PB4Y-2 Privateer ("Redwing")
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Marcello RosaBe prepared for the problem with fitting one of the wings. It seems to be an universal experience that portside goes well, starboard requires a lot of rough handling. This almost derailed my entire project...
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Here are the first photos of my 1/72 Privateer. This was a 40+ years old kit, from the original Matchbox release, which I found on eBay. It is a pity that these have become so rare, as I think it is a great looking plane.
This model was built out of the box, with some home-made additions like the aerials, ventral recognition lights, and gun barrels (the latter, from hypodermic needles). The decals are the originals - even though the decal sheet was warped and yellowed, it could be recovered by a few weeks of exposure to sunlight. The original panel lines were faint and raised, and did not survive the multiple cycles of sanding needed to build this model. I scribed everything.
Building this kit was a great reminder of how good current kits are, in comparison with those from my adolescent years. This was a not an easy build, which surprised me a bit (since my childhood memory was that the Matchbox kits were actually the best). I won’t bore you with a list of problems; if you are really interested, there is a full build report at marcellorosa.com/1-72-pby4-2-privateer. If you manage to find this kit (or the subsequent Revell release, which comes from the same plastic mold), these can tips hopefully save you some trouble.
