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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

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

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

Russ

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.

Thanks, Duke . I definitely will be trying out those weathering powders, particularly on the ground equipment.

Cheers,

Russ

Hi, All,

Below is a partial printout of the tarmac for my diorama - partial because it was taking too much printer ink, even in low res mode. It looks a little funky because it's printed on plain paper, but it gives an idea how the final version will look. Mainly, I wanted to test the feasibility of applying effects like oil spills and general grime on such a large scale. Once the various layers are in place in Photoshop, or any other image software that can access a layered TIF file, it's a snap to change or update the tarmac file.

I plan to print out the slices on heavy matt paper and glue them down with rubber cement. That way, if something should spill on the tarmac it or it gets dinged, I can always pry up the offending slice and replace it. And it's fairly easy to add or change something to the entire tarmac compared to doing it by hand.

I'll be adding the decorative trim around the diorama base this weekend so I hope to have some preliminary pictures.

Cheers,

Russ

Nice looking deck Russ:

i did a preliminary search, and supposedly 3M has double-sided Post-It

material....may be just some one using post-it as wrap-around stickys.

I did find some Scotch double-sided removable tape:

www.amazon.com/.../B001390CK0

i don't know if that would work at all, but I do know that it would probably peel off a lot

easier than contact cement.....just a thought.

Dom

Thanks, Dom. I considered double sided tape but I'm concerned it would dry out and allow edges of the tarmac to lift. There's still a while before I'm ready to commit so I will experiment with both.

Thanks again!

Russ

Yeah Russ;

I gotta say, the 3M sticky material seems to last, i have stuff taped or post-its from

back in '87, and it still is like new.

Well set contact cement does not remain gummy for 15 years, that is all i know.

Russ, I think there is also a spray on 3M-type tacky material that isn't supposed to dry out.

I haven't got it handy, but I used to use it for stenciling on uneven surfaces way back when.

Dom

Well, work on the diorama base got pushed back to next weekend, so I built a new transporter trailer with wheels closer to scale. This one looks a whole lot better . A couple of photos are shown below. The cradle is just about finished so I should have it installed in a day or so.

Cheers,

Russ

Wow, not bad for slacking off Russ....

the weathering looks great, very convincing work.

I shoulda' cut you a mirror you could just pop on top when ever you wanted, and take it off when ever you want too,

that is to say, you just put the mirror on top if you want to show some detail, but keep it handy if you don't.

Dom

I talked with my Dad tonight and asked about the nub on the D-model nose.  He thinks it was a RHAW antenna.  It is very similar to one on the nose of the B-47.  It might have been abandoned by the time you worked on them Russ. 

While I was looking for stuff on the optical bombing system, I found these.

http://www.alternatewars.com/SAC/AirborneArmament/Volume_I.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=vqOILHWao0wC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=b-52d+optical+bombing+system&source=bl&ots=cc3hRqayPT&sig=bEvPUH0gM5qbrYvnG7p6JrQRmhg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ur19UYDiOJWs4APL7IDQBw&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q&f=true

http://www.usaf-nav-history.com

 I hope you like them.

Striker8241

Well, work on the diorama base got pushed back to next weekend, so I built a new transporter trailer with wheels closer to scale. This one ooks a whole lot better . A couple of photos are shown below. The cradle is just about finished so I should have it installed in a day or so.

Cheers,

Russ

 

 

 

Wow Russ, once again great work!  Very impressive!     

Ken

Could be, Jim, although I've never seen a e RHAW antenna on one of the major aircraft axes. They're usually in pairs or groups of 4 and angled 45 degrees or so for better coverage.

It is about the size of a RHAW antenna, but it could also have been used with the radar as part of its defensive capabilities. It could also have been used with the EWO's panoramic indicator system. 

Cheers,

Russ

Buffirn

I talked with my Dad tonight and asked about the nub on the D-model nose.  He thinks it was a RHAW antenna.  It is very similar to one on the nose of the B-47.  It might have been abandoned by the time you worked on them Russ. 

While I was looking for stuff on the optical bombing system, I found these.

http://www.alternatewars.com/SAC/AirborneArmament/Volume_I.htm

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=vqOILHWao0wC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=b-52d+optical+bombing+system&source=bl&ots=cc3hRqayPT&sig=bEvPUH0gM5qbrYvnG7p6JrQRmhg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ur19UYDiOJWs4APL7IDQBw&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

http://www.usaf-nav-history.com

 I hope you like them.

Very cool info. That's for next Sunday and a beer

Dom

PS:

I hate that little probe on the nose of the Revell kit.....

I know it may be a crime to knowingly eliminate an accurate detail,

but I think I am going to saw the dang thing off.....

"SAM got it, sir......"

Dom

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Well, work on the diorama base got pushed back to next weekend, so I built a new transporter trailer with wheels closer to scale. This one ooks a whole lot better . A couple of photos are shown below. The cradle is just about finished so I should have it installed in a day or so.

Cheers,

Russ

 

 

 

Wow Russ, once again great work!  Very impressive!     

Ken

Thanks, Ken!  

Bockscar

Wow, not bad for slacking off Russ....

the weathering looks great, very convincing work.

I shoulda' cut you a mirror you could just pop on top when ever you wanted, and take it off when ever you want too,

that is to say, you just put the mirror on top if you want to show some detail, but keep it handy if you don't.

Dom

Thanks, Dom!   I could have done that with the trailer I used but with my fumble fingers, I would probably drop it and break it. This trailer is the transporter for the bomb clip I'm going to display. I just built one that looks like the actual trailer.

Cheers,

Russ

Bockscar

PS:

I hate that little probe on the nose of the Revell kit.....

I know it may be a crime to knowingly eliminate an accurate detail,

but I think I am going to saw the dang thing off.....

"SAM got it, sir......"

Dom

Lol, chop away, Dom! I don't think anyone will notice . BTW, does that mean the AMT kit doesn't have the antenna on it?

Russ

Buffirn

While I was looking for stuff on the optical bombing system, I found these.

http://www.alternatewars.com/SAC/AirborneArmament/Volume_I.htm

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=vqOILHWao0wC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=b-52d+optical+bombing+system&source=bl&ots=cc3hRqayPT&sig=bEvPUH0gM5qbrYvnG7p6JrQRmhg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ur19UYDiOJWs4APL7IDQBw&ved=0CEoQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

http://www.usaf-nav-history.com

 I hope you like them.

Fascinating reading, Jim, and some great links. Nice to see things from the navigator's perspective for a change. Yours was a truly complicated and important job.

Thanks!

Russ

Hi, All,

Here's the transporter with the cradle installed, and the clip in place. I didn't add the chains because they will not be on the model in the diorama - I plan to show the transporter being backed into the loader and at that time the chains would have already been removed.

Striker8241

Bockscar

PS:

I hate that little probe on the nose of the Revell kit.....

I know it may be a crime to knowingly eliminate an accurate detail,

but I think I am going to saw the dang thing off.....

"SAM got it, sir......"

Dom

Lol, chop away, Dom! I don't think anyone will notice . BTW, does that mean the AMT kit doesn't have the antenna on it?

Russ

I have not seen one of those domes on a G or an H.  It must have been phased out when repalced by newer equipment.

Also, that's a big roger on the RHAW gear.  I do know that the B-47 had one fore and one aft that looked alot like the one on the D model.  Dad said something about it having 4 little wire type antennae in it.  So, the dome would protect the antennae. 

I'll keep looking and mabybe I'll find someone who knows for sure.

Jim

Striker8241

Hi, All,

Here's the transporter with the cradle installed, and the clip in place. I didn't add the chains because they will not be on the model in the diorama - I plan to show the transporter being backed into the loader and at that time the chains would have already been removed.

 

That is just awesome detail work Russ!  Very nice!!     

So how many tons is that trailer hauling?

Ken

Thanks, Ken!  

Good question about the weight. Each MK82 bomb weighed on average about 540 lbs x 28 = 15,120 lbs total. Figure the clip assembly weighed around 1500 lbs and the total weight of the loaded bomb clip was probably around 16,500 lbs - over 8 tons.

Cheers,

Russ

Buffrin

[~ Dad said something about it having 4 little wire type antennae in it.  So, the dome would protect the antennae. 

 

Hey Jim, it just occurred to me - with that kind of antenna, that could have been part of the ILS system, like maybe the marker beacon receiving antenna...

Russ