It'll B.U.F.F. Out...1/72 Stratofortress inside

6/27: A small update.

Both fuselage halves are scribed and sanded. I began brushing Green Chromate on the pit and gunner's interiors. Still have to set up my airbrush in the new place so holding off on the wheel bays for now. The wings took about an hour to scribe each side.

I managed to get through 3/4 sides before my scribe finally gave up. I think it fared well considering the abuse it's taken. Probably didnt help that I kept filing it to keep it sharp. So I've gone ahead and ordered a new scribe from Micromark as well as a few other tools to make shipping costs worthwhile.

I also ordered a decal sheet from Cutting Edge. I'll be building this bird as "B-52D-35-BW, 56-0677, with a large shark mouth, from the 43 SW, Andersen AFB, Guam (this is a different jet – and different artwork – from the Monogram/Revell kit), 1968" I have an affection for anything with shark mouth nose art!

In the meantime I've taken some extra 1/350 5 in gun barrels and used them on the tail gun assembly to replace the broken plastic kit parts.

Also I'd like to thank one of our readers for graciously donating the extra parts I need to get this old BUFF back up to Snuff ;)

7/16/12

Christmas in July! Thanks to a fellow reader I got everything I need pretty much to turn a B into a D

Pit is ready to go. I had to wing it with the instrument panels. Just a few dabs of white with my 16/0 brush :p, then black over the white again in a few spots. (note the SAC patches I painted on the crew.)

Got it all together again and began finish sanding (320 followed with 600 then 1000) Wasn't until I got a coat of black over the panel lines that I could pinpoint and fill any marks where the scribe walked on me.

Obligatory Futuring of the glass

Set in place with Micro Kristal Clear

Masking was something of a tedious endeavor.

JWalker

First off I'd like to state that moving Sucks for modelers!

But in clearing out old boxes full of the kits I built in my youth (which were packed by not so caring parents looking to free up a room, and most of which I bequeathed unto a friend's 12yr old stepson who has taken up the hobby,) I found one large bird I wanted to keep. One I built over 20 years ago as a youngster. It's a rough one as one can imagine being having built probably around age 10? Lots of gooped on Testors cement and crazed layers of rattle canned paint, not a straight or cleaned part assembled and nary a bit of clear that is unscathed either. But I have some plans for her. Including a full rescribe and hopefully at least bring her up to snuff to display. Only part missing is one nacelle and pylon. I may have to scratch build it or look to aftermarket but I don't want to get too invested as my time is limited given this new plunge I've taken into fatherhood. Thanks for reading!

In a way is sucks.  The move usually results in unpacking boxes of broken parts.  I lived that for most of my childhood.  Being an Air Force Brat, I got a lot of opportunities to unpack several such boxes (6 times in 7 years, at one point). 

On the other hand, you get an opportunity to get more kits!

Thanks.  I read the above paragraph, and was immediately back in my room in Fairborn, Ohio, wiping smears of glue off of my fingers onto my pants, and blotting up drops of glue from the dark brown shag carpet on the bedroom floor, quietly building my kits.  I remember building AWESOME models, without sand paper, Xacto blades and paint, and having a ton of fun doing so.

Ahh, the good old days!

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

CrashTestDummy

 

JWalker:

 

First off I'd like to state that moving Sucks for modelers!

But in clearing out old boxes full of the kits I built in my youth (which were packed by not so caring parents looking to free up a room, and most of which I bequeathed unto a friend's 12yr old stepson who has taken up the hobby,) I found one large bird I wanted to keep. One I built over 20 years ago as a youngster. It's a rough one as one can imagine being having built probably around age 10? Lots of gooped on Testors cement and crazed layers of rattle canned paint, not a straight or cleaned part assembled and nary a bit of clear that is unscathed either. But I have some plans for her. Including a full rescribe and hopefully at least bring her up to snuff to display. Only part missing is one nacelle and pylon. I may have to scratch build it or look to aftermarket but I don't want to get too invested as my time is limited given this new plunge I've taken into fatherhood. Thanks for reading!

 

 

In a way is sucks.  The move usually results in unpacking boxes of broken parts.  I lived that for most of my childhood.  Being an Air Force Brat, I got a lot of opportunities to unpack several such boxes (6 times in 7 years, at one point). 

On the other hand, you get an opportunity to get more kits!

Thanks.  I read the above paragraph, and was immediately back in my room in Fairborn, Ohio, wiping smears of glue off of my fingers onto my pants, and blotting up drops of glue from the dark brown shag carpet on the bedroom floor, quietly building my kits.  I remember building AWESOME models, without sand paper, Xacto blades and paint, and having a ton of fun doing so.

Ahh, the good old days!

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

thanks for reading! I share in your views that it should be a fun experience and perhaps that gets lost on us as adults when striving to build and superdetail the perfect model today. I remember this bird being quite a challenge for me as a kid which was both rewarding and in the case of the wing sections very frustrating, but a fun learning experience nonetheless! Im glad that others out there share that same emotional connection that i experience when building.

Also: More pics added to the OP

Looking forward to seeing how you resurect this. Going to be some rescribing job, but a nice idea.

I built one many years ago but never completly finished it due to lack of display space. After a few moves and several years in storage, it was so badly damaged i decided to pick up another one, so thats now in the stash waiting until i do have the space.

And now i got another move coming up in a couple of months, and i am so not lookign forward to that.

Those Plano boxes are terrific!

after cutting teeth in rescribes in the sr-71 i recently built This should bae a walk in the park. (but we all know they never end up being a walk on the park hehe)

I have a D model I was about to convert to an H before I realized the conversion kit was for the Italeri (I think) G.

If you want the tanks let me know. I was probably going to toss the kit as I have already cut chunks of fuselage. All it is doing right now is languishing on a shelf waiting for me to find an Italeri G model. 

If there are any other parts you are missing I may have them. This is an early 1980s pop of the kit and it was in rough shape when I got it.

paintsniffer

I have a D model I was about to convert to an H before I realized the conversion kit was for the Italeri (I think) G.

If you want the tanks let me know. I was probably going to toss the kit as I have already cut chunks of fuselage. All it is doing right now is languishing on a shelf waiting for me to find an Italeri G model. 

If there are any other parts you are missing I may have them. This is an early 1980s pop of the kit and it was in rough shape when I got it.

Yes please! I'm PMing you to discuss it further! Thanks!!!!

updated 2nd post...

Updated 3rd post. Enjoy!

Coming along nice...can't wait to see it finished up

Hercmech

Coming along nice...can't wait to see it finished up

Thanks! Some more updates.

7/24/12

Masked and Pre-Shaded. Next I Marked the camo pattern with a pencil . I Freehanded the SIOP pattern with an H-1 nozzle, starting with SAC Tan followed by SAC Green then Dark Green Enamels.  Over spray was minimal and since I used Acryl for the black it was easily wiped away w/ some thinner. Over all I spent roughly 2hrs on each color and about 1 hr touching up the pattern edges.

Of course things happen when you handle such a beast of a model. This same flap fell away and broke it's tab off a few times before I finally decided to reinforce it by drilling out the tab and sticking a peg (.030" Rod) in the other end of the break. Clamping down the guide/tracks and gluing the ends to the inside of the wing also helped keep it from falling out again!.

That was last week. I wanted as much time for the paint to cure before masking the walkway markings.

I spent 3 1/2 hours masking for a few minutes of painting

I shot thinned coats of flat black enamel to build up the shade of black I desired.

In hindsight I would have doubled up taping the edges on the wings. I was overconfident in my judgement of how much the H1 nozzle would overspray and the result was well, some light overspray. I lightly sanded it away with 1000 grit making sure not to eat through the layer beneath. I was lucky!

The Red walkway on the tail was done with multiple (at least 10) coats of Insignia red. I usually lay a base of white for colors like that over black but I think that would pop too much in this case.

Next Up I get to prep for decals. Then tackle the external bomb load!

Thanks for reading!

That is a very impressive restauration!

Wow, first of all I admire what you did with this old bird and it must give you a great sense of satisfaction to revisit a model you built in your childhood and bring it up to your skill level as they stand today...secondly, it looks great!!!  Knowing that the original sow's ear is now a silk purse is very cool...what a great story to go along with a great model...

Stunning work on the paint job. Looking forward to seeing more.

Just amazing work!  Considering how badly beat up it was, I don't think I would have had the guts to start the project!

JWalker- a simply fantastic job you've done resurrecting this BUFF! Excellent work!

Incredible restoration!!! I like!

Wow!  You sure did a number on that old bird!  Looks very nice - I'm impressed!

Jw,

Nice rebuild on the B-52. Im new here but B-52s is all  build. Keep me in mind if you need any spare parts, I got tons of the stuff. I have 13 built, 4 under construction ans another dozen or so still in the boxes. Youd be surprised how many B-52s Ive picked up that were given up on, or built by ten year old kids. As a matter of fact, Im working on one now that had been broken so badly that I decided I needed to do an "Eliminated" B-52D like they do out at AMARC Give me a holler if ya need anything!!!

Allen

Amazing work! Hard to believe it's the same model!

I agree with you, moving sucks! I have effectively done it four times since I started modeling again. No major catastrophies, though, only a few missing pieces.

And a modeling a B-52 based out of Guam? I approve this message!

Basher52

Jw,

Nice rebuild on the B-52. Im new here but B-52s is all  build. Keep me in mind if you need any spare parts, I got tons of the stuff. I have 13 built, 4 under construction ans another dozen or so still in the boxes. Youd be surprised how many B-52s Ive picked up that were given up on, or built by ten year old kids. As a matter of fact, Im working on one now that had been broken so badly that I decided I needed to do an "Eliminated" B-52D like they do out at AMARC Give me a holler if ya need anything!!!

Allen

Thanks for the feedback! That is a gaggle of BUFF's you've got there! I was given a box of spare parts by another reader who was generous enough to mail them to me free of charge and which helped me finish the model. I had all the parts I needed except I somehow misplaced some of the MK82's that attach to the external wing stores, after spilling the tupperware they were all stored in . So if anything I could use some more mk82s if you have them. Namely 2 with the tabs molded on (for mounting to the center rack and maybe 2 more without the tabs (for mounting on the sides). I can PM you to discuss it further. Also since you seem to be an expert on this kit could you maybe explain where a certain part goes? The instructions I DLed doesnt show them anywhere. I believe it's part 87 (x2) they look like small antennas or pitots with a kink in the middle. I'm away from home on vacation so no pics available.

Thanks!

...And thanks to all the other readers who have left feedback as well. The model is pretty much finished short of adding the mk82's to the external wing stores. I had my 1st child (girl) on the 3rd Aug so I havent found the time to work on the BUFF (even though I found time to complete Academy's 1/48 Mig-21PF ) when I get back home I'll pull her out from her hibernation and get some pictures of her in daylight with the decals on. And I promise to use a proper SLR and not my I Phone

Truly amazing! Enjoyed reading through this thread and admiring the work! Looking forward to seeing the finished pics!

Congratulations on the baby girl , and an outstanding rebuild!

JW,

If they are what Im thinking the little parts ( #45 &46) your talking about go on the tail above the gun turret. Should be two little holes just ahead of where the clear blister goes. As far as the Mark 82s, i have a 2 pound coffee can about 3/4ths of the way full of em. if you want a few, I will need an address to send them to. BTW congrats on the little one!! I dont have any kids thats why I have all the B-52s. i have a little museum here with actual B-52 parts, books around 15,000 photos etc... I troll websites like this one and beg borrow and trade for the "leftovers" from various B-52 builds. I used to see the "E" models fly out of Rickenbacker during the late 60s. To my 5-6 year old eyes it was quite a sight, all the smoke and noise, I have been hooked ever since. i have a database on my computer that contains a lot of info on most of them built (744) Im trying to obtain pics and info on each individual airframe. Once i have your email address i can send you a photo of the antenna your talking about. Just keep me in mynd for your "leftovers". A donation means you will have access to my spare parts bin if you need anything. i generally dont sell parts but rather trade for what you might need. if you have a particular serial # in mind, I can see what info I have on that particular airframe. My email address is

rkline  at  roadrunner.com

Give me a holler and i can get the Mark 82s on the way

Allen

That is really a fine piece of work.  Nice save!

JW,

Just for the record, coming from the B-52 God, Thats a real nice rebuild, obviosly, your modelling skills have improved over time!! You cant be dissapointed with it. Now, for the critique...  The only thing 'I' see wrong with it is the flap wells and inside gear wells should be zinc chromate yellow, not green. They did however use both colors, but Ive never seen an actual "D" with green wells. Far be it from me being able to judge the work, its as good as but most probably better than my work, Im just sayin... I got an old camera, should shoot ya a few of my pathetic attempts... Fair is fair, that way you can see the competition. BTW, i got your Mark 82s all laid out, ready to go.Again, NICE JOB!!!

Allen

JW,

After running my mouth I got to looking at some of the "D"s at AMARC. I stand corrected, it seems per the T.O.-1-B-52D, Green was substituted if yellow wasnt available. My apologies sir!! I learned something new today.