Airfix 1/72 B-29A Superfortress

[Dereknf]

My effort at an ancient Airfix kit from 1965 and in places it shows. Not too difficult to build although the bomb doors weren't a great fit. Took a fair bit of weight to sit properly.  I modified it to represent the Enola Gay as it was in 1945. This involved removing the four remote gun turrets and using a Superscale sheet for the markings. Sprayed using Vallejo silver and aluminum.

 

20180401_192711_edit by dereknferguson, on Flickr

20180401_192650_edit by dereknferguson, on Flickr

20180401_192639_edit by dereknferguson, on Flickr

20180401_192624_edit by dereknferguson, on Flickr

[arbrownra]

I remember always wanting one of these as a child.  

 

Yours has turned out really well.

 

Thanks for sharing 

[tonyot]

I have very fond memories of building this kit and yours is an absolute corker,......well done indeed,

Cheers

           Tony

[stevej60]

Cracking build Derek,great to see an Airfix Fortress built at all let alone so well

[Knight_Flyer]

Very nicely done. Do wonder if Airfix would consider releasing a new B-29 kit like they've done with the B-25, B-17

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Good effort - Nice looking model of the most well known B29. A model from the days when Airfix employed a shipyard riveter.

[Buzby061]

Very nice indeed. Was given one for Christmas when it first came out. Can guarantee it wasn’t as good as yours. 

 

Pete

[Mark4700]

Fantastic work. 

 

I remember building one of these back in the ‘70’s. Took up all my space though, huge kit. 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Good looking Superfortress.

[Stew Dapple]

This was one of the 'holy grail' Airfix kits for me when I was a kid  

 

Very nice job Derek  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[TonyW]

A very impressive build of a classic kit.

 

I can remember mine almost not being completed way back in time. I had a hell of a time deciding whether to add the gun turrets to the kit as intended or to use them as dalek/robots to fight with my Airfix figures!

 

The plane won in the end, after a few major battles on the lino. The 'daleks' were rubbish at crossing over carpet and my US Marine bazooka teams took them out without trouble at that point.

 

Happy memories!

[Simon Cornes]

Great job on an old kit. It brushes up pretty well to be sure!

[adey m]

Great to see this classic Airfix kit built up so well, rivets and all.

 

Like Stew said this kit was also the Holy Grail for me too. When we were at primary school in Suffolk in the 1960s our teacher would let us read comics from the store room if it was raining heavy outside. Does anybody else remember those Airfix adverts with line drawings of the latest kits available from FW Woolworths and all good model shops that appeared in boys comics at the time.

 

 

Oh how I wished I could have been that boy, admiring my new shiny Airfix Superfortress built so well by someone other than my dad who was not that good at building models.

 

I still remember that shopping trip with my mum to Ipswich. We entered the big Woolworths store and went down I think an escalator into the basement and there straight in front of me was the Airfix kits with the new giant B-29 Superfortress taking pride of place with that exciting action artwork. I so wanted one for years yet it somehow eluded me, there were always other distractions like the new Airfix Lockheed Hercules for my tenth birthday or the FROG Shackleton or the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire for Christmas.

 

 

 

Now I do have one in my unbuilt collection, but it is a Humbrol  1980s issue in light grey plastic with most of the action missing of the box. But maybe one day.

 

Thanks for bringing back those memories Derek.

 

cheers,  adey

 

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by adey m

[mcdonnell]

Hello,Derek - This Beauty was the true ‘Superkit’ of the day back in the ‘60’s.As a young lad then I was awestruck with it.Fast forward a little and I’m equally impressed with this fabulous build of her and she’s a fine tribute to this classic kit.

👏😉👍All The Best,Paul.

[goggsy]

Good job. Am I right in thinking that’s the kit that needed major surgery on the main wheels to get the camber right? 

[Kev The Modeller]

Oh another blast from the past, I got this kit in the early 70's.  You've made a really good job of it mate 

[Hairtrigger]

Beautiful piece of work.   I remember building that with my dad back in the day, it came out pretty good from memory.  Dad though built one entirely unaided by myself and used foil, as he was a bit of a perfectionist it was better than our joint effort.

[Dereknf]

I'm glad this one has provoked so many memories. It was an Airfix kit I never built in my youth but 40 years later there it is. I just need somewhere big enough to put it now....

[Unfinished project]

Nice build this kit is on my wish list

[Brandy]

Nice job! 

 I did actually get this one as a kid and it joined my ceiling display, only to be "shot down" by my Gran (who borrowed my room when she stayed) when she clouted it with her arm while dressing!

 I picked up the pieces, glued it back together and re hung it. That was in the '70s, it now sits in my Dad's loft with all my other childhood kits.

 

Ian

[Brad]

Great job. I've been test fitting mine and trying to decide the best way to deal with those bomb bay doors, they really are a terrible fit.

[bbudde]

This turned out very well. Nice work and it is a kit, which I haven't seen built very often!  I  always wanted one as a kid  but the pocket money  never allowed it. I remember the late 70' when I was always starring at the box with that beautiful art in my local hobbyshop. But out of reach for me. I don't know, if they will make a new one like their B-17 or Wellington etc, but they should do a new Stirling or Do 217 family first. The Academy is a very good kit imho and more often seen being built. Anyway this is obviously the main reason why everyone wanted one as a kid apart from the fact that it's one of the four engined heavies:

Cheers

Edited April 4, 2018 by bbudde

[Uncle Pete]

Nice one.  Funny thing... I'd never noticed how glider-like the aspect ratio of the wings was on those puppies before.

[Uncle Pete]

13 hours ago, limeypilot said:

That was in the '70s, it now sits in my Dad's loft with all my other childhood kits.

 

For me it was the sixties but planes in my my airforce had an average lifespan of ten months. Every November, they got loaded up with penny bangers, making room for the Christmas supply in December and the birthday supply in February!  There's something hypnotic for a small boy to see a Spit or an Me109 suddenly converted to plastic shrapnel.

[Convair]

I also dreamed of this "expensive" kit in the 70's. I only managed to buy an Airfix B-29 (second-hand, in a swap meet) in the 90's, when then the new Academy B-29 1/72 was "in fashion", and those old jewels from Airfix and FROG (as well as vacuum-formed kits) have gone down in price.