I saw a picture some time ago of an American aircraft in a white with pink polka-dots pattern. For some reason I remember it being a B-24. This would make an interesting paint scheme to do. Does anyone have any clues about this scheme?

All right Mike, you may check this book: "Fighting Aircraft of WWII" by Bill Gunston, Salamander Books, 1988.
I believe they have a picture of a B-24 H of the 458th BG with that pattern.
Also you may check Squadron Publications Books for references.
Hope this helped.

Is this what you saw?

It's a model by Glenn Adams of Burnaby, BC.Reported as an Assembly Ship, for rallying bombers before a raid. photo printed in FSM Feb 1993.

Right on the money, crs! The one I saw was white with bright pink polka dots. It's not going into a contest, so I don't have to be 100% accurate.

Hi everyone

Here she is in her element...



"Spotted Ape" of the 458th BG. She was written off in a crash on March 9, 1945.

Shep Paine made a wonderful diorama in the 1970s, using the Monogram 1/48 kit, of the ground crew applying the spots. :-)

All the best

Rowan

There were other, equally garish, assembly ships, well illustrated in Freeman's "The Mighty Eighth."

Good show Merlin. I know I have that Shep Paine photo set around here somewhere but I couldn't locate it. Must be deeper in the pile.

Weren't these rally AC usually 2nd rate birds (older planes) marked strictly for rally purposes? Did they just go up, rally the group and then not go on the mission? I would hate to be a group leader with a paint job like that, almost like a bullseye on your AC.

That's right bison44 :-)

"Assembly Ships" were usually war-weary a/c, retired from combat missions.

They were given bright paint jobs to be easily visible for the BG's other a/c to formate on. They headed back to base once the formation was complete.

Every BG had a/c marked in distinctive colours for this job.

All the best

Rowan

For the record, there's a big discussion over on the IPMS forum about accuracy. The long and short of it is that the official guidelines are more concerned with basic construction over absolute accuracy. So, as I understnd it, if you had a REPRESENTATIVE assembly ship that was well buit on the basics, assembly, alignment, paint application,etc. but did not have an absolutely accurate paint scheme, you'd fare much better than a well documented, accurized model with unfinished seams and alignment issues.

Good point, AJ. As I build for me, I'm the only critic that counts. Seriously, I've seen a lot of discussion recently of how contests are now discouraging intermediate and beginner modelers. There seems to be a trend towards "if you don't have proof, it didn't look like that" style of judging. I don't go for that personnaly, I like to build things well, and perhaps not 100% historically accurate. I'll get off my soapbox now.

As I said, the aircraft that comes to mind had bright pink polka-dots, so that's what's going on the model.

Check into FSM "Modelling the Second World War." I think that there is an article about cutting circular masks and painting three different assembly ships. I'll check when I get home.

Shaun

or just get a circle template they go rght down to about 3 mil wide so would suit your needs :-)

I have one of those rotary leather punches with several different sized cutting dies. I also have some low tack frisket paper. Punch the frisket, lay it down, paint, and move on...

Hi there

A compass-cutter is also handy for larger circles... :-)

All the best

Rowan

Jimmy Stewart,was an 8th AF Lib pilot.After a while he was done with missions,so he would fly the assembly ship.
There was a story in Martin Bowman's book,B-24 Liberator,1939-45
about Stewart leading a group on a mission in the assembly ship.A must read!

If you like assembly ships, try the red and white striped B-17, Birmingham Blitz. What a great looking aircraft.