Revell Boeing B-29 Superfortress (03850) 1:48 Revell Platinum Edition

[Julien]

Boeing B-29 Superfortress (03850)

1:48 Revell Platinum Edition

 

 

The B-29 will be forever remembered as the only aircraft to drop an Atomic Bomb in anger, and lets hope that fact remains true. The aircraft did do a lot more than this as well. The B-29 was designed for high altitude strategic bombing. It was recognised early on that the then main bomber of the USAAF the B-17 did not have sufficient range to operate in the Pacific theatre of operation. Boeing then began work on a fully pressurised version of the aircraft with a tricycles undercarriage. At the time the development of this was funded by Boeing as a private venture, this was then submitted in 1940 when the Air Corps issued a formal specification for a long range bomber. Production followed swiftly after Boeing won the contract even though this was less than straight forward as it was a complicated aircraft and production was spread over 4 facilities.  The need for pressurisation led to the aircraft having a step through cockpit with no separate windscreen, the whole nose assembly being glazed. The engine posed many more problems than the airframe with failure being quite common due to oil cooling problems. The B-29 could reach speeds of upto 350mph at nearly 33000 feet. Even though fitted with a 4 remote gun turrets and a tail position the aircrafts best form of defence would come from its high altitude flight. In WWII the aircraft was only used in the Pacific. Post WWII the aircraft was used by the USAF in the Korean war and by the RAF as the Washington as a stoop gap measure before the Canberra came online. In a strange turn of events the Soviets reverse engineered some B-29s which had landed on Soviet controlled air fields following emergency landings during WWII, this became the Tu-4.

 

 

The Kit

This is Monogram's kit from way back in 1977 and its BIG, 65cms long and 90 cm wingspan. Even though its a product of the time with raised detail the moulds have held up well and they have added new parts to the kit over time.  It would seem that Monogram measure on of the Silverplate B-29s which were built for the Atomic Bomb project and differed from normal B-29s. It looks like different props have been included in the kit to try and get round this as well as the inclusion of all gun positions, as the Silverplate aircraft only carried the tail guns. Both the "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" bombs are still on the sprues as well. For this edition Revell have included masks for all the glazing and three sheets of photoetch. There is a large nickel sheet in colour for the interior, a smaller colour nickel sheet with all the seat belts; and a brass for the engines and nacelles. 

 

 

 

Construction starts in the cockpit, so no surprise there, though really on the underside of the cockpit. The part which makes up the main cockpit floor also makes up the top of the nose gear wheel well. The bulkheads for the well are all placed in, then we can flip the part and work on the cockpit.  The central bomb aimers seat, and bomb sight go in. The pilots control columns then are added, then their seats are made up and fitted to the supporting bulkhead, the navigators station then goes in behind this bulkhead. The instrument panels for both pilots then go in. Behind the cockpit the flight engineers consoles and seat are then fitted. The rear pressure bulkhead for the front section is then fitted and to the right the radio operators station is fitted, along with the ladder to the crew tunnel. The whole section then its into the right fuselage section. It is recommended that 90g of nose weight is fitted under the floor.

 

 

If fitting bombs into the bomb bay ten 12 of these now need to be made up. Into the right hand fuselage the rear pressure bulkhead is added, and then the connecting tunnel between the front and rear sections can go in. The right hand bomb racks are then fitted in preparation for 6 of the bombs to be fitted to it.  Work now moves to the rear  crew compartment.  In the gunners station the left and right stations go in followed by the central upper position. The bulkhead then goes in which separates the crew rest area from the gunners position. The rearmost pressure bulkhead then goes in. In the tail the tail gunners position is built up and installed along with the tail bumper. To the other fuselage half the bomb racks and bombs must be added, Then the  two main wing spars are then fitted and the fuselage can be closed up, and the nose glazing added.

 

 

We now move onto the wings and control surfaces. At the rear the tailplanes are made up and added first.  For each wing is it recommended that 40g of weight is added to each nacelle to help the CoG. The wings can then be joined to the fuselage. All of the landing gear is now made along with the wheels and installed onto the airframe, along with the gear bay doors. Exhausts for the engines need to be made up and installed. He none seem to be in the kit and the instructions show you haw to fabricate these from bits of sprure! 

 

 

 

 

The bomb bay doors are now fitted along with their actuators. The defensive turrets can now be made up and added to the fuselage, the tail guns are also made up and fitted at this time. The engine nacelles have their engine front added, then the propellers. These can then be fitted to the wings. To finish up the model any remaining glazing is added along with aerials, pitot tubes and other antenna. 

 

 

 

Decals

The decal sheet from Cartograf (so no issues there) . Two decal options are provided;

 

29 "Dina Might" - 421st Bomb Sqn, 504th Bomb Group., USAAF, North Field, Tinian Island, March 1945. (As shown on the box art)

16 "Sweet Sixteeen" - 873rd Bomb Sqn, 498th Bomb Group, USAAF, Isley Field, Saipan, June 1945 (Aircraft with black undersides)

 

 

 

Conclusion

This will surely make up into an impressive looking model. Recommended. 

 

 

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[vppelt68]

Maybe they'll spice up their B-17G next!?