JeffreyK Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Hi Tom, that's superb work, can't imagine doing it all in this size! I hope I can see her in the flesh at a show this year... One thing I'd like to ask though (and I hope I don't throw a spanner in the works that way): In your pictures the faces of your engine nacelles seem to be canted upward quite a bit, I assume they're perpendicular to the wing chord line. From what I've seen on real B-29's though I think the engine faces are (more or less) perpendicular to the fuselage... Any thoughts on that? Jeffrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 (edited) Hi Tom, that's superb work, can't imagine doing it all in this size! I hope I can see her in the flesh at a show this year... One thing I'd like to ask though (and I hope I don't throw a spanner in the works that way): In your pictures the faces of your engine nacelles seem to be canted upward quite a bit, I assume they're perpendicular to the wing chord line. From what I've seen on real B-29's though I think the engine faces are (more or less) perpendicular to the fuselage... Any thoughts on that? Jeffrey Hi Jeffrey, You're right - the engines do cant back somewhat; they are somewhere in between being perpendicular to the wing-chord line and the fuselage. I've also checked it alongside the Monogram wing, and the rear-ward cant is a few degrees more pronounced on this kit compared to the injection molded counterpart in 1/48th. To be honest I hadn't really considered this until you mentioned it as I had just built the model 'as is' and didn't think about doing any surgery. I've spent so many hours building this thing almost from scratch I think it would quite possibly be the death of me if I created even more work to add to it! If I had the inclination I could probably cut the front of the nacelles off and re-position them, but to be honest it looks like a B-29 to me and I've never been one to lose sleep over accuracy issues. Also, the way I've constructed the wheel bays would make cutting the inboard nacelles rather tricky, and I won't be compromising the structural strength at this stage of the build Well spotted though - if I ever build another one or if anyone is reading this thread and considering doing one of their own - it may be worth looking into Tom Edited March 5, 2013 by tomprobert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fearless Frankie Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 " " Words cannot do this build justice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hi Tony, I warm the paint in warm water first as it helps the paint spray more smoothly and thus you get a smoother finish. As the paint is warmer the solvent evaporates off more quickly and thus the paint dries faster. I don't know the exact science behind it but it certainly seems to work. Well worth a few extra minutes warming the paint up! Tom Cheers Tom, I'll have to give that a go... Never built a vacform before but have recently obtained a 1/48 Sanger A.W Whitley as my first attempt, straight in at the deep end... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richdlc Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 looking awesome tom! I picked up that jerry rutman norden at telford too for the B-17, it's sweet just a small observation (and I don't want to rain on your parade) but I was under the impression that all wing tip lights are clear - it's the bulbs themselves that are coloured... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammy da fish Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 "just a small observation (and I don't want to rain on your parade) but I was under the impression that all wing tip lights are clear - it's the bulbs themselves that are coloured..." Not so check each subject first, some have coloured perspex covers whilst a few indeed will have just coloured bulbs. These days is not the normal pratice. Bulbs require changing a lot more often compared to the cover and the extra cost red/green bulbs is not justifed. SF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richdlc Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 aha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 (edited) Excellent work Tom as always, the wingtip lights looking at this photo shows clear perspex with green/red bulbs http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbobbe/6166786130/lightbox/ Edited March 6, 2013 by kev67 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hi Tony, I warm the paint in warm water first as it helps the paint spray more smoothly and thus you get a smoother finish. As the paint is warmer the solvent evaporates off more quickly and thus the paint dries faster. I don't know the exact science behind it but it certainly seems to work. Well worth a few extra minutes warming the paint up! Tom neat idea, will file that for future reference, she is looking fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprue Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hi Tom This is quite a beast, and you appear to have mastered it. It must be huge and weigh a ton. A very nice build indeed. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik W Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hi Tom, This really is inspirational work, truly a master-class in Vacform Building and scratch-building components! Quick question for you, seeing your builds and after being bitten by the vacform bug while building my Wyvern (which I really need to update) I decided to jump in at the deep end and get myself both the Sanger Shackleton AEW 2 and the B-47. Having followed your Shack build and this, I know that with vacforms like those from Sanger I'm going to need to invest in a hefty dose of filler and I don't think my little tubes of Squadron Green & White are quite going to cut the mustard. What is the filler you use on these kits and where about is it available? I'm in the planning stages of the Shackleton just now and want to get as much in place as I can before I make a start on things. Keep up the great work though, your builds really are an inspiration! Regards, Nik 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Nik, Tom uses a car body filler, P38. It is smelly and lingures but it works well! (Use outside, in a shed or something!) I've got myself some Bonds FEW, which is the same as P38 but slightly finer to sand, both do the same job though! I never used car body filler on a plastic model before as I thought it might be to hot for the plastic but it's great and really strong! Good luck with the Shackleton and B-47! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik W Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Radleigh, thats ace! I'm sure Tom has probably already told us what he uses somewhere, but I'm at work just now and trawling through the thread is sadly not an option in an open plan office! Thanks for the tips on using it outdoors as well, think I might be making a trip to Halfords or somewhere similar when I finish work this evening! Cheers mate! Nik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 (edited) Hi Tom, This really is inspirational work, truly a master-class in Vacform Building and scratch-building components! Quick question for you, seeing your builds and after being bitten by the vacform bug while building my Wyvern (which I really need to update) I decided to jump in at the deep end and get myself both the Sanger Shackleton AEW 2 and the B-47. Having followed your Shack build and this, I know that with vacforms like those from Sanger I'm going to need to invest in a hefty dose of filler and I don't think my little tubes of Squadron Green & White are quite going to cut the mustard. What is the filler you use on these kits and where about is it available? I'm in the planning stages of the Shackleton just now and want to get as much in place as I can before I make a start on things. Keep up the great work though, your builds really are an inspiration! Regards, Nik You're too kind! Radders has hit the nail on the head... I use P38 car body filler which you can get from most good motor shops. It stinks to high heaven but dries very quickly and sands beautifully. It is also very easy to scribe, too. It doesn't shrink either which is really handy so it can be used to cover huge gaps - which you're sure to find when building kits such as these. I then do any smaller blemishes with Squadron Green putty or Revell filler. HTH, Tom Edited March 6, 2013 by tomprobert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 Cheers Tom, I'll have to give that a go... Never built a vacform before but have recently obtained a 1/48 Sanger A.W Whitley as my first attempt, straight in at the deep end... You're a mad man! In all seriousness, this will be an interesting one to watch. I've thought about the Whitley myself - I don't think it'll be too bad if his recent releases are anything to go by. I've got the Sanger Manchester lined up as a potential project once this '29 is done, and have another of Sanger's Shackletons (to do a Mk3) but I'm not looking too far ahead as this build has a few months to run yet! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 looking awesome tom! I picked up that jerry rutman norden at telford too for the B-17, it's sweet just a small observation (and I don't want to rain on your parade) but I was under the impression that all wing tip lights are clear - it's the bulbs themselves that are coloured... Some interesting thoughts on the wing-tip lights chaps... I did some research and there seemed to be varying evidence - earlier B-29s seemed to all be fitted with clear lenses and coloured bulbs, and later ones with tinted lenses. Looking at this photo (used for illustrative purposes only) you can see the lense is fairly dark, indicating it is tinted: Also, and I know not be relied upon all of the time, but this colour profile showed tinted lenses - again used for illustrative purposes only: As mine will be a post-war B-29 of 1947 vintage I thought I'd go with the coloured tip lenses. I don't know for sure if it's accurate, but I like them! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 Why is it that when you think you have got every join-line perfect, you go back a few days later and lo and behold one has reappeared and is grinning at you from the top of the fuselage? So... out comes the filler and sandpaper... again... Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 As the weather has turned cold and damp again, I have hit the buffers in terms of doing any main airframe painting. However, I have had the opportunity to get a little bit of painting done with the landing gear. It's a case of dashing outside, a quick burst of spray and then quickly into the boiler cupboard to dry! Here is how the scratch-built nose-gear looked before any paint was applied: And now here we are painted up: The base coat is Halford's aluminium, with a few stencils added from the spares box. After a coat of satin varnish, I added the stainless steel to the oleos and retraction jacks using self adhesive foil, and then gave the legs a very light wash using thinned enamel dark grey paint. Finally, I added hydraulic leaks using very diluted gloss brown to give an oily/grubby effect around the moving parts etc. The main legs got the same treatment. Before: After: I haven't got around to the main wheels yet but these will be done when the airbrush is next out. Now it's just a case of waiting for some warmer weather. It's not too much to ask is it? Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneheadff Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 That is just...WOW!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Looks good Tom - a man of your skills should really treat himself to a permanent spray booth of some sort, so you're not at the vagaries of the British weather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Looks good Tom - a man of your skills should really treat himself to a permanent spray booth of some sort, so you're not at the vagaries of the British weather Thanks Mike - and yes it would be nice. One day perhaps, when I'm not living in a rented flat and have a proper 'man cave!' Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Those undercarriage legs are fantastic Tom, absolute perfection. Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 The undercarriage legs look excellent very realistic especially when you have scratched built them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Looking good Tom. The undercarriage legs have come out beautifully ! As mentioned by someone you really should invest in a booth...I got sick of relying on the weather and shed being warm enough, etc and so not wanting to shell out a lot on a smaller sized one I decided to build with help from a pal of mine who makes full sized auto ones for a living...this is in my new loft workshop and works superbly, Power comes courtesy of a BMW M3 racing radiator that shift 1250 cfm, directly out into the atmosphere via a rigid pipe ........ more than enough to remove all nasty niffs and small parts if I'm not careful... I use card wrapped around the rear of the booth to catch oversparay...cheap and effective. It's a good size as you can see by the big Bucc and will accommodate just about anything that I'll build........................a 1/32nd B-29 is another matter though !! Look forward to progress, Melchie.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Amazing a plane that huge had a free-castoring nose wheel. No wonder so many of them piled up on landing..... Seriously- The B-29 had a worse accident record than the Martin B-26, in terms of accidents per 100,000 flying hours. Beautiful work on the Undercarriage, Tom!! -d- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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