About to embark on a big dual build project - Monogram's B-29A Superfortress x 2

B-17 Guy

Good luck to you Sir. I hope you survive the journey.

 

I spent yesterday morning with my grinder and the fuselage parts from the older mold B-29.  I was able to get the turret blisters off without a problem, although I have much fine sanding to do to get this ready for NMF.

But there is a big problem nevertheless, and it has to do with the molds themselves. Monogram includes plugs for the turret openings that match the curvature of the fuselage, but the problem is they are not flush with the fuselage, as was the case on the actual Silverplate bombers. I have sanded everything to the point that I will be able to insert these plugs, but am going to consider other options, perhaps scratch-building plugs flush to the surface.

Although I did take a look at the diorama booklet that came with this kit (by Shep Paine), and noticed that his build did not address these plugs correctly.  Good enough for him could easily be good enough for me ... 

I built a B-29 a couple of years. It is a real impressive model when finished. In fact, it is my most impresive model. However, it has issues. Warped main wings, nasty seams at engine nacelles, cockpit greenhouse doesn't fit correctly. All these issues are fixable, they just take time.

How are you going to finish the models? Bare Metal Foil? Yes, yes,yes!!!!!

I’m in.  Been looking for one of these myself. 

JohnnyK

I built a B-29 a couple of years. It is a real impressive model when finished. In fact, it is my most impresive model. However, it has issues. Warped main wings, nasty seams at engine nacelles, cockpit greenhouse doesn't fit correctly. All these issues are fixable, they just take time.

How are you going to finish the models? Bare Metal Foil? Yes, yes,yes!!!!!

 

Well, change of plans.  I spent some time last weekend with the original release, getting rid of the turret bulges and sanding things down.  The intent was to build both of these as Silverplate bombers, one as Enola Gay and the other as Bockscar ... and then today I really started to inspect the parts in the more recent release.  Come to find out, my box does not include all of the turret covers that are in the original box.  Three of them are there, but the others are missing.

I could purchase the Loon Models Silverplate conversion set, but I'm really trying to avoid spending unnecessary funds on this hobby right now.  So I'll be doing the more recent release as a standard B-29 with the turrets and observation blisters and a conventional bomb load.  So now the decision is, which Silverplate bomber do I want to model?

If you want to build a silverplate bomber, the kit turret covers will not help you. Study photos of real aircraft and all you will see is seams where the turrets and blisters were. They conform to the skin around them. The only way is to cut and build!

The way I approached it was to cut away all of the protruding plastic on the fuselage, back up the opening with styrene strip, add Milliput, and sand, sand, and sand!

My  attempt is not perfect, but if this photo comes comes out, I think you will get the idea. 

DSC03964 by Ship Wreck, on Flickr

The B-29 is a neat kit. I would recommend that you build a silverplate and then build a conventional bomber to show the difference between them.

I am actually in the very early stages of planning my build of the Revell superfort as the carrier aircraft for the jet/rocket testing dont in the late 40's/early 50's.  I am thinking I want the Bell X-1 either slung (in an inflight display) or just launched...

Aggieman

...Although I did take a look at the diorama booklet that came with this kit (by Shep Paine), and noticed that his build did not address these plugs correctly.  Good enough for him could easily be good enough for me ... 

 

the Baron

 

 

Aggieman

...Although I did take a look at the diorama booklet that came with this kit (by Shep Paine), and noticed that his build did not address these plugs correctly.  Good enough for him could easily be good enough for me ... 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I suspect that correcting the plugs fell victim to the short deadline he faced.  I think he turned those builds and dioramas around in a week, ie, a business week of five days.

 

I managed to get a few minutes at the bench, figuring I'd tape off all the areas that would need to be cut away.  I got all the tape in place, then thought, let's make another go at these bulges (fuselage) with the grinder and sanding pads.  While my earlier efforts had removed the majority of those bulges, there remained a slight bulge that was not flush with the surrounding fuselage.  I used a small stone grinding tip to get rid of most of the first blister bulge, then went after the area with successively finer grades of sanding pads.  I believe this was a successful effort.  I put the two fuselage halves as close together as I could (all the tape prevented a successful mating of the parts), and squinting at the area I had just worked on against its opposite and untouched half, I could see that there was no sign of anything rising above the surface of the surrounding fuselage surface.

The kit plugs are not going to be helpful, though, so I'll use sheet styrene and Milliput to fashion new plugs.

Aggiman, BEFORE you join the fuselage halves make sure that you have created a strong backing support under the plugs (build up each side before the join) so that you can build up the plug holes flush to the fuselage. That is because it will take some serious sanding to blend them in!

Well here it is, just short of 6 months since I started these Superfortresses.  I am very near the end of this journey.  During the last months of 2019, I was enrolled in a software engineering bootcamp that prevented me from any significant time at the bench, but I worked it in when I could.  Right before my Thanksgiving trip to Disney, I was able to start using Milliput to fashion the covers for the Silverplate turrets. I did use the kit parts as the backing, mounted inside the fuselage and secured with CA.

I spent very nearly a month and a half sanding those turrets, and while they are flush with the surrounding fuselage, in the wrong light I can see the undulations in the Milliput.  To the naked eye, the Enola Gay looks pretty good, but if I was to do another one of these, I would definitely get the Loon Models set.

I'm having a difficult time finding photos of the Enola Gay from on or about 6 August 1945 to be able to verify if she sported all the antennas along the upper fuselage that we can clearly see in photos of her at the Smithsonian.  I think I see in the old B&W photos at least one of the vertical antennas located roughly at the leading edge of the wings, but the kit instructions also call for a second antenna located beyond the trailing edge of the wing that I cannot find on any of the old photos (but it is present on the -29 as she is today).  There is also a "flying antenna" that I don't find any evidence of being installed on the Hiroshima mission.

These antenna parts, plus installation of the tail guns and the pitot tubes along the lower forward fuselage, are pretty much all that remain - along with a delivery from ScaleHobbyist that includes a new bottle of flat clear, which I need to flatten the black on the prop blades.  So perhaps next week I'll be able to wrap these up and get some photos taken.