Black as Night

I’ll bet you’ve been wondering what happened to this guy?

Many things.

Many things have happened.

But the main one was that I could not decide how to paint this model, and without that bit of firmament permanently affirmed I was at a loss.

Also, I’m short of shelf-space for display so I have to budget my budgies.

In short, I waited for inspiration to persperate.

Here, then, is the photo that launched a thousand spits.

You see, in addition to my fixation on the “Jolly Roger” Liberator

I have an obsession with RAF SEAC markings. I don’t know why. But it may be the result of on old copy of “1001 Model Airplane Ideas” where an SEAC Liberator built by Lee Scow was featured.

On my twelve-year-old-brain, that image burned itself in like Angelina Jolie in Beowulf.

But how could a boring old “milk run special” dumping warheads on the foreheads of water buffalo and rice paddies compete with the Jolly Roger? Or the “tri-color” camo of a USN PB4Y-1? How? I axe you.

Like this:

S for Sugar, Moneypenny.

Here’s the deal. It looks like the underside is BLACK. Or, perhaps, that most RAF of colors, NIGHT, which a color which looks like black.

Nome sayin?

Or fuligin. Which is a color which is DARKER THAN BLACK.

But…but…but the INSTRUCTIONS SAY…

SHUT YOUR BLEEDING GOB.

Then I found a book.

SEAC LIBERATOR BOMBERS IN FAR EAST
5 OTU RCAF – 231GROUP RAF SEAC

By
J.E.H. FAIL

No, I’m not making this up. I know it looks like I am, but I’m not.

Here’s a quote:

“A few SEAC Liberators were painted night bomber mat black under and side surfaces and olive drab upper surfaces…”

So there it is then. The deciding factor. It will also allow me to just “panel over” the ball turret. Beauty.

Rig for night action. And prepare to paint the belly of the beast in RAF blacky-black. Black. That’s the color’s name, right?

Black. It’s black. It’s a flaming Moe.

2 Replies to “Black as Night”

  1. Dan, maybe you better take it over to Britmodeller and see what colour it is?

    Seriously though, I didn’t know you were a fellow SEAC follower like me. I did a SEAC Thunderbolt when I was a kid, and at the time I was totally intrigued by the markings (British?!? They are NOT British!) and this US aircraft tricked out in…SEAC? colours?

    Naturally, I spent much time tracking down bits about SEAC ever since those far off days. Really made me feel special.

  2. 12 year old brain…. I built an Aurora DR1 in 1955. My dad was superintendent of elementary schools at Eglin Air Force Base. Dad displayed the DR1 in his office. I was there when a Colonel came by to arrange a tour of Eglin for our family. He admired my little model. On the tour I was allowed in the cockpit of an operational B-29. I’ll always remember the smell and colors.
    So I still have the DR-1, which I rebuilt 2 years ago.
    The other wonders of the tour included F-104s with felt pads on the leading edges. 12 year old’s memory still clear and bright as that sunny day.

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