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

I second what Dom says. You definitely have some mad skills; more than I have. You've taught me quite a bit. And weathering powders aren't as difficult as you might think. They are certainly something you may want to consider trying once you get to the final stages here.

Now I have to walk away embarrassed! Thank you, Dom, for that complement!  .

Russ

Russ:

i wouldn't beat myself up about skills if I were you,

that's an incredible display of workmanship and creativity

you are sharing with us.

Really a privilege to see such a comprehensive build

from start to finish!

And as our associates point out, the education we are

getting as you progress is unique, the experience gets

so much closer in our minds.

Dom

Thanks for the tips, Dom! Powders and oils are things I want to try but probably not for awhile as I don't even have spray painting skills yet, but I've filed a copy away for future use.

Thanks again!

Russ

Russ:

A final application of the soot, smoke, fuel /oil leaks should go on at the very end.

There are 'powders' and assorted temporary finishes you can use to touch the look

up at the last minute, applied over everything else.

powder coats and pastels get crushed by any kind of finish, but if you have

a buff or flat coat final, a powder or pastel will stick pretty good and give the

subject a fresh dirty look, but it gets lost if you try to give it an over coat of anything.

Most of those powders or even plain old crushed charcoal, can be applied by soft brush as a final

touch up to high light detailed weathering.

The commercial trend seems to have started among the armor crowd,

but just as valid for aircraft finishes.

I did stuff like this decades ago to prepare work for shows in art galleries, never thought

artists' techniques would catch on in the modeling world.

-Dom

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Here is the fuselage finally painted. Not very pretty close up, but hopefully I'll get better at it in future.

Now a question - I've read in a number of articles that the next step would be to spray the entire fuselage with Future and then spray it with dullcote to kill the shine. After that, apply the washes and weathering. Is that right?

Thanks,

Russ

That is a nice job Russ!  Looks great!     

If you are planning on putting on a wash, you will want to put on an acrylic or enamel gloss coat finish first.  Make sure you allow enough time for it to dry.  You want a gloss coat or you will have a mess trying to clean up the excess wash.  Here is a link that is on the FSM website that talks about washes:

http://www.finescale.com/Videos/How%20To/2009/12/Washes.aspx 

After your wash is dry, you will want another gloss coat over that to protect it and to put your decals on.  Then you put on your flat clear coat over that.

Ken

Thanks, Ken!   And especially thanks for the tips on the wash and gloss coats!

Cheers,

Russ

Bockscar

That's looking good Russ!

Yeah, other than the "Chrome Dome" finish, most BUFF's were flat......

and well weathered looking.....

I still can't get over that little probe sticking out of the nose like that,

musta' been real important.....I looked for it but can't find it.

Dom

Thanks, Dom! .

Nearest I can figure, that probe is actually an antenna. It's the wrong shape and size for a communications antenna and It's not part of the ECM suite on the D-model so it may have something to do with the radar system.

Cheers,

Russ

Striker8241

Here is the fuselage finally painted. Not very pretty close up, but hopefully I'll get better at it in future.

Now a question - I've read in a number of articles that the next step would be to spray the entire fuselage with Future and then spray it with dullcote to kill the shine. After that, apply the washes and weathering. Is that right?

Thanks,

Russ

That is a nice job Russ!  Looks great!     

If you are planning on putting on a wash, you will want to put on an acrylic or enamel gloss coat finish first.  Make sure you allow enough time for it to dry.  You want a gloss coat or you will have a mess trying to clean up the excess wash.  Here is a link that is on the FSM website that talks about washes:

http://www.finescale.com/Videos/How%20To/2009/12/Washes.aspx 

After your wash is dry, you will want another gloss coat over that to protect it and to put your decals on.  Then you put on your flat clear coat over that.

Ken

That's looking good Russ!

Yeah, other than the "Chrome Dome" finish, most BUFF's were flat......

and well weathered looking.....

I still can't get over that little probe sticking out of the nose like that,

musta' been real important.....I looked for it but can't find it.

Dom

Here is the fuselage finally painted. Not very pretty close up, but hopefully I'll get better at it in future.

Now a question - I've read in a number of articles that the next step would be to spray the entire fuselage with Future and then spray it with dullcote to kill the shine. After that, apply the washes and weathering. Is that right?

Thanks,

Russ

No problem, bud! Glad it maybe filled in a missing piece .

Russ

Striker8241

Hi, All,

 Seeing the inside of the 47-section again for the first time in 45 years brings back memories of how we did maintenance back then. Forgive me if I get a little wordy here  - I just might forget all this soon .

Every aircraft tech had two important tools - a pair of "cannon plug" pliers and a pair of safety wire pliers. The cannon plug pliers were used to loosen or tighten the knurled locking ring on a cannon-type connector (see below). The pliers shown in the next picture are my own pair that I've kept throughout my maintenance career.

 

 

Cannon connectors consisted of two parts - a keyed central plug that locked into the cannon receptacle on the unit and a rotating ring that engaged the receptacle and tightened the connector. These connectors were used on our wire cables that connected our ECM equipment to the aircraft systems.

 Once the connector ring was tight, it had to be safety wired. There were holes drilled in the inserted part of the plug and in the rotating locking ring. You put a loop of steel safety wire through the stationary plug, clamped the two loose ends in the jaws of the safety wire pliers, and pulled on the central handle. The pliers spun and wound the handle, twisting the wire into tight twists. Then you inserted one of the loose ends through the hole in the rotating ring, again clamped the loose ends, and pulled to twist the wire tight. A picture of the safety wire pliers and an example of a safety wired connector are shown below.

 

 

Thank you for sharing that Russ!  My Dad had a set of those in his tool box that I have inherited from him.  I asked him what they were used for and he explained them to me, but of course he did not have a picture to show me.  Thanks again!

Ken

Hi, All,

 Seeing the inside of the 47-section again for the first time in 45 years brings back memories of how we did maintenance back then. Forgive me if I get a little wordy here  - I just might forget all this soon .

Every aircraft tech had two important tools - a pair of "cannon plug" pliers and a pair of safety wire pliers. The cannon plug pliers were used to loosen or tighten the knurled locking ring on a cannon-type connector (see below - this is my own pair that I've kept throughout my maintenance career).

The safety wire pliers were used to secure the cannon plugs from loosening during flight.

Cannon connectors consisted of two parts - a keyed central plug that locked into the cannon receptacle on the unit and a rotating ring that engaged the receptacle and tightened the connector. The pictures below show two plugs and a single receptacle. The key in this receptacle can be seen at the inside top of the connector.

 Once the connector ring was tight, it had to be safety wired. There were holes drilled in the receptacle and in the rotating locking ring. You put a loop of steel safety wire through the hole in the receptacle, clamped the two loose ends in the jaws of the safety wire pliers, and pulled on the central handle. The pliers spun and twisted the wire into tight twists. Then you inserted one of the loose ends through the hole in the rotating ring, again clamped the loose ends, and pulled to twist the wire tight. An example of a safety wired connector is shown below.

Son Of Medicine Man

Thank you once again for taking the time to describe in such great detail all of that Russ!  I truly enjoy reading every word!  And thank you for that great link!

Ken

My pleasure, Ken! 

Son Of Medicine Man

Nice work once again Russ!  Great attention to detail and thank you for the information.

Ken

Thanks Ken!, and you're welcome! .

Russ

Striker8241

Ok, I'm a happy camper!!

I finally came across some pictures of the inside of the 47 section, and high res photos at that!  These are from the National Museum of the US Air Force website. Here's the link: www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/.../factsheet.asp  Click on the "Related Links" at the bottom to access 5 sets of panoramic views you can pan around in - well worth taking a look! You can use the arrows at the bottom of each view or just pan around with your mouse.

The first picture below shows the 47-section looking forward. The chaff magazines are mounted vertically to the right and left. The "ovens" that housed our transmitters can be seen further forward past the chaff magazines. You can imagine trying to hustle a 150 lb transmitter down that narrow catwalk past all that equipment. Just getting them in and out of the ovens was a trial in itself.

The second picture shows the 47-section looking aft. The 47-section hatch is right in the foreground. You can see the hatch to the gunner's compartment way in the back at the end of the crawl space. You can crawl from one end of the D-model to the other - I've done it many times chasing wiring problems. Not a pleasant experience on a hot afternoon with the bomb bay doors closed .

The 47-section was where ECM techs spent  most of their time since the transmitters and chaff equipment required the most maintenance effort.

Cheers,

Russ

 

Thank you once again for taking the time to describe in such great detail all of that Russ!  I truly enjoy reading every word!  And thank you for that great link!

Ken

Striker8241

Hi, All,

Just a quick update. Due to weather and other RLI, the paint job on the fuselage is not quite finished. I had to start over on the base to make it more portable, but it's nearing completion. In the meantime, I've been working on some of the ground support equipment. Below is a picture of my fire extinguishers that will be placed in front of the aircraft. These are from the Hasegawa US Aerospace Ground Equipment set. They were pretty accurate out of the box, except the handle frame was overly large in diameter, not round, and the tow ring at the top was grossly incorrect.

I cut off the kit's tow rings and replaced them with slices of round sprue. It took a lot of careful sanding to get the handle assembly even close to scale. The bottom feet of the stand were just large triangles and had to be trimmed and sanded down to a rounded shape. Otherwise, the extinguishers look pretty close to scale.

BTW, the red rectangular piece on the front is a cabinet that houses a rolled up fire hose.

Cheers,

Russ

Nice work once again Russ!  Great attention to detail and thank you for the information.

Ken

Yeah Russ, I noticed those tiny foot paths, and i think of

guys being tossed around trying to get or fix stuff in that space,

how is that for reality life issues.......

and as you were there, I can only say once again I am glad we have a first hand look, Russ....

Dom

Bockscar

Russ:

Great photos!

Every building has a janitor's station/electrical panel/furnace room, so that must be it!

Very cool!

Thanks for the drilling on that.

Dom

You're welcome, Dom . BTW, the whole plane from one end to the other is filled with equipment like that. Every system, every wire, has a purpose - and a crew of maintenance people to adjust, test, repair and curse.

It's truly amazing that everything worked and these monsters could fly again and again and deliver the goods.

Russ

"This is your Captain speaking"

"We've run into some infra-red turbulence"

"Get those spare chaff dispensers into place, STAT!!!"

-sorry, just made that up.....not sure what all the extra black boxes are.

Not .5 cal.....lol

Russ:

Great photos!

Every building has a janitor's station/electrical panel/furnace room, so that must be it!

Very cool!

Thanks for the drilling on that.

Dom

That is a great find!  Another of the lovely places to lounge about in the BUFF!

Ok, I'm a happy camper!!

I finally came across some pictures of the inside of the 47 section, and high res photos at that!  These are from the National Museum of the US Air Force website. Here's the link: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195815/boeing-b-52d-stratofortress/ NOTE: This is an updated link as of 8/2/17.

Scroll down to Cockpit 360 Images and click on one of 5 sets of panoramic views you can pan around in - well worth taking a look! You can use the arrows at the bottom of each view or just pan around with your mouse. The pictures below are from the Aft Equipment link.

The view below shows the 47-section looking forward. The chaff magazines are mounted vertically to the right and left. The "ovens" that housed our transmitters can be seen further forward past the chaff magazines. You can imagine trying to hustle a 150 lb transmitter down that narrow catwalk past all that equipment. Just getting them in and out of the ovens was a trial in itself.

The next view shows the 47-section looking aft. The 47-section hatch is right in the foreground. You can see the hatch to the gunner's compartment way in the back at the end of the crawl space. You could crawl from one end of the D-model to the other - I've done it many times chasing wiring problems. Not a pleasant experience on a hot afternoon even with the bomb bay doors open .

The 47-section was where ECM techs spent  most of their time, since the transmitters and chaff equipment required the most maintenance effort.

Cheers,

Russ

Dom,

Thanks for the good words! I don't have my paint booth set up yet so I have to paint outdoors on a table. Rain and wind nixes that...

I've been trying to plan for possible contests some day. That's why the diorama base is taking so long. I'm trying to make it portable, but keep it light at the same time. I'm also building a pedestal so it can be free-standing. That's harder to make light since it's so big. My goal is to finish the base this weekend and get it ready for painting.

Cheers,

Russ

Russ:

You could always come out of retirement and get a job in CAD!

Thanks for that update!

Hey, very nice fire extinguisher units there:

They look real good on the tarmac.

Does the weather affect the paint finish, or just mess with your day generally? What with the guys who've had their workshops killed by hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding, i have to wonder......

Russ, is it too early to think about places to show your work, like IPMS gatherings?

Ideas about how to transport that big plane safely, and the diorama and all the ground equipment?

No pressure, i just think your build should get out there for the public to see.

Dom

Hi, All,

Just a quick update. Due to weather and other RLI, the paint job on the fuselage is not quite finished. I had to start over on the base to make it more portable, but it's nearing completion. In the meantime, I've been working on some of the ground support equipment. Below is a picture of my fire extinguishers that will be placed in front of the aircraft. These are from the Hasegawa US Aerospace Ground Equipment set. They were pretty accurate out of the box, except the handle frame was overly large in diameter, not round, and the tow ring at the top was grossly incorrect.

I cut off the kit's tow rings and replaced them with slices of round sprue. It took a lot of careful sanding to get the handle assembly even close to scale. The bottom feet of the stand were just large triangles and had to be trimmed and sanded down to a rounded shape. Otherwise, the extinguishers look pretty close to scale.

BTW, the red rectangular piece on the front is a cabinet that houses a rolled up fire hose.

Cheers,

Russ

You're welcome, Ken. And thanks for the good words!

Russ

Thank you Russ for taking the time to do this, and then posting it here for everyone to see!  I know I will be benefiting from this a great deal when I finally build my B-52D!!

Ken

Update to Bomb Clip Manual - Cradle Dimensions

Hi, All,

Below is another correction/update to v3 of the Bomb Clip Manual. This latest update involves the dimensions of the bomb cradle. This is due to my having to downsize the width of the bomb clips to be sure they would fit into the bomb bay for those who don't elect to cut out the upper doors.

Rather than send emails out to everyone with a copy of my Bomb Clip Manual (and trying to remember who should get one) I'm going to post this latest correction and any future corrections or updates here. Please check back periodically to see if there are any new changes. I will flag any future updates with a title at the top of the post, as in this one. You can also do a Community search for "Bomb Clip Manual" or "update".

Originally, I built the cradle to match the bomb clip width but it looks funny on the transporter trailer because it's too narrow. So I re-dimensioned the cradle to fit correctly on the trailer. The bomb clip looks a little narrow now (at least to me) when it's on the cradle but it's a necessary evil. I also increased the length of the cradle to make it closer to scale.

If you plan to cut out the upper doors on your bomber, and want the clip closer to the correct width (~30 mm), you can increase the overall width of the clip by adding 1.6 mm I-Beam or Channel trim around the edges of the panels. My bomb bay lip with the upper doors open is 35 mm so you should have plenty of clearance.

Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience,

Russ

Lol....yes, but nothing like the smell of JP in the morning........lol

Russ, i am experimenting with some acrylic glue stuff.

I thickened some floor wax, and mixed it with alcohol

We'll see if it can put Humpty together again....lol

ya,

Mk 82 Dumpty sat on a wall

Mk 82 Dumpty had a great fall

All of the King's horses and all of the King's men

were splattered all over

the kingdom, again......lol

Like to see them put that egg back together.......with acrylic glue,,,,,,,lol

Dom