1/32 B-29?

[Pup7309]

12 minutes ago, jimbo said:

I think the relatively recent crop of 1/200 ship models is an indication of the ability, certainly, to do a 1/32 B-29. Heck I just got a pre-order announcement for the 1/200 Yorktown, that is sorely tempting! Of course, ships are linear and easier to display. I have the Missouri and it’s HuGE!!! Personally I don’t get the geopolitical angle, certainly Japan is a robust modeling market but not by far the largest? I honestly don’t know and I’ll happily understand a correction. I’d buy a 1/32 B-29 just to hang it from a tall ceiling, or in the woods or something. And you can do one in OD/Grey, no? Just not a combat a/c perhaps. Interesting prospect and discussion for sure!!!

 

Jimbo

I think some modellers round the world would enjoy and have space for a B 29. Museums might be interested too. (though they’ll have to get a volunteer to build it:) Not sure it would be profitable for a modelling company, but that’s over to those in the industry.

 

A grey option? Why not? (It’d be a good time to have shares in silver paints if it does come out!)

 

The other issue, I’m going to skirt around as it’s related to cultural/ historical/ social factors. Unfortunately some of the reponses here have missed the point by comparing apples with oranges. 

[Iain]

There is a shift in perspectives going on at present...

 

Not so long ago the thought of seeing some big twins in 1:32 was something of fiction - and where would we put them...

 

Then came the fours - and I'm seeing lots of modellers that normally build in smaller scales buying these.

 

So, whilst I understand the comments about 'too big' - I do think mindsets are changing.

 

And, with regard to display space, has that every stopped us planning/purchasing our next project?

 

A B-29 has soo many opportunities - I'd love to do a Korean War B-29, an RAF Washington,  a KB-29P,  and an X-1 carrier. Oh, and maybe a B-50 conversion...

 

Where would I put them? Heaven knows - but it's wonderful to dream, isn't it!? 

 

Iain

 

[adameliclem]

7 minutes ago, Iain (32SIG) said:

A B-29 has soo many opportunities - I'd love to do a Korean War B-29, an RAF Washington,  a KB-29P,  and an X-1 carrier. Oh, and maybe a B-50 conversion...

 

Not to mention the Tupolev copy, the Tu-4, and its variants. 

 

 

[Jeff T]

7 hours ago, rigor said:

Where is tom's build thread on b-29. Could use a good read. And it's a great build 

 

 

Here is Tom's B-29 build thread rigor,

 

https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/40889-132nd-scale-id-models-boeing-b-29-finished/&

 

 

....and a Ready For Inspection post,

 

https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/44880-132nd-scale-b-29-superfortress-id-models-vacform/

 

 

 

Cheer's,

Jeff.

[haveblue]

Without introducing thread drift...

 

I’ve lived in Japan for the last 3 years. They aren’t taught their history in school, they bury it or retell it differently to how it actually happened (eg they teach they were liberating China from incoming allies not invading China ).

 

A lot of Japanese wouldn’t even know what a B29 is or what it’s bombed.

 

I’ve worked with people here that looked utterly shocked and confused when I mention the Japanese occupation of Singapore etc. 

 

As mentioned previously if there’s a yen to be made they’ll make it. (Lots of mustangs and cosairs out there)  Also as previously mentioned...yeah there’s no where to hang that monster in a standard 20-30 sq metre apartment 

 

 

[Radders]

Something like this in 1/32nd would certainly turn heads.. I would only build a Tu-4 (or KJ-1) given the chance.

 

 

 

 

[MikeMaben]

4 hours ago, LSP_Ron said:

Isn't the Gillow's kit 1/32?

 

Yep ...

 

 

3 hours ago, Iain (32SIG) said:

             And, with regard to display space, has that every stopped us planning/purchasing our next project?

 

Oh yeah. Not that there isn't enough room in the house , but where would I set the thing down ? 

 

 

[iaf-man]

5 hours ago, Radders said:

Something like this in 1/32nd would certainly turn heads.. I would only build a Tu-4 (or KJ-1) given the chance.

 

 

 

 

That TU-91 fuselage is almost as ugly as the Gannet and Breguet Alize.All of them Naval turboprops )))))))

and there's the TU-4 AWACS too(how tall this would be?)

https://www.airliners.net/photo/China-Air-Force/Tupolev-Tu-4/1213817/L

 

[LSP_Mike]

K2, When I say stigma, I mean perhaps more from the Japanese perspective. I get your point about pearl, but again, I think they are apples ....and radishes in comparison. In my mind, one is a battle, albeit a significant one, and the other tied irrevocably to  two events that altered history. Altered as in :ushered in a new age that cannot be gone back from.

       perhaps the more valid point is sheer size. My display case is sized to fit the B-25. I'll get a B-25, Felixstowe, and some other similar planes in there. I do not have the -17, 24, or Lanc, and I like the idea of the B-29, but it is just too big for me.  Everyone has their own take, but the size alone is a diminishing return.

[LSP_Mike]

The 1/200 ships is a thing too. I have one, and a 1/250 Musashi, which is.. large. I've heard of a 1/200 Titanic in the works, which might be tempting. All that is for a different thread, and a different day. I would like to get the 1/32 PBY kit someday, so I'd have to figure out displaying that.

[Tony T]

1/200 ships make sense, as the shape sits nicely on a windowsill or mantlepiece - or study shelf.

 

But the sticky out sideways bits make LSP large aircraft gangly and awkward, suitable only for wall mounting or dangling from the ceiling. Probably why I like high performance jets - swept, smaller wingspans - and Naval aircraft which perform origami. 

 

As for Jennings' only 0.000000001% of the population being interested in the 1/32 Superfortress, that figure works out to less than one person in the entire world. I think his market research is out by several orders of magnitude.

 

And if the Revellogram Ju 52 chestnut gets trotted out, I have just one word to Hong Kong Models: floats.

 

Tony

[nmayhew]

18 minutes ago, Tony T said:

 

As for Jennings' only 0.000000001% of the population being interested in the 1/32 Superfortress, that figure works out to less than one person in the entire world.

 

Tony

 

Oh that did make me chuckle!!

 

[John1]

19 minutes ago, Tony T said:

 

As for Jennings' only 0.000000001% of the population being interested in the 1/32 Superfortress, that figure works out to less than one person in the entire world. I think his market research is out by several orders of magnitude.

 

 

Maybe Jennings is a bit conservative with his math but seriously, how many people would be up for a kit that is probably well into 4 figures (USD) and would take up a good portion of a room to display?  I know we'll get multiple posts here from folks stating they would absolutely buy this monster but I hardly think LSP is represntive of the overall modeling world.  I just can't see anyone except possibly a niche, limited run outfit even thinking about an endevour like this.  The costs to design and produce a kit like this would be massive, that's a huge risk for most modeling manufacturers.  

 

 

[Tony T]

1 hour ago, John1 said:

 

Maybe Jennings is a bit conservative with his math but seriously, how many people would be up for a kit that is probably well into 4 figures (USD) and would take up a good portion of a room to display?  I know we'll get multiple posts here from folks stating they would absolutely buy this monster but I hardly think LSP is represntive of the overall modeling world.  I just can't see anyone except possibly a niche, limited run outfit even thinking about an endevour like this.  The costs to design and produce a kit like this would be massive, that's a huge risk for most modeling manufacturers.  

 

 

 

The market is probably 200 for an £800 kit from a firm like HpH. I'm not one of the prospective buyers. 

If Hobby Boss did a £200 very basic kit the market would quite probably be an order of magnitude higher: 2,000. 

 

If you like them big I would recommend going to the Superfortress hangar at the NEAM at Windsor Locks. There's a 1/24th scale scratchbuilt B-29 in a display case. Quite impressive.

 

Personally, I'm starting to look at Billings wooden boats and smaller scale plastic aircraft. Maybe it's age, but I'm finding glueing very large bits of plastic is quite tedious.

 

Tony 

[John1]

5 minutes ago, Tony T said:

 

The market is probably 200 for an £800 kit from a firm like HpH. I'm not one of the prospective buyers. 

If Hobby Boss did a £200 very basic kit the market would quite probably be an order of magnitude higher: 2,000. 

 

If you like them big I would recommend going to the Superfortress hangar at the NEAM at Windsor Locks. There's a 1/24th scale scratchbuilt B-29 in a display case. Quite impressive.

 

Personally, I'm starting to look at Billings wooden boats and smaller scale plastic aircraft. Maybe it's age, but I'm finding glueing very large bits of plastic is quite tedious.

 

Tony 

Thanks for the reminder on NEAM Tony!   I keep telling myself to take a ride out there, it's really not that far of a drive and now that the awesome Quonset Point, RI museum has shut down, there isn't anything around in New England.  

 

Funny how you are gravitating towards smaller kits, I've found that over the years, I'm going with 32nd kits pretty much exclusively.   I just like being able to work on something without squinting.

 

John