Strategic Air Command GroupBulid

Bondoman, you are just what the doctor ordered- someone who has already built a B36 Peacemaker !  I'm going to mercilessly pump you for information on a regular basis.  Question#1

How did you do the walkway lines ?  Unlike some of our more fortunate members who are building, say, a B47 (which has walkway decals ) 

Thanks- I somehow survived the task! Mine, which I bought on eBay was from Revell/Germany I think and it came with very nice wing walk decals. Of course it/they were precisely the right length and after laying about seven feet of the stuff I was a little short, so I had to add some trimstrip. My B-52 on the other hand, did not. For that I brush painted a black stripe freehand about 1/4" wide all along the area, then taped it with 1/16" pinstripe tape. The model had handy raised ridges along the lines, I think. Then oversprayed with silver Testors shaker can. The darn thing actually worked well! My mistake was the brush paint- it shows through the silver. Airbrush would work fine. If using alclad, like I did on the B-36 ($$$) I p[aint the whole plane gloss black first anyways. I've had good luck with Testors gloss black acrylic in the airbrush as an alclad primer. I tried black Krylon in a spray can once, and managed to create a disaster.

Other mistakes- I sprayed the insides of the transparencies with Tamiya clear green, which looks good but should probably be grey. So I tried removing it, forgot it was acrylic, and wiped it with some good old laquer thinner. What an idiot! I had to polish the whole thing out, and it looks kind of crappy since it is the focal point of the model. I did the framing with silver decal strip, which worked pretty well.

One fun part was that  I built the RB-36 and spent a bunch of time adding all the little antennas with bits of wire. I kind of cheated on which markings I used- I never dreamed of showing this to anyone who would catch me, so I used the ones I liked.

This was a fun kit and went together pretty well. I did a bunch of reshaping to the engine intakes to match photos and to the wing/tube intersection to make it look better.

The book "Magnesium Overcast" was completely worth the $ 40 or so I paid for it- one of the best airplane books I've seen.

All questions are welcome.

Well, I'd like your opinion. I would like to do the XB-35, which has been on my shelf for awhile, as a what-if? with markings similar to early B-36s, as if in service. Is that allowable?

Or, I've got a XF-12 Rainbow I bought recently? Same issue, I guess.

Or, I've got a Heller DC-6 and a Mullet Models C-54 conversion set, which was in the box when I bought the DC-6 on eBay. I've built the DC-6 before, its pretty good looking.

Your ruling, Maestro?

bondoman wrote:

Thanks, I'm excited. Your picture/ your son? Thanks for what you do! I know what you mean, I have a theory that when collectors know a model is about to be rereleased, they dump their stuff on eBay. I got bit on the C-119 a little.

No, it wasn't rereleased at all. It's the U-2R (TR-1) from Testors/Italeri. So far not a bad build for someone who has been outta it for awhile. But it's been OOP for as long as i can remember (i think). Actually, they released one with the Senior Span thingy that looks like a turtle shell on top, but i didn't want all that, and didn't know if it was the same tooling or no. But i'm now seeing plenty of these old kits unopened all over the place. Go figure.....

Oh.... and nope! That's me! I look younger than i really am. Chicks dig the dress blues (but don't tell the mrs. i said that)

I've got a couple of ?? How do you include model shots in a post? How do you include the message to which you reply? How do you add the GB logo to the signature block?

A spyplane story: when I was a kid, circa early 60's we Boy Scouts camped out at the nethers of a famous Naval Air Station near where I live. Couldn't get much sleep w/blue pickups roaring by all night, but at least the P-3s weren't landing. In the morning when we were hiking out, I sensed a presence over my shoulder, turned to see what looked like a powered glider/sort of a low wing SILENT Beechcraft kind of deal maybe 50' over us coming along? Must be USAF, Yardbird probably knows the tail #.

I don't know a thing abt U2 so look forward to your posts.

bondoman wrote:

I've got a couple of ?? How do you include model shots in a post? How do you include the message to which you reply? How do you add the GB logo to the signature block? A spyplane story: when I was a kid, circa early 60's we Boy Scouts camped out at the nethers of a famous Naval Air Station near where I live. Couldn't get much sleep w/blue pickups roaring by all night, but at least the P-3s weren't landing. In the morning when we were hiking out, I sensed a presence over my shoulder, turned to see what looked like a powered glider/sort of a low wing SILENT Beechcraft kind of deal maybe 50' over us coming along? Must be USAF, Yardbird probably knows the tail #. I don't know a thing abt U2 so look forward to your posts.

Ok, lesse if we can get ya squared away here, shall we?

To make a post with a quote in the text, look at the upper right hand corner of the post. You have reply, and quote. Instead of hitting reply, hit quote, and it'll pop up like a normal reply- but with the quote text already inserted. (try it on this post here for practice)

For pictures. First the avatar on the left of the post. Go to the top of the page where it says update profile. It'll give you some blocks of personal information to put down. One of those is listed Avatar. You click on browse, and it'll upload any picture file on your computer.

Also for the GB badge, You will also go to update profile. First, go to page 5 on this GB thread. You'll see my post where it has the badge in the post. Right click on that to save it. Next, you'll need to get an account with a web based photosharing account (most use photobucket, i use onfinite). Most of them are free for basic service, which should suffice, methinks. Upload your badges and other build pictures on there. Copy the link it gives you for the badge. When you are in the update your profile block under your signature, type in just like this- [img*]yourbadgelinkhere[/img*]. (NOTE-don't include in * when you do it. I added those just so you could see it. Otherwise, this post woulda been screwed up). Once you add that, don't forget to click on update. Then check out any post you already left to see if it worked.

Posting pictures on the board is the same as adding the badge. Only difference is that you add the [img]s directly into the body of the post you are typing instead of the profile update.

Hopefully i didn't lose ya in any of this. I had to wait a few weeks before i was able to really get started in this group build. So in the meantime, i just sat down and played with the forum until i figured it out. Give em a shot, and while you're at it, also scan through the community assistance forum at the bottom of the main list. It'll give you some directions others had posted to new members there. A good reference that helped me out. If you still have problems with the badge, let me know. I've got it in my hard drive here. Good luck, Bondo

I love when Japanese translations go bad !  This is from the Hasegawa B-47 instructions

"Pilot seats in front and back were not reputable"  "Dwelling was bad and degree of fatigue was big."  "Even then, it was the first class jet bomber in the period of 1940-1950 and must leave its big name in the history of air"       Sayonara !

All right now the E-3 is complete.I hope that you all like and enjoy the final result.

And all comments are welcome good and BAD. Please.

Nice work on a model that you don't see very often.  What scale is it listed as being?  Working from your dimensions of 25" span and 26 LOA, that works out to 1/62 scale for span and 1/67 scale for length.  Both a rather unusual scale.  I think that you might have mounted the horizontal stabilizers on the wrong sides.  They should be angled up instead of down.

Darwin, O.F. 

I'm pretty late coming to the thread but . . . I live like 20 minutes from the SAC museum and was going to take my kid there this weekend maybe. Maybe bring a digital camera.

This strikes me as something that might generate requests. So first off, no promises, but if I make it, anything you want a jpeg detail of? (You can view a list of their collection on their website)

I would like to see some closeup detail shots of the tail art of their SR-71.  Thanks.

Darwin, O.F.  

TwelveAlpha wrote:

I'm pretty late coming to the thread but . . . I live like 20 minutes from the SAC museum and was going to take my kid there this weekend maybe. Maybe bring a digital camera. This strikes me as something that might generate requests. So first off, no promises, but if I make it, anything you want a jpeg detail of? (You can view a list of their collection on their website)

If they got it, the U-2R would be great. Especially in the wheel wells and exhaust area. Thanks, Alpha!

TwelveAlpha wrote:

I'm pretty late coming to the thread but . . . I live like 20 minutes from the SAC museum and was going to take my kid there this weekend maybe. Maybe bring a digital camera. This strikes me as something that might generate requests. So first off, no promises, but if I make it, anything you want a jpeg detail of? (You can view a list of their collection on their website)

I request some pictures of there B-47, if they got one.  Thanks

Okey . . update. I called them, told them what I wanted and why. He said no problemo. Take all ya like.

I can fit about 100 jpegs on my card. I'm going Saturday morning. So if your request is in by Friday pm, I'll take a list with me and see if I can't accomplish it. Cheers!

Their U2 is a U2C. You can go to www.sacmuseum.org and click collections for the list. I hear they just acquired an F4 phantom which has a big Nebraska connection and are going to start working on that as well. That one I'm excited about.

DesertRat wrote:

Oh.... and nope! That's me! I look younger than i really am. Chicks dig the dress blues (but don't tell the mrs. i said that)

You bet they do! I was wearing mine when we met, and my wife later told her sister "He was wearing his blues. I never had a chance."

cdclukey wrote:

DesertRat wrote: Oh.... and nope! That's me! I look younger than i really am. Chicks dig the dress blues (but don't tell the mrs. i said that) You bet they do! I was wearing mine when we met, and my wife later told her sister "He was wearing his blues. I never had a chance."

lol! Nice! I think my wife went out with me out of pitty. She is one full pay grade above me

No doubt you've all seen "Strategic Air Command" with Jimmie Stewart. There is a bunch of good B-47 footage in that one. In particular the little tiny windscreen wiper pumping along in the zero visibility landing at Kadena.

Feld Marshall, put me in for a C-54 Skymaster, and an F-82, both in 1/72. I hope someone does a VooDoo, I'm just not a single seater modeler.

My friend Jim, an able Airman in a past life, is considering doing the new C-124. I'll prompt him to join this group.

Bondoman

bondoman wrote:

My friend Jim, an able Airman in a past life, is considering doing the new C-124. I'll prompt him to join this group. Bondoman

DesertRat wrote:

bondoman wrote: My friend Jim, an able Airman in a past life, is considering doing the new C-124. I'll prompt him to join this group. Bondoman Yeah, definately get him on board! And if you need any help, i gotta roll of duct tape and some rope ya can borrow!

Hey, that's called "kidnapping"!  But, I guess it's OK if the police aren't looking. 

Darwin, O.F. 

yardbird78 wrote:

DesertRat wrote:  bondoman wrote: My friend Jim, an able Airman in a past life, is considering doing the new C-124. I'll prompt him to join this group. Bondoman Yeah, definately get him on board! And if you need any help, i gotta roll of duct tape and some rope ya can borrow! Hey, that's called "kidnapping"!  But, I guess it's OK if the police aren't looking.  Darwin, O.F.

I choose to look at it as an aggressive form of recruitment

That reminds me of a "war story" from Gulf War One.  A nearby college has a Marine ROTC unit that specializes in anti-tank activities.  They were notified of activation for the coming war and one of their members suddenly decided that he was a concientious objector and couldn't bring himself to kill his fellow religious devotees.  He had just "converted" to that religion the day before.  He refused to report with his unit when they deployed to an east coast Marine base.  A few days later about 0200, several Marines woke him up at his off campus apartment and "escorted" him to the appropriate base.  When the media asked a Marine general about the "kidnapping", the general said that it most definately was not a kidnapping.  He said that a Marine was having difficulty in accomplishing his reporting and several of his fellow Marines, "assisted him in overcoming his difficulty!"

Darwin, O.F.

You know, I dont know without looking. It just stuck in my head that when I bought it, I figured out that it ought to hold about 100-120 pics depending on size. So thats whats still stuck in my head.

You could be right though. Its a couple of years old, but it works fine. So far I've got SR71 tail art, U2 especially wheels, exhaust, B47, and C54 nose and tail markings. I'm going to spend some time on the voodoo too . . . I think I'd do one of them if I could find a good kit. Wish trumpeter made one.

Have fun at the museum.  I wish that I could join you there.

Darwin, O.F.