With around 18,500 units built, the B-24 Liberator holds the record for the most produced bomber. Designed by Consolidated Aircraft, the Liberator featured a high aspect-ratio Davis wing which reduced drag giving it a high cruising speed and extended range. Because of its range, it was very successful in the Pacific Theater and helped patrol the Atlantic against U-boats.
As a model, the Liberator hasn’t been shown the same love as the B-17. Before this new Airfix 1/72 scale Consolidated B-24H Liberator plastic model kit, the most recent one was from Hasegawa almost 20 years ago. Packed inside the new box are 278 crisply molded parts with fine recessed details. The breakdown of the fuselage and some extra parts inside hint that other versions are coming, and Airfix has just announced the D model will be out later in 2025. Cartograf decals provide two marking options, both in olive over gray schemes. Instructions break the assembly into easy-to-follow steps with excellent illustrations and paint guides.
The cockpit isn’t super detailed but certainly adequate for what you will be able to see. A decal details the otherwise flat instrument panel. There are separate parts to detail the cockpit sidewalls, ammunition boxes, and bomb site. Excellent engineering provides positive fits, and Airfix thoughtfully includes a compartment to add 30 grams of ballast under the radio operators’ floor. More weight can be added behind the instrument panel.
The full interior is completely detailed from the bomb bay all the way back to the tail turret. Interior ribbing, bulkheads and floors, walkways, ammunition boxes, oxygen bottles — it’s all there. The worst part is, once it’s all assembled, you’ll only be able to see the bomb bay. I did leave all the bomb bay parts out until the final assembly because that gave me a convenient place to hold on for painting. As suggested, I left the waist guns off until the final assembly, too. I had trouble getting the ammo belts for the waist guns to look right and left them off. You can also pose the gunners' windows closed if desired. The fuselage halves mated together perfectly and joined the nose section flawlessly.
There are two sets of vertical tail pieces, so be sure to pick the proper pair. The wings feature good detail in the main gear wells, and the flaps can be posed up or extended; the ailerons are fixed. You can also model the engines with open or closed cowl flaps. The engines themselves do the job but aren’t great.
While test fitting the wings, even with the ballast in the fuselage, the Liberator still felt tail heavy. So, I glued two half-inch nuts together and added them into each engine nacelle. Probably more than necessary, but it worked.
In another clever feat of engineering, Airfix added a small pin at the base of the main gear leg that mates with a dimple at the top of the tire. The tires are weighted, so not only does it position the tire correctly, but it also changes the loading on the gear strut and should increase its strength. We’ll see if it holds up to all the weight I put in. There is a taper to the main wheel hub as it fits into the tire, so be sure to install it from the proper side.
The last several steps deal with the different turrets. Again, hats off to Airfix for doing a fabulous job of breaking these down so any seams are along panel lines — no unsightly glue joints! The rest of the clear parts were added and masked off with the excellent mask set from Eduard (No. CX667).
I used Model Master olive drab and neutral gray for paint then added some panel shading with thinned Tamiya Smoke and highlights with Model Master Faded Olive. The decals worked flawlessly.
Airfix continues to up its game with each new kit. I’m not sure how many hours I spent on the new 1/72 scale Consolidated B-24H Liberator, but I can tell you that each one was enjoyable. The level of detail, the fit, and the engineering are all top notch. The Liberator scales out right on the money to my references and just plain looks great! Want to add a bomber to your collection? Be sure to check this one out!