Striker8241

Scorpiomikey

Its Bockscar. He got the instrument panel so clear by giving it a dirty look, it then proceeded to paint itself.

 

LMAO!

I used the decals supplied and put a tiny bit of clear-coat over top. Probably just lucky they stuck.

Wow, that B-52 is gonna be huge!!!

And I like the spar system, I've had a much smaller B-17 pop right down the middle fuselage seam twice before!

Thanks for helping me brag Ken.....like I need encouragement....

I learned that the designers of the B-52 gave it special wings, I'm not sure if any other aircraft before or since had their features.

Please anyone correct me if I'm wrong here, the plane was pretty much controlled by a spoiler system.

The craft could take off and land and while doing so, it was very hard to notice any pitch. I think the designers wanted all the wheels to pretty much hit or take off at the same time. I swear i saw a film of early take-offs, and it appears as if it is rising then the nose tilts down as it goes up.....

Again, I think i heard it said that the wing tips could cut an up-down arc of about 27', and the flexibility of those wings was designed on purpose. I have no idea how they did it.

But after seeing a few films of those big wings under heavy G's, I decided to cut aluminum spars to give my bird an approximate look, so staring just outside the inner engines, the wings curve up.

What I used as a guage for maximum upward bend was a film sequence i used to see on the MC.

From the sides, as the bird made a gentle role, the wingtips would meet at the top fuselage line.

I spent hours dry fitting and carefully bending the wings until the bird could lie on its back with both wingtips touching the table beside it.

Here are the innards in process:

The main spar:

Setting up main spar with wing spars:

Adding a few reinforcements:

Threw in a pic of the filling and sanding:

The curve looks gentle from the back

Looks more aggressive from the front, notches on the flaps help trick the eye:

It'll look less noticeable once the engines are mounted.

Scorpiomikey

Its Bockscar. He got the instrument panel so clear by giving it a dirty look, it then proceeded to paint itself.

LMAO!

Its Bockscar. He got the instrument panel so clear by giving it a dirty look, it then proceeded to paint itself.

Bockscar

Here's a couple of pics of the cockpit,

no-where near detailed enough for a diorama,

the bird was going to be flying just below the ceiling

for the rest of my days....skitta's might see it....

Nice paint job on the pilots, Dom. How did you get the console decals so clear? My decals were crappy so I substitued pictures of the consoles. Don't look near as good as yours.

BTW, I'd like to read about your spar system...

Thanks,

Russ

Bockscar

Here's a couple of pics of the cockpit,

no-where near detailed enough for a diorama,

the bird was going to be flying just below the ceiling

for the rest of my days....skitta's might see it....

Can't remember if I cut a cabin bulkhead or not.....it's not here...(edited: I checked, and it appears I missed an opportunity to cut the cabin bulkhead.....gotta ripp'er open and do a bulkhead transplant....not)

I tried to paint aviator's shades on the starboard pilot.....

The soft light gray plastic let a tiny bit of light through, so I painted the innards with carbon black.

Hi Dom,

I believe you also engineered a nice spar system to strengthen the wings didn't you?

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Wow Russ that is great!  Now I have a front row seat of how to build my B-52D!!      I hope you don't mind that I am going to take very close notes of your build!

Ken

 

Ahh, well, thanks Ken, you flatter me. I'm no expert on these birds. Remember, I was focused on the ECM systems, which were extensive in this aircraft. But if I can provide any information or help otherwise, I'll be glad to do so. Certainly, I can provide background information about what was going on with and around these planes.

 

Russ

Well Russ, from what you have already done so far, you know a lot more than I would be able to dig up.  By the way, were you stationed at Kadena AFB at Okinawa?

Ken

 

No, not stationed there - only there on a 6-month rotation from Clinton-Sherman AFB, Oklahoma, from April to September, 1968. BTW, do you remember the East-West Gift Shop in Koza? Loved to waunder through the 7 floors of that place. I remember you could see the beaches on both sides of the island from the upper floors. Wonder if it's still there. You can see a picture of the shop at http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_worm_turns/66135317/.

 

Russ

Unfortunately I was just between the ages of 5 and 7 during the years of 1962 to 1965.  What I do remember is being able to walk down from the house where we lived to the beach and look for different wildlife.  The beach was not a swimming beach, that was on the other side of the island from where we lived.  We had an Army Base directly across the highway from where we lived.  (I think it was Army.)

Ken

Here's a couple of pics of the cockpit,

no-where near detailed enough for a diorama,

the bird was going to be flying just below the ceiling

for the rest of my days....skitta's might see it....

Can't remember if I cut a cabin bulkhead or not.....it's not here...(edited: I checked, and it appears I missed an opportunity to cut the cabin bulkhead.....gotta ripp'er open and do a bulkhead transplant....not)

I tried to paint aviator's shades on the starboard pilot.....

The soft light gray plastic let a tiny bit of light through, so I painted the innards with carbon black.

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Wow Russ that is great!  Now I have a front row seat of how to build my B-52D!!      I hope you don't mind that I am going to take very close notes of your build!

Ken

 

Ahh, well, thanks Ken, you flatter me. I'm no expert on these birds. Remember, I was focused on the ECM systems, which were extensive in this aircraft. But if I can provide any information or help otherwise, I'll be glad to do so. Certainly, I can provide background information about what was going on with and around these planes.

 

Russ

Well Russ, from what you have already done so far, you know a lot more than I would be able to dig up.  By the way, were you stationed at Kadena AFB at Okinawa?

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Wow Russ that is great!  Now I have a front row seat of how to build my B-52D!!      I hope you don't mind that I am going to take very close notes of your build!

Ken

 

Ahh, well, thanks Ken, you flatter me. I'm no expert on these birds. Remember, I was focused on the ECM systems, which were extensive in this aircraft. But if I can provide any information or help otherwise, I'll be glad to do so. Certainly, I can provide background information about what was going on with and around these planes.

 

Russ

Well Russ, from what you have already done so far, you know a lot more than I would be able to dig up.  By the way, were you stationed at Kadena AFB at Okinawa?

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Wow Russ that is great!  Now I have a front row seat of how to build my B-52D!!      I hope you don't mind that I am going to take very close notes of your build!

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Hi All,

Well, some progress today. I finally have the cockpit installed - preliminarily - but it finally fits (see below). I'm only going to add the upper deck detail behind the cockpit because you can see it from the two top windows. Will also add small lights inside as I plan to have a night scene for my diorama.

I added the chaff ports back in the 47 section, which were totally left off - they weren't even outlined. 

I also added the missing lower ram air intake port on the right side of the fuselage.

 

Am detailing the guts of the gun turret (cover removed) - will post when the paint dries (I hate painting... )

Cheers,

Russ 

Hi Russ,

Very nice work!      Very impressive!

So what time frame is this B-52D?

Ken

Thanks, Ken! 

Not really sure about the time frame, bud. A lot depends on how successful I am with spray painting. I think maybe I will have the wells and cells painted and the fuselage closed by the end of this month and, hopefully, will have the plane itself finished within 60 days thereafter. External details like the ECM antenna farm and the bomb bay with 2 additional bomb clips could push that out some.

Also, the diorama will take at least a month as I plan to build a revetment around the aircraft and that will take some doing, plus I plan to add a glass cover.

Then I'll need to add a room onto my house to display the darn thing!

Russ

Hi Russ,

I apologize, I didn't phrase my question correctly.  What I meant was, what time period was your B-52D in operation that you are modeling?  Vietnam?

Ken

 

Ahem ... oops... . Definitely Viet Nam period. I was in Okinawa in 1968 supporting the Arc Light campaign. So yeah, Viet Nam, late 60s.

 

Russ

Wow Russ that is great!  Now I have a front row seat of how to build my B-52D!!      I hope you don't mind that I am going to take very close notes of your build!

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Hi All,

Well, some progress today. I finally have the cockpit installed - preliminarily - but it finally fits (see below). I'm only going to add the upper deck detail behind the cockpit because you can see it from the two top windows. Will also add small lights inside as I plan to have a night scene for my diorama.

I added the chaff ports back in the 47 section, which were totally left off - they weren't even outlined. 

I also added the missing lower ram air intake port on the right side of the fuselage.

 

Am detailing the guts of the gun turret (cover removed) - will post when the paint dries (I hate painting... )

Cheers,

Russ 

Hi Russ,

Very nice work!      Very impressive!

So what time frame is this B-52D?

Ken

Thanks, Ken! 

Not really sure about the time frame, bud. A lot depends on how successful I am with spray painting. I think maybe I will have the wells and cells painted and the fuselage closed by the end of this month and, hopefully, will have the plane itself finished within 60 days thereafter. External details like the ECM antenna farm and the bomb bay with 2 additional bomb clips could push that out some.

Also, the diorama will take at least a month as I plan to build a revetment around the aircraft and that will take some doing, plus I plan to add a glass cover.

Then I'll need to add a room onto my house to display the darn thing!

Russ

Hi Russ,

I apologize, I didn't phrase my question correctly.  What I meant was, what time period was your B-52D in operation that you are modeling?  Vietnam?

Ken

Ahem ... oops... . Definitely Viet Nam period. I was in Okinawa in 1968 supporting the Arc Light campaign. So yeah, Viet Nam, late 60s.

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Hi All,

Well, some progress today. I finally have the cockpit installed - preliminarily - but it finally fits (see below). I'm only going to add the upper deck detail behind the cockpit because you can see it from the two top windows. Will also add small lights inside as I plan to have a night scene for my diorama.

I added the chaff ports back in the 47 section, which were totally left off - they weren't even outlined. 

I also added the missing lower ram air intake port on the right side of the fuselage.

 

Am detailing the guts of the gun turret (cover removed) - will post when the paint dries (I hate painting... )

Cheers,

Russ 

Hi Russ,

Very nice work!      Very impressive!

So what time frame is this B-52D?

Ken

Thanks, Ken! 

Not really sure about the time frame, bud. A lot depends on how successful I am with spray painting. I think maybe I will have the wells and cells painted and the fuselage closed by the end of this month and, hopefully, will have the plane itself finished within 60 days thereafter. External details like the ECM antenna farm and the bomb bay with 2 additional bomb clips could push that out some.

Also, the diorama will take at least a month as I plan to build a revetment around the aircraft and that will take some doing, plus I plan to add a glass cover.

Then I'll need to add a room onto my house to display the darn thing!

Russ

Hi Russ,

I apologize, I didn't phrase my question correctly.  What I meant was, what time period was your B-52D in operation that you are modeling?  Vietnam?

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Hi All,

Well, some progress today. I finally have the cockpit installed - preliminarily - but it finally fits (see below). I'm only going to add the upper deck detail behind the cockpit because you can see it from the two top windows. Will also add small lights inside as I plan to have a night scene for my diorama.

I added the chaff ports back in the 47 section, which were totally left off - they weren't even outlined. 

I also added the missing lower ram air intake port on the right side of the fuselage.

 

Am detailing the guts of the gun turret (cover removed) - will post when the paint dries (I hate painting... )

Cheers,

Russ 

Hi Russ,

Very nice work!      Very impressive!

So what time frame is this B-52D?

Ken

Thanks, Ken! 

Not really sure about the time frame, bud. A lot depends on how successful I am with spray painting. I think maybe I will have the wells and cells painted and the fuselage closed by the end of this month and, hopefully, will have the plane itself finished within 60 days thereafter. External details like the ECM antenna farm and the bomb bay with 2 additional bomb clips could push that out some.

Also, the diorama will take at least a month as I plan to build a revetment around the aircraft and that will take some doing, plus I plan to add a glass cover.

Then I'll need to add a room onto my house to display the darn thing!

Russ

Striker8241

Hi All,

Well, some progress today. I finally have the cockpit installed - preliminarily - but it finally fits (see below). I'm only going to add the upper deck detail behind the cockpit because you can see it from the two top windows. Will also add small lights inside as I plan to have a night scene for my diorama.

I added the chaff ports back in the 47 section, which were totally left off - they weren't even outlined. 

I also added the missing lower ram air intake port on the right side of the fuselage.

 

Am detailing the guts of the gun turret (cover removed) - will post when the paint dries (I hate painting... )

Cheers,

Russ 

Hi Russ,

Very nice work!      Very impressive!

So what time frame is this B-52D?

Ken

Hi All,

Well, some progress today. I finally have the cockpit installed - preliminarily - but it finally fits (see below). I'm only going to add the upper deck detail behind the cockpit because you can see it from the two top windows. Will also add small lights inside as I plan to have a night scene for my diorama.

I added the chaff ports back in the 47 section, which were totally left off - they weren't even outlined.

I also added the missing lower ram air intake port on the right side of the fuselage.

I'm detailing the guts of the gun turret (cover removed) - will post when the paint dries (I hate painting... )

Cheers,

Russ 

Son Of Medicine Man

Bockscar

Ken:

Very unique looking bird, really looks great!

Dom

You know, I just now actually thought about it.  This was supposed to be the "trainer" for the F-102.  But with the fundamentally different shape in the front, it had to make a difference in how it handled, especially at Mach speed.  The air intakes are completely in a different place.  I wonder how much like a normal F-102 this bird really flew?  Ken, I know you worked on these, do you happen to know?

Ken

Bockscar

Ken:

Very unique looking bird, really looks great!

Dom

You know, I just now actually thought about it.  This was supposed to be the "trainer" for the F-102.  But with the fundamentally different shape in the front, it had to make a difference in how it handled, especially at Mach speed.  The air intakes are completely in a different place.  I wonder how much like a normal F-102 this bird really flew?  Ken, I know you worked on these, do you happen to know?

Ken

Ken:

Very unique looking bird, really looks great!

Dom

Thanks, guys.  

Jimbot - great looking cockpit!

Ken - Man you've got a lot of patience with those tiny wires, nice work.

No, Ken, nothing else very serious except my displeasure with the canopy parts.  Did have a little trouble getting the nose wheel walls thin enough to work with the door, and it tended to be just a little off center.  On the positive side, I sure didn't need any nose weight to keep that nose wheel on the ground - that resin conversion front end is very heavy.  

Buzz

I've had ELO eat kits before.  I finally found a way to lessen the impact.  I dilute it at a 3 parts ELO to 1 part water solution.  It takes longer to remove the paint, but it doesn't seem like it can attack the plastic anymore.  I had to use it a bit on one of the Engine Nacelles on the B58.

Jim after reading your F105 drama, I have decided that we both seem to get our luck at the same place.  lol

Son Of Medicine Man

Sparrowhyperion

Trust me, it could be worse.  We got up to 110 F today.  And it's suppose to be like this most of the week.  We haven't had a good rain in over a month, so they are really worried about fires...  I really miss the ocean.  I'd give anything for a week out east.  I am sooo homesick this time of year...

Bockscar

We hit almost 97. I was a complete dead-bolt today....all

i did was read financial columns all day.

There's almost nothing more exciting in my life right now than watching the Euro crash.....

Some people are using the "D" word guys, hang on to your spare cash for a bit......

Nope.  I have an outside thermometer and it was at 110.  We are probably going to be close to that again today.

I think you transposed your numbers there Rich.  It got up to 101 degrees Fahrenheit.  Still way too hot.  And we are under an extreme drought here as well.  Most of the mid west is.  Which is very concerning.

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Greetings Everyone,

Tonight, now everyone hold on to your hats, I did some modeling!    I measured two pieces of the previously prepared wire and cut them to the correct length.  Then I took some photo-etch and glued them to the center of each wire.  I used the Gator's Grip that Cliff had recommended previously for the glue.  I will let this dry for a couple of days before I start bending to be sure it is good and set.  Here is a picture:

I don't think I ever posted a picture of the hoods after I repainted them black, so here is a picture of one those as well:

Ken 

 

Looking good, Ken!  Do you have a form you can bend those wires around? That seat looks really nice!

I'm jealous of all you guys - I'm spending a lot of time correcting small errors and adding details that were left out. Progress is slow but I hope to shoot my first spray paint of interior green as soon as I add some detail to the bomb bay.

Russ

Hi Russ,

Thanks for the compliments.  I am planning on using a toothpick to bend the wires around.  The toothpick will be soft so it will be gentle on the surface of the wire, and since the toothpick comes to a point, I can pick a spot where the diameter looks about right to bend around.

Ken

jimbot58

Nice work on that TF, the last time I saw it it was still in pieces. Still haven't gotten around to reviewing old posts to see what else you all have done.

I finished the cockpit for the A-7:

The photo came out an odd color as I left the camera in "auto" mode and it adjusts sometimes to odd exposures.

Installed it and began mating the halves together. I actually finished that and I am now working on filling, sanding, scraping, etc. those seams, but don't have a current photo.

I need to get some photos in here for the F-105 when I can. It's been a monster of a build so far, but I'll try to tell it's tale a briefly as I can, if possible:

When I began the kit, I was unhappy with the decals for the cockpit. They were too large and did not fit the kit parts. I looked and found some PE parts and decided to go that route. In the mean time, I decided to redo the cockpit tube, and dropped it into some Pollyscale/Testors Easy lift-off. I then forgot about it and after a few days, it had pretty much melted! I ended up scratch building a new cockpit tub, using what was left of the old one as a guide. It took many hours of cutting, filing, and carefull fitting to make one that was passable but, in the end, I thought it looked better that the original kit part! Sorry no photo blog for it, I wish I had!

Then there was the control sticks: when I went to strip down the tub, I had removed them to a safe place...problem was is that I never figured out where I put them. I stole a set from a Monogram kit I had. Problem then was is that the carpet monster got one of them. I then tried to scratch a new one, but it was too tiny for me. I ended up taking some from helicopter kit I never finished and modified them a bit for the plane. They aren't correct but they will have to do at this point.

When I started the PE parts, I ended up loosing a couple of pieces, and even cut one incorrectly from its fret, ruining it. I ended up buying another set.

I wanted to open the cockpit, but the Trumpeter made no provision for this. The hinge part was actually molded into the fuselage, so I had to attach some tabs to the canopies and notch out the fuselage where they will he mounted.

The F-105 tale will continue later, but I have to go as the eyelids are beginning to droop....

Hi Jim,

Great to have you back.  That cockpit tub looks real nice.  It is hard to believe it is 1/72 scale.  It makes my eyes hurt just thinking about trying to get that much detail at that scale.

I vaguely remember some of that story with the F-105.  You were dealing with that back during the F-4 2011 Build if I remember right.

Ken

kbuzz01

Hi guys.  Nice to see some great modeling activity here.  I'm trying to post some pics, but the method I once used doesn't seem to work in this new FSM format. How the heck do I do it?? 

buzz

Disregard the above - I tried again and it seems to work.  It's just that the interaction between my photobucket and FSM windows is so darn slow! 

Progress on the TF has been slow.  It's been too darn hot in my garage workshop and too many other activities interfering.  This may be the last progress post for awhile as I now have to tackle the canopy and all those little vortex fins.  I'm not pleased with the canopy and windscreen forms provided in the conversion kit, but I don't have the capabilities to make new ones.  The windscreen in the pics is not yet attached.  Also, some of the decals provided in the kit decided to disintegrate, so had to substitute. 

 

 

 

WOW! Nice work Ken!  That looks awesome!  Man I hope my TF-102 looks half that nice when I get it done.  Great job!  So did you run into any more problems with that conversion kit since your last post?

Ken

Hey great jobs all around guys!

Kbuzz: really nice work there, I know what a pain it is to get an even perfect joint between parts like that.

Jim: The Easy Lift Off ate the parts? Wow, looks good now though.

Nice job, Buzz! I never knew there was a trainer version of the 102. Really a unique looking airplane!

Russ