Atlantis Model Company 1/92 B-24J Liberator 'Buffalo Bill' Kit First Look

By David L. Veres

First Look

Old-kit enthusiast? Nostalgia modeler? Take a trip in the Way-Back Machine with Atlantis' re-pop of a '50s favorite!

First released in, I think, 1954, Revell's 1:92-scale B-24J "Buffalo Bill" helped prompt a brief period of "box scale" plastic aircraft.

Models as diverse as Bell's P-39, Martin's P-6M Seamaster, and Convair's mammoth B-36 still shared identical package dimensions with "Buffalo Bill".

A scant decade later, the rise of "constant scale" aircraft kits – 1:72, 1:48, and 1:32 – let hobbyists gauge true, relative size differences among subjects. And "constant scale" quickly consigned "box scale" to history's dust bin.

Well, not quite.

Revell occasionally reissued box-scale kits in special collections – like 1980s "History Makers". And its hemispheric partners, Lodela (Mexico) and Revell-Brazil economically served Latin American markets with the putatively obsolete tooling.

Still, supply-and-demand make some classics collectibles. And many originals now fetch stratospheric prices.

Not any more.

Atlantis Toy And Hobby now lets old-kit enthusiasts and nostalgia modelers build their favorite subjects – without mortgaging their homes.

Atlantis' 1:92-scale B-24J "Buffalo Bill" reissue restores all parts to their Eisenhower-era glory.

Rivets? You got 'em. Indented scribing? That, too. "Swivel Stand" with ball-joint and tempered wire ring? Yowza!

And all with surprisingly good fit, minimal flash, and accurate outlines.

But gone is the compact container of classic releases and reissues. With framable original box art, "Buffalo Bill" symbolically swims in its big (16" x 8" x 2.125") box. I figure two (2) 1:92-scale B-24s – Swivel Stands included – could fit into Atlantis' voluminous packaging!

Buy two!

Seriously, today's kit manufacturers engineer packaging to complement  retailer merchandising programs. In 1954, Revell also cut many components from sprues – and loosely placed them, unbagged, into boxes. What worked then clearly wouldn't work today.

Buy two, anyway!

Atlantis' compact, precisely printed decal sheet replicates one of the early issues – and even includes the circular "B-24" transfer for the kit's Swivel Stand!

New large, eight-page, B&W instructions feature a capsule subject history, decal application notes, parts list, and ten-step assembly sequence with illustrations from the original 1954 release.

Nitpicks? The starboard vertical fin is a minor short-shot. And Atlantis tells me that, because of irreparable mold deterioration, all kits remain, unfortunately, that way. Oh, and plastic is now a cream yellow – not the original light olive drab.

Still, keep 'em coming, Atlantis! As an "old-kit" builder, I'm tired of mortgaging properties to feed my hobby-habit!

With thanks to Atlantis Model Company for this review sample!