Conclusion

Now that I have finished my entire passion project it's time to evaluate how it went and reflect on weather or not I was able to achieve any of the goals that I set out to accomplish at the beginning of the semester. First off I would just like to say that I personally am very pleased with how my model B-24 bomber turned out. When I began the model I wasn't sure how it would turn out considering how much time and skill is necessary to properly complete such a large model. in the end I was satisfied with most of how my model turned out with the exceptions of two of the decals which didn't  apply properly. I came into this project with one of my goals being to learn how to properly paint models. While I was never able to experiment with an airbrush I was able to get a lot better at hand brushing and found that as far as my needs are concerned airbrushing is not really necessary. While I didn't get to airbrush I was able to experiment with my other goals such as sanding and using filler and ultimately was happy with my ability to incorporate these components of model making into my 1:48 Consolidated B-24 Bomber. My main goal that I wished to accomplish over this project was to succeed in constructing my model Consolidated B-24 Liberator Bomber with the most detail and historical accuracy possible, an I am happy to say that I absolutely accomplished this and am proud of how realistic my finished product looks. Ultimately I am quite happy with how my model turned out considering my time constraints and am happy that this project gave me the excuse to finally get around to doing something I have been wanting to do for a while now.

Through-Lines

Over the course of building my model B-24 did some thinking about what biblical through-lines would be most applicable to what I was doing. I personally think that the most fitting would be beauty creating. The whole point of my passion project was really to create something that was visually appealing or beautiful so to speak. Over the time I spent building the model I tried my best to incorporate as much detail as possible into my project in a very artistic way to get the most beautiful result possible. I personally found that being able to recreate such a large and powerful aircraft, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, was a very unique experience, and being able to replicate one in scale was very satisfying. I feel that my finished product was in a way beautiful, as it accurately represented such a magnificent piece of engineering from the second world war. As Christians we are asked to be innovative and use the gifts that God has given us, and I think that my project really allowed me to embrace this by using my artistic abilities to create something that I personally found beautiful. Seeing as God is our creator and the ultimate architect of beauty when we create we in a way reflect  him and honor his skill of creation. Another though-line that is pertinent but in a smaller way is idolatry discerning. While it is constructive and beneficial to have an interest in models and modeling, it should also be said that we should be careful that we do not let it become elevated beyond it's appropriate place so that it does not become like an idol. I believe there can easily be a point where excess dedication and time spent on anything can take away from time with God and ultimately become like an Idol. While I fin it unlikely that my models or model making will become like an Idol to me, it is still helpful to keep in mind. Lastly over the course of this project I began to question the appropriateness of what I was doing, I asked myself the question "Is it okay to be so interested in something that was designed for destruction?" The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was designed from the ground up to be a devastating bomber that could cause immense death and destruction to the enemy. Ultimately I have not yet come up with an answer to my question, but I have come to the conclusion that it depends on how I view the plane I crated. I am interested in the B-24 because of it's remarkable engineering for it's time and the role it played in ending one of the most deadly conflicts in human history, not because it was a tool of destruction used to take lives and destroy livelihoods.

Over the past few weeks I have been able to get quite a bit of my passion project done and have been able to learn about some painting techniques that have made my model b-24 look satisfyingly real on the interior. I wanted my model to look like a used bomber with experience,  not a new one in pristine condition. In order to do this I decided it would be necessary to make the interior look slightly worn. Hear are a few pictures of the areas I painted to get this look:

In order to get this effect I looked into certain modeling techniques and ended up creating the look by using a sort of dry brush technique.  In order to get the interior to look like some of the paint had worn off I simply aplied aluminum paint to my brush and removed nearly all of it before lightly brushing it over the subject areas in order to ensure a very light coat that didn't get full coverage in order to get a nice worn effect.  I used the same technique for the exhaust stains behind the engines but had to hand mix aluminum and flat black paint to get the desired color.