"Size Matters" - Large aircraft build '06-Whenever

Here's the logo, if you join, you can put it in your signature. You don't have to finish your build first. I chose the Antonov 225 because, although it's not as big as the A380, it just looks HUGE! 

Only thing I ask is that you use your own photo hosting, so my photobucket account doesn't get swamped.

Oh, this is going to hurt but the logo suckered me in.  I'm in and I'm going to try to scratchbuild an An-225 in 1/72 scale - I've been wanting to do it for quite a while, I have good plans, now I have a group build to encourage me to do it.  Just don't tell my wife.  I can imagine the conversation when I'm done: "Umm, honey, here's my latest completed project - I think you're going to have to leave your car out of the garage so I have somewhere to display it".

I think the An-225 is larger than the A380 (except for tail height):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Giant_Plane_Comparison.png

Bruce

Great! Bruce and Josh you guys are in, I'll update the list. Oh, and Bruce, thanks for the link, that showed me I was wrong. Man, I can't believe that after all these years, the Spruce Goose is still the widest!

Welcome, Fred. We'll be looking for your Fort.

Hey, Bruce (bwr1), this might help with your scratch-build:

http://www.airliners.net/search/

Just type in "Antonov An-225" in the keywords block and it will come up with quite a few pics, including cockpit and landing gear. Good luck!

PanzerWulff wrote:

HEH HEH HEH let me double check I had a B-36 around somewhere

Now that I would like to see!

By the way everyone, go check out PanzerWulff's Memorial Day GB. My B-24 will also be on that build.

http://www.finescale.com/FSM/CS/forums/618468/ShowPost.aspx

I wish the B-36 was still in production.... I'd love to do this kit for this build and Chris's Memorial day build...

My great uncle flew (apparently, no firm info yet, just letters he sent home) on B-24's during the war.  And researching to units bombing Guam the only heavy bomber unit there transitioned to B-36's after the war while he was still a member.  Problem is, his wife burned all his uniforms and paperwork when he passed way so there is only the oral history to go on..

But I would love to do one of those 36's again if only for the size...

Tom, you may want to check out www.b24bestweb.com. They have a ton of info on B-24 crews, noseart, 1000s of pics and I think a forum. That's where I found out most of the info on my grandfather's service. Another great research tool is www.armyairforces.com.

Oh, by the way, my B-24 is also a tribute build of one my grandfather flew on, hence my participation in the Memorial Day GB.

tho9900 wrote:

I wish the B-36 was still in production.... I'd love to do this kit for this build and Chris's Memorial day build... My great uncle flew (apparently, no firm info yet, just letters he sent home) on B-24's during the war.  And researching to units bombing Guam the only heavy bomber unit there transitioned to B-36's after the war while he was still a member.  Problem is, his wife burned all his uniforms and paperwork when he passed way so there is only the oral history to go on.. But I would love to do one of those 36's again if only for the size...

You could try Evil Bay (ebay) too. I just looked and saw a few of the older Monogram kits.

gedenke wrote:

Hey, Bruce (bwr1), this might help with your scratch-build: http://www.airliners.net/search/ Just type in "Antonov An-225" in the keywords block an it will come up with quite a few pics, including cockpit and landing gear. Good luck! -Geoff

Thanks for the info.  I'm going to look there and at myaviation.net - those seem to have the best photos.  Maybe they're related sites since the format looks similar.  I've got good 3-view plans and cross sections, but I think I'm going to need lots of close-up photos.  My cross sections don't really show up the distinctive chin "smiley" that the An-225 and An-124 both have.

I think this is going to be a challenge, but hey, that'll be part of the fun.

Bruce

Jaypack55 wrote:

I guess I've got to join this one... I've got a Revell B-24D that I started a while ago, I might just have to finish it now. I'm doing it as "Joisey Bounce", and I might add my B-17 (the model's finished, but I still have to build the diorama.)

oh, BTW,  they're both 1:48

Ok, Josh, noted.

gedenke wrote:

Tom, you may want to check out www.b24bestweb.com. They have a ton of info on B-24 crews, noseart, 1000s of pics and I think a forum. That's where I found out most of the info on my grandfather's service. Another great research tool is www.armyairforces.com. Oh, by the way, my B-24 is also a tribute build of one my grandfather flew on, hence my participation in the Memorial Day GB. -Geoff

Geoff - I get his monthly compilation of B-24 tail numbers etc... (from B24bestweb.com)   

The problem I ran into everytime is that the incomplete oral history I had wasn't enough to really find a specific unit etc.. most of the people I talked to in the forums only had pilot/copilot MAYBE navigator and bombadier info etc... (he was a gunner from what has been said, based on the fact he said the hardest part of going over a target was lying down for so long (according to the incomplete and in some cases inaccurate oral history) I can only think he was in the ventral gun position.)  He has living children the family has lost touch with, so it would be hard to prove next of kin or closest living relative status to retrieve his service record from the archives (if it still exists after the fire) .. I keep on plodding on though, trying to pick up clues here and there.  He died before I knew him and his wife burned all his military papers and such, so I only have second hand info and a circa WWII picture of him to go on...

One day I hope to contact his youngest son to see if I can find some info from him... until then...

PanzerWulff wrote:

Tom my B-36 is the Revell AG 1/72 reissue I think it goes for about$80.00 on Greatmodels I'm not sure if there may be somewhere to get it for less. I also know that Minicraft has a family of  B-36's in 1/144 scale I think one of them is the FICON version with the RF-84 and the Goblin

hmmm I'll go back and check... all I saw I believe was the 1/144 kit for it..   which I suspect would still be about as big as a 1/48 fighter!    I might go evil bay but those shipping prices kill me!!!  a lot of them are asking 10 to 15 dollars to ship a 1/48 kit!!!

Oh, man... I'm tempted to enter this GB with my vac H-4 Hercules, but honestly, I don't think I could get it done by the deadline!    It's better to take it slow and do it right than be pressured into finishing it quickly and make a mistake or two.

That's not to say I'm not going to keep a sharp eye on this Group Build.  It's actually right up my alley!  Unfortunately, once again, life gets in the way.

Good luck, all of ya's!

Tom, good luck with your research, sounds like you have a lot of work to do.

Mike, I completely side with you on the whole "life gets in the way" thing. But, if you change your mind, you can join anytime you want up until July 2007.

I might just be tempted... (I really hope to have it finished by then anyway)  We will have to see...

Put me down as a possible.

No problem, Mike, I've got you in for a "possibly". By the way, what scale will your Goose be?

I am in!!!!!! Lots of choices!!!! Let's see.....................

Pencil me in with a 1/72 Heller Concorde!

Concord, cool! Welcome aboard, Mark.

gedenke wrote:

Tom, you may want to check out www.b24bestweb.com. They have a ton of info on B-24 crews, noseart, 1000s of pics and I think a forum. That's where I found out most of the info on my grandfather's service. Another great research tool is www.armyairforces.com. Oh, by the way, my B-24 is also a tribute build of one my grandfather flew on, hence my participation in the Memorial Day GB.

Geoff - thanks to your info I am a WHOLE lot closer to finding my uncles career history out.  those guys at armyairforces.com got me set up in about 16 hours with pointing me to the right resources.

All I knew before was that my great uncle flew as a gunner in WWII and likely went on to B-36's after the war.

What I know now is:

Rene L. Broussard enlisted on 3/28/1941 into the US Navy, on arrival at Houston, TX for his processing physical, he was rejected from enlisting in the Navy because of a missing tooth.  He immediately walked down the hall and was accepted by the Army into the Army Air Corps as a flight engineer/gunner.  He was assigned to the 13th Army Air Force, 42nd Bomb Group (no squadron yet).  He flew many missions in the Pacific, S. Pacific and the CBI theaters (around 114 missions), he was awarded with the Air Medal 5 times as well as the South Pacific ribbon with two battle clusters (among others).  I need to find out what for, but one of the awards for the Air Medal he actually received 3 at once for a campaign or operation he was involved in.

Evidently he flew with one Berton H Burns, who if you do a google for the name and add Manhattan Project to the end went on to become maintenance officer for the B-29's used in Operation Crossroads flying from Tinian Island (test nuclear explosions at Bikini Island, you might remember a film clip of a nuclear blast detonating in the center of a battle fleet.. this was it, they were testing what a direct nuclear blast would do to material at sea) .  Just a side note but interesting historically.

So now I need to track his history from the end of WWII forward.  And unfortunately the B-25 wouldn't be a big bomber so I will be enrolling it in Chris's Memorial Day GB...

Thanks for the point in the right direction!!!

tho9900 wrote:

gedenke wrote: So now I need to track his history from the end of WWII forward.  And unfortunately the B-25 wouldn't be a big bomber so I will be enrolling it in Chris's Memorial Day GB... Thanks for the point in the right direction!!!

Tom, for what it's worth, a B-25 is big enough for my GB, so you're welcome to join if you wish. If not, no problem, and I'll see you in the Memorial Day GB.