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1/48th Boeing B-52H Stratofortress


tomprobert

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Not strictly a Large Scale Plane I know, but it's certainly large... therefore I thought you folks may be interested in this...

 

Sanger had been promising to release a 1/48th B-52 for a number of years, and kept teasing me whenever I visited the website with a message that stated the model was under construction but nothing more - I must confess I began to question whether it would ever actually be released. However, last year it was finally ready to purchase so I took the plunge and ordered one. 

 

Any version of the venerable B-52 can be modelled, ranging from the early tall-tailed versions typified by the D-model, right through to the current-day H version. Sanger also offer a wide array of decals to accompany the kit, with many different schemes that the B-52 has worn over the years being on offer to purchase with your chosen variant.

 

I decided to go for a current B-52H - with 'Memphis Belle IV' nose art - as I vividly remember it displaying at one of the RAF Mildenhall airshows and taking lots of pictures of the it under some very stormy skies. I also had a very good wander around one at last year's airshow at RAF Fairford too, so plenty of resource material is at hand.

 

A few weeks after I placed the order, a rather large box arrived at my work (always the best option with an eagle-eyed wife scrutinising any parcels that arrive at my house!) and inside plenty of protective bubble wrap was the kit was one of the biggest kits I've laid eyes on. Only the 1/32nd B-29 I did a few years ago exceeds it in span:

 

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The wings are massive - the 30cm/12" ruler gives a sense of scale here. Each wing is approximately 2ft so the eventual span of the finished model will be around the 4ft mark. Sparring the wings so they remain rigid is going to be quite a challenge I feel, and the thought of rubbing down all those wheel-halves doesn't fill me with joy...

 

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I imagine, due to the difficulty in obtaining a vacuumform machine large enough, the fuselage is moulded in four sections, with a lengthwise break just aft of the rear undercarriage bays. This also allows a separate mould of the differently shaped forward fuselage for the D, E, and F versions. Again, the 30cm/12" ruler shows the size of this brute:

 

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Here are the stabilisers and engine pylons:

 

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This sheet contains the vertical fin, tip-tanks, various sensors as well as the different tail turrets for the G/H versions:

 

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These are the pods for the eight Pratt and Whitney JT3D engines - unique to the H variant:

 

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A close-up of the parts reveals some lovely fine surface and panel details:

 

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Sanger provide a wealth of detailed drawings and plans in order to help with construction, as well as some nice looking decals:

 

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And finally, a comprehensive set of white metal parts for the engines, landing gear, interior as well as some further detailing parts. There's a crystal clear canopy too - but only one which means very careful cutting and no room for error!

 

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I had promised myself that I wouldn't start this until I'd finished my Shackleton project, but to be honest it's an itch I've got to scratch and I really fancy having a go at it. It'll certainly be a longer-term project as I have other builds (Shackleton included) still going on in the background, so don't hold your breath for regular updates but I'll post my progress as and when there is some.

 

In the meantime, I've got to decide where to start: wings and engines or fuselage...

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

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Tom, very much watching since this is my all time favorite aircraft ! Loaded bombs on this for 4 yrs....Harv

Edited by Guest
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If ever it's done, and due to time nowadays, I'm taking the lazy way out and will buy the HPH resin version in all it's glory!

I was very impressed with their 1/48 B-36 but the B-52 does it for me much more with all of it's particular history over the years.

Good luck with the build, I know a very fine job will be made of it when it's finally completed!  

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Could you imagine how heavy that would be?! :blink: It'd have to be mixed media wouldn't it?

 

 

If ever it's done, and due to time nowadays, I'm taking the lazy way out and will buy the HPH resin version in all it's glory!

I was very impressed with their 1/48 B-36 but the B-52 does it for me much more with all of it's particular history over the years.

Good luck with the build, I know a very fine job will be made of it when it's finally completed!  

 

 

Im thinking that my resin comment is probably a misnomer. Its more likely going to be fiberglass, not unlike the HpH Catalina or B-36, but well have to wait and see.............

 

For now we'll have to live through Tom working his magic in vac form! 

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Cheers for the interest, guys!

 

Tom, very much watching since this is my all time favorite aircraft ! Loaded bombs on this for 4 yrs....Harv

 

In that case, I may well be picking your brains for finer details in due course, Harv! I hope I can do the real thing justice.

 

I love watching you work your magic on vac-forms, and this is certainly an interesting subject. Hard to believe someone managed to do a 48th B-52! That's insane in itself

Will be tuning in for this one

 

There is the old ID Models kit, and believe it or not the fuselage was moulded in one piece! This newer version seems far more refined, however.

 

Wow! Can't wait to see you work your magic on this one Tom.

Ironic that HpH just announced they are commencing on a resin 48th scale BUFF

 

That doesn't surprise me one little bit - story of my life. However, saying that, I bet this vacform will be less than a quarter of the price of the HPH version when it's released. I paid £160 with postage, and the 1/48th B-36 was about £600 if memory serves me correctly.

 

Um..............................................................I'd say that a 1/48 B-52 ..................pretty much IS a large scale plane. I mean where in the hell to PUT something like that after it's built??????????? Can't wait for the rollout here.

 

Where will it go when done? Good question. Something for me to ponder as it increases in size...

 

Anyway - I've made a start today and have decided to have a go at the engines first. This is for two reasons: 

 

1) They are potentially going to be the trickiest part of the build, so I thought I'd tackle them first;

2) They're the smallest part of the whole kit so easy to handle and they're about the only part of the model that'll fit on my workbench.

 

Once they were cut out of the sheet, they were marked with indelible ink so I don't lose track of which each top and bottom halves belong to each other. Then I did some final sanding to remove excess plastic and ensure they were at the correct thickness and size:

 

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Although there is a bit more trimming needed, a test fit revealed the parts matched well and I'm impressed with the fit so far:

 

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And here are all four nacelle pairs ready to be worked on:

 

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I've now got to ponder how to do the intake trunking to avoid the hollow look - problems common with kits of this nature unfortunately.

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

 

 

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Cheers for the interest, guys!

 

...snipped...

 

And here are all four nacelle pairs ready to be worked on:

 

39973457241_4496a91ef6_z.jpg

 

I've now got to ponder how to do the intake trunking to avoid the hollow look - problems common with kits of this nature unfortunately.

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

 

I would have to think about scrounging an engine's details from another 1/48th jet fighter kit and duplicating them by casting my own copies.

Edited by Gigant
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