Collect-Aire 1/48 Martin XB-51 or The Resin Paperweight

[72modeler]

Loren,

I have been following your WIP since the beginning- what a lot of work (and sanding!) but the results are looking good. Can't believe you're actually tackling the rotary bomb bay! You are a steely-eyed model builder! Thought I would attach some builds in the smaller scale for your viewing pleasure- a shame both prototypes were destroyed, as one of them would have made an amazing museum display as an example of some of the crazy aerodynamic thinking behind the golden age weenie cookers! Looking forward to the RFI!

Mike

 

https://modelingmadness.com/scott/korean/xb51.htm

 

I have seen this one, built by the late, great "Bondo" Phil Brandt- he and Milton Bell were both  Austin, TX modelers, and you won't meet two  nicer gentleman; I was blown away when I saw it for the first time up close and personal!  

http://hyperscale.com/features/2002/xb51pb_1.htm

 

If we ever get an injected one, and I hope someday we will, as it's such a beautiful and unusual aircraft, I'm thinking Valom might be our only hope- of course, as soon as you finish yours, the 2nd Law of Modeling will be in effect, which states "As soon as a major conversion/vacuform/resin project is completed, a new-tool injected kit of the same shall be released."  (Ain't it the truth?)

 

Off-topic, I know, but thought you and others might enjoy reading about a USAF veteran and highly skilled model builder who loved conversions and scratchbuilds like nobody I've ever known.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?n=phil-brandt&pid=161215796&fhid=4303

Edited June 16, 2020 by 72modeler
corrected spelling

[LorenSharp]

28 minutes ago, 72modeler said:

Loren,

I have been following your WIP since the beginning- what a lot of work (and sanding!) but the results are looking good. Can't believe you're actually tackling the rotary bomb bay! You are a steely-eyed model builder! Thought I would attach some builds in the smaller scale for your viewing pleasure- a shame both prototypes were destroyed, as one of them would have made an amazing museum display as an example of some of the crazy aerodynamic thinking behind the golden age weenie cookers! Looking forward to the RFI!

Mike

 

https://modelingmadness.com/scott/korean/xb51.htm

 

I have seen this one, built by the late, great "Bondo" Phil Brandt- he and Milton Bell were both  Austin, TX modelers, and you won't meet two  nicer gentleman; I was blown away when I saw it for the first time up close and personal!  

http://hyperscale.com/features/2002/xb51pb_1.htm

 

If we ever get an injected one, and I hope someday we will, as it;s such a beautiful and unusual aircraft, I'm thinking Valom might be our only hope- of course, as soon as you finish yours, the 2nd Law of Modeling will be in effect, which states "As soon as a major conversion/vacuform/resin project is completed, a new-tool injected kit of the same shall be released."  (Ain't it the truth?)

 

Off-topic, I know, but thought you and others might enjoy reading about a USAF veteran and highly skilled model builder who loved conversions and scratchbuilds like nobody I've ever known.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesman/obituary.aspx?n=phil-brandt&pid=161215796&fhid=4303

Thanks for the links. I'm glad you're enjoying this little excursion into Resinland  🤣 They are what got me started on this little jaunt,  "Bondo" Brant will be missed! Its a shame he hadn't done a progress build of this jet as he had with the others. I am catching several errors that I wish I had noticed before progressing this far. But I have a few builds I want to do following his suggestions and maybe add a winkle or two to the mix.

[general melchett]

Lovely job Loren, just my cup of tea, really looking the part now. Although I've built many resins I've never attempted a Collect Aire offering although a few, including this one, the F-108 and XF-103 sorely tempted me back in the day. Totally agree about Bondo, sadly missed.

Quote

maybe add a winkle or two to the mix.

Good lord, sea food, well, why not, try anything,  I say... 

[Space Ranger]

4 hours ago, 72modeler said:

I have seen this one, built by the late, great "Bondo" Phil Brandt- he and Milton Bell were both  Austin, TX modelers, and you won't meet two  nicer gentleman

"Bondo" was a great guy and a fantastic modeler; he was a regular at IPMS North Central Texas's annual ScaleFest until his untimely passing.

 

And Milton is still with us; he's one of my Facebook friends.

[72modeler]

16 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

And Milton is still with us; he's one of my Facebook friends.

Michael,

 

Too cool! Next time you talk to him, tell him Mike D and Bob A from Alamo Squadron IPMS said hello and hope he and his family are safe and healthy; we'll hook up at the next ASMS contest, if not in San Marcos for the National Convention!

Mike

[Space Ranger]

27 minutes ago, 72modeler said:

Michael,

 

Too cool! Next time you talk to him, tell him Mike D and Bob A from Alamo Squadron IPMS said hello and hope he and his family are safe and healthy; we'll hook up at the next ASMS contest, if not in San Marcos for the National Convention!

Mike

Would "Bob A" be Bob Angel, by chance? I know him, too. I used to visit San Antonio frequently when I was attending UT in Austin back in the late '60s/early '70s, and he, along with Phil Friddell and Frank Emmett were IPMS stalwarts then.

[72modeler]

28 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

Would "Bob A" be Bob Angel, by chance?

Michael,

The one and only! My best friend and modeling mentor for 49 years! Phil and Frank are still alive and kicking, but like many of us at this stage in our lives, not building nearly as much. Phil has a blog that he puts out on a fairly regular basis. See the link below; I think you will see some  familiar names from your UT modeling days!

Mike

[LorenSharp]

6 hours ago, general melchett said:

Lovely job Loren, just my cup of tea, really looking the part now. Although I've built many resins I've never attempted a Collect Aire offering although a few, including this one, the F-108 and XF-103 sorely tempted me back in the day. Totally agree about Bondo, sadly missed.

Good lord, sea food, well, why not, try anything,  I say... 

Possibly General, but you know as they say, "You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish.

[Space Ranger]

5 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Michael,

The one and only! My best friend and modeling mentor for 49 years! Phil and Frank are still alive and kicking, but like many of us at this stage in our lives, not building nearly as much. Phil has a blog that he puts out on a fairly regular basis. See the link below; I think you will see some  familiar names from your UT modeling days!

Mike

I am a subscriber to Phil's blog, and we are frequently in correspondence with each other. I met Phil (and Mike Salyers) when both were working at Dibble's Arts and Hobbies, and met Frank through them. I made regular monthly visits to Dibble's in those days. I last saw Bob A at a San Antonio ModelFiesta a few years back, before it was moved to the other side of town. He hadn't seemed to have changed much then. Tell him I said hello.

Edited June 17, 2020 by Space Ranger

[72modeler]

10 hours ago, Space Ranger said:

I am a subscriber to Phil's blog, and we are frequently in correspondence with each other. I met Phil (and Mike Salyers) when both were working at Dibble's Arts and Hobbies, and met Frank through them. I made regular monthly visits to Dibble's in those days. I last saw Bob A at a San Antonio ModelFiesta a few years back, before it was moved to the other side of town. He hadn't seemed to have changed much then. Tell him I said hello.

Will do, Michael! I see and talk to Bob on a regular basis. Back in the 70-80's, if you hung around Dibbles long enough on a Saturday, you would run into just about every serious SA modeler, and Mike Salyers  was always willing to open up the boxes of the new releases so we could check them out. Sure do miss those days, as well as Mike and Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. You and I must have crossed paths at some point since then. I did a couple of build articles for Phil and Jim Wogstad's old Replica in Scale magazine...small world! (Next time you talk to Ol' Phil, tell him Mike D in San Antonio is still detailing wheel wells- it'll make him laugh!)

Mike

[Space Ranger]

5 hours ago, 72modeler said:

Will do, Michael! I see and talk to Bob on a regular basis. Back in the 70-80's, if you hung around Dibbles long enough on a Saturday, you would run into just about every serious SA modeler, and Mike Salyers  was always willing to open up the boxes of the new releases so we could check them out. Sure do miss those days, as well as Mike and Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. You and I must have crossed paths at some point since then. I did a couple of build articles for Phil and Jim Wogstad's old Replica in Scale magazine...small world! (Next time you talk to Ol' Phil, tell him Mike D in San Antonio is still detailing wheel wells- it'll make him laugh!)

Mike

I was at Dibbles on many a Saturday in the early '70s before returning home to finish college where I started (Midwestern University, Wichita Falls). I'm sure we must have run into each other at some point. And I'll be glad to pass your message on to Phil.

 

(I think think now we should probably relinquish control of this thread back to Loren and his exquisite XB-51!)

[LorenSharp]

Are you kidding? This history lesson is far more valuable this little plane. Especially since I'm waiting for a landing gear redo to finish printing.😉

[LorenSharp]

Once again trying to get the main gear to come a little bit closer to what I wanted. but not correct, but it will have to do.

Another one of those things that poke their head up at the most un-oportune time and shout "Hey LOOK AT ME FOOL!"

Closer inspection I thought the  gear were the wrong height especially the nose gear, but it wasn't the only thing off. the wheel bays are about 6-61/2 mm too narrow. what really pointed this out was with the tyres on the gear doors wouldn't fit correctly.

Had I caught that when the fuselage was in 4 pieces I could have widened the bays enough so everything worked. If you look at it closely, even with the doors off the tyres and gear are way too wide to be retracted. unfortunately this will have to do as it's almost completed and too far along for major surgery of that nature. The tyres would have to be thinned at least a MM on each halve. and drop the gear about 5mm to fit right and get the correct angle sitting stationary. The Bomber actually sat with the nose pointing up

with about a 20 degree pitch. Ahh well, like they say, for want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost. Moving on though,

Slightly better view of the bay detail

 

 

[LorenSharp]

Added the RATO bottles, 

the practice bombs, Couldn't tell from the black and white photos if they were White or yellow, I went with Yellow and black striping for visibility in drop testing.

Then adding the decals. The only  kit decals I used were the red and white Martin logo, the tail numbers, and ship number on the side, everything else came from spares. The kit didn't really come with any stenciling, so again robbed the spares bag for bit and pieces to give it a "legit" look. Added all the little bits like pitot tubes and what not. they will forever be getting snapped off.😝

[AdrianMF]

Looks great! And the engines are handily placed to hide your wheel bay woes.

 

Mind you, I’ve yet to see a Wellington kit where the wheels would fit in the wheel wells either...

 

if it looks really odd In the flesh, could you just attach the doors a mm or so further outward on the lower fuselage skin?

 

Regards,

Adrian

[LorenSharp]

So there you have it, if the weather co-operates tomorrow I'll get pictures of it outside for the RFI. Resin kits are fun, but not for the faint of heart. Had I payed more attention at the outset I would have been happier at the end.

Mainly the engine pods on the sides are too rounded at the front, like an ME-262, the actual were straighter. the gear bays as mentioned earlier, need to be larger width wise and the tyres a touch narrower . But we're taking about a kit that no one is likely to produce main stream that was created 26 years ago. Either way Its a unique addition to the collection. I still have 4-5 Collectaires sitting in the stash, and since this was the first one I ever had tried, not too bad. I'll at least know what to prepare myself for the next time.

Thanks to all for following along And all comments , suggestions and whatnots are always welcome. I now turn you back to your regularly scheduled programe : Marcel Marceu singing the Greatest hits of Englebert Humperdink In Stereo HI-Fi !

[LorenSharp]

11 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

Looks great! And the engines are handily placed to hide your wheel bay woes.

 

Mind you, I’ve yet to see a Wellington kit where the wheels would fit in the wheel wells either...

 

if it looks really odd In the flesh, could you just attach the doors a mm or so further outward on the lower fuselage skin?

 

Regards,

Adrian

That's what I first tried before making new gear. The doors stuck out at a 40 degree angle instead of straight down. the gear sat so close to the opening and being so wide threw it too far off. hence lowered the river instead of raising the bridge. in a manner of speaking.

[Space Ranger]

Nicely done!

 

[LorenSharp]

Addendum....

After letting it sit over night and thinking about it a bit. I did go back and reduce the height of the gears 4mm at thee rear and about 6mm at the front. still too tall but looks a little more presentable.

I can't lower the front anymore because the fuselage will be sitting level which it didn't do.One of the reasons it had landing issues, the wheels had to be level but the fuselage canted up about 20 degrees. If the pilot came in level the front gear touched first and crushed. likewise if he came in too steep, the rear gear crushed. Another unique feature, the B-51 like the B-52 could adjust the gear for crosswind landing.

Here the is the RFI

 

Thanks for following along with this blast from the past. 

[chrislowe]

I've enjoyed following along with your build. Congratulations on a great result! 

[jeaton01]

Loren, thank you for the detailed build thread.  I have one of these to build and your report will help a great deal.  Nice work on a kit that will make you work!