BACK IN THE SPOTIGHT--THE BOMBER GROUP BUILD (Medium and Heavy bombers from all eras)

Drew -

Yeah - I tried the invisible thread stretched between a section of sprue first (like a bow) and it worked great. The Bulldog was the first model that I tried it on though. I'm gonna see if I can borrow a camera and take a few shots tonight. I have three 1/72 rigged biplanes now - so I thought I'd do a group shot.

The B-24 is VERY tail heavy.

Chris

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bossman Drew, Looking forward to seeing more. But I know that taking pics can be pretty time consuming. Better to model !

Amen! Still, I'll try to take some more pictures soon.

QUOTE: I tried the invisible thread you mentioned for the rigging on a Bristol Bulldog that I finished last week. I like the way it came out. It's a very fine gage - which looks really nice on a 1/72 scale plane. I hope to get some pics this week.

Great! I think you said it tightens up nicely when you run the hot tip of a screwdriver near it, right? I noticed that I'll need to tighten up the rigging on the cabane struts once they're installed.

My plan for rigging the wings is to not drill the whole way through the top wing. Instead, I'll drill part way through it and the whole way through the bottom wing. That way I'll only have to fill half the number of holes and they'll be on the part of the model not normally seen.

QUOTE: As for Moby the B-24D, I've done some weathering with Tamiya smoke behind the engines - but it needs more. I'll be accenting some panel lines with a fine pencil. And I started applying some pastel dust in places. It's a heck of a lot of surface to weather - but I don't really want to leave it clean. Chris

Chris, it sounds great. Is your B-24 a tail-sitter? I think I posted a picture of the B-24 Diamond Lil with a big red bar that was used to prop her up when at rest.

Regards,

Drew,
Looking forward to seeing more. But I know that taking pics can be pretty time consuming. Better to model !

I tried the invisible thread you mentioned for the rigging on a Bristol Bulldog that I finished last week. I like the way it came out. It's a very fine gage - which looks really nice on a 1/72 scale plane. I hope to get some pics this week.

As for Moby the B-24D, I've done some weathering with Tamiya smoke behind the engines - but it needs more. I'll be accenting some panel lines with a fine pencil. And I started applying some pastel dust in places. It's a heck of a lot of surface to weather - but I don't really want to leave it clean.

Chris

Hi all,

Back again. I'm putting the decals on the plane in preparation for final assembly and rigging. The decals that came with this Glencoe kit are great! They need a couple of coats of Micro-Sol to really snuggle down, but they do so very nicely.

The rudder stripes look good. The decals are large enough to wrap around the back and tops of the rudders. More Micro-Sol is needed to get them to conform.

Regards,

Well I figured since the build is still going that it should be reopened to a new group of people and there builds so here it is BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT---THE BOMBER GROUP BUILD



This group build is dedicated to the bombers of the world, Medium or Heavy in any scale from any era, from any country.

RULES:

The start date of this prodject is June 1st, and the compleation date will be January 1st.

Feel free to post any pictures of your models in any stage of construction at any time.
Also regular updates on the progress of your model would be appreciated.
Anyone can join in, and the group list will be posted here with the name of your project.

It's looking really good. I cannot wait to see it finished.

Scott

Hi all, I'm still going.

I'm still priming small parts, but I'm almost done. I also repainted the top wing. I kept looking at it and I didn't like how the primer color was showing through the dark green at the tops of the ribs. I didn't have my airbrush set up quite right when I did the top of the top wing, but figured it out later for the fuselage, bottom wing, and tail.

I'd already put Future on everything, and surprisingly, this made handbrushing a breeze! Maybe I'll think about priming with Future at some later date.

Tonight, the top wing gets a coat of Future and the final small parts get primed. If I'm really motivated, I'll put decals on the tail.

Regards,

Hi all,

It's been a slow couple of weeks for modeling as I finish up a semester at grad school, but I got back in the saddle last night.

I primed the struts, the radiators, and a couple of other small pieces on one side. I tape them to cardboard and hit them with Testors spray enamel. Tonight I'll flip them over and get the other side.

I also finished applying Future to the wings, fuselage, and tail. The next step is to decal everything and then drill the rigging holes.

Regards,

Thanks for the comments, folks. I've got two figures that are going in the cockpit. They're from a WWI pilot set by Orion (formerly Dark Dream Studio)

You can see them here:

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.asp?manu=DDS&code=72003

I got them from the Michigan Toy Company:

http://www.michtoy.com/MTSCnewSite/newplastic_folder/orion_1-72/dds72003.html

I'll be using two of the sitting figures: the guy giving the thumbs up, and the guy with his arm cocked as though resting on something. When they're both in the cockpit, the second guy's arm rests on the the first guy's shoulder. They're both looking left, so I'm going to put one of the officers in their line of sight as though he's givig them final instructions.

There are some ground crew in that set too, so I'm expecting to have a relatively busy scene when I'm all done.

Regards,

well i see this thread is still going a little. so heres an update on my he111. its going to geather very slowly because the thing is so warped. so hopeful ill have more pics latter

Frosty -

I've seen several Roden bomber kits from the "Earlier Era"

There's even some with losenge camo ! .... Next Project ?

Chris

Lufbery:
ur MB-2 is looking really good so far, nice job on those engines
& the cockpit !
time 2 get back 2 work on my b-17, altho' l8ly my heart is more
attuned 2 an earlier era of aviation...
thanx 2 u & Bossman 4 keeping this thread alive !

frosty

QUOTE: Originally posted by Lufbery Hey Chris, Isn't it great getting a day off to model? Here are the long-promised photos. I think you can see the riggin on the one cabane strut in one of the photos: . . . Still plugging along...

Great to see that your kits almost done, and it loks great.

The skies the limit,

V.A.

Tom,
The main reason for me wanting to build a B-24 was that it was like the plane my uncle co-piloted. He flew a B-24J out of Italy. The kit I picked is a "D" version from the Pacific Theater. I was going to try to convert it originally - but decided pretty quickly that that was a larger project than I wanted to take on. Maybe someday I'll buy the J version and try it. But I don't think It'll be any time soon. I still don't know where this one's going to go when I'm done with it !

Drew,
I checked out the invisible thread and the screwdriver method. Success !
Now I just have to try it with white glue and no pre-drilled holes.
I like the fineness of the thread.

Chris

Hey Tom,

It seems that Chris and I, at least, are keeping this one going. I don't think there's a problem if you want to join.

Chris,

I'm using Marine Corps Green (a very dark OD) for the plane. It's in the Testors MM line, and I could look up the federal standard number. Overall I think it's just a tad darker than I would have liked, but it's pretty close.

Regards,

too bad I missed this one.. Right now I am researching my great uncles wartime serv ice and would have loved to build one of the planes he might have flown then... either a B-26 or B-24.... (one of the few oral histories was from my grandma who said he mentioned several times that flying over Guam was the roughest missions he ever came across... and only B-26's and B-24's flew that one according to the USAAC records)

let me know when the next Bomber build comes up!!! would love to join yall!!!

Coming along very nicely Drew !

The interior detail really pops out - especially against the dark body - very nice. The plane almost looks black in those photos. I'm assuming its dark green and that the photos are just dark ? Or is it really black ?

I went to the craft store while doing some birthday shopping for my wife today. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it !) I just happened to pick up some of that smoke colored invisible thread you mentioned. Nice and fine ! I might even check it out tonight - stretching it over a bow of sprue with a little slack and then seeing how it tightens up with the heated screwdriver idea.

Thanks for the idea. It looks like it will also work well for antenna wire on a non-rigged plane.

Chris

Hey Chris,

Isn't it great getting a day off to model?

Here are the long-promised photos. I think you can see the riggin on the one cabane strut in one of the photos:
.

.

.
Still plugging along...

Well, I figured I'd better say somethin - if only to keep this thread in the front pages of the group build section.

I had a weird thing happen today. A transformer blew at about five in the morning at the place I work. For some reason - they didn't want people around in the building - so I got a day off. (We'll see if it becomes a forced vacay day) But anyway, I came home and was able to get a little modelling done. Last week I put the dull coat on Moby the B-24, so today I started applying the last of the glass and fiddly bits. Not much left to do. I might be able to get him finished in time for NoreastCon - which is in my backyard this year.

I'll take some pics when he's ready for showtime.

Chris

I still check in now and again Drew....glad to hear you overcome the problems you've encountered....but there seems to be something missing in your thread....oh yeah-- pics!

Good to hear from you, Chris.

I got kind of discouraged about my mistake at about the same time I got pretty sick and then pretty busy with school work. It sort of stinks when life gets in the way of my hobbies. {;)]

Toward the end of last week, I started experimenting with the wire reinforcement -- something I'd read about, but not tried.

Anyway, thanks for keeping track. I keep saying I'll post some photos, and I will... soon ... I promise.

Regards, and good luck on your builds!

Drew -

I check this thread out every week or so just to see how yer doin. I guess I just timed it right this week.

I haven't been very active in finishing Moby - things have just been really busy lately and I've done a little work on some other kits. Once the weather warms up a bit I'll probably be putting the finishing touches on him before I hit him with Dullcoat. Then I'll do a little weathering after that.

Quite often, I suffer from the same type of error you made. Like putting on the props of a P-38 the wrong way and then having to cut and switch them - and that's just one example ! I also used the wire reinforcement method you described to replace some landing gear and prop blades that got snapped off. It's a very handy method for repair of pieces that get damaged. For the prop blades I just use stretched sprue. If they break again I can just repeat the process.

Keep up the good work !

Chris

Hi all,

I'm not sure if anyone is following this thread anymore, but I'm still working on my MB-2. I suffered a bit of a setback shortly after my last post, when I realized that I had glued the cabane struts together the wrong way! I had glued the two fronts together, and (naturally) the two backs together. This is the second time I've glued the wrong parts together on this kit, and I'm a compulsive dry-fitter. However, the parts aren't numbered on the sprues, so I have a little bit of an excuse.

If you want to see what parts I'm talking about, go to this page: http://www.crossandcockade.com/WNW/MB2.htm and look at the struts around the engines in the last three photos.

Fixing this mess required me to clip off the two struts that connect the front and rear pieces on each assembly. I bought some round styrene stock of the right diameter and tried to butt join the whole assembly back together. It didn't work very well.

Then inspriation hit me. I'd read about drilling holes in struts and inserting wire to strengthen a joint, but I'd never tried it. So I tried it, and it worked!

I have a pin vice and a set of small drill bits that I bought to drill holes for rigging. I drilled holes in the ends of the round stock and corresponding holes in the cabane struts. I stripped the insulation off a spare electrical wire that I had in my basement. The "wire" was actually a whole bunch of much smaller wires in a bundle. I clipped some, and put two to three of these in the holes I drilled in the struts.

Everything fit togehter perfectly after that.

I've repairt one cabane strut assembly. I hope to finish the other one tonight, then I'll be back on track.

Regards,

Hi all,

Just a quick update: The wings, fuselage, and tail are painted. YAY! The engines and nacells are done too, except that I want to add exhausts to the engines, and I still have to do the radiators.

Regards,

Well - I did a thorough cleaning of the work area from the desk surface and up. Including all my folders, books, bags, and storage nooks. No decal. Now I'm wondering if I threw it out by accident. I also remembered - there were all those little prop decals too.... bummer.

Drew - that kit sounds like a ton of really fine work - even before the rigging. It'll be something to be proud of when yer done.

Chris

Chris,

I hope the carpet monster coughed up your decals.

Here's another quick update:

I'm just about finished with the engines and nacelles (that's the correct spelling, as opposed to my previous post). They're practically kits unto themselves.

I used the extra fine point black Sharpie to "paint" the manifold. I painted the pipes that go from the manifold to the tops of the cylinders aluminum. I had to fill some gaps with those parts with super glue, and then I painted the filled gaps a steel color to match the cylinders. I like the effect I'm getty when I use two different types of metal paint colors. It's subtle, but nice.

I then painted part of the rear nacelle pieces, but not the whole thing -- just the areas that would be impossible to paint after I glue the pieces on. Now all that's left is some filling and sanding around the rear of the nacelles, and I'll attach them to the lower wing.

Next up is fixing the ejector pin problems in the radiators; painting the fuselage, lower wing, and upper wing; rigging the cabane struts and installing them to the fuselage.

Regards,

Drew,

Yeah - Just the plain vanilla star and bars.

I know there are tons of aftermarket decals available - but I also know exactly what will happen: as soon as I fork out the 8 bucks plus shipping for a full sheet that I'll never use, I'll step up to my work area and the darn thing will crawl out from under someplace I forgot to look. I'm holding out (stubborn streak) at least until the next time I do a full cleaning of the work area. I know it's there somewhere !

In the mean time, I feel like i'm getting things accomplished in 1/72 land. Going from one of the bigger 1/48 kits to one of the smaller 1/72 kits is quite an adjustment. I mixed 7 drops of paint last night to make the PC-10 "Olive-Drab like" color for the Snipe, and it was enough to paint the entire fuselage and the top surface of the bottom wing !

Man - do I sound cheap or what !

Chris

Chris,

Your post gives me a great idea! Howabout a B-24 with four Sopwith Snipes providing the thrust instead of engines?

Seriously, though, there are tons of aftermarket decals available for tons of planes. Are you looking for something really special for the wing, or just the star and bars?

Regards,

Drew,

Your glacial pace is outrunning my "distracted wanderings". I hit a snag on Moby Dick - I still can't find that one nat insiginia that goes on the port wing.

So what do I do ? I look for it, but then I see the to-build pile, hmmmmm.

I finish off a 1/72 Airfix P-40 and start on Toko's 1/72 Sopwith Snipe. The entire fuselage of this little bumblebee of a kit is less than half the size of one of the B-24 engine nacelles. Oh yeah ! The B-24... I was looking for something - wasn't I ?

Chris

Lufbery- I have got to say that your MB2 is really coming together, keep us posted on her progress, I cant wait to see the finished product

The skies the limit,

V.A