Boeing B-29B 44-84053 United States Air Force 13th Air Force

These are 1/72 scale decals for Boeing B-29B Superfortress 44-84053, assigned to the United States Air Force 13th Air Force in the late 1950s, wearing a distinctive black-over-natural-metal scheme — gloss black applied to the upper fuselage and surfaces over the bare metal lower airframe.

By the late 1950s, the B-29 had long been retired from front-line bomber service, but a handful of airframes soldiered on in classified roles for the Air Force — signals intelligence gathering, electronic reconnaissance, psychological operations, or other clandestine missions that benefited from the type's long range and large internal volume. The black upper surfaces are consistent with night operations, reducing the aircraft's visibility against the sky during low-profile missions over or around denied territory in the Western Pacific.

The 13th Air Force, the "Jungle Air Force," was headquartered in the Philippines and served as the USAF's primary command across the Western Pacific during the Cold War, overseeing operations throughout a region of intense strategic interest. What exactly 44-84053 was doing in that theater, in that scheme, in the late 1950s remains appropriately obscure — which makes it all the more compelling as a modeling subject.

A rare, mysterious, and visually striking scheme for the serious Superfortress collector. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.