Drifterdon Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 (edited) This is the second build I'm doing using the Minicraft KC-135E as the basis. This was the other member of the team on Shemya in 1968-69 that was keeping tabs on the former Soviet Union and their Ballistic missile program. Unfortunately, Rivet Amber was lost on June 5, 1969 while returning back to Eielson for maintenance. She took with her 19 souls. No trace of the aircraft or crew were ever found. http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u199/drifterdon/rc-135-3_zpslvvcnalb.jpg This is a picture of Amber before she received a coat of paint. If you look closely, you can see what looks like a couple more engines inside of the stock TF33's. These are really a generator pod on the left side of the plane and a heat exchanger in the right to power and cool the Hughes Phased Array radar that sits under the light grey fiberglass area under the forward fuselage on the right side. This was the only RC-135 that had any kind of a SLAR (side looking airborne radar). The Rivet Joints, Combat Sents and Big Team aircraft carried sensor housings that looked like giant chipmunk cheeks but have been mistakenly called SLARs through the years. At the time, Amber was the heaviest 135 and most expensive aircraft the Air Force had. http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u199/drifterdon/800cb0cc-e463-4984-8607-1c0375a4c50a_zpswknsr86p.jpg This is the hog nose that I modified by using the nose provided in the Welsh Models RC-135 Rivet Joint conversion set. It had to be modified from what came in the kit to allow it to fit the Minicraft kit. The unmodified part is on the left and the completed nose is on the right. I also used the windshield from the Revell 737-800 kit. It only needed a bit of massaging to get to fit but was infinitely better than the wonky windshield Minicraft provides in the kit. I did this part of the build before Paul Fisher offered his replacement nose for the KC-135 kits. http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u199/drifterdon/IMG_0704_zpstrf59aw8.jpg Here's a pic of the status from a month or so ago. http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u199/drifterdon/Completed20Fisher20TF33s_zps7kxukykj.jpg These are the TF-33 engines produced by Fisher. These are really nice and are a much better fit and shape than the engines provided in the KC-135E kit. I removed the turbo compressor hoods from the #2 and 3 engines as Amber had none on any of the engines. These are the two outer most engines. They do require some cleanup underneath but they fit like a glove to the Minicraft wing. http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u199/drifterdon/Baby20Pods_zpskkwcehlb.jpg These are the pods that mount inside of #2 and 3 engines. The generator pod (shown on the left) was actually a T55 engine driving a 350 kVA generator. The other pod was a heat exchanger that helped to cool the equipment on board the aircraft. This is all I had on file for Rivet Amber. I'll take more pics tonight or later this weekend and post showing where she sits right now. Thanks for checking it out. Don :salute:/> Edited July 14, 2023 by Drifterdon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gator52 Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Looking good Don, thanks for sharing. Jonah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Nice work Don, great see some different KC-135 variants being built Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Thanks guys for the kudos. Here are a few updated pics of Amber. Landing gear is completely on front and rear. Ventral shot showing gear, A/C pack intakes on both sides and fuel dump in place of refueling boom. This area had to be built up. Here she is with the Paul Fisher resin TF-33 engines plugged into the wings. Fit is exceptional. Close-up of #4. Starboard engines. These will get prepainted and then glued into place so I know how long to make the pylons for the heat exchanger and generator pods. The bottom of both were flush with the bottom of #'s 2 & 3 engines. Speaking of pods. Here they are all finished up just waiting for their pylons. Here's another angle of #3 &4 showing the clean fit straight out of the package from Mr. Fisher. Can't wait to get his J-57s. This is where Amber sits right now. I've also started one of the RC-135S Cobra Balls to depict '2663' as she was when I was stationed at Eielson AFB in '84-86. And I've begun work on an RC-135M and RC-135C. Those are to follow at a later date. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 So Rivet Amber is kind of a special build for me. My dad was one of the crew members that was lost when she went down in the Bering Sea on June 5, 69. Here is a grainy pic showing the guys assigned to the 55th SRW out of Offutt AFB, NE that were TDY to Shemya as part of her crew. My dad is the second from the right (the only one without a hat on). Not sure who took this pic. It was taken on Shemya and was either right after he got there or right before she was lost. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Major Walt Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 I'm sorry for your loss and can fully understand how special this build is. Great work my friend. 1/144 scale isn't easy on the eyes. But she's lookin good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 9, 2016 Author Share Posted May 9, 2016 I'm sorry for your loss and can fully understand how special this build is. Great work my friend. 1/144 scale isn't easy on the eyes. But she's lookin good! Thank you sir. Hoping I can have her finished before the anniversary of her loss. I have a 1/72 kit I'm building as well but won't have it done before June 5th. Maybe this one though. :salute:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Falcon50EX Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 i saw my first RC-135 last week! We were holding short of Runway 31 at Des Moine Int'l and an RC- made one touch and go and he was up up and away. We were number 3 to go after one more arrival, so i don't know if he stayed in the pattern or not. Precious little ground clearance in a crosswind with those big fans, thats for sure. david Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Knowing your dad was on that bird... I can understand why it is special to you Don. Loss of an aircraft is bad enough. But it is even worse when it is something packed with several people and doubly so when it is an intelligence asset (even if the loss occurred when the plane was ferrying back to the mainland). I tell ya, those RC drivers earn their pay as flying these planes is not like flying a KC-135. A KC may take off heavy, but if they unload their gas on a mission, they land pretty light. An RC-135 on the other hand... they are pretty fully loaded with all that SIGINT and COMMINT gear packed in them. So they go over the numbers on landing pretty hot. That is why you see the crews shooting a lot of approaches. If you are close to the surrounding airports in the area, you will likely see them shooting more approaches in the upcoming months. Offutt needs to have its runway repaved, so maintenance crews are doing FOD walk downs on an almost hourly basis, picking up tiny cracked pieces of concrete. The re-paving could take perhaps a year, or possibly even two depending on how extensive they get and how long they want the new runway to last (the two year plan would give Offutt a runway that can last 20 years as opposed to 10). The 55th's jets will likely be based at the Lincoln airport on the ANG ramp as that is where they were based back in 1994 when they last did this. But they will still need to do training flights, meaning practicing a few touch and go landings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share Posted May 14, 2016 When I was stationed at Eielson in '84-86 the RC-135S Cobra Balls would occassionally fly in and out either due to maintenance or due to Shemya being socked in. Every time they would take off, you could count on 2 to 3 KC's taking off with them to tank up after they got to altitude and give them range to Shemya or wherever they were going. The Ball wasn't bad but the KC's were all water wagons and man did they scream when they took off right over your head. Being a young SP at the time and working Eielsons only main gate, we were off the end of the runway. It was always unnerving to see a KC with smoke belching out of 3 of the 4 engines, barreling down the runway right at you. The gate was named Hursey Gate in honor of A1C Hursey who was killed when a KC-135 failed to get airborne at takeoff and when it crashed it took out the gate and A1C Hursey in it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Ick. Don't you wish they didn't name gates like that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Falcon50EX Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 i managed to score a Minicraft KC-135R- by accident- at Hobby Lobby. For the most part i'm pretty impressed with the kit, but those intake lips on the CFM engines....eesh. They're like Mick Jagger intake lips. No matter though; i was planning on getting the Fisher TF-33s/ JT-3Ds for it anyway. IIRC Paul is working on some J-57s as well but haven't seen em yet. Am thinking about building the Roden 720B, next..... david Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share Posted May 14, 2016 i managed to score a Minicraft KC-135R- by accident- at Hobby Lobby. For the most part i'm pretty impressed with the kit, but those intake lips on the CFM engines....eesh. They're like Mick Jagger intake lips. No matter though; i was planning on getting the Fisher TF-33s/ JT-3Ds for it anyway. IIRC Paul is working on some J-57s as well but haven't seen em yet. Am thinking about building the Roden 720B, next..... david Jennings had mentioned that Paul was working on J-57s and CFMs to replace the misshapen engines from the kits. Still waiting myself for the J-57. Would you be willing to sell the CFM's from your R kit? Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 Dusting this thread off in the hopes that I will finally have Amber done in time for the anniversary of her loss. I'll post a few updated pics in the next day or so. Fingers crossed I giterdone! Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Looking forward to seeing how you finish this one Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted March 22, 2018 Author Share Posted March 22, 2018 Well, obviously I didn't get Amber done before the anniversary of her loss but with June 5, 2019 being the 50th anniversary of her loss, I'm going to push ahead and get both my 1/72 and 1/144 versions completed before then. Are folks able to see the in progess pics or do you get the photobucket 3rd party hosting badge of doom? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 (edited) Great to see you back on this one, you might inspire me to get back to my 1/72 RC-135V Edited June 7, 2022 by Trojan Thunder Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 On 3/22/2018 at 4:15 PM, Trojan Thunder said: Great to see you back ion this one, you might inspire me to get back to my 1/72 RC-135V Git er done Ray! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom75 Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 I just read this entire post and hearing the back story and seeing the pictures, it actually sent chills down me. I think this is an awesome project and the pictures of ur progress look very good. will be very anxious to see the end result in 2019. And that being the 50th anniversary is definitely the way to do it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted April 6, 2018 Author Share Posted April 6, 2018 On 4/4/2018 at 3:06 AM, phantom75 said: I just read this entire post and hearing the back story and seeing the pictures, it actually sent chills down me. I think this is an awesome project and the pictures of ur progress look very good. will be very anxious to see the end result in 2019. And that being the 50th anniversary is definitely the way to do it. Thanks phantom75. Time to definitely get this one done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Don, for some reason, I'm not seeing the pics. Would love to though. I know what you are capable of! Keep calm, and carry on! R/ Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted May 25, 2018 Author Share Posted May 25, 2018 On 4/12/2018 at 10:57 AM, Dutch said: Don, for some reason, I'm not seeing the pics. Would love to though. I know what you are capable of! Keep calm, and carry on! R/ Dutch You seeing the pics Dutch now that PB has turned them back on? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 Don, Yes, pictures have re-appeared. Beautiful work there! Keep it up brother! R/ Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pminer Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Doing the AMT 1/72 RC-135V. The wing droop WILL be resolved....but it's a serious pain. Whoever was in charge of the wing assembly did a ridiculously piss-poor job of engineering. The whole assembly is off. BUT!!….I'm very close to resolving this thing. Will post some pics when done. All in all it's an awesome model! Just parts of it were engineered very poorly. What an amazing subject! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drifterdon Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) Hey Paul, Shoot a couple in-progress pics. There's a bunch of us 135 guys and gals that would love to see your Joint. Rivet Joint that is. LOL Edited June 1, 2018 by Drifterdon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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