Douglas XB-19A 38-471 United States Army Air Force

These are 1/72 scale decals for Douglas XB-19A 38-471 in United States Army Air Forces service, depicting the aircraft following its re-engining conversion during World War II.

By 1943, the original Wright R-3350 radial engines of the XB-19 were replaced with four Allison V-3420 liquid-cooled engines — the most powerful American piston engines of the era — earning the aircraft its new XB-19A designation. The conversion gave the already-enormous aircraft improved performance and provided the Army Air Forces with valuable operational data on the V-3420 powerplant, which was also being evaluated for other very large aircraft programs.

In its XB-19A configuration and USAAF markings, the aircraft continued its career as a research transport and flying testbed — the only role left for an aircraft that had been technologically surpassed before it ever flew. Its sheer size remained unmatched among American bombers throughout the war, and the data it generated on the behavior and systems of very large aircraft continued to inform USAAF thinking on future heavy bomber development.

This decal set captures the second of four distinct marking states worn by this single remarkable airframe — sitting between the original XB-19 rollout and 20th Bombardment Squadron configurations and the later All Weather Flying Center XB-19A used in Project Thunderstorm. Together the four sets document the complete life of the largest bomber ever built in the United States. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.