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Roden 1/144 RC-135V RIVET JOINT Build and Improvement


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On 8/12/2022 at 2:24 PM, Drifterdon said:

If they are the same as the RAF walkways (and I believe they are), they are almost a gunship grey with some kind of funky yellowish color outline and arrows.  I have an overhead pic somewhere that shows the walkways clearly.   It's of an Airseeker parked on the ramp next to one of the RAF's Sentry's.

There have been many changes to the RC-135 since the RAF joined the program. One area is emergency equipment.  There's a big effort to keep all the jets the same so what good for one is good for all.

Edited by Plastictiger
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21 hours ago, Plastictiger said:

There have been many changes to the RC-135 since the RAF joined the program. One area is emergency equipment.  There's a big effort to keep all the jets the same so what good for one is good for all.

Thanks for that info.   The US and Brit RJ's definitely look alike save for the national markings.    :salute:

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1 minute ago, Plastictiger said:

That because you still need the white top help keep the jet cool.

True true.   When I was stationed at Eielson AFB in the 80's we called the Cobra Ball's "White Top" to differentiate them from the rest of the KC-135's when came in from Shemya.   It had to have a dedicated guard posted on it since it was a priority resource.

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  • 1 month later...
On 10/19/2022 at 3:54 PM, Dutch said:

Brother Ray, Nah, I'm in the sandbox right now.  During Thanksgiving I am taking the whole week off.  I hope to finish up a couple of kits and repair a couple as well. K/r, Dutch

Ahhhhh, I think you mean Don 😄

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2 hours ago, Dutch said:

Sorry Bros. Don & Ray, I am very tired.  Will catch back up in a couple of days. K/r, Dutch

Kinda figured exhaustion had a part in this.   No worries Dutchmaster.   Focus on task at hand and get back home soon.

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Here is a synopsis of some of the issues I've had with my Roden RC-135 builds.

The nose radome is undersized and tapers in too much.  Looks like a blunt F-105 radome (slight exaggeration).  The attachment point on rear fuselage where horizontal stabs attach is way too pronounced.   Looks like a butte in Utah.   I discovered with all three builds that the lower fuselage area that runs the entire length of the lower wing is too thick.  I had to file it down so it was level with the bottom of the wing and then clean up and fill the seam.   The entire upper and lower fuselage has a grainy pebbly texture that needs to be sanded smooth.   The upper Satcom antennas are all lined up with the centerline of aircraft and should be staggered.  Those were the main areas that need to be addressed.    Do I recommend the kit?   Absolutely!  I have five of them. 

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It's a minor nit pick, but the two square air outlets for the air cycle machines in the lower wing roots are missing.  Should be just ahead of the main gear bay close to the centerline.  Scribe in a couple small squares and paint black, although in this scale nobody will ever see them.  I did cut out the openings and scratch the duct work on the AMT kit.  The outlets are already scribed on the 1/72 kit. 

The surface texture on the Roden kit to me is just dumb.  I hate sanding more than any other part of model building, and I despise having to sand every surface of a model kit.  It's very noticeable on the parts.  I know its Roden, but I expect more of mold makers in 2022.

 

Rick L.

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10 minutes ago, Dave Fleming said:

Just an FYI, 26 Decals have released a sheet for the RAF Rivet Joint that includes those wing walkways

 

http://www.26decals.com/epages/62035508.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62035508/Products/STS44410

Excellent news Dave.   Just placed my order for two sheets.   One for RAF RJ and one to use the walkways for a USAF RJ.   

Edited by Drifterdon
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On 3/22/2023 at 4:57 PM, Drifterdon said:

Excellent news Dave.   Just placed my order for two sheets.   One for RAF RJ and one to use the walkways for a USAF RJ.   

I just noticed that yesterday as well!  I already have the S&M sheet, plus the Caracal sheet. I wonder if someone can just print the walkways.  Afterall, Don and I will need about 6 or 7 each!

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On 6/25/2023 at 3:42 PM, Drifterdon said:

Heya Dutchmaster, any update on your Rivet Joint build?   

Brother Don, I need to break it out. I packed it up to take with me on my February trip to SC, but promptly forgot it.  It is in a box with some of my basic tools & glue.  I will dig it out this weekend, brush it off and take a few photos for the progress thread.  Thanks for the prompt.  K/r, Dutch

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Discovered one other area that needs addressing with this kit and I'm sure it will include Roden's new release of their KC-135R kit.   The mounting location for the wheels, all 10 of them need to be drilled out in order to fit on the axles of the gear struts.   What comes in the kit are very slight depressions that are not even close to allowing the wheels to be properly mounted.   It's a minor nit but one that needs to be addressed when you build your kit.

 

Update to show what comes in the kit and what I did to fix.   

 

135wheels.jpg

Edited by Drifterdon
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Don, 

Thank you for that very keen observation.  I too worked on my RC-135W a little tonight. I re-sanded the mounting area for the horizontal stabilizers. Then I glued the landing gear mounts into the fuselage sides and added a 1/2 oz weight to each side of the forward fuselage, offset so they wouldn't interfere with each other. That's it for tonight. 

20230717_200433.thumb.jpg.79642df56d642016721c1a082e28d5cc.jpg

20230717_200501.thumb.jpg.d46522dd6e3b2df9080b2877d5485250.jpg

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On 8/12/2022 at 12:53 PM, Drifterdon said:

So I just discovered something interesting while doing a Googlemaps search to see what the runway at Offutt is looking like.   I meandered over to Lincoln Airport where the 55th is flying the RC's out of and saw that they all now have emergency walkways on the wing roots.   Just like the RAF Airseekers have.  Have no idea how to paint these on since they are an interesting shade of grey.  Looks like even the trainers and the weather birds have them.  Here's a pic of an RAF bird taken during inflight refueling to give you an idea of what they look like.

img_37-1_19.jpg?itok=OFs-Lhx4

 

And here is a pic of a USAF bird where you can see the walkway on the starboard wing root.  They appear to be same shade of grey with the weird yellow arrows and border.

 

002_Cohen_16thAF_RC145_Al_Udeid-900x600.jpg

 

So dusting this Rivet Joint wing root walkway thread off to see if anyone know's if the Cobra Balls or Combat Sents have these walkway markings on them.   I have no clue so reaching out to the experten.

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2 minutes ago, Plastictiger said:

It's an RAF thing that's made its way over to US jets. There were a lot safety equipment changes the RAF requested. I assume the changes wouldn't stop with RJ but be adopted fleet wide.

Do you know if the Balls or U-Boats have them?

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