Messages

61

Aircraft Modeling / 1/72 Pro Modeler B-17 909

« on: August 14, 2016, 08:30:21 PM »

Thinking about it, it's been just short of two years since I touched a model.  I got burnt out on it when I built the last few under a deadline for a museum while juggling work and a toddler, I've since had another child and an old hobby took hold again (music); I haven't really had the desire to build.  The good warbird airshows in my area have all folded up now and the lack of direct exposure hasn't helped anything. This week the Collings Foundation finally stopped at my local airport with their B-24, B-25, B-17 and the new TF-51D out on tour.  I hadn't planned on spending the money but my wife convinced me I needed to go for a flight again, she paid for half of my flight on 909.  I got to fly and also spent nearly three hours out on the ramp in direct sun over 90 degrees watching the planes come and go and also watching the work on Witchcraft, which was undergoing an engine change due to sheared cylinder studs.  This was much needed and at least for the time being, has started to ignite my desire to get some modeling done again.

Here is a video of the flight if anyone is interested:


A few years back I bought a complete set of B-17 decals in 1/72 which covered all of the currently flying B-17's except for Chuckie, including poor Liberty Belle.  I intended to build the entire fleet including Chuckie (not interested in it's current scheme) but hadn't started the project yet.  I've now flown on 909 and Aluminum Overcast so I'll build those two first and move on from there.

I've had a Pro Modeler 1/72 scale kit tucked away for a couple years and I'll use it for my 909 build.  At this point I think I'll be hanging them so I'll probably build with the gear up, possibly the bomb bay open, and I won't go crazy with interior detail.  I hope to be able to spend at least a couple hours a week building but I may need some motivation if I slow down.

62

Aircraft Modeling / Spring/Summer projects

« on: September 25, 2014, 05:33:29 AM »

It's been a while since I've posted here but I've been busy building this year.  I've finished four models and have a couple more in progress which is pretty good for me!

Early in the spring I started a pretty special project.  I had a few time setbacks and have been pretty much finished up since August but as of tonight they're boxed up and heading out to their recipient. The Hellcat is an Eduard, Helldiver is a Revell Promodeler, and the Avenger is an Academy.  This project took most of my free time this spring and summer and I got a little burnt out toward the end but I have a ton of projects I want to do and I'll try to post here more.  My second daughter will be born any day now though so I'll be pretty busy for the next few months.

63

Aircraft Modeling / Re: B-29 'Haulin Ass'

« on: January 15, 2014, 01:22:25 AM »

Thanks guys!

64

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

« on: January 13, 2014, 06:47:17 AM »

Great job on the 38, and neat story to go with it. 

I've got quite a few Ethell books myself and own the whole Roaring Glory series.  My wife bought me the one with the P-38 pretty early in my warbird days and I thought it was the best thing ever.

I've always wondered exactly what happened in the cockpit that day.  Everyone is always quick to blame the pilot in an accident, and it could certainly have been his fault, but I've always given him the benefit of the doubt.  The fuel selectors were to be in reserve for takeoff and landing, which is where they were found after the crash, but noone could know whether he burned fuel from main tanks or not during the flight. It's also sad that his father was at the field and watched him go in. 

I just read within the last month that what's left of the wreckage is in rebuild but I can't remember who or where.

65

Aircraft Modeling / B-29 'Haulin Ass'

« on: January 13, 2014, 05:50:04 AM »

 Lack of time and motivational issues have kept me away from modeling for the most part of the last couple years.  The last things I can remember finishing were a Hellcat and a Griffon Corsair for a 'What If'  group build, both of these in the fall of 2011.  Hopefully that will change now, if nothing else I at least have the desire again.  I've been a member here for over a year and this is the first model I've completed in that time but I had hoped for much more.

Tonight I finished a project for a good friend.  He was a career Air Force vet that flew in more aircraft than I'll probably know.  He was a radar/ECM operator in B-29's, he also flew in the KB-29, KB-50, KC-97, KC-135, and was in the B-36 and B-52.  In the tankers he was a Boom Operator.

I've been planning to do this project for years and just got around to it in October.  I had a couple time setbacks which were out of my control and I wanted to have this done by Christmas but I didn't make it. 

One of the planes I know he is most proud of was the B-29 'Haulin Ass' which he flew in during the Korean War from Yokota AFB near Tokyo.  I had photo documentation of the nose art and was able to fill in the rest of what I needed to know through research.

Here is a color photo of the plane I was able to track down.  I also have a couple other photos of it in my collection which you can see on my website by linking through the information at the bottom of the page.

http://www.aviationatwar.com/photo-details.php?id=421

(if this nose art bothers anyone I will take it down)




The kit is the old Airfix with 'Eddie Allen' decals.  It leaves something to be desired compared to most modern kits and if you're in a hurry to get a B-29 done I'd recommend another, although that was exactly the situation I was in!  With a bit of work though you can turn it into something presentable, but the raised rivets still bother me.  If you're ambitious enough you could sand them off and scribe the panel lines.

I had the nose art decals custom done by Josh at bedlamcreations.com.  They look great and went on perfectly, as good as any decal I've ever used.  I plan to use Josh again in the future.

I was able to find a set of decals by Kitsworld for two other planes in the squadron (98th BG, 343rd BS), so I was able to get the Square H from there.  This was my first attempt at Alclad.  I learned a few things not to do and have mixed feelings on it, but I know that I can progress on the next projects if I use it again.  The rest of the decals are individual letters and numbers from Techmod, national insignias I believe are also Techmod.

Wheels are True Details resin.  The wheels in the kit are better suited for a toy.

I wanted to get this post up tonight but I have a couple small things left to do.  Tomorrow I plan to clean up the greenhouse glass paint because it's driving me crazy, and I need to do something with the tail gun.  The tail guns should have gone in when the fuselage was going together and I didn't catch it.  There was too much that needed to happen at that same time, and if the guns had gone in that long ago I would have just broken them off by now anyway.  I have a plan that I think will work.  I should be able to present the model to George sometime this week, I can't wait to do it and see his reaction. 

66

Aircraft Modeling / Re: A-20 Time

« on: January 06, 2014, 07:03:11 PM »

Nice job on the A-20!

The invasion stripes on the C-47 in the Air Force museum were done with rough edges.  They're not nearly as sloppy as many of the ones done in the field but it's nice to see.

67

Aircraft Modeling / Re: I'm still out there!

« on: August 07, 2013, 03:55:04 AM »

I'd love to be able to buy a radial for a giant scale plane but I can't justify the cost right now.  The cheapest one like I said is just about $800 and it will fit on a small giant scale plane (giant starts at 85"), but buy the time you get the plane, engine, retracts and radio gear you're going to be well over $2,000 and I can't do that.  For the hobby to remain fun you have to have the money to be able to replace what you break, otherwise it's no fun because you either don't fly or you worry constantly.  Half of the cars I've owned cost less than $2,000!

I just got back from the flying field with some damage.  I put the cowl on Saturday and tonight was my first flight with it on.  Shortly after takeoff I started hearing a buzzing type noise.  I continued to fly and it stayed about the same for a few minutes and then got worse. I was in the middle of a low pass over the runway when it got bad and I hit the gear switch to land.  I pitched up to set up for landing and just as I did the fiberglass cowl came off and was promptly chewed up and spit out by the 16" prop.  I landed and taxied back in, shut the engine down and found the cowl had worn about half way through both prop blades and the fuselage was covered in fiberglass dust.  That was a $50 flight...

68

Aircraft Modeling / Re: I'm still out there!

« on: August 06, 2013, 07:20:38 AM »

With the cheaper electric planes available now you can get into the hobby for very little money, but if you want to spend thousands of dollars you can do that too!  The cheapest electric plane I have cost $61 US.  The one shown in this thread cost between $500 and 600 US, and I didn't pay full price for all the items. 

They do have radial engines available for radio control planes!  The cheapest one I've seen is about $800, you can spend upwards of $4,000 on a larger radial.  I'd really like to have one but I don't think spending that much money on one is in my future. 

I don't get into jets that much, but they also have small turbine engines for radio control, these are all multi thousand dollar engines also.

69

Aircraft Modeling / I'm still out there!

« on: August 06, 2013, 03:58:58 AM »

Hi again everyone,

Nobody probably missed me but I wanted to check in since I haven't been around for a few months.

The spring and summer found me once again immersed in flying and building radio controlled airplanes and I haven't had much time for plastic modeling.  I've been receiving a little pressure to finish a few of my projects and I do fully plan to get back to the plastic models this fall.  The days are already becoming short and my flying season is getting near the end.

Even though this isn't plastic modeling it's still modeling so I hope this thread is ok here.  If not then move it as you guys see fit.

Here's what I've been working on for the last few weeks.  It's a 65" wingspan Hangar 9 P-47 with an RCGF 20cc gasoline engine.  I finished it up last weekend and flew it for the first time a week ago today.  I've put three full flights on it now and couldn't be happier with the engine or the airframe.  I did some minor repairs tonight (not from crash damage, just my own clumsiness) and hope to fly it tomorrow night and through the rest of the week if the weather holds out.

70

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Eduard 1/48 P&W R-2800-10

« on: May 27, 2013, 02:15:49 AM »

That thing looks great inside the cowl!

71

Aircraft Modeling / Re: 1/72 Boeing B-29 Bockscar

« on: May 15, 2013, 03:22:34 AM »

Just wanted to check in here.  I haven't gotten much done in the past five or six weeks but am hoping to get back to it soon.  I got busy then I was out of the country for a bit and now I'm sick so hopefully I'll get back to work on this by the weekend.  Since my last update here I finished the under sides of the wings and most of the fuselage and started on the nose.  Deciding how to foil the nacelles was giving me some grief so that had a little to do with taking a break from it for a while.  When it starts to become a chore rather than fun then it's time to take a break.

 

72

Aircraft Modeling / Re: 1/72 Boeing B-29 Bockscar

« on: March 31, 2013, 06:04:07 AM »

I haven't had the time to work on the B-29 much in the last couple weeks but I got a big chunk of the wing undersides done tonight. 

73

Aircraft Modeling / Re: 1/72 Boeing B-29 Bockscar

« on: March 13, 2013, 04:26:57 AM »

It's been a week with no progress report but I've been working 1-2 hours on it every night.  With the obvious exception of the nose and nacelles the upper surfaces are all done now.  The nose will probably take me the rest of the week, I'm expecting doing that greenhouse is going to take forever. 

74

Aircraft Modeling / Re: SAAB B 17A In 1/48 Scale

« on: March 12, 2013, 03:31:26 AM »

There's definitely more satisfaction in pulling off your own scratch build or conversion, no doubt about it.

75

Aircraft Modeling / Re: SAAB B 17A In 1/48 Scale

« on: March 12, 2013, 02:16:14 AM »

I just read all twelve pages.  This is an ambitious project!  I look forward to seeing the final result. 

Wouldn't it be ironic if sombody came out with a production B 17 kit just about the time you finished this one?  I remember you mentioning it happend to you once, and then we joked about it when I started my vacuform B-18.  Sure enough, 10 months after I finished my Bolo MPM released a 1/72 scale injection molded kit.