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Hasegawa Boeing B-47E Stratojet 1/72

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  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Hasegawa Boeing B-47E Stratojet 1/72
Posted by Aggieman on Sunday, March 5, 2023 12:25 PM

I just wrapped up work on this ancient Hasegawa kit of the B-47E Stratojet.

This is a relatively recent boxing, but the mold goes back to the late 1960s.  And as such, the kit shows its age.  There is absolutely no detail for the interior of this bomber.  There are a couple of pilots and ejection seats, but no console or IP detail, not even decals as one typically finds.  But the ridiculously thick canopy part obscures 99.9% of what you can see in the cockpit, so I didn't worry myself over that issue.

Fit is so-so.  I believe it is intended to be built wheels-down, but since mine was intended to "fly" alongside the Monogram B-36 on my workshop ceiling, I had a good fight on my hands to align the gear doors to be somewhat flush with the surrounding fuselage plastic.  I didn't take any photos of the underside, but I was able to mostly get the gear doors (and bomb bay doors as well) flush.  The underside is just not very photogenic IMO.  The wing gear doors were truly awful - no locator pins or indications of how they should be affixed into "in flight" mode.

Paints are Tamiya white, Tamiya lacquer flat black, Tamiya lacquer flat red, and AK Interactive XTreme Metals - matte aluminum, dark aluminum, white aluminum, jet exhaust, and gun metal.

And here is the 72nd Stratojet along with the Academy 1/144 Stratojet I built many years ago, as a first attempt at using foil to do the NMF.

I've been wondering why Monogram did not choose to kit this bomber.  They did the -36 and -52 in 72nd scale.  Seems like this one would have been a good choice.  Heck, they could have done this one in 48th. 

Next up will be a couple of Star Wars ships.

  • Member since
    April 2020
Posted by Eaglecash867 on Sunday, March 5, 2023 1:36 PM

Wow!  What beautiful work, Aggieman!  She's a stunner.  Bow Down

"You can have my illegal fireworks when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers...which are...over there somewhere."

  • Member since
    May 2022
Posted by Eugene Rowe on Sunday, March 5, 2023 1:42 PM

Looks great !Reminds me of the old Jimmy Stewart movie Strategic Air Command!

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Sunday, March 5, 2023 1:54 PM

Eaglecash867

Wow!  What beautiful work, Aggieman!  She's a stunner.  Bow Down

 

Thank you Eaglecash!

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Sunday, March 5, 2023 1:55 PM

Eugene Rowe

Looks great !Reminds me of the old Jimmy Stewart movie Strategic Air Command!

 

  Thank you Eugene!  I actually watched that old Jimmy Stewart movie while building this Stratojet.  The kit instructions are woefully inadequate to presenting a complete picture of how this aircraft looked, so I put that movie (which I consider a classic and a definitive look at not only the Stratojet, but also the Peacemaker) on to help fill in some gaps in those instructions.

  • Member since
    May 2022
Posted by Eugene Rowe on Sunday, March 5, 2023 3:22 PM

Well done!

  • Member since
    March 2022
  • From: Twin cities, MN
Posted by missileman2000 on Sunday, March 5, 2023 4:20 PM

Very nice! Yes

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Northern California
Posted by jeaton01 on Sunday, March 5, 2023 5:03 PM

Stephen, you beat me.  It looks great.  I'll be able to replicate your photo because I've also built the 1/144 kit, in the same scheme but of course gear down.  I generally don't want anyone flying my airplanes but me!

I've been working on the same kit for several months, adding 3d printed extended flaps, and the Pavla cockpit and engine parts that also include a vac canopy.  The engine parts were not enough improvement to be worth the work, but I'm happy with the cockpit.  I fitted the bomb bay doors before I joined the fuselage halves and will be building it gear down.

John

To see build logs for my models:  http://goldeneramodel.com/mymodels/mymodels.html

 

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • From: Land of Lakes
Posted by cbaltrin on Sunday, March 5, 2023 6:23 PM

Wow, that's great work Aggieman! Very nice NFM! Could pass for real at a glance!

On the Bench: Too Much

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by keavdog on Sunday, March 5, 2023 6:57 PM

Turned out very nice Stephan.   Great size comparison

Thanks,

John

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, March 6, 2023 9:08 AM

keavdog

Turned out very nice Stephan.   Great size comparison

 

Agree. I found it to be a poor fitting kit.

 

Bill

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by BrandonK on Monday, March 6, 2023 10:04 AM

That is a dead sexy bird. Well done. Super nice work and it looks fantastic wheels up.

I always thought the 52 was nowhere near as good looking as this one, but they don't build them for their looks do they. Anywho, great work.

BK

On the bench:

A lot !! And I mean A LOT!!

2024 Kits on deck / in process / completed   

                         14 / 5 / 2  

                              Tongue Tied

  • Member since
    February 2004
Posted by dhenning on Monday, March 6, 2023 5:18 PM

Great job!  In fact, as I was reading your post and had your first pic at the bottom of my screen-I thought it was an actual aircraft photo until I looked closer!

Built it many years ago.  I had access to a B-47 on display at Little Rock AFB so detailed the wheelwheels and found a few references in some books at college on the cockpit details.   Would absolutely love a new, modern 1/72 scake kit of this aircraft.

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Monday, March 6, 2023 5:30 PM

That is truly stunning. Very nice work! YesYesYes

  • Member since
    August 2015
  • From: the redlands Fl
Posted by crown r n7 on Monday, March 6, 2023 7:25 PM

I just finished watching Steve Canyon series and few episodes showed the B-47 beautiful job on that old kit well done.

 

 

 Nick.

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • From: Close to Chicago
Posted by JohnnyK on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 11:46 AM

Very nice looking model.

Your comments and questions are always welcome.

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:01 PM

missileman2000

Very nice! Yes

 

Thank you Missileman!

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:05 PM

jeaton01

Stephen, you beat me.  It looks great.  I'll be able to replicate your photo because I've also built the 1/144 kit, in the same scheme but of course gear down.  I generally don't want anyone flying my airplanes but me!

I've been working on the same kit for several months, adding 3d printed extended flaps, and the Pavla cockpit and engine parts that also include a vac canopy.  The engine parts were not enough improvement to be worth the work, but I'm happy with the cockpit.  I fitted the bomb bay doors before I joined the fuselage halves and will be building it gear down.

 

Thank you, John!  

Given that this one is just about as big as the Monogram 1/48 B-17G, I don't have shelf space for displaying one this big, so wheels up she is.

I found someone's blog relating building this kit, where the builder scratched out an entire cockpit, complete with the seat (navigator?) that is in the literal nose of the Stratojet.  It was impressive work, but for the life of me I couldn't imagine going through all of that given that none of it is visible.  The kit does not include the windows that are right there at the top of the nose (I think there are "panel" lines where the windows should be), so unless you cut those out and put in clear styrene, you'd never know there was a guy in there.

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:05 PM

cbaltrin

Wow, that's great work Aggieman! Very nice NFM! Could pass for real at a glance!

 

Thanks cbaltrin!

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:06 PM

keavdog

Turned out very nice Stephan.   Great size comparison

 

Thank you John!

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:07 PM

GMorrison

 

 
keavdog

Turned out very nice Stephan.   Great size comparison

 

 

 

Agree. I found it to be a poor fitting kit.

 

 

Bill

 

It certainly has its issues, but I've encountered far worse.  Those usually end up in the HULK SMASH category.  At least this one I managed to get past the poor fit and got 'er done.

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:09 PM

BrandonK

That is a dead sexy bird. Well done. Super nice work and it looks fantastic wheels up.

I always thought the 52 was nowhere near as good looking as this one, but they don't build them for their looks do they. Anywho, great work.

BK

 

Thanks Brandon! Agreed, the Stratojet is a sexy bird.  As compared to the -52, she is a bit more sleek and "curvy", whereas the -52 seems to have a lot more purely straight lines as in that huge rudder.

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:11 PM

dhenning

Great job!  In fact, as I was reading your post and had your first pic at the bottom of my screen-I thought it was an actual aircraft photo until I looked closer!

Built it many years ago.  I had access to a B-47 on display at Little Rock AFB so detailed the wheelwheels and found a few references in some books at college on the cockpit details.   Would absolutely love a new, modern 1/72 scake kit of this aircraft.

 

Thanks dhenning!

I'm really curious why no mfg has tackled this kit with a more modern mold, especially given its place in history and its appearance in movies like Strategic Air Command.

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:11 PM

Greg

That is truly stunning. Very nice work! YesYesYes

 

Thank you Greg!

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:11 PM

crown r n7

I just finished watching Steve Canyon series and few episodes showed the B-47 beautiful job on that old kit well done.

 

Thank you Crown!

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:12 PM

JohnnyK

Very nice looking model.

 

Thank you Johnny!

  • Member since
    January 2021
Posted by JoeSMG on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 12:40 PM

Great looking model of the coolest plane i'd never heard of!

- Joe the SMG

  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Katy, TX
Posted by Aggieman on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8:10 AM

JoeSMG

Great looking model of the coolest plane i'd never heard of!

 

Thanks Joe!  You've now heard of the B-47.

  • Member since
    January 2010
Posted by CrashTestDummy on Sunday, March 12, 2023 2:34 PM

Nice work!  I got this kit in my stash, and keep, to no avail, searching for the Pavla interior kit.  I remember climbing in and out of these as a kid when my Dad took me to the base when we were stationed at Vandenberg.  Great fun!  Hopefully, I can find the interior kit before putting it together.  

G. Beaird,

Pearland, Texas

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