B-29 wing warping

I was fortunate to get on the crew early in 2013, still 15 years after they brought it out of the desert. No wingtips, nacelles, engines, and barely any interior when I arrived. I didn't have any experience about how to put a plane together, but they humored me and put me with an expert and we did mainly sheet metal work and whatever else was needing done. Everyone outside of the hangar said it would never fly. When they had the first flight, there wasn't a dry eye on the tarmac.  I've had the privilage to take a few spins in it in the scanner position. Another awsome moment was when they did a formation flight with the B-29 Fifi at Oskosh. That was the first time in about 60 years that 2 B-29's had been in the air together. Sorry, I could go on and on.

Recon89

Academy's kit has the rigid boom attachment. Other variants had a hose out the tail, and still others had the tail hose plus hoses out the wing tips. I can't imagine having to work a hose into a trailing plane. Baron's first pic is exactly what I had in mind for the display. It's interesting working on the plastic B-29 after years of renovation work on the B-29 DOC. Where's all my rivets? 

You were on the restoration crew for "Doc"?  You must tell us more about that!

Academy's kit has the rigid boom attachment. Other variants had a hose out the tail, and still others had the tail hose plus hoses out the wing tips. I can't imagine having to work a hose into a trailing plane. Baron's first pic is exactly what I had in mind for the display. It's interesting working on the plastic B-29 after years of renovation work on the B-29 DOC. Where's all my rivets?

Tanker-Builder

Hi Baaron;

 Correct me if I am wrong. Didn't most of the "29"s used for this use the cone drogue type unit? 

I don't know, but it seems like the method I suggested would work to represent this arrangement:

Hi Baaron;

 Correct me if I am wrong. Didn't most of the "29"s used for this use the cone drogue type unit?

This how I fix wing warps:

I have used this solution on a 1/48 scale B-29, B-24 and B-58. Works great. I applied glue to both surfaces of the wing and then applied the clamps and rubber bands. After the glue set the wing was straight. The trick is to use something that is stiff and will not bend, such as a architects scale.

Recon89

...Also while I'm at it, I would like to display this in flight.  It will be a KB-29 tanker and I would hope to show it fueling a trailing plane (maybe beyond my expertise, I'm a tank person since I can't cover up mistakes on planes with snow and mud). Has anyone done a base attachment to a B-29 kit? 

As far as displaying in flight goes, you can use a piece of good, stiff brass wire as the refueling hose, attached securely in both models.

If your question about base attachment means you plan to mount this on a horizontal base, you can use a piece of clear acrylic rod to mount the model to the base, and help create the illusion of flight.

An alternative is to suspend the models from the ceiling, too.  My advice about the refueling line is the same-a piece of wire or rod will provide the strength and can be finished to look like the refueling line.

Hope that helps!

Best regards,

Brad

Thanks. I did use the hot water trick and got rid of most of the twist. It still has a very slight twist, but not enough to notice unless I point it out. Just a little goosey about doing any further corrections with it.

Boiling water can also be used.  Have a flat board to tape or clamp it to.  Before heating, do a test clamping to the board. If you clamp it to a flat board, it will still take some residual twist when cool.  So you need to put a little shim under one edge to give it some extra twist in the opposite direction.  So say the trailing edge is twisted up.  Put about a sixteenth shim under the leading edge and clamp the trailing edge to the board.  Now, take it off, but keep shim, clamps or tape nearby.  Boil a pan of water- be careful, boiled water is dangerous- remove from stove and place wing in water for a couple of minutes. Then clamp the wing down as before.  Wear gloves for boiling water and handling it until it is clamped in.

BTW, this procedure is true also if you heat it with an airgun or whatever.

Yup.  That's what I figured you meant.  Either method will fix it.  

Thanks for info. I guess instead of the term "warp" I used, it has what Tanker-Builder stated, a twist from the root to the tip.

I have a Steinel temperature controlled heat gun I use for stuff like this.  If I set it at 210 degrees and gently heat up the warped piece after taping it to a piece of tempered glass so its straight and true, it makes it just pliable enough to "remember" its new position when it cools down.  Just don't go any higher in temperature than that.

I have found;

   For wing warp issues on the bigger planes in that scale, Bombers etc. A thin strip of brass sheet will do the job. Now it has to be KB brass .010 or.020 Flat strips. I have used H.O scale brass straight rack strips but only for wing struts and suppourt on 1/48 scale planes.

     The other reason. Well, suppose the wing also a linear twist from the root to the tip. Brass can help to straighten that too! Just " Nudge" the brass in the opposite direction and ViolA. Note; You can use Polished Brass tubes for the posts for the planes or support them with Lucite Rods.