Strategic Air Command GroupBulid

I did that same B-29 back when i was a teenager. It was an ugly nightmare too! Parts didn't fit, paint just didn't work, and glue didn't hold. I swore i would never do another one of those again, however looking at how nice your superfortress is, i'm starting to have second thoughts.....

I noticed the wing decal seems a bit askew. Other than that, it looks flawless

B36 compared to a 1/48 B29.  Makes you realise how big it would be if R/M ever scaled the peacemaker up to 1/48 scale.  Anyway, on with the show.... time to git buildin' !

FeldMarSchall Model wrote:

Does anyone know if the Testor 1/48 Blackbrid kit, can be motifed into a YF-12 model.  If this can be done It'll be much easyer that way, instead of trying to hunt down a YF-12 kit.  I did found one YF-12 kit on ebay but, the bidding price was over 40 dollars.

Anything is possible, but that conversion would be extremely difficult and time consuming.  The nose cone, canopy hatch profile, ventral forward fuselage and tailcone are all very different.

I just noted a 1/48 YF-12A on ebay for $9, but it will probably go higher before the auction is over.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180092709227&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1 

Darwin, O.F.

Does anyone know if the Testor 1/48 Blackbrid kit, can be motifed into a YF-12 model.  If this can be done It'll be much easyer that way, instead of trying to hunt down a YF-12 kit.  I did found one YF-12 kit on ebay but, the bidding price was over 40 dollars.

Hows everybodys progress coming along? 

Wirraway wrote:

Herr Feldmarschall,  I see you changed your avatar - is that from "A Bridge too far" ?

At first, i thought it was Col Klink! Now that i look again, i may be wrong....

Revell made a 1/72 kit of the YF-12A about 1967 and AHM reissued it a few years later.  Testor's/Italeri has done both a 1/72 and 1/48 version of the YF-12A.  All these kits have been out of production for a number of years, but they can be found periodically on ebay.

The small landing gear struts under the inboard engine pods on the B-47 are usually referred to as "outriggers", but "tip gear" is also used.  The tip gear term is more often used in association with the B-52, both because it is closer to the wing tip and the plane has been around for so long that people are more familiar with it.

Darwin, O.F.

I made come progress on the engain pod's that have the tip gear, I guess thats what you call it.

Yeah I can't find that out there, The sole remaining YF-12A is at the Dayton Air Force Muuseum.
The first YF-12A (S/N 60-6934) was converted to SR-71C S/N 64-17981.  The second YF-12A was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  The third YF-12A crashed on June 24, 1971.  Its hard finding 1/48 kits of this bird.

FeldMarSchall Model wrote:

Yardbird, was the SR's sister plane YF-12 inteded for SAC?

  I am not sure which command was supposed to operate the YF-12.  It was a high speed, high altitude interceptor, armed with nuclear tipped missiles.  ADC, Air Defense Command, was the primary agency responsible for stopping the hoards of Russian bombers coming over the North Pole, so I would think that ADC would have operated it. SAC liked to think that they controlled all of the Air Force nuclear weapons, but TAC had the little ones for their fighters and ADC had the nuclear Genie missile for the F-89, F-101 and F-106 interceptors.

Darwin, O.F. 

Nice! I know how ya feel though. I got a Dauntless with the other GB. I won it off of ebay 2 weeks ago and i'm still waiting. Good luck to ya!

I've got monday off. I still have a few household issues to deal with (along with paying a long overdue speeding ticket-DOH!) and call the wife. But aside from that, i hope to spend most of the rest of it on the bench. It'll be great!

$19.99 on Amazon? Really? I didn't even know ys could get kits through them! I'll have to take a peek! Was it the 1/48 scale ya wanted? Just curious......

Well, using the techniques you gentlemen suggested, i tried working the cockpit again. Still struggling with the forward instrument panel, but i did alot better with the control consoles on the side. I'm hoping if everything goes according to plan, i should be dropping the cockpit unit into the fuselage. It's kinda looking like the forward instrument panel wouldn't be very visible anyways with the canopy closed, so i may just leave it be and focus on the cockpit detailing on a different build. Also tried my first attempt at seatbelts too, and that wasn't easy either. But i'll throw up some pictures once i get the cockpit all together and post em.

   Looking at my work schedule, i'm thinking that the next 2 weeks are gonna be slow for my build. Problem with military life is that inconsistency is the only consistancy there is. But the weekend will be all out at the airfield though, so it won't be too bad. I'm actually considering doing up a blackhawk or a kiowa or something for her desk at work when she gets back from the sandbox. But i guess that might be more for a different GB, come to think of it.....

dhenning--

SAC rocks! Though I'm not in this group build, I'm a SAC vet (KC-135 crew chief) and I'm keeping tabs on it. You might be interested in a group build I'm running that's for the Air Force's 60th anniversary. Our wrap-up date is 9/18/07, the Air Force's official birthday. Here's the address:

/forums/707813/ShowPost.aspx

Cross-overs are allowed, but maybe you could build one for this build and do one with a longer build time for the AF at 60 build.

In fact, anyone who wants to include their SAC Bird in the AF 60th GB can feel free to come on over! Just post a comment over there letting me know you want in and what you're building.

Thanks DesertRat, I've already found one on Amazon for 19.99.

Yardbird, was the SR's sister plane YF-12 inteded for SAC? 

And as for my B-47, a review I read before buying said there would be alot of filling work to be done.  Well they were right in a big way, but the plane is starting to shape.  The main landing gear, tires and landing gear are done.  Still painting the two crew men. 

Nope! I think you are pretty much right about where alot of us are. Well, where i am anyways! Welcome! And you'll find the GB badge on page 5!

FeldMarSchall, Are ya still looking for the blackbird in 1/48? If so, i found an older release Testors kit in my LHS earlier this afternoon going for $45. It's still in the factory shrinkwrap, although the cellophane has seen better days. But it didn't look like anyone was really interested in it, given some of the dust on it. I have no idea what the going price is for one lately, nor how readily available it is. But this seemed like a safe bet. Interested?

FeldMarSchall Model wrote:

Usaf Ssgt, you are more then welcome to join.  As long as your Rockwell B-1 is a B-1A.

Well the kit never came with decals, and must be the older mold, as it is molded in white.

My intentions have always been, to paint it white ,as one of the early pre-production B-1As, its just that I will have to come up with my own markings.

I'm also missing a few pieces, so if anyone has any spares they could let go, I assure you that they would go to a good cause.

Thanks for letting join in, I just hope time will be on my side, with this late start!

Leon

My dad spent most of his AF career in SAC, so naturally I have several projects backed up in the hanger.

1/72  KC-135 (in an unfinished state since 1996) 

1/144 B-52g  (planning on a Chrome Dome scheme from the 97th BW at Blytheville AFB)

1/144 B-52H 

1/144 and 1/72 B-58

1/144 C-123 (to support the 43rd BW B-58s!)

1/144 B-47E and RB-47H  (been wanting to convert one of the B-47Es to a RB-47E)

1/144 B-25  (plan to convert to a TB-25N used at LRAFB in the late 50's)

1/72 H-19  (planning on modeling as a support aircraft for the Titan II missile wing at LRAFB in the 60's)

1/144 KC-135 (still waiting on the new releases from AMtech.................)

1/144 B-36

1/144 KC-97

1/48 Snark Missile

1/72 C-45

I am definitely a SAC addict.  I buy every book I find on SAC and grab up every decal sheet with a milky way sash that I see at any contest vendor area!  I'll have to review the kit stash and see which one I want to commit to the group build.   The 1/72 KC-135 would be the easiest to complete.  It has been waiting on engine pods, horizontal stabilizers, cockpit glass and paint for only 11 years!  Of course, then I'll have to build something else to hang under the boom!

Dave Henning

Little Rock, AR

FeldMarSchall Model wrote:

Wish I was there to see it, I belive the blackbird model in is video is the NASA 844 in 1995 at dusk.

The SR-71 taking off has the raised second cockpit, which makes it SR-71B #17956, NASA 831.  The one making a low pass doesn't have the NASA white band on the tail or any other visible markings.  It is definately an A model, probably prior to initial USAF retirement.

Darwin, O.F.

Right on! Glad to have ya in the group, USAF!

 I'm still lovin that B-25 ya did on the other thread!

Can I join this GB with a 1/48 Rockwell B-1?

I just bought a basket case-kit, and would love to do something with it!

Leon

Wish I was there to see it, I belive the blackbird model in is video is the NASA 844 in 1995 at dusk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XLRO2qaZM8 

Saturday, October 9, 1999.  Acft # 17980 aka NASA 844 made a 1 hour and 14 minute flight including a Mach 3.21 pass over the Edwards AFB Air Show at 80,100 feet and then a couple of low level sub sonic passes.  It was scheduled to do the same thing the next day, but mechanical difficulties kept it grounded.  That was the last flight ever of a Blackbird.

Darwin, O.F. " border="0" width="15" height="15" />

FeldMarSchall Model wrote:

R-Cman your E-3 is looking good, Yardbird, what was the last year a Blackbird flew.  I've heard it was some time in 1999,

It was 1999 at the Edwards air show

Grandma L