1/48 Hph B-36 SAC Part1

[Alan P]

7 minutes ago, LorenSharp said:

If you use only one eye, squint and don't look too closely its passable.

It's okay, I have a relatively low awe threshold, you're all good 😂

[LorenSharp]

After a bit of a hiatus, we return to the continuing saga of adventures in fibreglass and resin. Rather than go through the step by step of the port wing ( It's pretty much a wash, rinse, repeat, of the starboard wing) A simple highlight of something I discovered that I thought I would pass on to all.  After putting all the aluminum foil on, I started the weather and I came up with a way to create good streaking. After using my acrylic art paint/ IPA mix and letting it dry I took a micro mesh cloth (the kind you use to clean and detail a car with) dampened with IPA and lightly brushed it in the direction of the airflow. Because the fibres are not uniform and slightly abrasive they give a randomness to the  streaking. I've used brushes, paper towels, and just about any kind of cloth you could think of but wasn't really satisfied with the outcome. This though even manages to vary the intensity of the streaking.

From there  I finished up the landing gear hydraulic brake cabling

 

 

[LorenSharp]

There, now that flickr is back up I can continue....

 

Adding the gear  on.

and then attaching the bomb bay door mechanisms.  by the instructions  looked simple to attach. Reality, that's a different matter. 2 days of working with itty bitty little P/E parts and a lot of readjusting to fit right. The simple piston and arms I added card and rod to add some detail to the actual mechanism. That was the easiest of the whole exercise.

Printed out some caution decals for the doors and added the hinge parts along with the ordinance.

And the rest of the doors.

Coming into the home stretch. Bottom is done. Now to finish up the top turrets and add the tail and nose cannons, add the final little pieces that would have gotten broken and lost by now. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel I think ...  nope, wrong again, just another train approaching. But after a year its almost there. So stay tuned Guys, the season finale will be here soon.

 

 

[B.sin]

Fantastic!

[bar side]

Nice work Loren.  Those wheels must have some weight to support but the detail looks great

[LorenSharp]

2 hours ago, bar side said:

Nice work Loren.  Those wheels must have some weight to support but the detail looks great

They are hearty. Resin with a solid brass rod core. Although big, kinda plain and screamed out for more. But even the real thing didn't a lot on it.

[71chally]

How on earth have I missed this!!  Absolutely superb work, obviously really well researched and rendered on a huge canvas.

I knew the HpH kit wouldn't be shake n bake, but you have had to do so much to improve the kit, and then added all the bits that you didn't have to, awesome (in the true sense!0 work.

[Sabrejet]

Apologies for a bit of thread hijack but I remembered that I too have a B-36 project: here's my starting point. Just a few bits missing from my B-36H...

 

 

[71chally]

1 minute ago, Sabrejet said:

Just a few bits missing from my B-36H...

Nice little collection, are they from 51-5719 that came down in Wiltshire?

[Sabrejet]

Just now, 71chally said:

Nice little collection, are they from 51-5719 that came down in Wiltshire?

They are indeed!

[71chally]

I used to know a very keen detectorist, he had some parts from this aswel.  Must have been one hell of an event at the time!

[LorenSharp]

Continuing on, Finished the legs for the upper turrets.

Folded

And Extended.

Finished the front turret bay using the idea as the rear bay.Ammo belts from masking tape and shells from cut rod and thread for electrical cabling. the one addition was an access port from the radio compartment.

 

 

[LorenSharp]

Then just a matter of adding the turrets themselves, the rear,

and the forward turrets.

The Nose guns

and the stinger

Now ready to take anyone who wishes to be a downer on my day.

 

[Alan P]

Very cool ammo belts. I will be stealing that idea! 

[bar side]

I had never considered how the B-36 turrets worked before.  Very nice work Loren. Sure you have seen this before but I was just googling after reading your post

 

 

[LorenSharp]

1 hour ago, bar side said:

I had never considered how the B-36 turrets worked before.  Very nice work Loren. Sure you have seen this before but I was just googling after reading your post

 

 

It was a funky,but ingenious design. How well it would have worked defending against an enemy assault is anybody:'s guess. Myself I don't think I would want to face  10  20mm cannon. An interesting aside, at it's operational altitude of 40-50,000 feet, the B-36 could out manuever the jets of the day.

[bar side]

Funky yes, but probably heavy & ultimately fairly pointless.  I liked the Falklands where they stuck some sidewinders on the Nimrod for self air defence.  Would love a Nimrod in 1/48 but no one does a kit.  It’s in the back of my mind for a one day scratch project

[71chally]

10 hours ago, bar side said:

Funky yes, but probably heavy & ultimately fairly pointless. 

It was found to be and that's why the Featherweight programme came into being, stripping the B-36 of defensive armament (apart from the tail guns) and all the associated equipment and crew, it must have saved a fair amount of weight.  It then relied on it's superior manoeuvrability at upper levels, as Lorensharp touched on.

 

Great work on those turrets and the feed belts!

 

 

[LorenSharp]

By the time the featherweight programme was finished, the turrets, crew comfort, and gunners stations were removed. some where in the neighborhood of 20,000 lbs saved.  Range was the primary goal. The original combat order would have the B-36 fly to a prepositioned forward base for refueling and arming before bombing mission. Kinda like flying the Hump. Featherweight I,II,and III not only increased the range but the operating  ceiling rose to 47,000 ft.Although some crew said they regularly exceeded 50,000 feet. The B-36 also carried the largest bomb load of any aircraft even today. Maximum bomb load was 87,200 lbs. To put it in context, the B-52  carries 70,000 lbs. The B-36 also was the only aircraft to handle to two heaviest bombs in the inventory, the Mk17 Nuclear bomb  at 43,000 lbs and the T-12 Cloudmaker gravity bomb at 43,600lbs any way you cut it thats the Mother of all Bomb loads. Not too shabby for 40's tech.

[LorenSharp]

Wings have been attached and surprise, surprise, sits level!

This has been a long and arduous aggravating and educational journey. It's actually been quite fun. so without further ado.....

The XB-70 outside is for Exdraken. He had mentioned wondering what it would look like outside. So here you are, and a little friend for support.

"Over the Intercom"

Good after  noon and welcome to Disast Air flight 86 to RFI. If you are going to RFI you're in the right place, if not you're about to have a very long evening.
In the event of a loss of cabin pressure these baggy things will drop down over your head. You stick it over your nose and mouth like the flight attendant is

doing now. The bag won’t inflate, but there’s oxygen there, I promise. If you are sitting next to a small child, or someone who is acting like a small child, please

do us all a favor and put on your mask first.
If you are traveling with two or more children, please take a moment now to decide which one you love more. Help that one first, and then work your way down.
In the seat pocket in front of you is a pamphlet about the safety features of this plane. I usually use it as a fan when I’m having my own personal summer. It makes

a very good fan. It also has pretty pictures. Please take it out and play with it now, Also take a moment now to make sure your seat belts are fastened low and tight about your waist. To fasten the belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle. To release, it’s a pulley thing — not a pushy thing like you’re car cuz you’re in an airplane, Hello! If you don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised. Martian And General Melchett are excepted. Only because they are usually in the back causing all sorts of mayhem with the flight attendants .

There is no smoking in the cabin on this flight. There is also no smoking in the lavatories. If we see smoke coming from the lavatories, we will assume you are on fire and put you out. This is a free service we provide. But there are two smoking sections on this flight, one outside each wing exit. We do have a movie in the smoking sections tonight, hold on, let me check what it is . . . Oh here it is, the movie tonight is ‘Gone with the Wind’. Also if you can light it, you can smoke it. In a moment we will be turning off the cabin lights, and it’s going to get really dark, really fast. If you’re afraid of the dark, now would be a good time to reach up and press the yellow button. The yellow button turns on your reading light. Please don’t press the orange button unless you absolutely have to. The orange button is your seat ejection button. Thank you and remember nobody loves you or your money more than Disast Air. Especially when we get to take you for a ride. We shall be beginning engine startup and taxi for take off shortly.

 I almost forgot, here is the RFI link

I now return you  to your regularly scheduled programing "Celebrity Jello Wrasslin' Death Match... Christian Bale vs. Adam West

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

One of my favorite movies of all time if for no other reason than the footage of this magnificent beast. Love your introduction to Disast-air BTW. 

[bar side]

She’s looking stunning.  It’s hard to get the scale in your head until you put her with something you can relate to like the F-86D.  There I so much detail across such a big airframe that doesn’t compare to building a ‘normal’ size model. And you have more than done her justice.  Looks good with the Valkyrie - bring on the B-52!

[exdraken]

Wow, fantastic!!

 

And thanks for the comparison, outside photos!

Such beasts!

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Nuts.  Fabulous, but as nutty as a fruit cake.

 

Love it!

[TallBlondJohn]

Not the Nine O'Clock News airline safety:

 

Good afternoon, Ladies & Gentlemen. Captain Wang and his crew, welcome you aboard Flight 1203 to Los Angeles. We hope that you'll have a pleasant flight, and that we don't encounter any turbulence, and crash the plane.
For your own safety and convenience, please locate the instruction card in the pouch in front of you. It is situated between the crumpled magazine with the Robert Morley interviews, and the piece of orange peel.
We would like to stress, that in the unlikely event of anything going wrong, any attempt to escape from the aircraft is futile. Please fasten your safety belt and extinguish your cigarette. Shame though it is to waste your last one.
When disaster strikes, there may be a slight loss of cabin pressure, and a reduction in the number of wings. In this event, a plastic mask will automatically drop down. Place it over your nose, and pull hard to release the oxygen. Then attempt to fit the broken cord back into the hole from which the air is now pouring. Please note that your lifejacket is under your seat. It is impossible to get it out, particularly with your seatbelt on, so we have one already prepared here. Place it over your head, then tie the straps around you. To inflate, pull the green tag, press the yellow button, unzip the toggle-pocket, unscrew the air-valve, anticlockwise, and yell... INFLATE, YOU STUPID BUGGER..!
Next, remove from your person, any sharp objects, such as, fragments of red-hot engine casing, and make your way to the escape routes. These are located over the wings, so you people there, there, and there, have absolutely no chance, and we apologise for having wasted your time.
Well enough of this maudlin talk. This has been your chief stewardess speaking, and demonstrating the regulations was Lola, who's a right little strumpet, and willing to oblige you in any way at all.
Captain Wang and his crew, wish you a very short and pleasant flight.