THE OFFICIAL IN THE BUFF B52 GROUP BUILD

Hey ya know Dom ifn yer movin out into a small apartment where you gonna store that stash?? I got some extra room thay might hold a few WWI and WW2 bombers!!

I decided to paint the B-36 rather than BMF based on costs. To do BMF it would have taken around 200 bucks to do it  and I got a rattle can of aluminum at Walmart for 4 bucks..... I found some weird looking parts in the B-36 bags, had no idea what they were for but it turns out the parts are propellers!! Huh, Who knew?? They dont have these on most anything I build.

i managed to bust out a pair of 1/32 F-105s and an F-4 also. And i managed to procure a 4x8 sheet of plywood for my AMARC diorama!! Will be installing that over the next few days. Anyhoo I will get some pics in the next little while and i will send em to Russ, I cant seem to get this old computer to post pics

That is all!!

Majer Kong  

Hey Major Kong,

Well I'll be a cactus eatin' gopher, that's a lot of progress!

Some of the guys have been working and posting and my work bench is buried

as I have been moving out for a few months now, everything in small

doses. i sure miss building, but my new place has a room dedicated to modelling

once I get in.

I sure would like to see some of your work here on the thread and don't swet if it's not all BUFF STUFF.

I like every bomber you mentioned and have a few kits myself.

There is frozen snow on the roof of my car as I write this. A huge rust hole opend up under the mid panel and toadya filled it with crushed aluminum foil and covered over with industrial resin tape and used a heat gun to get the dang tape to stick to the body panel and rust it was only 34 degrees outside when I did the repair......should last at least a day!

Good to hear from you, keep the 'ole Roosevelt 1895 handy......

Dom

Hey Dom,

Tis I, the one and only (Thank God)   Majer Kong

Got the ole modellin table fired up a coupla weeks ago. Hows about an update for ya. The B-57 is done, the B-47 is waiting for decals, as is the B-58. The B-36 goes in in the morning for primer and paint.

Oh, and in the meantime Ive finished a B-52D and a KC-135A. They will be heading fer Hanoi as soon as I get em hung up on the ceiling. Also gettin close to paint on the ole Tu-95Bear H.

Firewood is in, Lawns been cut for the last time, and the backblade and chains are installed on my snowshovel, so it looks like Im reasonably ready for the white stuff, just hope it holds off for a couple of days to get the paint work done. The rest I can do in the house.

I will work on some pics for you all here soon..

Majer Kong, OUT!!  

Looks really good!  Glad to see someone getting time to build.

All, thanks for the positive supporting comments on my "Buff".  The cockpit actually turned out pretty well with decals, the pilot's seat, etc.  Unfortunately I didn't take pictures.  That's a habit I need to form.  Actually this is the first model I've ever taken pictures of.

My AMT XB-70 is also a WIP.  I'll be sending some pictures of it in the next few days.  Like the B-52G, I only took a few and started late doing it.

I am, however, at the beginning stages of work on my AMT B-52H.  I'll try to do better with it. 

Dom, been down that road, too.  Hang in there.  It's true though that time heals.  God bless you!

Ow, Dom! Sorry to hear about that, Bud. Hang in there!

Russ

Great work Valkyrie!

Very persnickity masking job there, nothing like patience!

That cat sure dug in deep, they almost look like air vents.

Yes, nice cockpit work, and as Russ mentioned, it would be

great to see that detail after it's all done.

Sorry I've been else where guys, I moved out of the house

and have been getting used to being single in an unfurnished apartment.

Dom

Looking good, Valkyrie! The hatch detail looks really good! Nice touch!  BTW, if you want to be able to show the cockpit detail, you could just leave the canopy unglued and attach it temporarily with dots of rubber cement.

Keep up the good work!

Russ

PS: I have one of those cat monsters too

I hadn't planned to post these pictures and so the lighting isn't very good and the cockpit is a bit sloppy.  I did later clean it up a bit, but, of course, once painted no one will ever see it again unless they look at this post.

The fuselage came in four pieces and I had to do considerable filling and sanding.

Taped the windows before know about Tamiya yellow tape.  Also, was attempting to scratch build ejection hatches.  They ended up being too thick, but I'm still working on them.

Closer shot of the EWO and Gunner ejection hatches.  They don't look that great in the close up, but as I said I'm still working on them.  I plan to do something similar for the IFR doors, pilot hatches and the navigators lower hatches.

And, lastly for now, the nose radome attached by the "Cat Monster."  Guess I didn't store it high enough that night...

Finally learned how to post pictures I think.  This is the AMT B-52G I've been working on for quite some time.  No, the wings and stabs aren't glued on yet, I was just test fitting.  You can see that I don't have much space to work on a 1/72 scale B-52!

Test Post.

What? Are we all buried under snow?

Well Russ, still in pain looking at that engine, I wish

I could see it for real. My desk got buried the last few months,

I got through an audit (the only time i will ever be called an "Officer")

and a corporate rebranding, (I survived) so no time on the bench,

and rather messed over for work and head space.

My next project: filing out the nacelles per Russ' directions, and

I think I may have some liners for the exhaust.

Why have i been away? the 3 metric tons of snow i hand shovelled

might be a reason, I am in pain, apparantly 2 more systems to go before

May....Oh Joy!!!!

Don't be insulted if I cut and paste this post to the BUFF thread,,,,,

All I can think about is buying kits, not building kits......

So, apparently, BUFFs are no longer useful for putting a foe in line???? Ahemmmm!

-Dom

I have photos of the B-36 and the B-53 from a few years back.

Sure wish i could go back to Dayton and do the tour again.

Here's a Mk 17/24 in about the same position beside a B-36 as the

one in Dayton:

Bockscar

Buffirn

All of the B53s I saw were silver.  Some of the earlier weapons had a similar shape and were painted olive.  The b28s were silver.  The B61s were polished silver,  The B83s were white.  The SRAMs were white.  The ACMs were olive.

Jim;

Thanks, that info is like the tip of the iceberg. it would be great if I could cross reference the colors and the nukes in a paint and detailing chart. Sounds to me like a fun Sunday project.

it would be cool to build that dolly/truck they have the B-53 on, I'm looking up dimensions and I'll post what I find.

Dom

Yep, the "Fortress family" all seem to handle vertical stabilizer damage pretty well.  I guess there's some pretty significant piloting skill with that, too.

LOL!

Yeah Al, which reminds me of this one:

I wonder how many fighters make it back without their tail?

Here's one more that you've probably heard, but I just like telling it:  A B-52D was returning after "delivering" a load to North Vietnam when an F-4 flew up on its left wing.  The F-4 pilot called the B-52D saying "Watch this!"  Where upon the fighter pulled up and rolled over the top of the Buff passing by the right wing tip inverted continuing down under the bomber and back up on the left wing.  The F-4 pilot called the bomber, "Top that big guy!"  The B-52 flew on straight and level.  After a few minutes, the fighter jock impatiently called the Buff, "Well, can you top it?"  The B-52 pilot calmly replied, "I just shut down two engines, top that."

Thanks for the good words, Al!  So that was an actual incident? I guess most of those insults had a basis in fact at one time or another .

Cheers,

Russ

1991 for me.  Yeah, I didn't believe it at first, but then saw it for myself.  Guess there's a moron born every couple minutes (some of them end up in "responsible" positions).  But its overtly moron when you let the Maintenance Officer catch you doing something that stupid and unsafe on the flightline.  Still had to laugh about it after the fact.   BTW, I just saw your Arc Lite B-52D diorama.  Awesome, really awesome!!!!  Way beyond anything I'll be able to do for quite some time.

Cool, Al! I can't think of a better place to get acquainted than right here!   Sounds like you and I retired  from the AF about the same time - I retired in July 1987.

Lol at the LOX joke - haven't heard that one in many, many years!

Striker, I'm looking forward to get acquainted with you!!!  My last job in the USAF was AMS Maintenance Supervisor at March AFB (1983-1986), 22nd Air Refueling Wing (also closed now).  We had KC-10's at that time.  I sure did respect the AMS guys on B-52's at Castle.  In fact, one of my closest friends at Castle was the Bomb/Nav shop chief.  Funny, I can see his face as clears as a bell, but can't think of his name.  He was one sharp guy but he also had an incredible sense of humor.  Talk about trading some insults!  I used to accuse him of heating his lunch with the search radar.  He'd say all OMS people had brain damage from blowing their hats of with LOX.  But, you're right, there was a very healthy respect going both ways.  The B-52 was not an easy airplane to maintain with a rigorous flying schedule.

Buffirn

All of the B53s I saw were silver.  Some of the earlier weapons had a similar shape and were painted olive.  The b28s were silver.  The B61s were polished silver,  The B83s were white.  The SRAMs were white.  The ACMs were olive.

Thanks, that info is like the tip of the iceberg. it would be great if I could cross reference the colors and the nukes in a paint and detailing chart. Sounds to me like a fun Sunday project.

it would be cool to build that dolly/truck they have the B-53 on, I'm looking up dimensions and I'll post what I find.

Dom

Hi, Al, and Welcome!

Your being in OMS was what I was referring to about trading insults. I was in AMS working B-52s at Clinton-Sherman AFB, OK back in 67-68. There was always a good-natured rivalry between the different squadrons and "trading insults" was a way of referring to that rivalry.

Great to have you here with your background and expertise. OMS was the glue that held the whole maintenance effort together - regardless of the rivalry, we all knew that .

Cheers,

Russ

buffjock

Dom,

I needs ta build me a half dozen or so of them there Bravo Five Threes!!

From the size of your stash, Id bet  Jimmy Hoffa is in there somewhere!!

Its up to ten degrees here sos Ima puttin on the shorts and headin out!! (to the shed for some firewood...)  <----  I just love that , sums up the last ten years of my life!!

Majer Kong

I've got about 13", and I figure it's going to take about 1&3/4" per gadget. I'll try to dig up more stock somewhere. I also need to figure out how to shape the nose efficiently.

It finally got to about 23F up here, down right balmy.

Dom

• Posted by Valkyrie on Tue, Feb 11 2014 5:16 AM

  I'm new to FSM and have been bouncing around in the Forums. A reply to my introductory posting mentioned Group Builds and suggested I check it out. I am just getting back into aircraft modeling after many, many years. Coincidentally, I am building two 1/48 scale B-52s, a G and an H by AMT. I was a B-52 Maintenance Officer back in the 70's when "Pease was Our Profession." Although I worked with D's, E's, and F's, I have most experience on G's and H's. My goal is to build a B-52G as it looked before the EVS modification (circa 1975)and an H after the EVS modification (circa 1976). EVS dramatically changed the look of the airplane. Most of us hated the new look at first, but it "grew" on us after while. It was, of course, a significant enhancement to the aircraft. In any case, how may I join your esteemed Group Build? I've read your rules, but don't understand the dynamics of "Group Building."
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• Posted by Bockscar on Wed, Feb 12 2014 3:40 AM

  Hi Valkyrie,

  Great to hear you are getting back into the fold!

  Group Building is a bunch of guys building kits and sharing their experiences as they go along. Some build fast, some build slow, most GB's ask that you keep in touch and post pictures, if you can, and descriptions.

  Often guys can demonstrate solutions to challenges and problems, or share techniques on how to assemble and detail their kits.

  Our GB is THE OFFICIAL IN THE BUFF B52 GROUP BUILD and you can find it in the Group Build forum.153086.aspx

  We have a number of x Airforce guys who are building BUFFs, like Striker8241:

  149616.aspx

  You are more than welcome to join in or post a question about the GBs!!!

  I have a question for you, where did you get a 1/48 scale AMT BUFF? Maybe a 1/72?

  (the idea of a 1/48 B-52 has got my blood pressure way up!!!)

  Can you tell us a bit about your duties as a B-52 Maintenance Officer? - We would

  really appreciate that!

  Best regards,

  Dom

Hi, Bockscar.  Thanks for the quick reply.  I definitely would like to join the GB.  I'll send pictures as soon as I'm able.

To help control your blood pressure, I found and purchased a B-52G, B-52H, KC-135A and XB-70 each made by AMT and in 1/48 scale at the Broadway Hobby Shop in Cincinnati, OH.  That was about 15 years ago.  It's a relatively small shop.  Life happened and I didn't get started building any of them until a few weeks ago.  The Boardwalk Hobby Shop is still in business, I visited it a couple times in the last few weeks.  They have NASAs B-52 (I think it was a B model)/X-15 combination in 1/48 scale, but didn't see any G's or H's.

Concerning my B-52 experience, I was an Aircraft Maintenance Officer in the Strategic Air Command stationed at Castle AFB (Calif.) where all B-52 and KC-135 Combat Crew Training was done.  We maintained B-52D/E/F models in "flyable storage" and were flying B-52G/H models.  At that time, 1974-1977, we did about 1/6th of all the B-52 flying in SAC.  We had a 5000 man maintenance complex running round the clock seven days a week.  We normally didn't fly on the weekend though.  We were divided into four squadrons, Organizational Maintenance (OMS), Field Maintenance (FMS), Avionics Maintenance (AMS) and Munitions Maintenance (MMS).  OMS had the crew chiefs and "owned" the aircraft, did servicing, launch, recovery, towing, etc.  FMS and AMS were "specialist" squadrons and were dispatched from shops to do repairs.  MMS handled the bombs both "iron" and nuclear.  I was Officer In Charge (OIC) of the Bomber Branch in OMS.  I had roughly 220 people divided into three "flights", B-52G, B-52H and "Crested Dove" (we called it "Crested Crud") with the B-52D/E/F models.  Can't remember how many of each type we had, but it was a very "crowded" parking ramp.

• Valkyrie:

  That is a very impressive resume. We always welcome Vets such as yourself because of the background you bring to the table.

  Would it be OK with you if I posted your reply to the BUFF thread?

  Best,

  Dom

  

  

• Posted by Valkyrie on Thu, Feb 13 2014 3:06 AM

  Hi, Dom, yes by all means feel free to post my reply.  Actually, I thought my reply would go to everyone in the Group automatically.  Could you enlighten me on how communications within the B52 Group Build works?  As a "newby" there much I don't know yet, especially about Group Builds.  There were a couple .aspx's in an earlier post (such as 153086.aspx).  Are they links to different threads?  Also, how will I know when I'm "officially" part of the B52 Group Build?  BTW, my name is Al (for Allen).

• Posted by Bockscar on Thu, Feb 13 2014 3:24 AM

  Hi Al;

  You have your own thread "B52 Group Build" so your posts are going there. If you want to join the Buff Group build, then click on this .aspx link:

  153086.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=1

  and it will take you to the BUFF GB thread. Once you are there you can read the intro, send me a message and I'll put down as a participant.

  If that is still clear as mud let me know and I'll help get you organized Thursday - tomorrow.

  Dom

  

Thanks, Striker.  Now that I have the actual scale of my models nailed down, I look forward to "trading insults" with other buff enthusiasts, too.  But at this point I feel pretty much that I'm firing blanks.

I think you're right about the color, Jim. I don't recall any silver ones, so it may be that Dom's earlier picture of the smaller bomb (below) is more likely the ones we had back in 68.

All of the B53s I saw were silver.  Some of the earlier weapons had a similar shape and were painted olive.  The b28s were silver.  The B61s were polished silver,  The B83s were white.  The SRAMs were white.  The ACMs were olive.

Dom,

I needs ta build me a half dozen or so of them there Bravo Five Threes!!

From the size of your stash, Id bet  Jimmy Hoffa is in there somewhere!!

Its up to ten degrees here sos Ima puttin on the shorts and headin out!! (to the shed for some firewood...)  <----  I just love that , sums up the last ten years of my life!!

Majer Kong