1/72 Monogram B-52D questions

[F4DPhantomII]

I just won an auction on ebay for the 1969 boxing with the rare boxtop.I have been after this version for a long time. my question is on the engine pods in the kit.Are they correct as far as the Front compressor section as shown? Any other ares that are off? Thanks.

 

Edited October 21, 2018 by F4DPhantomII

[aircommando130]

I think they are...The D had the steam jet engines like the KC-135A had. I remember seeing them take off from Andersen AFB on Guam and trailing the black smoke...drop down off the runway....the East departure was about a 600 ft cliff and they would drop down over the water till they got the airspeed up. My dad bought that original boxing of the Buff for me. It came with a jet noise simulator and I think it was in the bomb bay. My mom hated that sound after I got it built!

[Kurt H.]

I have built later re-issues of that kit, and I remember checking references at the time, and the engine face in the kit is a fairly accurate representation of the real thing.  Many kits have well known accuracy issues that are repeated endlessly but I can not remember any real gotchas with the monogram B-52.  The only real issues are with the depth of the bomb bay, a relative lack of detail in the landing gear bays, and the windows on the top of the cockpit area are molded closed.  The fit of the cockpit windows is also pretty bad.

 

But this kit was released in the 60s, so judging by the standards of the time,  it is a pretty advanced kit.

 

The other challenges involved in building the kit are mostly due to the size of the kit. masking and painting the walkway stripes is a big job. The other tedious part is assembling, cleaning up, and painting all the bombs. Congratulations on finding that kit.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Kurt H.

[F4DPhantomII]

They turn up on ebay from time to time but always the asking price starts above $100.I got it for $55 plus mailing costs.I remember seeing the kit at a Sumter SC Woolco in 1969 for about $11.99.Should have got it them but I was stationed at Shaw AFB nearby and didn't have room in my Air Force barracks locker. I would also like to pick up the Modelcollect B-52s.

[Paul Boyer]

And it can be built into a good model, even now, 50 years after it's first release.

 

 

[ikar]

I've built a few of these kits since it first came out.  I have walked around them while they were on S.A.C. alert in the states and used to watch them take off all day long, every day except Christmas, Unless there was a emergency mission needed.  We had a runway long enough to handle them and when a cell would leave the reventments the first would sit on the end of the runway and gun up its engines, creating a for of black smoke.  By the time the third aircraft would hit the end it would already have its engines running up to full power and start its run.  By then all you could see was the tip of the black tail sticking about the black exhaust cloud.

I would suggest would be to get some MERs and enough 750 pound bombe for them, probably the Hasegawa weapons kit is the best place to obtain them.  Each pylon carried two MERs with this load and the after market parts will look better than what Monogram had on their kit.  At the time, the kit came out, you couldn't get close enough to see that detail so they did what they could.

 

Edited October 19, 2018 by ikar

[Paul Boyer]

Actually, the Monogram kit "should" come with the pylons and plenty of M117 750-pound bombs. Perhaps some issues deleted these - not sure. The version they gave you was the "long" pylon usually used to carry Hound Dog missiles with the MERs and a rudimentary rail. Most D's seemed to have the shorter pylon, but some did have the long pylon, and obviously the BUFF Monogram used as a reference back in the late '60s was one with the long pylon. Anyway, the Monogram D looks pretty good even by today standards - in my opinion.

 

[F4DPhantomII]

I wish there were some resin upgrades for the cockpit,wheel wells, and bomb bays.

[Paul Boyer]

1 hour ago, F4DPhantomII said:

I wish there were some resin upgrades for the cockpit,wheel wells, and bomb bays.

 

Cockpit: Can't see much through the small windows and limited viewing angles.

 

Wheel well and bomb bays: Your desire for added detail there suggests someone would be lifting your large model to see inside down there. Or viewing with a mirror. Nobody sees the undersides of my B-52, so more detail means more expensive moldings. Ready to pay?

[habu2]

You can’t see inside the wheelwells or bomb bay of a 1:1 BUFF without ducking. twisting and turning.  Ask me how I know...

[ikar]

We have a "D" model on display at the airport.  One day I decided to try to get some shots of the tail gunner's position and despite the signs to keep off I got onto top and took some shots of the wings and along its spine, but when I saw how much room there wasn't at the tail I gave up.  It's a long way to the ground from that small area.

Here's the shots of our display aircraft:

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/ikar_photos/Bombers/scan0068-2.jpg]p://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc4/ikar_photos/Bombers/scan0066-2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

ote all the different types of antennas on the bottom and the holes on its sides.

[F4DPhantomII]

IKAR    Thanks for those pics.Kit should be here tomorrow.

[Don]

In regards the cockpit, all I did was grab some extra seats from an AMT B-52 to liven the area up a bit (the "pilots" that come in the kit look terrible and I just couldn't use them):

By the time you install the cockpit glass you won't see that much in there anyways but you will see enough to warrant a little effort.

 

For the tail gunners position, Monogram/Revell provide you with yet another "pilot"..." gunner" more like it. Again, I just couldn't use it. So all  I did was grab a spare seat that had the general shape of the B-52D tail gunners seat (Airfix Seaking ) to make the area a little more busy. I'll be adding a rear bulkhead behind it to block off the see through affect as well as some Evergreen plastic to spice the area up. Once the gunners canopy is installed you won't see that much but adding some simple details is an improvement over what Monogram/Revell provides. Like the cockpit, you will see enough to warrant a little effort here.

The bomb bay detail is indeed lacking and shallow. All I plan on doing is making a new bomb bay "roof" using the kit supplied roof as a template. I will then add spare bombs from a previous B-52D kit that I built where I didn't use the bombs on the HSAB's under the wings (which are quite nice as supplied in the kit btw). The plan here is to add some depth and create a more cramped and enhanced 3D look if that makes sense (my models sit on mirrored shelves so you can see up underneath).  Wheels wells are simple and basic. But even sitting on mirrors not much can be seen inside by the time you add all the wheels and gear doors. So mine are staying OOB.

 

Its a great kit for a 50 year old model. You'll have a blast with it!

 

Regards,

Don

[Mstor]

On 10/20/2018 at 8:41 AM, habu2 said:

You can’t see inside the wheelwells or bomb bay of a 1:1 BUFF without ducking. twisting and turning.  Ask me how I know...

I remember getting under there at an air show at Milwaukee's Mitchell Field, back in the day when they had air shows with static displays. It was a hot day, and it was a bit cooler under there. I was a teenager, so didn't know enough to take some pics when I could.

[F4DPhantomII]

I built the !968 1st issue of the kit.Its long gone now.I loved the boxtop painting on the 2nd (1969) issue. But that version was not around long enough. Back then they changed boxtops every couple of years.

[F4DPhantomII]

Well it arrived yesterday.For a 49 year old kit(1969) issue,box was in like new condition. It was like taking a time machine back to 1969. Box top will be framed if I can find one that size.Kit will be built in SEA camo just like the 1st one I built.Markings maybe " Microscale's Orlando Where the Action is". I have the decals will need to coat them so they don't disintegrate in water.

[ikar]

Good luck.  They also had a reflective stripe along the outside of the wing tanks, from tip to tip.  It had a yellow tint to it and I think was open enough in the middle for the last three of the tail number to show.  It would have been a safety device so drivers could avoid hitting the tank.