers to those posted on B-24 bestweb. If the skin you found for Superman is accurate or at least close enough I would certainly appreciate that recolor, just let me know which model you'd be recoloring.

[Irondog1970]

Originally Posted by Gerry1966

If you wouldn't insist on the exact aircraft from Unbroken, I have painted a total of 4 D version machines from the Pacific battlefield in my Liberator line. They are available at Ecardmodels, specifically here:
1/72 and 1/100 Consolidated B-24D Liberator in PTO (4) Kit Bundle Paper Model - EcardModels

Thank you, I looked at those and one of those might be my goto if I give up completely on an exact model.

[Irondog1970]

Air Dave, Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your point of view and respect your decision about not making an inaccurate, best guess model. B-24's not being good sellers doesn't surprise me but nonetheless, thank you for making some. I will be purchasing either Blue Streak or Lady Be Good in the near future for my own enjoyment. Regarding the films accuracy, I seem to remember thinking the CGI was only slightly better than the Dogfights Series which reminded me of the times I played IL2 in the early 2000's and as for Red Tails, I haven't seen it yet so I can't speak to that one.

[Irondog1970]

I have been googling 42nd bomb squadron ww2 and found a sequence of four pictures on World War II Database of Superman 41-24149.
Special Photo Series | World War II Database
They are identified as B-24D Liberator 'Superman' at Funafuti after the 307th Bomb Group's 20 Apr 43 mission to bomb Nauru which was the last mission Zamperini flew in Superman, in the book he states that he didn't think it ever flew again, but I haven't found anything to refute or back up that statement. He also states in the book that during the mission he had to manually rotate the nose turret to free the Navigator/Nose Gunner Robert Mitchell after a head on Zero attack damaged the power to the nose turret.



According to Roger Freeman in "B24 Liberator At War" on page 52, in April of 43 the 307th's B24D's began rotating through the Hawaiian Air Depot for an armament modification which consisted of moving the power tail turret to the nose, replacing the empty tail gun position with a manual twin 50 cal mount and installing a retractable ball turret in the belly behind the bomb bay. Additionally early radar was also installed.



My conclusion is that the planes chosen for 20 April raid were some of the first ones to get the modification, probably even their first combat mission with the nose turret.

In the fourth photo in the sequence referenced above, when zoomed in, some nose art is visible thru the main landing gear and it's retraction linkage and also to left of that what I conclude to be the revised bombardiers windows below the freshly installed nose turret. The color there appears a more uniform hue which indicates to me that it was very recently applied during the Depot visit. I believe the window with the single 50 cal swivel mount just behind the left side of the removed greenhouse nose was also removed as part of Superman's modification although I have seen some other B-24D photos with the nose turret and the window still in place.