Revell/Monogram B-29 Super Fort GB

   My Superfort is still on its way, but will be very slow in coming...

   Recently, a major hurdle was jumped; straightening the perpetually crooked-looking fin required breaking off (hitting it with the back of a hatchet!)and re-gluing the separate extra kit rear fuselage that I used to strech 1/4" between the top rear bubble and top rear turret (this to make the full 99ft correctly by adding the correct space between the top rear bubble and turret).

   My fuselage halves did match well (they don't always do), but I FINALLY figured out the fuselage was "Torsionally" warped, moving the root of the fin off-center to left...

   My "separate" tail allowed a well-centered solution, re-bending the fin straight the other way now for the umpteenth time, but I still have to cut out the top rear bubble base to move it right, to FINALLY line up every item on the thing's spine!

   The tapering rear belly required much carving/trimming to match the original's very slim rear fuselage appearance, but to my surprise that worked without looking out of round...

   I WILL finish it, but all that, the inhumane Cutting Edge cowls, the fin/doghouse reshaping and terminally warped wings really will make it hands down the most brutal kit I ever tackled...

   The front end is incredibly accurate considering all of the above, and is even better now that the Squadron/Falcon vacu-form glass is available. In my opinion, it actually beats most Tamiya stuff in accuracy at the front...

   But considering how accurate and "easy" is Monogram's B-26B, this is still a long way from being Monogram's finest...

   Give mine another year at least...

   Gaston 

NucMedTech wrote:

John-PM sent. Correction to the PM, use IMG Code not HTML. Some update images on the Superfort. Next I need to make the decals. -Stephen

That is one sharp looking SuperFort! would love to get my hands on another B-29, I know from the lessons I learnd from my first B-29, my second will look even better.  But my hands are full right now with other projects.

Gaston, thanks for the compliments. This one has been a bugger to build, but I think I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll have to check my references again but I don't think that it carries over the fuselage. However my references are very limited so I could be wrong.

I love those decals. I am forced to make my own (first time trying this), planning on doing El Pajero de la Guerro. Hopefully they will come out well.

-Stephen

   Superb workmanship on that Superfort, Stephen.

   We all know how tough it is to built that kit so neatly, don't we? 

   Just one question; doesn't the darker metal wing skin section (largest fully milled-machined metal parts in the world at the time, for extra thickness/rigidity) run across the fuselage?

   I am about to kick my B-29 into high gear with the very forgiving Krylon "Original Chrome" spray can finish.

   Don't know about the resulting level of neatness yet though, given all the nacelle butchery required by those crappy Cutting Edge cowls, and the even greater butchery of the 1/4" OAL tail stretch and the tailgun "doghouse" modifications...

   If I had known about using the Krylon Chrome earlier, I would have avoided doing all those mods. But OD is just too boring when you happen have these discontinued Pyn-up "Lucky Lady" decals on hand...

  http://decals.kitreview.com/decals/pynupreviewbg_1.htm

  In my case the "girlie" tissue-like decal of their  P-39 "Air-A-cutie" required using the included extra spare on top so as to not look transparent and washed-out over the separate white backing decal (3 layers total!). This nearly transparent tissue-like decal did not respond to any amount of Micro-Sol. On the B-29 I plan to float these on Future so that the shrinking of the Future will "pull" them into my scribing... The "normal" non-girlie rest of these decals are the best and easiest I have seen to use, and do respond well to micro-sol.

  Note the subtle shading on the tested nose decal; "Lucky Lady" had this nose art on BOTH sides, and in this case the artwork is accurate and not "improved" on as it is on their "Air-a-cutie" P-39D...

  If I did not have these decals I would be happy to pay $100 for them!

  And the krylon chrome spray can will not create an exaggeration either, compared to the original aircraft's wartime mirror polish... 

  Obviously the ground crews had few off-base distractions...

    Gaston. 

John-PM sent. Correction to the PM, use IMG Code not HTML.

Some update images on the Superfort.

Next I need to make the decals.

-Stephen

Sorry for the late reply John,

Please post your pics when you want, no permission is needed.

Yet, again I will try to steal the computer away from my daughter this weekend to update my build.

-Stephen

Stephen, do I need your permission to attach photos?

 Thanks JB

    Thanks!

     If I should fail this group build's July deadline, I will definitely try for the Nationals in Ohio...

     There are never many 1/48th B-29s anywhere in any case... This must be one of the least-built successful kit ever!

     It will take me a little while to post pictures, as I don't use a digital camera...

     I have made good progress, but will use the lift-tape-on-primer-layers technique for most of the rear fuselage's panel lines. Only the front two-thirds of the fuselage will be truly engraved, as I feel my engraving trials on spare wings actually looks worse than raised lines!

     This is due in large part to the "repetitive" nature of the wing panel pattern, which highlights ANY irregularity...

     In contrast, the fuselage's front two-third engraving went very well, which is good as it was unavoidable anyway because of that long spine join... 

     Good luck to all!

     Gaston. 

Well, i've got some work done still need to post pics. Will try to get some on tomorrow.

We have a late entry to our GB, plus I believe he is a new forum member. Welcome JohnB.

-Stephen

      They are both from Squadron, the company logo is a steel armor glove holding lightnings, with a ribbon that says "scale aircraft conversions", but no company name?

      I don't know how well they fit, but they do have moulded-on brake lines and an acceptable finish, not as rough as some white metal out there...

      Squadron offers few metal legs, and only one B-29, so a quick search feature of B-29 accessories should bring it up; buy ALL of the accessories; there aren't many! By far the most valuable one is the Squadron canopy at $2.95.

      The resin wheels are True Details, and unlike the B-26, where they copy the kit's proportion mistakes, the B-29's wheels are dead on!

      Hope this helps.

       Gaston. 

     P.S. Further tests on the Krylon chrome indicates it is less forgiving of scratches decanted, for some reason.

       G. 

where did you get your AM landing gear and resin wheels? I am going to be starting a B-29 superfort next.

thanks!

    Thanks NucMedTech.

      Inspired by the use of Tremclad silver mentionned on this very group build, I have found at my local Canadian Tire an amazing solution to my age-old problem of metal finishes!

      I did not find the particular Tremclad gloss silver I tried useful, but I got stunning test results from a skinny 227 g can called Krylon Premium/Prestige "Original Chrome"; absolutely the most amazing stuff I have ever seen! It is a complete revolution for me who thought my metal finishes would always look "pebbly", grainy, or would always have a that "transparent", flaw-highlighting look.

      This stuff is ABSOLUTELY grain-free, very opaque to boot, and so metal-like you can see yourself in it, indistinguishable from real metal! If I can't find a useable color variation, I will hopefully achieve something similar with selective slightly tinted matt varnish.

      Because I have never and will never use a compressor, and the cold air of a Co2 can freezes acrylic paint inside airbrushes for me, I am limited to the much less clog-sensitive Badger spraygun, which only needs strip-down cleaning once a year if ever. This set-up does not work with Alclad or most other metal finish paints, because the spray gun has heavier droplets on the outside of the spray, creating matt silver spots on the edges of a pass. Not a problem however for Tamiya camo paints...

     I could never figure out how the poor coverage of Alclad paints is supposed to work anyway...

     Even a regular airbrush/compressor set-up is probably not clean for long enough to get full coverage without stoppage or spitting on a large subject like the B-29. This Krylon can stuff appears completely trouble-free in comparison. Oh, and $5 versus $100 worth of Alclad might also be a consideration...

     My B-29 will now be the "Lucky Lady", from my treasured, and discontinued, Pyn-Up Decals sheet, with a corrected short-neck four-gun turret, perhaps fully engraved (although wing tops only), and with the temperamental, and slightly squared-up, Cutting Edge cowlings.

     The tail gun position and rudder chord is already modified shorter. Last but not least, a major modification was adding 1/4 inch to the fuselage between the top rear bubble and top rear turret, to match the actual lenght of 99 ft., as opposed to the kit's 98 ft.. This could be done only by cutting TWO kit fuselages in different places; laminating a plasticard "stretch" join would, for some reason, not maintain fuselage symmetry. (Don't even try!)

     If I had known I would do a metal finish and not camo, I would have done little of that last paragraph; for the totally obsessive only. We B-29 fans can take heart that the Monogram's B-17G's excessive fin chord is actually worse, and is not confined mostly to the rudder's too-slanted trailing edge angle as it is with ours. OTOH They do have better props and cowls...

     In any case, that Krylon Premium/Prestige "Original Chrome" spray can is worth a try; you won't be disappointed: It has been a revolution in my build options...

     Gaston. 

Gaston- Great information, unfortunately a little late for my build. I'm sure the other builders will find it helpful.

Summit- Thanks for looking in. I did not use primer on mine, just went straight to paint. I found a finger nail buffing stick at Sally's Beauty Supplies (my wife's idea.). It has four progressively fine sanding areas and works wonders without having to buy all sorts of fine sanding sheets or polishing compounds.

Currently, I replaced the raised panels that got sanded away. Then my wing roots broke free from all the handling so i'm now in the process of repairing that.

-Stephen

Stephen - I have been really slacking on mine. It has taken a place under the bench due to all the other clutter .

Yours is looking Terrific, that canopy issue looks like a bugger to deal with. I think you whipped yours pretty good. I am not that far along

Did you use a primer coat before the aluminum ?  You did a Great job buffing out the scratches, what did you use ?

     Hello everyone!

     I will try to finish my Monogram B-29 by the july deadline. It probably will be an olive drab version, unless the Tremclad silver I just read about here (impressive!) turns out to work better than the uneven finish I tested from the expensive Tamiya spray cans...

     I hear about the problems everyone has been having with the kit's clear canopy parts; I will absolutely plead with everyone here to not even consider using the kit canopy; Squadron has a perfect solution for this problem; the Squadron/Falcon vac-u-form replacement item # SQ 9641; perfect fit, and absolutely trouble-free to use! Even with regular Testors liquid tube glue, the bond is very strong, as the vacu-form is thick enough to be used like any kit part, but soft enough to be cut and bent easily. Do not let a reluctance to use vacu-form parts bully you into using the troublesome and inaccurate kit parts. The kit parts also do not have the correct multi-faceted flat-pane look that looks COMPLETELY different... The Squadron part replicates this perfectly, and the ease of fit alone would make me choose it, especially at $2.95! I'll add to all this the more accurate (and rivet-free!) framing in the nose cap...

    I will use the discontinued resin cowls from Cutting Edge, but these are so difficult to use I do not recommend them; they are a full 1/8" shallower than the nacelles, which I think is probably accurate, but borderline unbuildable! They are also too rounded at the front... Rounding off the front edges and reducing the opening diameter of the kit cowls is a more realistic option...

    Another recommendation I would make is to check your fuselage halves for fit; warping on mould exit may cause a mismatch in fuselage halves depth; there should be NO major continuous mismatch at the spine with the belly even; at the fairly low price of this kit, buy another one or return it until you get one that is symmetrically "good"; this issue will likely not go away under a metal finish, no matter how much you work at it, and it will cause fit problems even with the Squadron vacu-form canopy...

   The fin is usually warped/bent to one side, but this is less severe on a "good" symmetrical fuselage.

   The main wing trailing edges have a warp-induced curve to them that usually can only be relieved by cracking the upper leading edge just outside the outboard nacelle. This is especially true on the right wing.

   A metal landing gear is available for the long-term minded, but the fit is yet unknown. I'll note the plastic gear is pretty sturdy anyway...

   The four-gun turret always had a short "neck" that Monogram ignored. Also, all the guns should be longer.

   The crawlway tunnel opens into the front top bubble!

   The Hamilton props are poor and have no current resin replacements; I will use spinning Tamiya P-47 Hamilton spinners (multiplied from a mould), maybe with attached "Prop Blur" photo-etch blades. These are still currently available on-line, direct from the "Prop Blur" company. The effect looks amazing in photos...

   I have the greatest admiration for the large 1/48th Monogram bombers, which I consider equal to the best of today (maybe even better on average!), but unfortunately the B-29 is not one of their best. It still in my opinion beats Eduard's current FW-190 or the Accurate Miniature's B-25 by a wide margin, but that's just me! 

   The best Monogram bomber is in my opinion their amazing B-26B.

   I hope the above helps.

    Gaston. 

Perhaps I'm the last one building? Oh well, got some paint on her this weekend.

Found a lot of scratches.

After buffing them out.

Ran out of Aluminum so I worked on other things, ended up finishing the engines and nacelles. I went ahead and attached them.

That's all I have for now, waiting to acquire more paint.

-Stephen

I don't know about that, FeldMarSchall, it was more trouble than it was worth and i'm not to sure about the end results yet. We'll see after painting, which by the way I was able to paint the underside yesterday. I'm going to paint the top side tonight.

thanks for the , though!!

-Stephen

Well, I think I made the canopy worse. Still I'll make a go of it, this is what I started with.

This is what I ended up with

Used a lot of putty.

I've started painting will hopefully have more pics soon.

-Stephen

Thanks for finding that Summit, I'll give it a try and see how it works. Which glue do you use? I use Testor's liquid cement, it gives me enough time to set my pieces then after it sets I run a little more over the seem for a stronger bond. As for the wings start at one end and work your way up the sides, to much area to do it all at once.

-Stephen

Found It, Hawkeye had a great solution for that troublesome spot...

HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

FeldMarSchall you are so close to having a model worthy of bringing home wood (trophy) so I hope you accept this critism as a means to help you improve your skill set and not someone being an *** about it. You can still make these corrections in the build. Paint, its all about the prep because paint like a camera sees and embelishies everything. Your engines seams needed just a bit more sanding and polishing. This also applies to your leading edges, a bit more solvent and pressure would have closed that long seam up snug, followed by a little filing, sanding and polishing.   Canopy and blisters...a dab of Elmer's will fill this gap then can touched up with a drybrushing of paint. The nose needed a wedge insert to get the windshield and the fuselage to match up. Once the windshield was dry you could have removed the spacer wedge and installed the navs nose blister, thus eliminating the gap. The other option would have been to fill and feather this narrowed spot. If you have a problem with something post a picture, as the question...guidance is available. Up here in the north country where salt is used, when we see a classic car, our eyes aren't draw to the gorgeous lines, but the tiny little rust spot on the wheel well or bumper...so it goes for models, we tend to see the flaws first, not the effort one has put forth into it. An unfortunate trait of human nature. Down the road you'll find yourself looking back at models you've built and just ask yourself...how did I miss sanding that...or...I put the gear doors on backwards! Overall the painting looks good the decals are striking...just need to tweak those areas and you'll have a winner.

 I started work on the wings, my cement is "Too Hot" I am really thinking about buying some tube glue for the extra working time and strength.

Summit- I could not find anything in Feldmarschal's post, guess I'll try super glue and see if that will hold it together. How are you doing?

-Stephen

Okay, my first real problem. I have the fuselage together and am trying to mate the canopy to the fuselage. The problem is the front of the fuselage turns in more on one side than the other leaving a sizable overlap. I've got a piece of wood to widen it so there is no gap, but I'm sure that if I use crystal klear to glue the canopy down that when I remove the wood the glue will not be strong enough to hold in it in place. Is there a way to heat the model so that the warp can be corrected or should I use super glue to hold it. I've got the glass futured so it should be protected from the fumes. Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.

-Stephen

Sorry to hear that HvH.

Let us all take a moment as one of our own goes down in flames.

Good luck with your other builds.

-Stephen

No pictures, but the 29 is pretty much together. I'm trying to get the canopy to fit so I can start painting.

-Stephen

No work for me this weekend. Rolex 24 at Daytona and a bad case of laziness kept me away from the workbench. I will however get some work done this week.

-Stephen