My Monogram B-52D-FINALLY FINISHED-new pix

Kind of a right of passage, a model milestone, welcome to the club, now you are a true modeler, something others aren't and on and on. Good job! 

Max

There is a D model BUFF in Yipsilanti MI at Willow Run Airport I stop to pay homage to her every now and then. She is also in SEA camo and a NAM vet (that is what I was told). Your model is a great tribute to the old girl. One of my memories from Nam is in a Huey while being "extracted" after a LRRP. The pilot told us to look to the northeast and we could see light flashes and the percussion wave from B-52 bombs. I cannot even immagine what it was like on the ground. It was raining bombs. If I remember the B-52s are going to soldier on into the 2040s. Think about that. Service from the early 1950s to the 2040s is nothing less than phinaminal. 

Again, your work is fantastic, thanks for sharing.

And dirkpitt, I'm also a Clive Cussler fan.

Big Bad Buff!!!!

Hey Merc, I was just lloking up B-52Ds and your pictures came up!

Great build!

Bondoman,

It depends on what model Buff he flew in.  With D and F models, the gunner flew in the tail, with G models he flew up from next to the EWO on the upper deck facing to the rear and used Radar.  The D and F model guys had to bail out by blowing the turret away and then jumping.  The G model gunner ejected up through the top.

I was told that, during Linebacker II, the D model gunners were very helpfull in spotting SAMs coming up.

Jack

UT Load Crew 40 

Just like what's been said before, outstanding work.

Outstanding '52 Gary.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Beautiful BUFF!

I want to build one for my dad, one of his tours in Viet Nam was as a tail gunner on 52s, but I'm thinking a 72 scale 52 would force me into a larger apartment.

Outstanding build of a classic kit!

 Jeff

Dirkpitt289 and several other people have asked me during the build where I'm going to keep my model. I thought I should just take a picture of where it's parked, and post it here. As you may also see I've cropped one of the other pictures and put it on the computer desktop. My wife says it looks like a real plane shown that big! Happy 4th to EVERYBODY!!!   Gary

This is excellent work on a beast of a kit.  Looks similar to my recently-completed BUFF in terms of the paint scheme, but your execution blows mine away like Luke Skywalker vs the Death Star

It also appears that you have done a bit of scratch-building on this kit.  It didn't really have much in the way of an interior - just a standard detail-less cockpit typical of Monogram kits of the '60s-'70s - but your bomb bay is most definitely not the one-piece set of bombs, is it?  Looks fantastic!

You used the plate! Thats funny, I recently threw my BUFF into my neighbors dumpster because it disgusted me, but I kept THE PLATE. It represented everything about that model that made me sick. No wheel wells, no bomb bay, echh.

I wondered about yours, but it looks really good.

The actuators on the wheel well doors are a great touch.

Really if you feel up to it, the R/M B-36 is in every way a much better BIG kit. It has to be built as an RB-36 otherwise the bomb bay doors are all wrong, but I recommend it. Look at Lucien Harpnesses recent post about displays, he's got a nice one. And buy "Magnesium Overcast" one of the best a/c books out there.

Bravo on the BUFF.

Breathtaking build Gary! Thanks!

That is a beautiful model. Ready to try the B-36?

Good work!

Gary,

Beautiful job!

What brand of paints and colors did you use?  The zinc chromate looks pretty close.  I once got a piece of the bomb bay paint in my eye while loading.  Man did that hurt.  I had to go to the base hosiptal to have it removed.

If you have anymore flags left stick one in the end of each MER. They were attached to the MER electrical safety pins.  Also, there was a mechanical pin/flag in each of the bottom bombs in the bomb bay.

Your work is an inspiration for me to do my kit.  I'll be sure to use yours as a refernce.

Jack

UT Load Crew 40

Stunningly beautiful work on the BUFF.  The weathering is ultra realistic. 

Darwin, O.F.