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Monogram 1/48 B-29 Superfortress


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Dear Ventura

One thing to keep in mind with most preserved B-29’s is the front upper turretmechanism and ammo storage boxes has been removed from the flight deck to allow more space for personnel. The B-29 Haynes manual has some pictures of the complete turret assembly removed from the plane on a test stand.

Maybe Metallic detals make the exhausts and engine cowlings in 1/48? They make those parts in 1/72 at least.

regards Toby

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks all for all the info concerning the Monogram 1/48 B-29 Superfortress and the reference pictures which will help to improve the known inaccuracies of the kit.

 

First up is the engine cowlings - I have had a go at re-profiling the fronts of the engine cowlings to the more closely cowled shape required - this also seems to have narrowed the intake 'smile' - the one on the left is one of the unaltered cowlings as a comparison. the re-profiling of the one on the right looks better to me so only three more to go! I also cut out the cowling cooling gills with my brand new razor saw and managed to break it - hard plastic indeed.

 

9dQH1xw.jpg

Edited by Ventora3300
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Now for the engine fronts themselves - only the front of the first row of cylinders provided and a mix of steel and silver on a black background is about all I can do. The magneto cover (6 o'clock position?) has since been painted black as suggested in the Instructions. I added a bit of silver mesh behind the intake port.. One prop also painted and the plastic seems really hard so I will not attempt to sand off the cuffs.

YLvoF67.jpg

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Impressive build!

So have you moved to this super large hangar, yet?

These Curtiss Electric props are really impressive. 

 

Keep up the great modelling.

 

JR

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Another early item to get installed in the wings of the Superfortress is the insides of the undercarriage wells - called the 'wheel plates' in the Instructions. These are 'handed' to allow for the dihedral of the wings so you have to make sure that you get each of them in the correct sides - the inboard side of each is slightly deeper - make a mistake here and the undercarriage legs will end up at the wrong angle. I painted these in silver and did a dark wash to try to bring out the details. I tried painting a couple of the 'boxes' on the pipe runs a darker steel colour but not really showing up here.

 

BFEO7q8.jpg

 

Here is the first one installed. I thought I might be able to glue in the undercarriage legs and paint up first but not possible to slip through the narrow gap in the underside of the nacelles.

MKQM8xK.jpg

 

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I've also had a go at recreating the twin turbocharger exhaust pipes on one side of the engine nacelles. The kit only provides one pipe and this seems to be the outlet from the turbine but reference photos also show another outlet which I think is from a bypass gate. In the pic above, the kit part is on the right and I sanded this to make more oval. The other item on the left is an airgun pellet (found a bag of them at my parents house) which I squashed a bit, clipped off the back and glued behind the kit part.

 

A bit of paint and here is the result. I need to change the colouring slightly but you get the idea. Only 7 others to go!

5asaIL5.jpg

 

 

Edited by Ventora3300
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Engine plate and propellor now assembled to the re-profiled cowling - spins well

 

htVHkmN.jpg

 

The locating of the engine cowlings on the front of the nacelles is not very positive - just a matter of mating up the back edge of the cowling on the flat nacelle front and aligning as best you can. Consequently, I'm putting some 'anti tail sit' weights (20g plugs of lead, I think) in each nacelle rather than the cowlings as I think they would drop off too easily. Now I know what the funny bent spigot is attached to the inside front of each nacelle - they appear to hold the prop shafts in position from the back. The Instructions say that the props are just a push fit on the shafts so maybe this allows fitting of the props well after the cowlings are glued on and painting complete.

SHp9xxe.jpg

 

Edited by Ventora3300
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Starboard wing now weighted...

faFl97V.jpg

 

Starboard wing glued with a straight edge eliminating any warping (got that idea from one of the BM Community commenting above). You can see the warping on the port wing halves.

xwjRNGf.jpg

 

Port wing glued with straight edge taped on with plastic wood keeping the weights in place.

3sdqTt0.jpg

 

Both wings glued and spars just dry fitted to get an idea of wingspan - yes, it's huge!

H5ZY6yC.jpg

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2 hours ago, Ventora3300 said:

Now I know what the funny bent spigot is attached to the inside front of each nacelle - they appear to hold the prop shafts in position from the back.

Yeah the first one I built in the later 80’s I failed to figure this out. I snapped them all off thinking they were sprue gates or excess plastic. I learned its easier to mount the shaft into the prop and use them that way. So in the end it makes them easier to remove and store. 

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58 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Yeah the first one I built in the later 80’s I failed to figure this out. I snapped them all off thinking they were sprue gates or excess plastic. I learned its easier to mount the shaft into the prop and use them that way. So in the end it makes them easier to remove and store. 

Exactly what I was thinking - also, they will exert a bit of friction on the back of the prop shaft and muck up the free spin. The kit actually came with two 'spigots' broken off, which I have glued back on, and one missing completely. I can just imagine the ones I glued back on becoming detached again and rattling around inside the wings. Thanks for that!

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On 20/07/2022 at 22:33, bentwaters81tfw said:

I have the current deluxe re release, and I have to make the exhausts. Perhaps the tool got damaged but it's defo a diy job.

 

On 21/07/2022 at 16:33, dogsbody said:

 

Okay. I just looked on the Super-hobby site, to see what the sprues looked like.

 

https://www.super-hobby.com/products/B-29-Superfortress-23977548.html

 

Chris

 

Looking at the sprues on the above link provided, the exhausts are the set of four bent 'elbows' included on the sprues with the cuffed propellors. There is only one outlet provided per engine side / turbocharger rather than the two we can see in real life. So you do have to make additional exhausts to double upon the kit ones and I have come up with the idea of using the tail / open end of airgun pellets!

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3 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Yeah the first one I built in the later 80’s I failed to figure this out. I snapped them all off thinking they were sprue gates or excess plastic. I learned its easier to mount the shaft into the prop and use them that way. So in the end it makes them easier to remove and store. 

You too Dennis? I thought I was the only one that made that mistake.:coolio: I built this one 3 times over the years, four if you count my current build. And I have a feeling that's going to go the route of another Big multi-engine build of the recent past... How much detail can be stuffed into a long cylinder that nobody will ever see, still keep my sanity and make my self imposed deadline. I think this is one of the great mysteries of the Universe.

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29 minutes ago, LorenSharp said:

How much detail can be stuffed into a long cylinder that nobody will ever see, still keep my sanity and make my self imposed deadline. I think this is one of the great mysteries of the Universe

Personally After the 1st one I only did the cockpit as you really cant see anything in the rest of the plane. 

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Moving on with the wings now - these have turned out straight and seams have been sanded. Picking out the main top panels in brushed silver to contrast with the polished metal of the rest. (I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing this - different metal alloys used for some of the panels?). I've also brush painted the ailerons silver.

if0458T.jpg?1

 

Got the starboard wing spray painted now - didn't leave the extreme end panels in brushed silver. All paint and masking behaved beautifully - not my usual problem with overspraying. Looks good to me.

In the background, the engine cowlings have been reprofiled and the prop blades painted in black.

UtvAMxX.jpg

 

Underside too.

ZBiV96o.jpg?1

Edited by Ventora3300
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  • 3 weeks later...

Port wing now masked for spraying as well as the engine cowlings.

Z83IFFd.jpg?1

 

The engines are fitted in the cowlings and I've cut between the gills with a razor saw to make more realistic. The undercarriage legs and struts are painted too.

7XWOaaP.jpg?1

 

Starboard wing now masked for the de-icing boots.

2vXFeLP.jpg

Edited by Ventora3300
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Hi Mike,

 

big and extremely beautiful model. I know absolutely nothing about the B-29, and all the changes you made to the exhausts, engine cowlings, etc.  are damn impressive.

A great show in motion!

 

JR

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