"Diamond Lil" Nose Art returning to the CAF's B-24.

[Ploesti]

Django outstanding work.

[Django]

Thanks!

I'm looking forward to seeing where Gary V. takes it.

[wingman1]

has the new paint been put on yet?

[Alan Brooks]

Django!

Wow! What a great workup! Hope you don't mind if I did a little cut and paste....... I can certainly take it out at your request.... but WOW!




I too (as a B-29/B-24 Squadron member), will be sad to see "Ol '927" revert back to "Daimond 'Lil". However, after seeing your workup, that certainly gives me reason to take a step back and take a pause or two..... That being said, it was certainly an honor and a privilege to have your artwork on the airplane. I look at "Ol' 927" in this particular vein....... Gary Austin had a vision of the B-24 in his mind to get her back to how she appeared rolling out from the factory floor in May 1941....... he got danged close in a very short period of time...... I myself could not stand on the sidelines anymore and HAD to go to Midland and work (during the transformation) on that airplane...... Django and his crew were the icing on the cake for me....... I will always feel indebted..... Hold your head high brother.....and keep painting! Can't wait to see your artwork on that P-51!

alan brooks

[JohnB]

What's the point of putting operational-style paint and artwork on a clearly non operation type?

Until they put turrets on it, I'd thought the CAF would have the sense to leave it painted as an C-87/LB-30 or whatever.

Guess I'm giving them too much credit.
I'm not a fan of nose art unless the type actually had it in service....and then in the correct period style.
This craze of "anything WWII with nose art" is silly.

[Ztex]

Until they put turrets on it, I'd thought the CAF would have the sense to leave it painted as an C-87/LB-30 or whatever.

She's got all the turrets that a B-24A had....the only real difference (from the outside) is the long nose and the bomb bay doors.

The change is interesting. The Buzz of 927's change was just buzz to most of us here. The "where's Diamond Lil"? questions from the public seems to have won through...whether we like it or not.

927 was in "Diamond Lil" paint for longer than she wore any other paint. 37 years of "Diamond Lil", 7 years with Consolidated, 11 years with Continental Can, 8 years with Pemex....

I like the 927 idea. The art was a great, crowd friendly, period Disney style stuff.
Good for Django! ( i love your stuff! )

My preference was always; NO nose art just the neutrality flags...that would have been period correct. But people like nose art. And the idea is to sell this airplane to the people that go to airshows, buy t-shirts and buy rides....and guys like girly nose art....

Just a few thoughts from this end of the peanut gallery.

Maybe I'm biased...But I've "known" 'Diamond Lil' since 1972...hehe

[Speedy]

What's the point of putting operational-style paint and artwork on a clearly non operation type?

Until they put turrets on it, I'd thought the CAF would have the sense to leave it painted as an C-87/LB-30 or whatever.

Guess I'm giving them too much credit.
I'm not a fan of nose art unless the type actually had it in service....and then in the correct period style.
This craze of "anything WWII with nose art" is silly.

I'm sure this has been re-hashed elsewhere, but it's not an LB-30 anymore as it was re-converted back to it's original B-24A configuration (with the exception of the 'nose plug')...including all the indigent gun positions that the A-model had. A-model B-24's didn't have the 'turrets' you suggest putting on.

[K5DH]

I believe the B-24A is missing her top gunner's position (which was an open hatch, not a turret), and I know she's missing her left waist position. As I recall, Gary A. was looking for parts and drawings required to recreate the top gunner's position, as well as those needed to recreate the bomb bay. I believe they have a set of bomb bay doors in storage.

Regarding the impending name change, in today's world, it's all about marketing and name recognition. If you want the public to remember your airplane, you need to have a catchy name that they'll take away with them and use in conversation. Back when the B-24A was being painted, Gary talked about applying neutrality flags on both sides of the nose, which would be very period-correct and would look great. The problem with that is that there would be no name recognition. How would the public have referred to the Lib? "That bomber with the big American flags on the nose" just isn't very catchy. Going back to the name "Diamond Lil" is probably the right thing to do. As Zane pointed out, she's carried that name for as long as she's been on the warbird circuit. After decades of air shows and events, it's safe to say that literally millions of people know her by that name. As others have correctly pointed out, the public still ask, "Whatever happened to Diamond Lil?". What would happen if the CAF changed the name of their B-29 to something other than "FIFI"? Even if the new name and markings were straight out of WW2 and honored a famous crew and aircraft, the public recognition would be lost. Bad idea, right? I think it's the same with the Lib. You must have name recognition, pure and simple. There's an old saying here in Texas that applies in this case: "Dance with the one that brung ya". I'm glad she's going back to being "Diamond Lil", especially with the American flag on the other side of the nose (which I hope/assume will be a 48-star flag!).

DJANGO: I love your rendition of the "new" Diamond Lil nose art. I'm sure Gary V. will do a great job, but yours would have looked super on the B-24A! It's no secret that I've never liked the "Ol' 927" name and artwork, but that's definitely not because of the quality of the artwork. The name and picture just didn't appeal to me. You are a superb artist, and you've been honored in a very special way that most of us can't dream of.

[Chappie]

What would happen if the CAF changed the name of their B-29 to something other than "FIFI"? Even if the new name and markings were straight out of WW2 and honored a famous crew and aircraft, the public recognition would be lost. Bad idea, right?

Man, I would love to see FIFI in an authentic WWII scheme! I too liked the quality of the Ole 927 artwork, but happy to see a pin-up going back up.


Chappie

[Pathfinder]

Django--

Now THAT would have been an awesome piece of art for Lil! A very nice period rendition.

Good call on the "wartime" first go around of the Lil pose. It is rather obscure--not among the famous gatefolds or calendar girls or military edition girls--but was the "A Deck" pose on the 1945 Varga playing cards offered by Esquire. So, yes, likely offered in late '44 for the '45 season. On the cards she is in a white one-piece bathing suit and backed by a giant white hat--I like it better than the mink.

This one is unusual for Vargas in that when he revamped an older piece for Playboy he usually reversed the image (he called them "flops"). Then altered an arm or hair style/color or the props. In '45 her whole body right down to the position of the hands is exactly the same. She is a blonde and the suit and hat as mentioned.

I'll see if I can edit in a scan.

[JohnB]

I'm sure this has been re-hashed elsewhere, but it's not an LB-30 anymore as it was re-converted back to it's original B-24A configuration (with the exception of the 'nose plug')...including all the indigent gun positions that the A-model had. A-model B-24's didn't have the 'turrets' you suggest putting on.

My point still stands...why paint a 1940-1 B-24A with 1943-4 B-24D type unit markings and nose art?

Celebrate the B-24A for what it is instead of turning it into a faux 8th/15th AF bomber.

[SaxMan]

A rose by any other name...

Whether you call it "Ol' 927" or "Diamond Lil" or not even a name at all, the fact that the plane flies in B-24A configuration is the real tribute to Gary. She will always be "Gary's plane", regardless of name.

[Speedy]

My point still stands...why paint a 1940-1 B-24A with 1943-4 B-24D type unit markings and nose art?

Celebrate the B-24A for what it is instead of turning it into a faux 8th/15th AF bomber.

But it's NOT going to be given B-24D 8th/15th unit markings. It's going to retain the current B-24A 1940 "Neutrality" scheme that it wears today. The only thing that is going to be changed is that on the right side of the nose it will have the BIG neutrality flag painted on (where the current nose art is), and a revised "Diamond Lil" name/nose art on the left side of the nose.

I understand that a Neutrality bomber may not have had Vargas nose art, but aside from that I'm not sure I understand your argument.

[CAPFlyer]

No thinly veiled attacks pal. I was a paid up CAF member in the mid-'70's when the place was FUN and seeking to get these babies going. The then "diamond Lil" was a fine gal. Have it your way and we should remove all of Gary's great work and re-install a few winda's too.

No, my way was doing it the way Gary originally wanted it - black up the sides and neutrality flags. But I can also see where the B-29/B-24 squadron stands. You can have it both ways dude. You can have it fly as "Diamond 'Lil" and still keep it a B-24A, which is what they're doing. Just because you put different nose art on it doesn't mean they're stopping the conversion process to get it closer to a B-24A, or did you miss the post in the stickied thread where I posted that they're in the process of installing the oxygen tanks and continuing work towards reinstalling the top gun ring this winter?

This is what drives so many operators and people involved off this forum guys - you take what's posted and go straight to the nuclear option with it.

[kalamazookid]

A rose by any other name...

Whether you call it "Ol' 927" or "Diamond Lil" or not even a name at all, the fact that the plane flies in B-24A configuration is the real tribute to Gary. She will always be "Gary's plane", regardless of name.

Well said.