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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


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4 minutes ago, billn53 said:
  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 )

Thanks Bill, I've considered both of those options and am prepared in either event. It's good to see depraved minds think alike.:wicked:

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Thanks to the wonders of insomnia I've just done a mega catch up. 

Very impressive stuff, and your 'depraved minds' comment doesn't even begin to cover it!

We are but slaves to the detail Gods, their commands rule our builds. Long may it continue.

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4 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Thanks to the wonders of insomnia I've just done a mega catch up. 

Very impressive stuff, and your 'depraved minds' comment doesn't even begin to cover it!

We are but slaves to the detail Gods, their commands rule our builds. Long may it continue.

Thanks Pete. Depraved minds true, but to go further... well this is a family site you know. Can we get a harumpf for that fine observation... any one.... Bueller.... Bueller.... Bueller...

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2 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday that's a clever idea.       Regards, Jeff.

Thanks Jeff. and as @billn53 pointed out I can either use a metal plate(like a single edged razor blade, (cuz it's thin)  or make a base and set two more magnets in it to be an even stronger attractor.

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Just a small update. The beginning of applying foil to the upper surfaces.

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The area around the turrrets still want to show up but I'm pressing on regardless. Enough time has been expended on those with minimal results. I think the next time I attempt building another B-29 I'm going to remove the turret areas entirely and replace them with printed pieces. At least that will keep the fuselage circular with out those annoying flat spots. I'm probably going to have to go back and do more repair work to the front cockpit glass. It popped off while wrasslin' this mini me beast around to foil the front. I applied Mirror paint to the window frames and they will need some more TLC to smooth out. Which will put this build at a stand still for at least 24hrs to allow the paint to harden. But hey at least NOW it's starting to look like real big time aero plane.:evil_laugh:

Stay tuned for more....

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Just now, billn53 said:

OMG! You are going to foil this monster (or at least, parts of it)??? You’re even crazier than I had imagined!
 

I’ll be standing by for when the nice guys with butterfly nets show up . . .

Thanks Bill. Foiling isn't all that bad. It's the one time where raised panel lines are  a benefit. I'm not foiling the leading edges that was a good coat of Alclad Polished Aluminum and  all the more easier since the lower portion is Gloss Black. Easy Peasy.

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On 9/27/2022 at 4:20 AM, John_W said:

Maybe cut ovals of foil to add a second layer over the turrets as "blanking plates"?

Not a bad Idea John. I thought of something similar with very thin card stock. But as it is it's not all that noticeable. Not perfect, but better than my previous attempts. Although for the future I think I'll print out new bulkhead pieces to graft in.

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After several days some of which trying to get over a nasty chest cold. I've got all the foiling done. Or as Snidley Whiplash  would say.... Curses.... Foiled again.

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I had painted the Magnesium areas of the wing before I started foiling. Once I got the wings finished I didn't like the look. so I had some extra matte foil and just went ahead and foiled those sections as well.

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As with the front end O cut foil to cover the individual panels. This way I could cut pieces along the "grain" or against the "grain" to give a more organic look to the metal. same with using fine steel wool. gently swiping it across with or against the grain at random intervals.

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I did attach the landing gear. Bad news as I feared it is a tail sitter. Good news though the thin metal plate( a single edge razor blade) not only worked, the magnets in the nose gear were strong enough that it takes some effort to move the airplane.52400175926_2f96ba3614_c.jpg

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I'm not too enthused with how the nose glass looks. I have a Squadron vac set for emergencies like this so I'll remove the old and replace with something better. I hope. At least I'll be cable to go and clean the inside perspex of all the accumulated dust.

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Then I went and finished up painting the wave pattern on the undersides. Though not a lot on the build, it is the biggest part aside from the construction. Tomorrow I start on finishing up the drop bay, The anti-sway bars, the latching mounts and the service elevator. 12 days to go to the finish and from the looks of it I should be done in plenty of time (Geeze, where have I heard THAT before)

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2 hours ago, LorenSharp said:

I did attach the landing gear. Bad news as I feared it is a tail sitter. Good news though the thin metal plate( a single edge razor blade) not only worked, the magnets in the nose gear were strong enough that it takes some effort to move the airplane.

 


If the magnets are that strong, be careful you don’t rip out the nose gear when lifting or moving the plane off its base!

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Not to worry, with the weight already on the plane, I'm  cautious since the gear is plastic. So I hold onto the nose wheels when pulling the plane up.

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Loren, amazing build—I really like the foil insulation solution.  Quick question, if I may, and only because you seem to know your B-29s—the colors all seem to be virtually all dead on—I did think the nose wheel wells on wartime Superforts were NMF w/ aluminum lacquer or YZC gear vice painted wells—given this post war, it could have been painted, but the bomb bay is NMF—sorry if I missed an explanation and please take the question as wanting learn versus proving a point—there is much I don’t know and this is well put together and esquitly researched—best, Erwin 

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3 hours ago, VT Red Sox Fan said:

Loren, amazing build—I really like the foil insulation solution.  Quick question, if I may, and only because you seem to know your B-29s—the colors all seem to be virtually all dead on—I did think the nose wheel wells on wartime Superforts were NMF w/ aluminum lacquer or YZC gear vice painted wells—given this post war, it could have been painted, but the bomb bay is NMF—sorry if I missed an explanation and please take the question as wanting learn versus proving a point—there is much I don’t know and this is well put together and esquitly researched—best, Erwin 

No worries. Erwin, Glad you asked. I originally had painted the nose well Yellow zinc with the intention of doing main gear the same way, but fond later information that they were aluminum  For the most part. Some gear were painted yellow zinc, some bare aluminum, and some painted matte silver. It would have been nice to get accurate pictures of wells and bay of the Bell Mothership. but there are very few showing anything. Even the Restored Flying B-29's Doc and Fifi are different. Doc is bare metal, Fifi, green chromate., The B-29 at the Airforce museum is a mixture of 2 different colours green. The Enola Gay at the Smithsonian is like Doc and bare metal. The bomb/drop bay were as you mentioned bare metal, the communication tube(Crawl tube) and the main spar in the center were yellow chromate at least from what I can find and verify with a colour picture. I 'found one reference to the pressure doors leading out to the bay were bronze interior green on both sides but I don't know if that was common across the board. Finding decent accurate color mages have been harder to find than I realized. Especially for the drop ship. A lot of the refences I've used for it have been from previous online builds.  I can only hope it's somewhat accurate.

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1 minute ago, VT Red Sox Fan said:

Loren, thank you for the info—again your color choices and build are some of the best I have seen for a B-29, so I greatly appreciate your perspective—well done!  Best, Erwin 

Thanks Erwin, Glad you like it. I just try to fumble along and do the best I can. With luck ,at the end of the day, it all ends up looking like it should.

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With a stick of Beemans's (for the youngsters, an old fashioned chewing gum, which you can still get) I have the last of the printed pieces, I hope. These are for the drop bay. the mounts and anti-sway brackets. Later in the test program, the stout braces were change out for the more typical slender rod and padded cap. these though were big l' pieces of I-beam and plywood with padding added. I guess they wanted to make sure it wasn't going anywhere until they decided.

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Glued the other magnet into the holding bracket.

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Once painted up got everything in their proper places.

Annnnnnd.... Drum roll.... 

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It works!:yahoo:I may have to shave a mm from the main brace to raise it up some , but over all not too bad for eyeballin' it.

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I did have to print  two more parts.  A LOX/Alcohol dump tube for the main refill storage.

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And a dump director tube(best way to describe it. I know there is probably proper nomenclature but I can't find it anywhere.)for the X-1.

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The long tube I had to do in two parts because of the length.

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