Jump to content

1/144 - Convair B-36B/D/F/H/J & NB-36H Peacemaker by Roden - released


Homebee

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, SAT69 said:

That's over $93 for us in the United States and I don't believe that includes shipping. 

 

Correct its sans shipping.

 

However, any US buyers need to strip out VAT, so the purchase price of the kit reduces by 20%. It of course could be moot as there are possibly (probable?) local sources with better prices even with the VAT stripped out.

 

Tommo.
 

Edited by The Tomohawk Kid
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

In comparing photos of the real B-36, to the photos of the kit components, it didn’t take me very long to come to the conclusion that we have a more detailed inaccurate 1/144 B-36. There are some errors that I immediately noticed, even before looking at photos of the real thing. The blisters on the top of the wing near the root should have a smooth tear drop profile. The kit blisters seem to have a more triangular profile. The fairings for the undercarriage bogies under the wing should be smoother, with the front and rear tapering up to almost the wing surface, and the kit ones look way too chunky and box shaped. The wing to fuselage joint, there should only be a small area of the wing that carries on through span wise, probably 4-6’ fore and aft at best on the real thing, in 1/144 about 1/2” at best. There is a very large and noticeable aerodynamic balance on both the elevators and rudder, much like the B-29. The kit rudder is close, but the elevators lack this entirely! I could go on, but with those errors I am not going to pay through the nose for another inaccurate 1/144 B-36! I have the Hobbycrap B-36B, that I paid $40 CDN. for, including taxes, and it will be ok next to the ceiling above my 1/72 B-36. I never compare against drawings, as they are just as interpretive as a model. Only factory blueprints or a drawing taken from blueprints, and photos of the real animal are in my opinion reliable sources. £58.33 at the big H! In the great white north, that is practically $100 CDN! Shipping on top of that! When I can land a new tool Zvezda 1/72 C-130 for $80 CDN. Including shipping, it’s not a very fair price for what has been done.
Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, however if you start comparing the Roden kit to photos, it won’t take too long to come to the same conclusion.

Take care and stay safe 

Jeff :)

  • Like 2
  • Sad 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Mike Esposito said:

Jeff: Mr B17: did Roden at least get the dihedral right? Looks to be...🤔

I have no way of knowing, without dry fitting the Roden kit. That being said, the B-36 wing is 230’ in span, and it does droop on the ground. The amount of droop will vary depending on the fuel load, and possibly the D and later models a bit more due to the weight of the jet pods. I have just watched Flory models review on YouTube, and there are even more disappointments, you can clearly see the points I have already mentioned, and the clear parts are reminiscent of 1960’s clear parts. Upon closer examination of the wing to fuselage junction, both Hobbycrap and Roden have the same issue, and it makes me wonder if the wing is mounted too high in relation to the fuselage. I have attached photos of real B-36’s so that you can see that I am not just whistling Dixie. I earlier commented that the area of the wing that continues through along the top, must be 4’-6’ fore and aft. I have no blueprints, so that was a guess. The photos I have found show that this area is much shorter fore and aft, with the crew near the junction, and an average height of 5’6”, this must be closer to 2’, in 1/144 scale, just under 1/4”. If the wing was mounted lower, it would close the distance at the wing junction, that isn’t going to be easy to fix on either kit. The Hobbycrap horizontal stabilizer and elevator are much more correct than the Roden kit. The Hobbycrap B-36 features a separate rudder, which is quite often canted to either side, due to its massive size in the wind. The dihedral of the wing is given as 2°, and the angle of incidence 3° and washout -2°. The latter two measurements are not as noticeable as the dihedral in 1/144 scale. The photos show how much the wing flexes in flight and on the ground static, with no fuel and with fuel. So the wing flex is going to depend on how the model is displayed. I have included some photos of my Hobbycrap B-36B, I don’t have the clear parts readily accessible, but I can tell you that they are far superior to the Roden clear parts. The Hobbycrap wheels are incorrect for a B, whereas the Roden wheels are correct. I am going to have mine in flight, so not a problem. Because the construction of the Hobbycrap wing is only 2 pieces top and bottom, the dihedral is relatively easy to fix. If the Roden kit has a dihedral issue, it will be more difficult because of the 4 piece construction, and the fuselage joint. I have no way of knowing if that is even an issue, perhaps a more comprehensive review will be forthcoming. If the price of the Roden kit was more reasonable, I might consider a later version. I might just have to mold and cast the Hobbycrap horizontal stabilizer if the price becomes more affordable. I think the Hobbycrap molds for their B-36 might be in the hands of either Academy or Minicraft, it would be a good move to have these rereleased ASAP, for a much more affordable price, hint hint.

B7E56337-A05F-4941-8FB1-AD0FE16988CC

wheel bogey fairing 

019B1C74-798A-46C5-BEAF-65239C9CE279

horizontal stabilizer and elevator 

0C180CE5-5CC9-4636-BDA0-5B276E0C15D8

Wing flex

A8E150BF-E7FD-43A4-BAD3-5AD3940F5309

head on wing dihedral, no load, empty tanks.

779D3E63-532F-461C-B393-514CE3AF7172

Wing to fuselage junction and blisters

15606852-D8C1-4659-8925-9014A0BBDA10

Wing to fuselage junction with crew for size reference 

3AF992FC-93E1-47C6-A586-7A0C3FAE9994

B-36B wing droop with fuel 

9548424D-094B-409C-9A6F-91BD7AB5FF4A

Hobbycrap 1/144 B-36B wing head on 

9AD24FD5-A8CC-48B1-A51C-73088441A3E9

Hobbycrap 1/144 B-36B layout with propeller sprues top and bottom minus clear parts 

72AA91D8-3698-4F27-8EC1-8E10E32BE397

Hobbycrap 1/144 B-36B horizontal stabilizer and elevator. Note the trim and balance tab actuator rods are on both the top and bottom, photos show this to be correct.

9A574481-BBC0-4E16-824D-5E0AB9BEA27B

Hobbycrap 1/144 B-36B rudder

 

Hopefully these photos will be of some help to fellow B-36 aficionados 

Take care and stay safe 

Jeff :)

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Violet Club said:

Hi,

 

If I understand, The old Monogram 1/72 B-36 remains the only Accurate Peacemaker at this time ?

 

All the Best,

 

Violet Club

 

 

I would say, most accurate. When that kit was released in 1980, it was the most exiting kit for me second to the Monogram 1/48 B-17G 5 years earlier. I converted it into a B-36B, but it suffered major damage during a move, and subsequently became an aerodynamic test model, when released from a kite 150’ high! It might have made a smooth belly landing in the grass, if I had given it another 50’.  I have a 2nd Monogram 1/72 B-36 in progress, getting close to the bare metal foil stage. It is a real head turner, especially when it is displayed with other 1/72 aircraft. It will be a wall or ceiling dweller due to space limitations. The 1/144 scale B-36 is half the size, and is about 3.5” less in span than a 1/72 B-29. The Monogram 1/72 B-36 is about 3” greater in span than the Monogram 1/48 B-29!

 

Take care and stay safe 

Jeff :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

IMHO, Roden gets right the wing dihedral on their B-36B kit. I am working on it now and taped together the wings and compared them to this General Dynamics drawing, https://www.air-and-space.com/peacemkr/planl.gif

 

This is a subtle thing. The dihedral is most obvious on the wing lower surface. The top is near flat but of course the angle will probably vary a bit depending on whether the bomber is resting on the ground or in flight.

 

I also considered some of the photos available on the net, and compared the Roden wings to the wings in the Hobbycraft kit. The difference is obvious. Hobbycraft wings have anhedral along the wing upper surface and the lower surface is nearly flat. I can live with a few errors in the details but I am quite happy that Roden took the effort to get the wings right.

 

Bravo Roden!

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Homebee changed the title to 1/144 - Convair B-36B/D Peacemaker by Roden - B-36B (early) released - B-36D in 2021
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Homebee changed the title to 1/144 - Convair B-36B/D/F/H/J Peacemaker by Roden - B-36B (early) & B-36D/F/H/J released
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

I’ve begun to try to build this last night. It’s big.

the wing has to be some of the heaviest plastic I’ve ever seen. The biggest complaints I have are: 

1. the main gear has to be installed when you put the wings together because there are two parts, one being a retraction arm for the main gear leg. It’s mounting slot is inside the wing. Masking will be problematic. 
2. the sprue attachment points are huge. Cut as far away as possible from the wing. I’ve already got one divet in the wing trying to remove it from the sprue. 
3. the mounting tabs on the elevators are about twice as thick as the slot is wide. Looks like some serious grinding because the tab is centered on the slot so I need to thin the tabs down. It looks like it might be easier to widen the slots.
 

As to the discussion of there being no cockpit…I feel that with the clarity of the canopies and after masking, it will extremely difficult to see anything inside. I’m thinking I’ll paint the inside black and be done with it.
I did the academy B-1B recently and it had a rudimentary flight deck. You can’t see much when finished.

 

this is going to be a large model, even in 1/144…and heavy. Roden has made some heavy plastic here and add in 20 grams of weight.

It’s going to require a LOT of paint.

 

here is a preliminary look. My spray booth ain’t big enough!

 

p?i=a587d5d2bcb6b864dcf64726ac1b23f9

 

Edited by Bejay53
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow - looks a monster. I’m looking forward to starting mine once the builders have cleared out and I have somewhere other than the kitchen table to do so - as you say, it’s not petite!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Homebee changed the title to 1/144 - Convair B-36B/D/F/H/J Peacemaker by Roden - released
  • 8 months later...
  • Homebee changed the title to 1/144 - Convair B-36B/D/F/H/J Peacemaker by Roden - released - NB-36H Crusader in May 2022
  • Homebee changed the title to 1/144 - Convair B-36B/D/F/H/J & NB-36H Peacemaker by Roden - released

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...