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1/72 EB-57B Vermont ANG


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This is #10 in my Vermont ANG line. 

No conversion to be found for the Italeri kit, so a huge number of modifications to be done on my own, including the engine intakes and exhausts.  Intakes since they are inaccurate for the EB, and the exhausts because they are almost non-existent and need more than 4mm of depth.  Yes, those are McD's straws providing the exhaust chamber.

 

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Cockpit canopy will be closed, but it's transparent enough to need something better underneath than what is given.  Basic structure is ok, just saw that a secondary right-hand panel is needed.  Decals were cut from Hasegawa F-4 Phantom cockpit decals, a huge improvement.  

Found it interesting that the cockpit controls cover the sidewalls of the front cockpit, not only the horizontal surfaces.  

One additional black box for each cockpit at the top left hand.  

 

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Large rectangular blade antennae which cover this, especially the ventrals, are made from kit sprue heavily thinned, as this will be stronger than making them from Evergreen styrene.

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Here's how I did the ALE-2 chaff dispenser pods.  Going with a combination of photos and the measurements redone to 1/72 (58.7mm x 6.9mm) I used sections of gunpods from the Hasegawa Weapons Set #2 to make the body and tailcone.  After a lot of sanding to shape, the details were added or cut or drilled in.  

 

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This is great work and looks good!  I don't think I ever saw these aircraft in person when they were still in service, but I recall seeing snaps of a VT ANG EB-57 at the 1982 Andrews AFB Open House. It was painted overall FS16473 and had DayGlo Orange areas on the wings, tip-tanks, and rear fuselage.  Is that going to be your color scheme?

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1 hour ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

This is great work and looks good!  I don't think I ever saw these aircraft in person when they were still in service, but I recall seeing snaps of a VT ANG EB-57 at the 1982 Andrews AFB Open House. It was painted overall FS16473 and had DayGlo Orange areas on the wings, tip-tanks, and rear fuselage.  Is that going to be your color scheme?

Yep, that's the scheme! Although by then they were using International Orange.  

This one will fill a sizeable gap in my VT lineup. :)

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3 hours ago, Andrew D Jolly Rogers guy said:

Here's how I did the ALE-2 chaff dispenser pods.  Going with a combination of photos and the measurements redone to 1/72 (58.7mm x 6.9mm) I used sections of gunpods from the Hasegawa Weapons Set #2 to make the body and tailcone.  After a lot of sanding to shape, the details were added or cut or drilled in.  

 

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Now if only somebody would make resin bits of these.....

PM

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1 hour ago, Patrick Martin said:

Now if only somebody would make resin bits of these.....

PM

Funny you should mention...I actually made THREE, am planning on offering the third to a resin/decal specialist....will see....

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Now that's what you call making the most of available resources! Wonderfully done. I really like the instrument and console panels in the cockpit!

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Thank you!

 

Here are the plethora of EB mods, all scratchbuilt.  Did the best I could; one of the items under the tail I'm not sure about the shape...did the best I could with the references I could find.  Large beacon light above and below made from carving/filing/sanding clear sprue.

There's a plug under the nose where I had to drill a hole to add even more weight; I had added some before, but it wasn't enough; it needed a LOT.

 

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Edited by Andrew D Jolly Rogers guy
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1 hour ago, Andrew D Jolly Rogers guy said:

Thank you!

 

Here are the plethora of EB mods, all scratchbuilt.  Did the best I could; one of the items under the tail I'm not sure about the shape...did the best I could with the references I could find. 

 

 

 

It’s looking good and a really interesting subject. I suspect the configuration was dependent on the individual aircraft.  I seem to recall that even the marking between the grey/red areas were unique to each airframe as well.

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2 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Wow!  That's amazing detail.  Did these aircraft have a combat mission in the 80s, or were they just for training air defense personnel?

 

As far as I can ascertain, they were "electronic aggressors," quite a deviation from the unit's historic mission of air defense of the Northeast USA.  Apparently they were able to mimic a fair number of bomber approach possibilities, although I don't know the details much beyond that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Painting this beast is going far slower than I'd anticipated....but has the potential to be a real beauty if I keep my focus.  Then again, I've got plenty of distractions, being a teacher at the end of the school year in a crisis....

 

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On 03/05/2020 at 16:30, Andrew D Jolly Rogers guy said:

I had to drill a hole to add even more weight; I had added some before, but it wasn't enough; it needed a LOT.

You're not wrong there! 

I did the Airfix kit in 1.48 and I'd categorise the ballast as "loads"! 

Rows of 2"steel nails inserted between the cockpit tub and the fuselage sides plus the nose filled. 

You're doing a great job with this, and the chaff pods are ace 

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Nice sharp painting of the orange. Can you explain the mods you did for the intakes, are the Italeri ones incorrect ?

 

Regards

Robert

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Looking good so far!  FWIW, intakes on the American-built B-57A,B,C, and E models looked like this, with the "two-holer" or just "split" lower intakes:

 

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while the B-57G and possibly some (not all?) of the EB-57B's looked like this:

 

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The D and F models were, of course, totally different.

 

None of the 1/72 kits that I've seen personally have these intakes correct on the AMERICAN VERSIONS; they all depict the British engines of the original Canberra design.

 

Ed

 

 

Edited by TheRealMrEd
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Decaling was a nightmare...I've really got to stop choosing subjects for which there are no available decals!

 

It took all day, using whatever I was able, but here's what I scavenged from:

     -Wolfpak decals (EB-57 from 72-024 "Arctic Air Command," Vermont-specific F-102 markings from 72-072)

     -Serial number lettering from Repliscale USAF letters/numbers sheet, combined with numbers from Wolfpak EB-57 markings

     -Hasegawa kit decals: ANG badge, outstanding unit ribbon

     -Superscale: F-4 and F-102 stencilling/labelling 

     -Italeri B-57 kit decals: engine striping

 

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Thanks Smudge!

 

Spent several tedious days poring over every photo of Vermont's EB's I could in order to figure out more of the stencilling.  Pretty much nothing available right now in 1/72, so I tried to match what I saw with Superscale F-4 and F-102 stencils/markings.  Got reasonably close, enough to make the airframe appear "busy" and mostly accurate.  All improvised.

Yes, the "NO STEP" stencils were cut into two so the "NO" could be positioned over the "STEP" instead of in-line with it.  

Bomb bay striping (thin black stripe) was from Hasegawa kit F-4 walkway line decals.  

 

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Wow—this is awesome—I remember these aircraft growing up in VT—also remember speaking with and growing up around crews and maintainers who transitioned from F-102s to EB-57s to F-4s and then F-16s—there are even a few still around who came out to see the first F-35s.  Anyway, your spectacular build is spot on—I will be using it a lot when I attempt my own B-57 to EB-57 conversion—will be hard to come close—I really appreciate  what you did with the antenna farm, 3 hole intakes and custom chaff dispensers.  Only thought I had that might be of interest/use is I thought the actual EB-57s had an orange or red tail supports/stand that would hang off the back of the tail (believe the Crew Chiefs removed before the aircrews preflight)  I believe the EB-57 at the VTANG has it still on (I am no longer local otherwise I would take a picture)—anyway, given the amount of detail you have you probably already knew about that or I am off.  Bravo—beyond the obvious stellar craftsmanship, this a great trip down memory lane for me—thank you

Edited by VT Red Sox Fan
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