Search the Community

I am a prolific model kit purchaser and pretty good at starting projects, but not so good at seeing them through to completion. Hence my appearance here at Britmodeller in a bid to curb this trend. Thinking pragmatically, my subject choice is modest in terms of size and difficulty, and perhaps most importantly will not feature aftermarket goodies or a complex paint scheme. So, here we go with Academy's new tooling from last year. According to various reviews I have read, this is more accurate than the Great Wall Hobby offering from 2020, so when I saw it going for a decent price at RIAT a week or so ago, temptation prevailed. Having built so many good Academy kits over the years, I felt confident that this would be a good decision.

Hi folks, I was messing with this idea for a while and I have finally broken ground on the project! I'm trying to capture the legendary scene where Major Kong has successfully repaired the bomb doors and plummets groundward riding the bomb in the climactic scene of Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove (1963). I watched the film and although they used two distinct models (a D and an H) the main scenes clearly feature a B-52H as would have been the case around 1963-4. I'm starting with the Italeri kit (re-boxed AMT): I'm also using the Buff Master Designs' backdate set to represent an early model B-52H, and also because it addresses the major shortcoming of the kit which is the woefully undersized engine pods and fan sections. As it is posed inflight, the wings need to be curved upward towards the tips - this was achieved relatively painlessly by using a vice and supergluing while it was bent into position. I then reinforced the joins with liquid cement. The other big barrier and working point for this diorama is the fact that the AMT kit has no bombbay, so that will need to be built from scratch. I removed the bomb doors using UMM designs razor saw, 5 minutes work, easy! Other bits to chop off were the rear section, as the early models did not have the 40-inch plug aft of the stabilizers. The BMD set provides a new aft section which fits very nicely. The front also needs to be modified to remove the EVS fairings and other lumps and bumps. Again, the BMD set includes parts for this. I will also need to scratchbuild the nukes and of course the cowboy/pilot figure. I think this will be a very good mid-to-long-term project to test my skills out! All the best, Al

Hi Everyone, Here is my entry into the What If III Group Build : the Boeing B-52R Vidar (meaning Warrior). The kit I used is the Revell 1/144 Boeing B-52H Stratofortress dating from 2002 according to the instructions Built OOTB with the exception of RAF roundels, 617 squadron insignia on tail and XL446 codes on underside of the wings. Originally meant to be fitted with 4 CFM-56 engines, however this had to be abandoned due to low ground clearance of the model meaning engines didn't fit. Backstory "With departure of the USAF from RAF Mildenhall and the takeover by the RAF, the RAF began the search for a new aircraft to base there. As the RAF wanted to return to the nuclear deterrent role, it decided upon a variant of the B-52 Stratofortress. Helped by the fact that one of the hangars contained a damaged B-52H, after getting permission from the USAF to modify it, the RAF modified what would be the prototype B-52R model into an aircraft more suited to their needs.This prototype would be equipped with 8 TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines. With an approximate loadout of 70,000 lb or 31,500 kg worth of mixed ordnance, the B-52R would be suitable for the RAF's need for a long range bomber with nuclear capability but also allowing for long range conventional bombing missions. With the aid of some USAF technicians, the RAF managed to get their new prototype ready for flight testing including all new cockpit systems (glass cockpit screens, digital throttles, computerized flight management system including damage control and ordnance control. The B-52R prototype is capable of launching/dropping every weapon in the US/UK arsenals. Deciding to give the new plane some history, the RAF resurrected the recently decommissioned 617 squadron, The Dambusters and transferred the plane to it. They also resurrected the tail codes of the Vulcan bombers and gave the new plane the tail code XL446. The planes name the B-52R Vidar (warrior). As the 75th anniversary of Operation Chastise approached in 2018, the RAF planned a commerative flight to remember all those who lost their lives during the mission including flights over all of the dams involved as well as the military bases." Anyway here are the photos. Thanks for looking, Rick