There was a demon that lived in the air.... 1/48 X-1 and B-29 Mothership 75th Anniversary FINISHED! And a "small" Post Script

[LorenSharp]

It does fit perfectly once finished.

I didn't realize it but I had the Eduard main gear set in addition to the Details sets. I went ahead and used those instead. the detail was much better. I'll save the MD pieces for another B-29 build down the pike. Waaaay down the pike.

I was also amazed that the usual bad gap where the top and bottom joins together at the engine nacelles was very acceptable.. 

I had to use more on the leading edge of the wing rather than the nacelles.

[LorenSharp]

From this point on the parts numbers start matching . But the next problem is the Flower flaps.

You do have to cut away the tiny sliver of the flaps from the top of the wing and the wider part from the bottom of the wing.

Those nice flat Long pieces of brass will need to be bent in a curve.

They do give you a  templet

Kind of. finding something hard enough , long enough, and with a small enough of a diameter to bend around is a challenge. I think I found something that will work, but not until I tried to bend manually with my fingers and that didn't turn out as well as I would have liked.. What I'll use on the other side is a metal handled pick. It's a little over 3mm in diameter and though not as long as the flap, it is long enough to to make the bending less problematic. I hope. I know, I know, I need to get a P/E bending tool

I crinkled the bend such as I had to use some filler to create a "proper bend". There was no way to straighten out everything and try again. As ot was jsut aft of the bend started to separate needing some CA to keep it from spreading. I nearly have that smoothed out. I applied a little in a few spots. This will dry overnight and I'll have the sanding finished on this part. Oh, speaking of sanding..... 

[LorenSharp]

I have 99% of the sanding completed on the fuselage. The plugs for the turrets needed several thin coats to build up enough to sand a curve. The cockpit glass was masked off and glued in place. I only had to shave a small bit at the top for the glass to fit correctly. This part has ended up looking like crap. the nose piece even matched the main glass. there was a small fit issue on the bottom at the chin. BUt filler once again is my friend and seems to have done the job. this is also be sanded down tomorrow.

The bottom  where the dimple for the X-1 nose will set Is made from thin card cut into section as the actual dimple had a complex indentation rather than a simple sliced cone

So there you have it for now. A couple of side steps here and there but nothing too terrible and it's looking a lot better than any B-29 build I've done in the past. More to come soon.

[AdrianMF]

The very idea that you have built more than one 1/48 B-29 is making my head go 🤯!

 

Looks great - all that practice must be paying off finally 😛.

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

 

[JeffreyK]

What I like about the MD turbo/exhaust set is that they took note of the exhausts being a different shape across the four nacelles and lh/rh sides. I don't have the set, as I bought a set from another manufacturer, which is beautifully designed and produced but unfortunately on that set, the exhausts are all just mirror images and the same for all four nacelles...A bit disappointing.

Lookig forward to seeing your progress

Cheers,

J

[Pappy]

Loren you are a machine!

 

This is going to be huge. I remember seeing the kit in a model shop as a kid and there was a picture on the side of the box of someone holding the completed kit sideways and the wingtip s just about touched the ground. Is that still on the side of the box?

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

Edited September 20, 2022 by Pappy

[LorenSharp]

On 9/14/2022 at 4:27 AM, Pappy said:

Loren you are a machine!

 

tBis is going to be huge. I remember seeing the kit in a model shop as a kid and there was a picture on the side of the box of someone holding the completed kit sideways and the wingtip just about touches the ground. Is that still on the side of the box?

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

I think that picture was only on the original release Pappy. This kit was much later It had the "Lucky 'leven" decals instead of the Enola Gay's. Still the same big kit though

[LorenSharp]

On 9/13/2022 at 7:42 PM, AdrianMF said:

The very idea that you have built more than one 1/48 B-29 is making my head go 🤯!

 

Looks great - all that practice must be paying off finally 😛.

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

 

Thanks Adrian. But to be fair the first one was built when it originally came out back in the late 70's. the second one was back in the 9's and has been redone once and is in pieces to be done again. But it's in such a sorry state it may be resigned to the b dust bin What's scary is I have 2 more sitting in the stash. One for a B-50 conversion and one I wanted to do as either Dauntless Dottie or Joltin' Josie. But until I can invent a room stretcher they'll be stuck in stashland.

[LorenSharp]

With all the excitement of the last few days, things have begun to settle down so that means time for another update. Though may not seem like much, I did finally get ALL the itty-bitty P/E added. ell at least all that the carpet monster didn't devour

Mostly a lot of access panels on the wings and the tail surfaces. I did get the other main gear bay completed and installed.

[LorenSharp]

In addition to the panels on the tail assembly I did add the rudder and the elevators.

And since there was no need for a rear gun I just cut away the old parts to the 20mm/.50 cal ports and filled them in and sanded round

[LorenSharp]

I made new hinge point for the elevators, rudder and ailerons. then attached those big parts, slightly offset not not look so static

Then added the rest of the fuselage P/E

 

[LorenSharp]

The as you can see it was time to add the wings and see how the balance turned out.

Unfortunately, not enough extra was added. even though I added the same amount of weight as I'd used previously the last time I built a B-29  I neglected to take into account the extra weight of the P/E especially the flaps and the bracing. I did try add extra behind the engine nacelles but this isn't enough to offset and get proper balance. So this will be my first unintentional  tail sitter in years. But that's ok since this is too large to sit on the shelf anyways it was destined to be hung up.

The only way to correct would be to open up and remove the lower gun cover and stuff more weight in but at that point i doubt the landing gear would be able to handle the extra weight either. C'est la Vie. Fire walls for the R-3380's have been added.

The side blisters were covered over using the kits plugs, though I did have to modify some to look correct. The original parts stuck out too far. so Trimmed down to where the lip on the back was, glued in place and filled in to repair the gaps.

That's everything this round, I think . I do have to use some filler to the wing joins but not much so that will dry overnight and tomorrow the painting shall commence. It may end up being a close call getting finished in time, but the end is getting closer. So until next time stay safe, stay healthy, nd keep on modelling!

[corsaircorp]

Impressive... I mean really impressive !!

Congratulation Loren !!

I did'nt have that B-29 in my stash yet.... I say Yet...

You'll got it finished in September .... 

Sincerely.

CC

[LorenSharp]

17 minutes ago, corsaircorp said:

Impressive... I mean really impressive !!

Congratulation Loren !!

I did'nt have that B-29 in my stash yet.... I say Yet...

You'll got it finished in September .... 

Sincerely.

CC

Thanks CC. It's doable. God willin' and the creek don't rise. The drop bay still needs fleshing out some, The gear built, engines built and added, a primer coat to make sure I've not missed anything. Then paint the bottom black and start applying foil to the upper surfaces. BUt at least it's starting to look like an airplane.  You should get one. A big ol' hunk of plastic like this is just what you need to occupy yourself on those cold Belgian winter nights. And if anyone give you any flak, just tell them I made you get it. I'm always good for a prime example of plausible deniability . 

'

[The Spadgent]

Please excuse the massive amount of likes. I just chewed up the whole thread. I recently sold my Fortress in a stash clearance so I figured I’d watch this lovely build come together. Mine was 1/72 and it was BIG. It took me till page four to realise this is 1/48!!! WOW! Now that is BIG. 😳😳😳 All the extra bits you’re making are fantastic and it’s really scratching the itch I had for this Aeroplane. Well both of them, so thanks for that.

 Tagging along for the ride if that’sok.

 

 Johnny. 😇

[LorenSharp]

Thanks Johnny. Despite a side track or three, it's coming along rather smartly. You are more than welcome to kibbutz along. The "fun" is just starting. One area that might be a tad problematic is when it's time to attach the Fowler Flaps. 5 very delicate attachment points that don't really lock into place. I may have to break out the heavy duty adhesive to keep those parts stuck. I'll deal with those soon enough.  No sense getting ahead of myself.

[Planebuilder62]

Dear Loren

Can you get more weight into the front of the bomb bay and disguise it so the front wheel touches the ground?
regards Toby

[LorenSharp]

Thanks for the suggestion Toby. I considered that as a fall back early on, but the amount of weight now would be a little too much. But not to fear, I did come up with a disguise solution. I used a couple of the mini magnets I used for the X-1 so it can be attached to the drop bay. I carved outa small section  of the nose wheel and set a magnet into each tire. Used filler to cover the small gaps then sanded smooth on the bottom to give the tires a "flattened" look. The magnets are more than powerful enough to hold the nose down. As long as I have a concealed metal plate underneath.  But the only time it will be on its gear , because of space issues, will be for pictures. Otherwise it'll be up on the ceiling. Searching around I did find a build that another remedy that I will use for future reference. Th builder found an image if the bulkhead at the entrance to the bomb bay, He printed it out to scale attached to a "False Wall" and put his weights behind that which is where most of us who have built this before  stick A LOT of weight.  Because its hard to see the interior anyway, this bit of subterfuge still gives the impression of an empty flight deck but still has the "busy" look. I'll use that when/or if I get to either my Enola Gay restoration or the B_5 conversion.

[LorenSharp]

Well its been a few days so I guess its time to see where this little trek has led us this time.

I finished adding the last of the P/E to the underside and completed the flap framing for both wings.

Though it doesn't look it I did tidy up the nose indentation for the X-1 on the underside.

 

[LorenSharp]

I think I've come up with a solution to the tail sitting issue, at least when It's going to be photographed.

I cut a small section on each of the nose wheels and inserted a button magnet followed by filling it in a little,

This should be enough to overcome the counter weight issue. It also gives the impression of weight with the bottoms flattened a little.

Of course then I had to work on the landing gear.  First adding the P/E to the gear. I did substitute the P/E brake lines for some silver wire 

Afterwards I gave them a coat of gloss black in preparation for the Stainless Steel metal paint. Used a touch of Mirror for the Hydraulic portions of the struts.

Then added the wheels so this part is done.

[spruecutter96]

On 8/13/2022 at 8:09 PM, LorenSharp said:

and more than likely one or two nervous breakdowns 

Only one or two? I usually get to that stage trying to get the lid off a bottle of Tamiya acrylic paint.... Only kiddin', of course.

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris.  

Edited September 23, 2022 by spruecutter96
Correcting a typo.

[LorenSharp]

Time to turn my attention to the engines.

I bit the bullet and got the Metallic Details Engine and cowlings set. I can use this cowling as a master should I get around to doing another one of these and it will be easier to model now that I can actually see and feel the difference.

I didn't want to go this route but it is the most expedient path. That and Hannant's by far has the best price for this set even taking into account the shipping. I'm not looking forward to next moths CC statement.

But I was surprised as I figured that the parts were cast resin. Instead they are 3-D printed. Tough were I they I would reduce the amount of supports and not cure as long. Some of the pieces would snap in the wrong spots while removing the supports. Luckily the dreaded carpet monster did not get to feast upon the bits and I was able to re-attach back on where they were supposed to go.

After a full day of cleaning painting and assembling I've managed to get one Engine finished. The wiring harness is from the Eduard P'E set.

[LorenSharp]

Now I can begin painting and sticking bit of foil on the thing. First a good coat of priner to see all the things I thought I got but missed.

There were a few spots along the top and around some of the turret plugs that needed tending to. I won't be able to completely cover over the plugs I'll have to come up with something better in the future. More than likely thicker more sturdy plastic. Something to study me thinks. but nthat done I can add REAL paint Yippie!

First gloss black for the bottom and those parts that will be painted silver instead of foiling.

There is one part of the lower wing that applied too grainy and will need to sanded down smooth. but otherwise. I like.

Then I gave the flap framing a coat of Aircraft Aluminum, The same for the wheel wells. Some references said either bare metal of yellow chromate. But most images I found it was bare metal. so bare metal it is.

Elevators, ailerons, and rudder I painted dull silver.

The exhausts a coat of burnt metal. I further weather these towards the end.

[billn53]

1. I like your solution to the tail-sitting problem. If the “concealed metal plate” still isn’t enough to keep the nose down, you could add a magnet to the base — the two magnets together (in the wheel & base) will have much more attraction than the magnet+metal plate configuration. 
    

(You can tell that I’m taking a physics class in electromagnetism ⚡️🧲 👨‍🏫 this semester )

[LorenSharp]

The flaps themselves I painted polished aluminum and paint the inside of the nose doors aircraft aluminum.

Hinges still need to be added but that also will be towards the end. So there we have the latest update. Tomorrow  I begin adding foil to the upper sides. This more than likely will take a day r two to finish. but amazingly I am still on schedule. Will wonders never  cease.