1/72 B-52D "Big Belly" Racks

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Couldn't find a B-36 group build on this site. Can you provide a link?

Thanks.

Howdy All, Thank you for your concern. Things are Ok for now. I've always been here lurking in the back ground. I'm currently in the B-36 group build converting a previously built 1/72 Monogram RB-36H into a YB-60. I have a few in-progress pictures posted and descriptions. The nose is giving me fits but I've about got it whipped. Andrew Magoo

Great referance photos. Thats some combination of vehicles to load this beats.

Welcome back Andy.

Welcome back, Andy. Sounds like you've been through h*** bud. Hope things are much better for you and your family now. The few pictures I found, I got by searching for "b-52d bomb clip" or "big belly modification", that sort.  I'm writing an article with dimensions for the clip and trailer that I built but I still haven't received a response from FSM about posting it so let me know and I'll send you a copy when I finish it. Goes for you too, Bish. If I can help either of you, let me know.

Below are a few more photos that might be helpful. You can also see the special bomb clip loader that actually lifted the bomb clips up into the bomb bay.  One side of the loader was open to allow it to enclose the transport trailer and then lift the cradle with the clip so the trailer could be removed. The loader then lowered the clip and was maneuvered under the bomb bay. BTW, the pictures by Gary James show 750 lb bomb clips, not 500 lb clips like the one I modelled (bottom photo). The loader was used to install both types. I just came across the last picture this morning. It shows 500 lb bomb clips being pre-loaded at a munitions "hardstand." Notice the loaded clip on the trailer in the background. I can see now that the the bomb cradles were open-frame, not solid like I modeled it.

Photo courtesy Gary James Utapao, Thailand 1970-71

Andrew Magoo,

Welcome back Andrew!  We rarely know what trials and tribulations others may be suffering.  You are truly a survivor!  Life sucks sometimes but it's better than the alternative!  Keep kicking the "Grim Reaper" in the teeth! 

Howdy All, Old Andy is still alive and kicking! I had to come back as a different address as I couldn't get back in as myself; there were other Andys and Andrews so I'm here as Andrew Magoo, just usually Magoo.

No I haven't built my B-52D Big Belly yet a few things got in the way like my Bachelors degree, I died, amputation of my left leg, death of my oldest son then my father followed by my mother and almost my wife. Plus my youngest going through his second go around in two years with cancer and losing my job. Sometimes life gets in the way but I'm ok now.

I do have the bombs but could never find the resin bomb magazines I was looking for. I figured I would have to scratch build them. Now I can thank the Lord... some nice pictures for me to look at and build my bomb magazines. I couldn't find good pictures of the magazines on the internet I obviosly am not calling the bomb magazines the correct name. However, while in Rapid City at Ellsworth AFB I got some detailed pictures of the 52's Bomb bay so I can detail the inside. Magoo

Very nice, and i will be certainly looking forward to the flatbed.

Here's the completed bomb clip assembly with chains and turnbuckles added. Next project: a replication of the flatbed semitrailer loaded with 750 lb bombs.

Well, congratulations to you, and believe me, I understand. It's not easy to give up a way of life you've had for so long. Just keep a positive attitude and something good will come along. I wish you and your family the best.

Good on ur. My time is up in Oct after 22 and i am really not looking forward to it.

I retired in 1987 after 20 years.

No, i havent actually seen one of these sites. I just did a goggle search and seems there were quite a few in the UK.

When did you finally leave the service.

No, they didn't :). After Viet Nam, I was assigned to Nellis AFB outside Las Vegas Nevada. There I worked on FB-111s, F-105s, F4s and A7s. I was there 2 years and then decided to get out of the Air Force, but I missed it so much I was back in within a year. My flightline career was over, however. They retrained me to work on land-based microwave radio systems. BTW, I spent 3 years in NATO doing inspections of Ace High microwave radio relay sites. These sites were part of a circle of communications sites that stretched from Turkey through Europe and England to the Shetland Islands. You may have seen one of these sites - they had two large billboard or dish antennas nearly 30 meters in diameter. They were hard to miss but they were mostly located in rural areas. I had a very enjoyable tour of the sites at Maidstone, Alnwick and in the Shetland Islands.

Thanks, i will keep in mind the van colour.

WOW, thats some selection of aircraft. And they certainly didn't like to let the grass grow under your feet did they.

Yes, all the maintenance squadrons used these vans. The number signs would have been generally the same format, with MMS or FMS instead of AMS. BTW, the vans used on Guam and at Utapao, Thailand were painted Air Force blue, not olive drab as at Kadena.

I got back from Okinawa in December to find I had been reassigned to Thailand. I went to Takhli, Thailand in 1969 where I worked on ECM equipped EB-66 and EB-57 Canbera aircraft, and also F-105 aircraft, including the F-105 Wild Weasel. I rotated back to the States at the end of  '69 and was assigned to Bergstrom AFB in Austin, Texas where I worked on F4 fighters. About 2 months later, I got orders for Viet Nam, and in January 1971, I arrived at Nha Trang. I was assigned to a unit called 1st Flight Detatchment where I worked on the ECM equipment for special operations aircraft, including the Combat Talon C-130 aircraft, the ones equipped with the Fulton Surface-to-Air Recovery System that was demonstrated in the movie Green Berets.

Some great info, thanks. Would these other unit, MMS, FMS etc also use this trucks. If i am doing a B-52 being loaded, it might be an idea to have an MMS truck next to it.

So how come you ended up in Nha Trang in 71. Had you moved to a different unit.

Correct again. Actually, the sign is from a picture of a van used on Guam - unfortunately, I haven't been able to find many pictures of units and vehicles based on Okinawa. 58 is the number of the truck. AMS stands for "Avionics Maintenance Squadron".

AMS was responsible for electronic systems maintenance such as NAV, communications, ECM, radar, etc. The other major SAC squadrons included MMS (Munitions Maintenance Squadron) - handled bombs and guns, OMS (Operational Maintenance Squadron) provided operations personnel, and FMS (Field Maintenance Squadron - aircraft structure repair, hydraulics, engines, crew chiefs, etc.). I was with the 70th Bomb Wing AMS out of Clinton Sherman AFB, Oklahoma in 1968. We were on a 6-month Arc Light rotation to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.

Striker8241

Here is my AMS (Avionics Maintenance Squadron)  van for the diorama. I built it sometime ago but just recently dug it out and added the AMS signs and some other details. As I recall, our vehicles on Okinawa were painted olive drab instead of Air Force blue. In the rear and top views, you can see a tool box and a piece of equipment to be installed.

I saw this before but didn't click on, and was in a bit of a hurry. Of course this is the vehicles from the Hasegawa set. Nice to see it in somthing other than Blue. I take it 58 is the squadron number. Is AMS 58 the unit you served with.

Thanks, Bish, good idea. I posted a question in the Suggestions and Feedback thread.

Thanks for the heads up Striker. I don't see why you couldn't post such a document, it is to help other modellers. Might be worth asking of the feedback section.

If i built one, which i just might, i would probably have it being brought upto the aircraft rather than right uner it.

Here is my AMS (Avionics Maintenance Squadron)  van for the diorama. I built it sometime ago but just recently dug it out and added the AMS signs and some other details. Seems like our vehicles on Okinawa were painted olive drab instead of Air Force blue, but probably not. I think we brought our own vans over from the states. I will have to paint it blue eventually. In the rear and top views, you can see a tool box and a piece of equipment to be installed.

Hey, Bish,

No major modification that I know of. There were three metal frames attached to the roof of the bomb bay, one for each clip.

To show the clips installed, you will need to have the bomb bay doors in the load/service position. To do that, you have to cut out the upper section of the bomb bay doors, which is easy to do. In that case, there is plenty of clearance for the clips.

If you choose not to cut out the upper sections, there could be a fit issue since the total width of the clip is 25 mm - exactly the width of the bomb bay. In that case, you might have to trim the bomb bay lip 1/2 to 1 mm on either side. Or, you could leave off the I-Beam trim around the edges and inner slot on each clip panel, which should provide enough clearance. Note that with the doors not in the load position, you can only have the bomb bay doors hanging straight down, which blocks the view of the bombs except from the front or rear.

One thing - there are 28 bombs on each clip. The only MK-82 bombs I could find in quantity were made by Verlinden and there are only 12 in each set that can be used, so it took three sets and that cost almost $40 US. I'm not likely to build two more at that price. If I build a clip or two to hang in the bomb bay, I will only populate the lower row of bombs. That's about all you can see from the outside anyway.

I'm writing an article on how to build the bomb clip and trailer and install them in the model. It's not quite finished yet, but I don't have a website to post it. Do you know if FSM will allow you to post something like that here? I can convert it to an HTML document but I don't have any way to convert it to a PDF document.

Thought so. I love this. Was there any modification made to the B-52 to accept this, or did it just fit into the normal bomb bay.

This would add a lot to a B-52 dio.

Thanks. And yes, you are correct. They're from the US Weapon Loading Set. It took 12 wheels total. You can't see it but there are 4 wheels on each of the rear axels.

That looks great. Would i be right in thinking those wheels come from one of the hasegawa ground sets.

Here is the completed trailer with loaded clip. I didn't have the right size wheels for the trailer so I made it as close as possible. I'm still waiting for the chains to tie the clip down to the trailer.

Bish, here is the finished clip (sorry for the poor photography). The trailer is taking longer than I expected but I hope to have it finished this weekend.

Cheers,

Striker

I was at Nha Trang in Viet Nam in 71. There were many B-52  raids in the areas north of us toward Tuy Hoa and Pleiku. You could see the smoke plumes and then feel the rolling shock waves and hear the detonations many seconds later. Coincendentally, the 5th Special Forces "Detatchment B-52" was stationed at Nha Trang

Striker8241

Feels like it too, even from a long way away.

That sounds like titcomes from personal experiance.