1/72 B-52D with Big Belly Mod, Operation Arc Light

Right, Dom - 3 clips per bomb bay, if you fully populate each clip. For a hanging model, you probably need to fully populate them; if it sits on the shelf, you could get away with populating just the first three bombs of each row since you can't see much past that. That's only 15 bombs per clip.

Russ

Hey, Dom,

I got some free time this evening so I was able to finish your "mirror trailer" . I put some edging around the mirror to hide the glass. Below are a couple of pictures. It sorta looks like a trailer that has standing water on it after a rain, doesn't it? . The mirror has really good clarity but naturally, the size limits the total amount you can see on a model this size. For a smaller model, like a fighter, it should show quite a bit. I think it's a great idea.

Thanks!

Russ

Striker8241

Hey, Dom,

I got some free time this evening so I was able to finish your "mirror trailer" . I put some edging around the mirror to hide the glass. Below are a couple of pictures. It sorta looks like a trailer that has standing water on it after a rain, doesn't it? . The mirror has really good clarity but naturally, the size limits the total amount you can see on a model this size. For a smaller model, like a fighter, it should show quite a bit. I think it's a great idea.

Thanks!

Russ

 

 

I didn't think you would have that up and running so fast!

That's a real nice trailer, full of 'Nam rain.......

Uhhhh.....not trying to overstate my addition, but I think that looks pretty good.

I would love to see it under the bomb clips.....

Of course there may be a number of ways to position them to get the right effect.

If it does anything, it adds to the visual complexity, so seeing that hook is

kind of neat.

By the way Russ, you are our Honorary Member on the BUFF GB.

-and i will be using your guidance for details......like bomb clips.....lol

Dom

Russ:

One last dumb question:

The inner Bomb Bay doors, they opened up and made a lot more room vertically in the BB,

was that for loading only, or did they open as well when dropping the ordnance?

If they opened during weapons deployment, I need to follow your lead and cut those inner doors open.

If not, I'll put the clips in and leave them up.

Tx

Dom

You're right - it does look good, and it was your idea . I wanted to see it with the bomb clips too but I only have one completed for my trailer and I've already attached the cradle. However, I'm building the bombs for the other two clips (I decided to fully populate the both of them) and as soon as I get them installed I'll snap some photos from down under.

Thanks for making me an honorary member of the build. I'll be happy to contribute in any way I can.

Russ

Bockscar

Russ:

One last dumb question:

The inner Bomb Bay doors, they opened up and made a lot more room vertically in the BB,

was that for loading only, or did they open as well when dropping the ordnance?

If they opened during weapons deployment, I need to follow your lead and cut those inner doors open.

If not, I'll put the clips in and leave them up.

Tx

Dom

Not a dumb question at all, Dom. The upper set of doors were only opened during weapons loading. They didn't open during bomb drop, so you don't need to cut them out if you plan to show the plane in flight. You may run into a tight fit for the bomb clips though with the upper doors closed so you may have to leave off the eyelets on the hangers. I will send you some instructions on building the new panels - they take up less space than the previous ones and should give you more room to maneuver.

Russ

Many thanks Russ;

Last night I pulled the engine assemblies apart to deal with the exhaust details.....yikes

dang things were glued 6 years ago.....lol

I have 84 Mk 82's incoming, I better duck'n'cover.....

Here's one for you:

Rainin' crater eggs......

Dom

Cool!  Iron rain

Hi, All,

Quick update - I've had to hold off finishing painting the fuselage so I'm concentrating on the MD-3 generator. It's a challenge but it's coming along as shown below. That oval object on the front is the gas tank.

Cheers,

Russ

Russ:

That's a nice piece of scratch man.....shisssh....you should be building sailing ships....LOL

Hmmmm....come to think of it, no one ever put an APU in a bottle......lol

Hey, are you glazing the cabin there?.....suspiciously looks like glass going in.

One other thing, what's that neat vise kit you have going on your desk?

Dom

Thanks, Dom!   That vice is a PanaVice I bought from MicroMark. Very handy.

Cheers,

Russ

Buffirn

It is getting to the point where all you will need is a Maintenance Super and a 781

I missed that post,

What is a "781"?

Dom

Hi, Dom,

A 781 is a set of Air Force Technical Order (AFTO) maintenance documents. An AFTO 781A is a sheet of blank spaces to enter discrepancies after a mission. A sample form is shown below. These forms were usually filled out by the crew chief after the debrief and put into a binder at the aircraft.

Each writeup was assigned to a maintenance shop or organization. There were three priorities - Info, red slash and red X. These were entered in the SYM box. A red X writeup would keep the aircraft grounded until it was cleared. Each maintenance action was also given a Job Control Number (JCN) to help keep track of it. When you finished working on the aircraft, you wrote up what you did and signed off the writeup.

This is a newer form but hasn't really changed that much since the 60's. The Fault Code block used to be called the How Mal (How Malfunction) code block. Each shop had a book with a set of How Malfunction codes assigned to it's systems and equipment.

Cheers,

Russ

Thanks Russ:

I suppose the equivalent document today would be three sheets per discrepancy rather than three discrepancies per sheet.

Dom

That is the book of aircraft forms showing fuel load weapons load, chaf, flares, atc  and maintenance issues both open and closed.  I need to look for a good picture of one.

Russ beat me to it.  The 781 was the last thing needed to fly.  We made write-ups in flight as things broke.  As we approached homedrome, the EW would contact the Command Post and call in the maintenance brevity codes, shorthand notes to help Job Control send the right maintenance technician to the plane for debriefing after we landed.

One day, we called in the FLIR as inop.  It never came up after take-off.  Anyway, Job Control called back for more detail on "inop".  We told them it was broke.  They seemed to accept that.

Lol!

Hi Russ

I've been following your progress for a couple of weeks now and wanted to let you know that your work so far is just mind-blowing! The attention to detail is even more impressive when you realize it's 1/72 scale. One quick question, what unit does the Buff you are building belong to and is this going to be one that flew out of Anderson on Guam or Utapao in Thailand if it is in fact to be a Vietnam War bird?

Regards,

Ramon

Hello, Ramon,

Thanks for looking and for the good words.  I've decided to pattern my BUFF after aircraft 56-0612 which was stationed with the 70th Bomb Wing at Clinton-Sherman AFB, OK. I was also stationed there and our wing rotated to Okinawa in April 1968. We were there for 6 months and I never saw a pre-loaded bomb clip so apparently our bomb dump didn't have the necessary loading facility. Bombs were loaded directly onto the clips while they were installed in the aircraft.

However, our planes would often fly a mission over Viet Nam and then recover in Thailand or Guam. Those bases had the facilities to preload the bomb clips, so my depiction of a CS bomber loading pre-loaded clips is relevant.

BTW, 612 is now on permanent display at the Castle AFB Military Museum in Atwater, CA. Here's a link that shows a brief view of the bomber with a Hound Dog missile attached:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulwyHmld7-o

Cheers,

Russ

Buffirn

That is the book of aircraft forms showing fuel load weapons load, chaf, flares, atc  and maintenance issues both open and closed.  I need to look for a good picture of one.

You and Russ are way over my head here, as you were there and know the language. Listen if you can find more pages to the book that would be fantastic.

If you have any stories to share about your flight experiences, please let us know, here or on the BUFF thread.

When I realize now that the Russ's crew was loading the clips and the Bays on-site, I can only begin to imagine the hard work to do stuff like that under that hot sun.

Great info gents, and please don't ever think you are going on too long, some of us here are only beginning to learn what you guys did, most of it isn't written down, so details are more than welcome, what may seem trivial to you is a gold-mine of knowledge for us.

Dom

The brevity codes Jim is talking about sounds like the How Malfunction codes I mentioned [I backtracked here - there may be a different set of codes Jim was using]. These were 3-digit numbers that were organized into blocks of numbers (100, 200, 300, etc.) and parceled out to the different shops. "Inop" (inoperative)  was a common reference to "it ain't working!" . Each system usually had an inop code  and that was broken down into more detailed descriptions. Like his FLIR system that failed to operate - if it was related to a power problem, there was a code that might say "No Power" or "Incorrect Voltage."

The crews may have had another set of codes that they used just for reporting over the air. Is this what you used, Jim?

Job Control was the operational arm of the Maintenance effort. They had controllers that monitored the status of each aircraft and tracked all the maintenance actions. Each writeup had a job control number assigned to it. When an aircraft had all it's writeups corrected or pending, and none of the open writeups were Red Xs or prevented the plane from successfully or safely flying a mission, the aircraft was marked as Ready on their mission board.

Cheers,

Russ

Hi, All,

Quick update on my MD-3 power generator. It's been a bear to build but I'm finally getting there. I still have to add the power panel and the tow bar/control handle to the front wheel assembly.

These generators were far to heavy for someone to push around so they have a built in motor that runs off the generator. The motor drives the front wheels. To move it, you release the handle and pull it down level. This activates the handle control. There is a spring-loaded switch just below the tow ring at the end of the handle. Push it away from you and the unit backs up. Pull it towards you and the unit will follow you.

When you you have it in the location you want, you push the handle vertical and it latches to the frame. At the same time, some metal snubbers attached to the bottom of the handle just above the tires press into the tires, preventing the MD-3 from accidentally rolling. BTW, there were various versions of the MD-3, hence the difference in vent panel locations.

All AGE equipment with wheels had to have some kind of safety brake built in. The maintenance stands had locks on the wheels just like some push carts you can buy. Power AGE like the MD-3 had some sort of snubbing device. Trailers and tractors had a set of wheel chocks. The Air Force was very adamant about securing AGE and other objects used on the flightline - for obvious reasons.

Cheers,

Russ

Russ, you just blow me away with your scratch building!  Really great job!     

Ken

Thanks, Ken! .  

Striker8241

The brevity codes Jim is talking about sounds like the How Malfunction codes I mentioned [I backtracked here - there may be a different set of codes Jim was using]. These were 3-digit numbers that were organized into blocks of numbers (100, 200, 300, etc.) and parceled out to the different shops. "Inop" (inoperative)  was a common reference to "it ain't working!" . Each system usually had an inop code  and that was broken down into more detailed descriptions. Like his FLIR system that failed to operate - if it was related to a power problem, there was a code that might say "No Power" or "Incorrect Voltage."

The crews may have had another set of codes that they used just for reporting over the air. Is this what you used, Jim?

Job Control was the operational arm of the Maintenance effort. They had controllers that monitored the status of each aircraft and tracked all the maintenance actions. Each writeup had a job control number assigned to it. When an aircraft had all it's writeups corrected or pending, and none of the open writeups were Red Xs or prevented the plane from successfully or safely flying a mission, the aircraft was marked as Ready on their mission board.

Cheers,

Russ

Gives us an insight into the ops.We take it for granted that when our car is making noises, we just take it in, when a Buff has an issue, the reporting and repair chain is 100 times more regimented.

Dom

Thanks for the link Russ! I visited Anderson back in '78 and watched a couple of D's launch while standing on the transient ramp. It was the most impressive take-off I've ever seen including C-5's. The noise and the smoke are something you never forget.

I've got several of these kits and plan to do one in the "bomber command" scheme like yours so I am very much enjoying your build and will be following it closely.

Cheers!

No problem, Cobra. If you plan to build that BUFF anytime soon, theres an In the BUFF Group Build that just got started. They would be happy to have you join. Here's the link: cs.finescale.com/.../153086.aspx

Cheers,

Russ

Hi, All,

I just completed version 3 of my bomb clip assembly instructions and sent them to Ken (SOMM) for conversion to PDF (thanks Ken!). In addition to correcting the panel shapes, I added instructions for building and installing the door locks and bomb bay doors. 

Trust me - writing these instructions was harder than building the bomb clip itself .

Cheers,

Russ 

Russ:

I am looking forward to the BC Instruction Manual!

I have most of the stock I need, and failing eyes.......

Those plans will be really, really helpful.

Thank you for sharing that information, and thanks to Ken for the PDF.

Dom

Striker8241

The brevity codes Jim is talking about sounds like the How Malfunction codes I mentioned [I backtracked here - there may be a different set of codes Jim was using]. These were 3-digit numbers that were organized into blocks of numbers (100, 200, 300, etc.) and parceled out to the different shops. "Inop" (inoperative)  was a common reference to "it ain't working!" . Each system usually had an inop code  and that was broken down into more detailed descriptions. Like his FLIR system that failed to operate - if it was related to a power problem, there was a code that might say "No Power" or "Incorrect Voltage."

The crews may have had another set of codes that they used just for reporting over the air. Is this what you used, Jim?

Job Control was the operational arm of the Maintenance effort. They had controllers that monitored the status of each aircraft and tracked all the maintenance actions. Each writeup had a job control number assigned to it. When an aircraft had all it's writeups corrected or pending, and none of the open writeups were Red Xs or prevented the plane from successfully or safely flying a mission, the aircraft was marked as Ready on their mission board.

Cheers,

Russ

The brevity codes we used went something like this "E23, Code 3 for C" 

"E23" is the system. 

"Code 3" means it is broke, inop, don't friggin work

"C" gives a short description of the malfunction. 

Normally. the EW coded up these write-ups and called the Command Post as we came back into range of the base.  The radio call was piped directly to Job Control and they would decide which technicians to send to the debriefing.  In some cases, the maintenance troops would board the plane before we shut down the engines to see the malfunction first hand.

After all of this, the problem was fixed, postponed to scheduled maintenance, or marked CND, Could Not Duplicate.  We hated CND.  It often meant that the malfunction would reappear on the next flight.  Some things would only show up while flying.