tomprobert Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 The school holidays are upon us now so the BUFF has been seeing a little action... I've not been happy with the rear turret set up, and I feel the kit's parts don't accurately resemble the real aircraft. Please excuse the terrible photo here (quick snap with the phone camera that I didn't realise was so out of focus) but as you can see... IMG_1127 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr ... it's not even close to the real deal... Tail Turret by Thomas Probert, on Flickr (Used for illustrative purposes only) So, it was out with the hacksaw, and I removed the kit-supplied turret and began by building up the basic underlying structure with some scrap plastic card and some brass tubing for the gun housing: IMG_1135 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr This was then all blended with filler, and sanded to shape. I then added the radar domes from some scrap 500lb bomb noses as the kit parts were too small: DSC_0172 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Pretty happy with that - we'll see what it looks like under some primer in due course. As I explained in my earlier update, the kit panel lines are rather inconsistent and they've all been filled and an initial coat of primer applied. I've now begun to scribe my own panel detail onto the model - here's the nose: DSC_0179 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0160 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Undersides: DSC_0168 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0177 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The mid-section join has disappeared which is a bonus: DSC_0181 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've begun working on the spoilers - vanes still to be added: DSC_0174 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr She's looking a bit of a mess at the moment, but I can assure to that progress is being made: DSC_0158 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Until next time, Tom Starfighter, Uncarina, LSP_Kevin and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 great work on the tail, looks MUCH better patricksparks and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Excellent work Tom, with a model that size I'm sure progress comes even more slowly than normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Lookin' good on this big beast. tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 On 7/8/2019 at 8:44 PM, Shawn M said: great work on the tail, looks MUCH better Thanks, Shawn. I'm not a stickler for accuracy, but even I couldn't live with the kit's tail turret - it was awful! On 7/8/2019 at 10:50 PM, Out2gtcha said: Excellent work Tom, with a model that size I'm sure progress comes even more slowly than normal. Indeed. You can work for hours and hours on a kit like this and barely tell where you've been. Eventually, it all starts to come together and suddenly you have a model resembling the real thing... Speaking of which, I've been having a play with the engines today. I didn't realise that the engines on the real H-models have such a 'nose-up' attitude on the wing: (pictures used for illustrative purposes only) IMG_1236 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1237 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr So I've been doing some careful trimming of the kit-supplied pylons in order to get both a decent fit to the wing as well as replicating the angle at which they sit: IMG_E1234 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr So far, so good... IMG_1233 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Sanger have also molded the four pylons as identical pieces - in fact on the real aircraft the inboard/outboard pylons have a different shape due to the change in profile of the wing as you move towards the tip so I've been doing quite a bit of head-scratching today. I'll have some more pictures of my progress soon. Until next time, Tom Durangokid, LSP_Kevin, Starfighter and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Lovely! I did not realize the H-models had that nose up AOA either. That looks crazy in fact with that much up angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 30 minutes ago, Out2gtcha said: Lovely! I did not realize the H-models had that nose up AOA either. That looks crazy in fact with that much up angle. I know! I originally was cursing Sanger as I thought the angle was totally out - turns out he'd done his research! I've still had to do a lot of trimming and fling to get a decent join with the wing surfaces, but I've got the angle about right I think - I'll post some more pictures soon Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 Here's a few quick phone pictures of the engines now they've been installed: IMG_1247 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm in the process of making the upper part of the pylons that extend over the wing as these are not provided in the kit - plastic card and Millput is the order of the day. These are yet to be sanded to their final shape: IMG_1248 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Larger working area needed: IMG_1246 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm in the process of preparing the wing fuel tanks at the moment so hopefully another update soon. Tom johncrow, patricksparks, Starfighter and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Madhatter Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 I just can't get over how huge that kit is! Great progress Tom - really looking forward to the next update Si tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Word can’t express the efforts going on here Tom. Love this project. The engine installations just make this project all the better to look at. Thanks for sharing this epic journey with us. Troy daveculp and tomprobert 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 This just goes to show how bombers evolved, and how they continued on from WWII getting larger and larger. Stupendous efforts here Tom!! tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 This looks good. Really good. It must have been a real pain to get all of those engine pairs lined up perfectly side to side as well as the vertical alignment. Great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted July 14, 2019 Author Share Posted July 14, 2019 51 minutes ago, mustang1989 said: This looks good. Really good. It must have been a real pain to get all of those engine pairs lined up perfectly side to side as well as the vertical alignment. Great work. Indeed it was. Lots of careful trimming of the pylons and test fit, test fit, test fit. It’s also hard to get a decent perspective as the model is so damn huge you have to step back a good few feet to get the overall picture - and the kitchen isn’t big enough to do that! daveculp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marauderdriver Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Not sure if any of these help at this point. Please excuse the light post and dumpster D.B. Andrus, Out2gtcha and LSP_Paul 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marauderdriver Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 (edited) You have to remember the travel of the wing when she is in flight. Some pics I took during touch & goes when I first got my camera. Again please excuse the "Buff eating tree". Edited July 14, 2019 by marauderdriver LSP_Paul and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now