Update: Building the horizontal stabilizers - Revell 1/48 B-29

[Johnny_K]

 

 

 

This is a reall big model. Compare the difference of the B-29 box anf the box of an F-86. Check out the size difference between the B-29 and the P-47. The B-29's wing span is 36 inches. This is also an old model with typical old model issues; ejector marks and a lot of flash. It also has raised panel lines. 

 

Since this is a big model, it will need some extra detailing and some "bling".  The cockpit is going to be dressed up with Eduard's upgrade kit and the stock wheels/tires will be replaced with resin wheels/tires. I'll add metal fuel lines to the engines and metal brake lines to the landing gear for some extra "bling". The fuselage and wings will not be painted, instead they will be finished in Bare Metal Foil  I figure that I'll need 6 to 7 sheets of foil. Finally, rivets will be added to the wings and fuselage.

 

Okay, let's get started by building the main wings. 

 

 

 

The  landing gear box was painted Tamiya cockpit green. The internet indicated that this box was painted in a number of colors, green, yellow and silver. I used green BIG PROBLEM 1: the wings appeared to be warped. I decided to use my old 'architect's scale' along with a clamp and rubber bands to force the wing into being straight.

 

 

 

BIG PROBLEM 2; There is a huge gap at the engine nacelles. Really nasty! I decided to try sanding the wings and  the nacelles to fix this issue.

 

 

 

A little  sanding really solved a big problem. After the cement cures, I'll fix the joint between the two wing halves with filler.

Edited May 24, 2017 by Johnny_K

[ajmm]

Wow. Watching this. I struggle to find space for my 144 B-29s!

[Johnny_K]

Ajmm,

 

That's why I call it The Beast 

[Johnny_K]

 

 

After the glue dried and after a little sanding, the wing came out nice and straight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started on the cockpit while I waited for the glue on the wings to cure. The cockpit was upgraded using photoetched parts from Eduard.   Photos from the Internet indicate that the cockpit was painted in a number of different colors, I chose Tamyia Cockpit Green. After the paint dried, I dry brushed Testors' silver and black to add the impression of wear and tear.  

Edited April 28, 2017 by Johnny_K
My photos were not showing up

[Johnny_K]

Time for working on the landing gear.  I'll do the front gear first.

There is a lot of flash that needs to be removed.

 

After sending off the flash, the attached piping was also removed. Holes were drilled at the joint bearings per Internet photos.

 

To give the gear a sense of scale, the coin next to the gear is a U.S. 25 cent coin. It is about one inch in diameter. The gear was painted with Testors' Aluminum and the joint bearings were highlighted with Testors' Brass applied with a toothpick. After the paint dried, I highlighted the details with a dry wash of flat black and chrome silver. The brake lines are brass wire that are held in place with a strip of Bare Metal foil. On the real plane, the can that holds oil for the damper was held in place by two clamps. I used  two strips of Bare Metal Foil. The tire and wheels are resin  by Edmund. They really make nice stuff.

 

[SimonT]

Great work, those wheels really do look nice.  Nice job on the cockpit and getting the wing(s) straight!

[Johnny_K]

Simon,

 

Thanks for the kind words. If you like the landing gear, wait until you see the engines!!!

[Johnny_K]

 

I finally finished the main landing gear. Wheels and tires are by Eduard. The painting, highlighting and brake lines are similar to how I did the front landing gear. Due to the size of the gear, additional detailing improves their appearance.

[exdraken]

Nice work! 

Brave of you tackling this old giant!

[Jessica]

Be happy you're doing the Revellogram kit instead of this one

[David H]

The main wheels look good. IMHO the nose wheels stand out too far away from the surrounding tyre. Sort of like an Accurate Miniatures Avenger wheel, that was mis-assembled.

 

Otherwise- looks good.

 

-d-

[Johnny_K]

1 hour ago, Jessica said:

Be happy you're doing the Revellogram kit instead of this one

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is an amazing build. I have a lot of patience, but not enough to build that kind of kit.  Last year I bought a vacuumform B-47. I opened the box and said to myself, " Not a chance in hell am I going to build that thing".

[Johnny_K]

1 hour ago, David H said:

The main wheels look good. IMHO the nose wheels stand out too far away from the surrounding tyre. Sort of like an Accurate Miniatures Avenger wheel, that was mis-assembled.

 

Otherwise- looks good.

 

Yep, the nose wheel has problems. This is a photo of the actual gear:

I'll see what I can do to fix the problem. Maybe I can remove the wheel from the tire.

1 hour ago, David H said:

-d-

 

[Jessica]

12 minutes ago, Johnny_K said:

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is an amazing build. I have a lot of patience, but not enough to build that kind of kit.  Last year I bought a vacuumform B-47. I opened the box and said to myself, " Not a chance in hell am I going to build that thing".

Keep it. In a few years you'll have the necessary skills.

[71chally]

Beware, the photo of the nose wheels above is from the preserved B-29 'Fifi' and look like they are from a B-50, the usual production type wheels are very similar to what you have modelled.

The rim faces do seem to protrude just a little from the tyre.

 

Lovely work there though, quite a beast that kit!

[Johnny_K]

Attached is a photo of the front gear from an old WWII movie about the B-29. The edge of the wheel does protrude from the tire. I am not going to mess around with the front gear. If I do I'll probably break something. Time to move on to the engines.

 

[Finn]

Here are some Korean War B-29 pics that may be of use, the upper turrets, note the rivets:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/69609b30665bd4cc_large

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/f0e27b5a6f002c25_large

 

Bomb bay, in case you want lots of bombs:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/c7efa471915b3b6f_large

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/0fffb7b3036a1140_large

 

Crew check:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/314f637bace0ff15_large

 

Crew access:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/f612b4e28b607616_large

 

Nose art:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/ff04f96352b02208_large

 

Jari

[Johnny_K]

21 hours ago, Finn said:

Here are some Korean War B-29 pics that may be of use, the upper turrets, note the rivets:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/69609b30665bd4cc_large

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/f0e27b5a6f002c25_large

 

Bomb bay, in case you want lots of bombs:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/c7efa471915b3b6f_large

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/0fffb7b3036a1140_large

 

Crew check:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/314f637bace0ff15_large

 

Crew access:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/f612b4e28b607616_large

 

Nose art:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/ff04f96352b02208_large

 

Jari

I like the black and white photos. They enhance the look of the natural finish.

[Johnny_K]

 

Okay, it’s time to build the engines and cowlings. I am going to use the above engine as a guide for my engines. Note that the fuel lines are a copper color. Some engines had black or grey fuel lines. I like the copper colored lines because they add some ‘bling’ to the engines.

Instead of building all four engines at once, I decided to build a single prototype. That way I could make any adjustments before building the remaining three.  First I sprayed the engine with grey primer. Next came aluminum paint with a dry brushing of black to accentuate the cooling fins. The pushrod covers and valve covers were painted black and the crankcase cover was painted Dove Grey. The fuel lines are brass colored wires. I only used 9 fuel lines instead of 18 because, IMHO, 18 lines would look too cluttered.

 

 

 

 

The front casting of the cowling is painted in Testors’ Metallic Aluminum. After drying it was sprayed with Testors’ Metallic Sealer. I highlighted the spaces between the cooling vanes with a black marker. The remainder of the cowling is covered in Bare Metal Foil. Matt Aluminum Plate is used on most of the panels. Bright Chrome is used on a few panels to add some visual interest. The foil was removed in the area between the cooling vanes. to expose the black marker. After the foil was installed I brushed the foil with 0000 steel wool to replicate the natural grain of aluminum. I enhanced the panel lines with a toothpick. I really like the final results. Now I need to build the three remaining engines.

 

[Uncle Uncool]

 Impressive build, John! You know, my mum just went past behind me and, the minute she stared at your kit cowls, she coughed like, *Cutting Edge replacements*  

Have you seen the whole plethora of photoetched updating sets from Metallic Details? Their flap set is just irresistible!

Keep it up, matey!

 

Unc²  

Edited May 4, 2017 by Uncle Uncool

[Finn]

Here are a couple more Life B-29 pics:

 

note the wear on the back of the blades:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/5a3960a318fd2547_large

 

looks like a few cowling parts from a black bottom B-29:

 

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/64d148bc14f59b9a_large

 

Jari

[Johnny_K]

I'll need to look at Metallic Details. They may have some good stuff.

[Finn]

More B-29 pics can be found here:

 

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/partner/life-photo-collection

 

type in either B-29 Raid on Japan or B-29 Mission in the Search.

 

Jari

[David H]

I like how you used steel wool on the cowling panels. Modellers agonize about making the underlying surface absolutely flawless, the irony being that real bare metal aircraft have scratches all over them and they refract light in all sorts of ways.

 

Looking good!

 

-d-

[Johnny_K]

44 minutes ago, David H said:

I like how you used steel wool on the cowling panels. Modellers agonize about making the underlying surface absolutely flawless, the irony being that real bare metal aircraft have scratches all over them and they refract light in all sorts of ways.

 

Looking good!

 

-d-

I have been using steel wool on metal foil for a few years. I like the result. The   P-47 below was the first model that I finished with Bare Metal Foil. The foil was first rubbed with steel wool and then weathered with Tamiya "Smoke".