Mstor Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 17 hours ago, TommyP said: Thanks for the kid words, chaps. I'm currently in the process of adding the stabs and wing tanks - I'll post a picture update soon. In the meantime, I spent a great day yesterday at RIAT at RAF Fairford, and one of the star exhibits in the static display (at least for me) was this fine specimen of USAF heavy metal: IMG_1319 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr As well as taking lots of reference shots for the current aerial fit and other various lumps and bumps, what really struck me was the state of the thing. I'm used to seeing pictures of the current BUFF fleet in reasonably good condition in terms of paint finish, but this one was really heavily weathered and was showing lots of zinc-chromate primer. It looks like it had flown through a heavy hail storm or the like, as it almost has sand-blasted effect on the leading edges. It was a mess! IMG_1325 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1309 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1311 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1305 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr It looks like I can get creative with my paint job when the time comes, and although heavily-weathered finishes are not my thing, it'd certainly add some interest to an otherwise rather bland all over grey if I go down that route. Now - back to the bench... Tom Has the serial number on the tail been oversprayed? If so, on purpose or? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr Matt Foley Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Thanks for sharing the photos! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted July 27, 2019 Author Share Posted July 27, 2019 On 7/23/2019 at 2:19 AM, Gator52 said: Perhaps this jet was the spare for RIAT and a jet with a better paint job was originally slated to go....the Inherent Resolve mission marks may give a hint as to how the paint became so worn! Interesting to see the pylon for the range pod loaded on the left wing for an OCONUS trip. Jonah Apparently, this aircraft was hit by a heavy hailstorm whilst operating out of Guam - hence the 'sand-blasted' finish. Since my last update I've been working on the stabilisers of the B-52. They were first removed from the backing sheet and sanded to the correct thickness, with extra attention being paid to the trailing edges to ensure they were as thin as possible. The stabilisers are very large on this model, and therefore needed a substantial spar structure in order to keep them rigid: IMG_E1266 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1267 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr They were then secured to the fuselage and the joins made good, before they received a coat of primer. I have also made the swivel plates from thin plastic card and added these to the correct locations on the fuselage sides: DSC_0216 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0214 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0211 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr We now have a model that is, more or less, structurally complete: DSC_0218 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0227 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0222 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr As you can see from the images above I've also been working on attaching the wing fuel tanks. These didn't fit well to the wing, as the shape of the pylon doesn't match the curvature of the wing. I did consider removing parts from the pylon and trimming it so that it followed the wing's curve, but this meant the tank sat too close to the wing. Therefore, I've instead opted to modify and build up the pylon and blend it in with Milliput. The image below shows what I mean - sanding and final blending still to be done: DSC_0225 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr In other news, designing of some soon-to-be printed 3D wheels is progressing well: IMG_E1386 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Until next time, Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted July 27, 2019 Author Share Posted July 27, 2019 On 7/23/2019 at 3:09 AM, Mstor said: Has the serial number on the tail been oversprayed? If so, on purpose or? It does look that way - but why I have no idea... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Piker38 Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, TommyP said: DSC_0225 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr In other news, designing of some soon-to-be printed 3D wheels is progressing well: IMG_E1386 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Will you be making these wheels available to other BIG BUFF builders ? I could use a couple of sets myself.......... Edited July 27, 2019 by Piker38 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted December 20, 2019 Author Share Posted December 20, 2019 On 7/27/2019 at 11:09 PM, Piker38 said: Will you be making these wheels available to other BIG BUFF builders ? I could use a couple of sets myself.......... The wheels have been designed and produced by a friend of mine - unfortunately he has no plans to produce them commercially. Since my last update work and life has got in the way of this project a bit, but I've had this monster back on the bench (well, actually the kitchen table) again recently... IMG_1694 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1693 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr As you can see I have begun working on the flap apertures in the lower wings. The ribs have been individually made from plastic card: IMG_1702 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1699 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And then the stringers and spars were fashioned and added from more plastic card and Evergreen: IMG_E1705 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_E1706 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr So both inner sections have the basic structure complete, and it'll now be the outer sections getting the same treatment. It's a long and tedious task though - I've invested about 10 hours of time in the inner sections alone... Until next time, Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted December 20, 2019 Share Posted December 20, 2019 Glad to see this beast is still making progress. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 Afternoon folks... The flap aperture detailing has progressed well - the main structure is now done, with the exception of the flap motors that'll need making and adding later on: DSC_0292 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0294 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0296 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0298 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr When the final detailing has been done, these ares will be given a good spraying of zinc chromate - but that won't happen until the model is ready for painting. In other news, I've finished adding the veins to the spoilers on the wings: DSC_0300 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And these are the beautiful 3D printed wheels that a friend kindly did for me: DSC_0302 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0304 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Unfortunately the colour of the plastic means a lot of the details are lost to the camera, but believe me they're stunning! Now, better get the table cleared for dinner... DSC_0290 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Happy modelling folks, and all the best for the festivities! Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted February 8, 2020 Author Share Posted February 8, 2020 Afternoon all... It's been a while since an update on this monster - work and a lack of mojo conspiring against any significant progress. However, I have made some in-roads into the cockpit transparencies, which are vital in capturing the look of the BUFF. You only get one canopy with the kit so there's no room for error - definitely a case of measure thrice and cut once. When the cockpit glazing had been trimmed to the correct shape, it became apparent that it was quite significantly wider than the fuselage. This is because as the fuselage immediately below the cockpit curves inwards too much as you move up to the base of the flghtdeck windows, and therefore is too narrow for the cockpit to sit on correctly. The solution was to make a plasticard 'base' which matched the shape of the bottom area of the transparencies. This was then mounted on the fuelage where the glazing will sit, and the difference in space built up with Milliput and blended to shape. This has now corrected the shape of the fuselage sides, as well as making the cockpit more or less a drop-fit: DSC_0305 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The cockpit windows have been marked out with masking tape, and are not 100% correct yet but have given a good approximation: DSC_0315 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0316 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr When compared to the original: Nose on view by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I think I'm not too far off: DSC_0309 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr A bit more fettling ahead yet, but progress is progress, no matter how small... Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trojan Thunder Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Good to see you progressing Tom, nice save on the windscreen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Tom, truly a work of beauty! Kindest regards, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gator52 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Looks great! Jonah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Incredible !!! There is ONLY ONE PLACE for this. Smithsonian so generations can admire this one of a kind model. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ishthe47guy Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Any plans to bring this to Telford 2020, if the world situation improves? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share Posted June 29, 2020 On 3/28/2020 at 4:49 PM, Ishthe47guy said: Any plans to bring this to Telford 2020, if the world situation improves? I'm not going to Telford this year - although I think it doubtful it'll be on anyway - but if it's finished I'll likely bring it along to the 2021 show. I've finally had the opportunity today to add a splash of colour to the flap bays. Trouble is, this beast is a little too large to fit in a spray booth: IMG_0277 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Equally, finding a place for it to dry off is equally problematic: IMG_0280 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Anyway, size issues aside, Xtracolor's Zinc Chromate has brought this area to life: IMG_0285 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've also given the out-rigger bays another spraying as I felt the Humbrol Chromate Yellow was too brownish: IMG_0282 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0283 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0288 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_0290 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Pretty happy with the outcome Regards to all, Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Nice, looks like she's shaping up pretty good. Keep up the great work. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmel Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Wow! So cool!!! Jake Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kurnass77 Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 That's modelling! Gianni Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 What a beast! It's coming along nicely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B.Sin Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 On 12/23/2019 at 10:54 AM, TommyP said: Afternoon folks... The flap aperture detailing has progressed well - the main structure is now done, with the exception of the flap motors that'll need making and adding later on: DSC_0292 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0294 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0296 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0298 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr When the final detailing has been done, these ares will be given a good spraying of zinc chromate - but that won't happen until the model is ready for painting. In other news, I've finished adding the veins to the spoilers on the wings: DSC_0300 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And these are the beautiful 3D printed wheels that a friend kindly did for me: DSC_0302 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0304 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Unfortunately the colour of the plastic means a lot of the details are lost to the camera, but believe me they're stunning! Now, better get the table cleared for dinner... DSC_0290 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Happy modelling folks, and all the best for the festivities! Tom WOW!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TommyP Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 It's been a while since I updated this build thread but work has slowly been continuing in the background... The inboard pylons on the wings are not great as they come in the kit: Especially when compared to the actual aircraft: So it was out with the plastic card to make my own replacements: Much better! I've also started making the various lumps and bumps from Milliput: The landing gear has been assembled, painted and installed - although the retraction struts etc. still need to be made and added: I've also begun detailing the flight deck which has had its first coat of grey: The instrument panel and coaming has been scratch-built ready for further detailing: And the interior of the cockpit glazing has been sprayed: Now I see a lot of interior detailing on the horizon... Until next time, Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 WOW, beautiful work on all the extra details. She looks really good. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Glad to see you are still chugging along with this beast. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Looking great..such an impressive project! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MA Cooke Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Amazing. B-36 in the queue? (I'm joking...is there even such a beast?) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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