I’m working on the interior of my Monogram 1/48 B-24D and I have a question about the instructions - or maybe just about B-24D anatomy. It will take a little explaining before I get to the real question.
The instructions for this kit show the nose gear doors opening inward. That seemed a little strange, especially since there is so little room there. (if you are inclined to use lame puns you could say that the nose is a little stuffy)
The thing that I’m really questioning though, is the orientation of the door panels themselves. The doors are attached in such a way that you would think they were on a normal hinge. But if that is the case - then they seem to be oriented “inside out”. If they were to swing closed, the door panels would have a concave curvature compared to the convex curvature of the surrounding area.
Does anyone know - are these nose doors hinged or do they ride in a track - similar to the “garage door” type tracks that are found on the Bomb Bay doors of this plane ? Are the instructions messed up ?
Bossman,
The instructions are correct, they open "inward"on the B-24D. I just looked at my Detail and Scale on the Liberator and it shows this very well. Also the doors are hinged. It seems that some B-24J’s were this way also (San Diego built).
Get yourself a copy of the Detail and Scale on the B-24.I will help alot with major and minor changes associated with the Liberator.
Good Luck with your B-24D! Can’t wait until I have some time (and Space) to build mine.
oh I am also building the Monogram B-24D, Im depicting the Lady Be Good as she appears on the desert floor. Im also working on a second B-24D, but I think Ill just do a standerd olivie drab finish with that one, nothing too special on it.
Well… lets say Consolidated/Convair was a complicated company!
Youll find that B-24s up to the D model had inward opening nose gear doors.
But starting with the B-24H Convair started adding a Emerson electrically powered turret to the nose they had to redesign the entire nose… and the doors had to open outward.
As I said though, Convair is weird! Youll find some B-24’s with nose turrets that do have inward opening doors. They may be depot modified or field modified B-24’s that have had the turret added in the field. Or you may see some with nose turrets directly from the factory with inward opening doors!
Convair had 5 different plants in San Diego, Fort Worth, Douglas in Tulsa, Ford in Willow Run and North American in Dallas producing B-24’s. From what I understand each and every plant was never in synch with another plant and each produced different aircraft even during the same model run. Ive seen pictures of Ford B-24J’s with inward or outward opening doors and seen some Convair San Diego do the same.
Sounds like the nose wheel would have to retract at least an extra foot for the doors to clear it when they folded inward. I guess they had a lot of extra space to be able to do that. Wierd! No chance they might have just left them off?
Thanks for the input guys… I have a “B-24 In Action” book - and it agrees with what you have said. The photos of the earlier models have the gear doors invisible when the plane is on the ground. Some of the later models have the gear opening on hinges outward. Unfortunately - there are no photos of the inside of the nose. The issue that Dave mentioned about all the different mfg locations and such is really made obvious when you read a book like that describing all the variations - not to mention in-field mods.
That was a very different time - the use of all those different mfg plants was a sign of the desperation and the “pull out all the stops” / “maximum effort” that was involved in getting the stuff of war to the front lines. Alot of these modifications are what helped us keep up with the technological developments that were happening on both sides at an incredible rate. Definately not conducive to configuration management Quag. Must’ve driven maintenance guys nuts ! But then - they were probably the ones coming up with the ideas !
Mel guy… All the in-flight photos I have show the doors closed. But your comment about clearing the wheel - and the way monogram has the doors oriented when they’re open would lead me to beleive that they are not hinged. That was what my second question was really trying to get at. It’s a weird thing to have to describe.
If you can imagine the curved outer surface of the plane, and part of that curved surface being a hinged door, then if the door swings inward nearly 180 degrees, the the curved surfaces will be opposite one another - like cupping your hands and putting them palm to palm. But the instructions show just the opposite - like if you cup your hands and put the back of one hand into the palm of the other.
The only other question I am left with now is… Why am I getting hung up about this ? In fact - why am I detailing the interior at all ? I’m sick to think this is fun, but it is.
Vinnie - I saw a mag or a book somewhere that had a diorama of the lady be good on the desert floor. If I find it again I’ll get you the name or issue. Sounds like you’re up to the challenge.
Silverbird - The time is not really a problem for me cuz I don’t have a deadline. I don’t have alot of time for modelling in any given week, but over the course of a year or more- I’ll chip away at it. Working space is not a problem - nobody uses that dingy corner of the basement, so my in-progress work sits undisturbed. It’s the displaying of this monster that I’m concerned about … THAT will be a space challenge !
I’m not at home with my books and stuff but I believe the diorama of the Lady Be Good that you’re referring to was featured in FSM’s own “Modelling the Second World War” special series. If memory serves me right it’s in Vol. 2. I also seem to remember that it was done by Shep Paine (though I could be wrong here). Anyway, in case I see it I’ll notify you.
UPDATE: It’s not in the “Modeling the Second World War” but in the “Great Scale Modeling 2003” special issue. It was done by Shep Paine and is also featured in his diorama-building book. Hope this helps.