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Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, Revell 1:144


neilg

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Nearby RAF Fairford is currently hosting six B-52s, which have been circling above Gloucestershire over the last few days.

 

What an impressive sight and sound!  Thankfully the weather has been (mostly) good, so there have been lots of opportunities to see these bombers.  When the B-2s visited earlier in the year, I only got to see one through a break in the clouds.

 

 

Seeing the B-52s inspired me to dig out this kit.  Again, it will be the second time that I've made this kit, the first being maybe 15 years ago, which is still at my parents' house.

 

IMG_1898

 

It's a fairly basic kit, and I'm not planning on doing any modifications on it - I don't remember there being any issues last time.

 

Masking the tiny cockpit windows will be a challenge for sure.

 

The stamp inside the wing says copyright 1990, so it's an old kit, but I'm not sure if there are any newer versions in 1:144.

 

The decals still look clean and crisp, and have no yellowing, but I'm hoping they don't disintegrate in the water.

 

I'm looking forward to this!

Edited by neilg
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17 minutes ago, James G said:

I bet it's huge even in 1/144!

 

The span is very large, but actually, it's around the same size as the Concorde - the fuselage is surprisingly narrow:

 

IMG_1901

 

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4 minutes ago, woody37 said:

If it turns out as good as your Concorde, we're in for a treat :)

 

I hope so, but the box art is a bit deceptive - it shows the bomb bay doors open, but there is no option to have open doors, and there is no bomb bay...

 

I don't really feel like butchering the kit and scratch building a bomb bay though.

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15 minutes ago, neilg said:

 

I hope so, but the box art is a bit deceptive - it shows the bomb bay doors open, but there is no option to have open doors, and there is no bomb bay...

 

I don't really feel like butchering the kit and scratch building a bomb bay though.

That sounds rather fiddly in this scale, especially when you have to lift it up to see inside anyway unless it will be hung from the ceiling like the Concorde? If so, it would look pretty cool with some bombs hung below on some fishing line looking like they've just been dropped! That's got you thinking 😂

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54 minutes ago, woody37 said:

That sounds rather fiddly in this scale, especially when you have to lift it up to see inside anyway unless it will be hung from the ceiling like the Concorde? If so, it would look pretty cool with some bombs hung below on some fishing line looking like they've just been dropped! That's got you thinking 😂

 

I'm planning to hang it up to replace a VC-10.

 

The B-52 kit comes with cruise missiles to mount on the wing pylons, but I don't really like the look of them.

 

I'll probably build it without any weapons.

21 minutes ago, Terry1954 said:

This could be good, so I'll follow along. I do like the look of that Concorde too.

 

Terry

 

Thanks, I think the Concorde turned out quite well.

 

There a few more pictures here:

 

 

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I don't like one-piece parts for glazing, but that's what comes with this B-52.

 

IMG_1903

 

Now it's masked, I'm not sure how to fill and sand the joint at the bottom without removing the masking tape.

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The flight deck is fairly simple:  Moulded seats, moulded rudder pedals, separate instrument panel with a decal, and separate yokes.

 

The throttle quadrant has moulded throttle tracks which I picked out with Tamiya panel line accent color, but no levers (unsurprisingly).

 

I'm not sure any of this will be visible through the tiny cockpit windows:

 

IMG_1914

 

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On 8/29/2020 at 5:29 PM, neilg said:

I'm not sure how to fill and sand the joint at the bottom without removing the masking tape.

I’d normally attach my canopies with Microsol kristal Klear, then use either liquid green stuff or perfect plastic putty I fill any gaps; both are water soluble and can either be brushed on ( the green stuff) or wiped with a moistened q-tip or tissue, so no sanding unless you want to.

Edited by Marklo
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25 minutes ago, Marklo said:

I’d normally attach my canopies with Microsol kristal Klear, then use either liquid green stuff or perfect plastic putty I fill any gaps; both are water soluble and can either be brushed on ( the green stuff) or wiped with a moistened q-tip or tissue, so no sanding unless you want to.

 

Ah ok, I've managed to fit it on with no issues - it's actually a very good fit, but it will need a small amount of filler just to make it seamless.

 

I've never used any water-soluble fillers before, I'll need to look at where to get some.

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15 hours ago, neilg said:

I've never used any water-soluble fillers before, I'll need to look at where to get some.

 

The trick is not to overdo the wiping, its very easy to leave a dip. Like everything they take a bit of practice, but worth having in the arsenal.

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1 hour ago, TallBlondJohn said:

 

The trick is not to overdo the wiping, its very easy to leave a dip. Like everything they take a bit of practice, but worth having in the arsenal.

 

I was looking at some tutorials last night on YouTube, it looks like useful stuff to have.

1 hour ago, DMC said:

Off topic: really nice Concordes, had me browsing eBay.  

 

Dennis

 

Can't have too many Concorde models!

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On 8/29/2020 at 5:29 PM, neilg said:

I don't like one-piece parts for glazing, but that's what comes with this B-52.

 

IMG_1903

 

Now it's masked, I'm not sure how to fill and sand the joint at the bottom without removing the masking tape.

Personally, I prefer simple one piece canopies.

Generally, I  cement the fixed part  of any cockpit canopy in place, sort out any issues with the joint  and then mask it.

I do the same for canopies like the one shown - especially WWII types with large , fixed canopies.

Allan

 

Edited by Albeback52
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Just now, Albeback52 said:

I always cement the fixed part  of any cockpit canopy in place, sort out any issues with the joint and then mask it.

I do the same for canopies like the one shown - especially WWII types with large , fixed canopies.

Allan

 

 

Hi, Allan.

 

I was going to do that, but I was worried about dislodging the canopy during masking - then ending up with ragged edges where the cement has dried.  I'm sure this will be no bother with the Contacta Clear, but I used liquid poly to fit the canopy of this B-52.

 

My Revell Twin Otter is on hold because I installed the cabin windows unmasked, and I am sure the windows will push in when I mask them.

 

 

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22 minutes ago, neilg said:

 

Hi, Allan.

 

I was going to do that, but I was worried about dislodging the canopy during masking - then ending up with ragged edges where the cement has dried.  I'm sure this will be no bother with the Contacta Clear, but I used liquid poly to fit the canopy of this B-52.

 

My Revell Twin Otter is on hold because I installed the cabin windows unmasked, and I am sure the windows will push in when I mask them.

 

 

Fair comment 😊.

I don't use items like Kristal Klear or, any other PVA type glue to attach canopies largely because they don't give a strong joint.

Liquid Poly is fine. I do the same and, then use PVA glue applied with a fine brush to take care of any gaps.

Regarding your Twin Otter, have you tried using masking fluid like Humbrol Maskol?

If you haven't, it's water soluble and can be brushed on.

I have a couple of Revell Twin Otter kits myself but, I'd probably use Kristal Klear (before building the kit) to see if it's feasible to use that to make the cabin windows.

That way, I can leave the glazing until the model is complete.

If that fails, I'd use Maskol but, apply it to the clear parts before I  fit them in place.

It sets like thin rubber, is easily trimmed and, just as easily removed when painting is finished.Might solve your problem! 😊

 

Allan

Edited by Albeback52
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