Italeri 1/72 B-58 - has anyone built?

Yes, the kit was a bear. I never did finish it. It ended up in the "circular" file.

I built one several years ago and had a lot of trouble with the parts fit.  It turned out mediocre at best.  I let it set around for about a year before I stripped out some pieces for the spare parts box and trashed the rest.

Darwin, O.F. 

Sort of looks like a familiar story then?

I built this kit about a year ago after it sat in my stash for more than a decade.  There were numerous fit issues such as you describe (plus the added frustration of using aluminum foil to cover that beast).  But if you stick with it it can be built into a decent model.

I built this kit many years ago when Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire was open and a bunch of modelers had a club and used to meet there. I painted mine in a Vietnam camouflage scheme. The Air Force has always denied the B-58 was in Vietnam. One of the club members said he used to service them there. HE saw my model and said it was a good representation of the ones he serviced. As I recall it was a lot of work to build this kit.

The old B-58 in camo debate raises it head again?

If the B-58 was used in Viet Nam, I would certainly like to know what base they were at and what was their mission?  They were a high level nuclear bomber with little or no conventional capability.  What else would you do with them?  The Air Force, ie SAC, studied the idea of painting them in camouflage colors, but decided not to do so, because they were only used for nuclear alert in the US.

Darwin, O.F. 

I've been looking for one in 1/72 but I can't find one.  I'm told that if you do find them they are expensive.

I have been having a pretty big problem getting the wings to sit correctly on this kit - after standing back & having a good look at things, I have notice that the forward wing root tips are considerably different from lhs > rhs, which has been giving me the impression that the wings wern't aligned!

Dirkpitt289

I've been looking for one in 1/72 but I can't find one.  I'm told that if you do find them they are expensive.

After hanging about on Ebay for a while, I gogt mine for £30.

I got a bagged one at IPMS Nationals in Phoenix for $3! The decals look pristine. Can't wait to build it after this monster 1/72 Hasegawa P-3 is done :)

Yardbird, as you know the kit has an SEA scheme in the instructions, but it's pure hokum.

More likely it would have been NMF over white if anything other than all metal.

I liked the kit, I didn't have any problems with it. I think it's a nice little project.

The history of Hustler kits is one of the best in plastic modeling. It hit a sweet spot where the corners are early Cold War, the niavete of the plastic model industry, and a big market for 5-10 year old boys and their dads.

Monogram made one in 1/121 that had a working bomb drop, opening canopies and gruond crew and vehicle.

Aurora 1/175

Revell 1/94 with opening canopies.

Lindberg 1/128 with moving control surfaces, retractable gear and opening canopies.

Lindberg 1/64 with all of the above plus opening engine panels, removable engines.

Comet 1/96

Aurora 1/72

and, Revell made a set with an 1/79 F-89 and a 1/93 Hustler.

Bomb those Russkies, air raid drills once a week in grade school in the 60's (no joke).

The Testors Italeri kit is a scale jewel and beyond much criticism.

Then there's the 1/48 Monogram offering.

The Italeri Hustler is a great kit, I only wish that they would re-release it.

My father was a Command Pilot with S.A.C., and flew the Hustler throughout the 1960's. They were NOT used in Viet Nam, end of story.

I'm late to the party with my response but I'm currently building the Italeri kit and generally the parts fit is good on my copy.    There are some seam lines and tiny amounts of flash on some components but overall, I'm well pleased and dry fitting to date hasn't turned up any nightmares.   This a great basis for super-detailing as it is missing simple parts off the mlg's, hinges for the hatches, lower section of the pilot console and the three crew stations deserve lots of special care and fine details so I'm adding new bits to the kit as I go. 

I think there are two versions of this kit floating around.   The first released in silver plastic and the second (mine) in light grey plastic and perhaps a re-hash of some of the moulds were done at that time.

I didn't think that this thread would surface again!

Anyway, I havn't hear of a second release - interesting if there was. Mine was a silver job & most definately had fit issues, the wing roots being the worst area, followed by undersized canopy covers & issues where the engine pylons meet the wings.

Milairjunkie

Anyway, I havn't hear of a second release - interesting if there was.

I have the original version buried in a cupboard somewhere. I believe there was a retooled version released as a TB-58A. Not sure what the differences were though.

Phil_H

I have the original version buried in a cupboard somewhere. I believe there was a retooled version released as a TB-58A. Not sure what the differences were though.

I've had a quick scour about the WWW & it looks like the B-58A & TB-58A were both release by Italeri & Testors. The TB-58A is Italeri 147 / Testors 676, does anyone know if this is the same as the B-58A kit with just an altered forward fuselage, or if the changes are more comprehensive than that?

I hoping that if there have been more changes, that some of the B-58A's fit issues may have been corrected - anyone?

I had that kit once.  It was on sale for like $15 at our old LHS before they went out of business.  I brought it home, opened it, tried a few dry fits to get an idea of the fit situation because the parts looked a bit off, and found it was a really bad fit kit.  I brought it back and exchanged it for 1/48 B-25.  Now I have one of the Revellogram big kits.  I just love the lines of the B-58.  It was the first bomber aircraft I built as a kid (The old Aurora Big A kit).  But I digress...

Yes it's fit is nasty, and it's most noticeable in the places you mentioned.  Some of the detail pieces are a bit off too.   

I had never given up on or returned a kit before.  And I was lucky that the old LHS owner agreed with me after seeing the kit.  He didn't put it back out so I can only assume that he shipped it back.

Milairjunkie

This kit was mostly built about 1 1/2 years ago when I returned to the hobby, bar the gear & paint, however after putting it away I recently pulled it back out. To say I am disgusted with my with my work on it would be an understatement, so I ripped the sucker apart to try a rebuild it - only straight this time.

I am having some pretty bad fit issues with the kit, like wing roots & rear canopy covers which I dont think is due to the "deconstruction" - anyone built this & had any problems with it?

 

Thanks.

My kit is part number 142 but doesn't show a release date.   Just has a painting of the aircraft in flight.   Definately grey plastic and if I knew how to upload pictures on this site, I would take some snaps for you.

Last night I checked the canopy fit and it's fine although I'm having all 3 open to show the interior so that alleviates any potential fit issues later on.

As mentioned, parts fit on my copy is quite good, a little flash here and there (mainly engine intakes) but nothing a blade and wet n dry can't handle.   The wing fit to fuselage on mine is excellent and all I'm planning is to insert a tab at the very rear of the wing into the rear fuselage to assist the glueing.   I've removed the flaperons? and will set them in the powered down position.

The 3 crew cockpit interior and the undercarriage and wheel-wells are the highlights for me and they are getting lots of special attention.

If I could get my grubby mits on another of this same kit, I would be very pleased indeed because I noticed a very faint outline on the fwd fuselage for the second set of windows as addedd to the trainer.

I know this is an old post but ;I have a built one in the FSM Photo Gallery you will hav to look fore not to far back.You'll love it.It was done the old fashion way.""SN'J metal powder w/ testors metalizers.Very hard to match.But spectacular.

Any questions-- my email is benzay@comcast'net