I recently got my hands on revell’s “new” B-24D liberator. (im under the impression that it’s a re-issue) i have wanted to have a 1/48 scale B-24 for a long long time. according to the box photos and the online instructions the kit is supposed to come with a pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, and two waist gunners. the fact that this kit was supposed to come with a complete flight crew got me very excited to get ahold of one. However, upon opening the kit and removing the parts bags(which had a thick, grey, grease presumably from the packaging machine) and examining the parts trees and direction sheets the crew members, with the exception of the pilot, were not existent. the direction sheet was different than the one available on revell’s website and the other crew members were not on any of the trees or in the bags or box.
I was wondering if anybody else has had this problem also, or if i should proceed with calling revell.
i am still a big fan of revell kits and it’s not like it destroys the kit(i have built 5 revell 1/48 b-17’s which have no flight crew) but they would be really neat to have them in the bomber…especially since there are no windows over the waist gun positions.
send them a message or call them. they require you to send a upc code and then they send the crew to you. my friend had this same problem and they fixed it no fuss. they should have put a disclaimer on the box but at least they make it right. I wish they would just sell the figs seperately. oh well.
Really?! So your saying revell will send the missing crew figures? I remember the last time this came up, that poster contacted revell and was told there was no suggestion what so ever (either on the box or in the instructions) that there was a crew with the kit. And pretty much, tough grapes.
So if you have proof that they will send figures, I’d very much like to see it.
I have a copy of the email, (I was going to buy one). Plus I seen the results. Crew in the mailbox within a couple of weeks. I could dig up the email if you want.
Its probably an old "J" kit...have one in the stash with crew and tractor. The only Revell kits Ive seen with waist gunners,etc were the Promodeler kits. The PBY 5A had blister gunners and the B-17 had a 5 man crew with 2 ground crew also. I haven`t seen the new B-24D kit up-close yet…I think they should give ya the crew!
The last 1/48 B-24 to contain the in-flight figures was the one released by Revell Germany several years back. The B-24 that Revell just recently re-released doesnt contain the crew figures and neither does the instruction sheet that comes with it. The instruction sheets on Revell’s website tend to be out of date ones and are commonly the sheets that came with the original release.
You may want to research some interior shots of the nose section of the D model because Revell got this wrong in the kit. The first B-24 they released was a B-24J and when they issued the D they did not change any of the interior pieces (except around the ball turret) but should have in the nose section.
I wonder if theyre sending the people who are complaining the figures from the " Visible" B-17...theres 10 in that kit…5 combat figures for inside the plane and 5 on the ground…3 mechanics and 2 pilots…one holding a bag and the other a clipboard…usual Revell figures. There`s 2 seated pilots and 2-2piece waist gunners and another 2-piece standing figure…all with oxygen masks. Any of this sound familiar?
Yeah, those’re the figures that came in the ProModeler versions…
They also come in the B-24D kit labeled “Monogram Classic” from about 1999… Those’re the only kits I’m aware of that included the combat flight crew figures… Neither the B-17 nor the B-24 have a full crew of 10 “in-flight” figures… (This is the reason I learned how to cast figures in resin, folks…)[t$t]
For thse of you that can do so, I highly recommend printing out a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby and picking up an Alumalite Casting kit and get started…
Revell is NEVER gonna release a set of their aviation figures… I’ve been writing them (and before them, Monogram) for 30 years to do so…
the waist gunners, pilot and copilot and a dude for the front. Give me a bit to dig up that email and I’ll pass it on. They should have just said figs not included but at least they are making it right. I agree with Hans, get them and cast them like crazy! I need to do that. Sadly we don’t have a HL here. I’ll have to look around.
Those 5 crew members would be all you can really see anyways though you probably can cast another as the navigator in the nose then another in the dorsal turret.
Needs a tailgunner half-figure (I use the figure from the Revellogram P-47D and cut him at the waist, ala “Tank Drivers”)… But there’s no point in doing up a full figure for those turrets, as they don’t fit in any aspect as full figures… I used the Revellogram P-47 pilots for the tail and nose turret gunners, and the B-26 turret gunner for the top turret. The lack of O2 masks aren’t an issue, since all you can see of either gunner is basically the top of the flight helmet.
But even when I use the flight crews, the aircraft is on the ground, and the turrets aren’t manned… No one is allowed in the “greenhouse” nose of the B-24D on take-off or landing either… The guys up there are (supposed to be) seated farther aft, in the Nav and Radio compartment jump seats. I always use the “Crusher cap” or “Overseas cap” heads on the pilot and co-pilot, since they seldom wore helmets until just before reaching enemy airspace…
BTW, while I’m thinking about it, the flight crews on B-29s would “suit up” in the air, unlike the Lib and Fort crews… While the B-29 was pressurized and allowed a “shirt-sleeve” environment at high altitude, the Superfort crews would get into their electric bunny suits, then the leather, and all the rest of their flight-and-flak-gear just prior to reaching enemy airspace… The aircraft would then be de-pressurized from the IP (or from the first sign of flak or fighters) onward and kept that way until clear of the bad guys…
Speaking of which, the B-29 REALLY needs a set of fight deck figures… Lot of nose to look into on that bird…
Of course though having them in high altitude gear demands that said B-24 needs to be built in flight so that you can build it gear up and bomb bays open in a bomb run type scene.
I feel you, I went thru the same think. I called Revell and they said it was their mistake, the figures are not included. Mine went as Strawberry Beach with Mike Grant Decals. Nice kit in my humble opinion.
Not necessarily… It only means that you have to replace the heads with ones that don’t have the O-masks in place and goggles down if you put it on the ground… Although the bomb bays could be open too, since the waist and flight deck crew often boarded through it… The turret gunner figure from their B-26 has the best “helmet head”
I’ll have to look around.