fab-reims Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 (edited) On October 12, 1964, during its third test flight, its first supersonic, the paint of the XB-70 was torn off in entire patches on nearly 15% of the surface. Whose fault is it ? Nobody really knows, but each time a VIP was announced for a visit (ground tests, taxiing, first flight tests, etc.), it was systematically repainted in the immaculate white livery. The layers were superimposed, which modified its aerodynamics and caused unwanted turbulences which had the consequence of tearing off the paint or melting it following the heating of certain parts of the structure. Add to that some engine problems and it was decided to anticipate the landing. It is therefore in this particular configuration that I decided to present it. The assembly itself was not easy either, because in terms of adjustments, it is not the kit of the century (Italeri still used the AMT/ERTL mold, which had aged very badly). Rather than use a lot of putty to fill the spaces, I preferred to perfect the adjustments, redo them, to limit the use of putty, because it is better to have a good bond than a lot of puttying. it was improved with PE packs from Armory Models and Brengun and lots of scratching. In addition to its improvement elements, I created: Braking parachutes, Parachutes storage, Rebuilding the ECS exhaust area behind the nose gear bay, The pressurized cockpit and the pilots, Landing gears détails Individualization of the elevons and putting them in the rolling position the articulation elements of the variable geometry parts Addition of 4 pitot probes the peeling paint, particular to this famous 3rd flight,consistent with photos takien at the time, produced using more than 1600 elements of masking tape, cut out and glued one by one on a layer of “gun metal” paint. All you have to do is paint it white and remove the masking elements to reveal the paint defects. the display measures 150 x 60 cm, and represents the runway 4R of the USAF Edward's base (California), embellished with some of the rare photos which immortalize this flight. in total, this represents more than 500 hours of work Edited September 24, 2023 by fab-reims Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JackMan Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 A weathering that'd give WW2 Japanese aircraft a run for their money. Well done! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BastianD Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Very interesting and special build, true piece of art! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 9 minutes ago, BastianD said: Very interesting and special build, true piece of art! thanks Bastian !!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 57 minutes ago, JackMan said: A weathering that'd give WW2 Japanese aircraft a run for their money. Well done! several people, like you, have alluded to the Japanese “Zero” of 1944.. It's a compliment that I accept with pleasure. Thanks a lot !!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ST0RM Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Talk about pushing the envelope. That is what you've done with this display. Simply amazing, in both the paintwork and overall layout. Very well done!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aircommando130 Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Thats awesome! My dad was stationed at Edwards back then and he took us down to Palmdale to watch the "roll out" of the B-70. I saw it fly in to Edwards to start it's test program. You reproduced the supersonic heating that burned the paint off perfect and the drag chutes and runway reall add to the real feel. Great job on an awesome airplane! Cheers...Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Holy cow, this is fantastic !! An extraordinary build and a one of of a kind piece, love it. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 1 hour ago, aircommando130 said: Ron from an insider, I can only be touched by so many compliments... Thanks a lot Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 3 hours ago, ST0RM said: Talk about pushing the envelope. That is what you've done with this display. Simply amazing, in both the paintwork and overall layout. Very well done!! thanks a lot... !!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 1 hour ago, A-10 LOADER said: Holy cow, this is fantastic !! An extraordinary build and a one of of a kind piece, love it. Steve after a lot of research during production, it seems that this is indeed a unique piece.. I honestly didn't think I would have been the first to try. thank you very much for all the praise Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DET1460 Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 I've had this kit since it came out. I was planning (someday0 to do this very thing. Now I know I'll never do it. Just can't make it this beautiful anymore. WOW! What a great effort you made here. I'm SOOOO envious.... DET1460 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
UberDaveToo Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 That's ridiculously cool! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lost_Erik Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 👍Fantastic Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 25, 2023 Author Share Posted September 25, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, DET1460 said: I've had this kit since it came out. I was planning (someday) to do this very thing. Now I know I'll never do it. Just can't make it this beautiful anymore. WOW! What a great effort you made here. I'm SOOOO envious.... DET1460 you shouldn't say that. What I did is the very first example, and like the very first attempt, it can be improved and what I wish for you. It's like this famous XB-70: the first copy was imperfect, manufactured in haste with many recurring problems to the point that from its first flight, following numerous electrical and hydaulic problems, it almost never reached Edwards ; the ejection of the pilots and the intentional crash of the plane had been considered. It took all the dexterity of the Colonel Cotton (the pilot) to successfully land it (even if the landing gear caught fire). The second copy was much more successful and reliable, unfortunately it was the one that crashed. But this has enormously advanced knowledge in aeronautics since it is following this that we have studied wake turbulence and the dangerousness that they represented. The second copy should never have crashed. you always need a first try before achieving perfection. your turn, then... Edited September 25, 2023 by fab-reims Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 Very cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 25, 2023 Author Share Posted September 25, 2023 31 minutes ago, phantom said: Very cool. thanks a lot Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted September 25, 2023 Share Posted September 25, 2023 A cool XB-70 factoid I remember: a 6 ft tall man could walk down the inlet without having to duck or crouch. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 25, 2023 Author Share Posted September 25, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, habu2 said: A cool XB-70 factoid I remember: a 6 ft tall man could walk down the inlet without having to duck or crouch. indeed !!! Edited September 25, 2023 by fab-reims Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sodasorb Posted September 26, 2023 Share Posted September 26, 2023 That’s a great display! Thanks for posting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Absolutely Amazing Build ..! Wonderfully Displayed as well ... -Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomthegrom Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Probably the best build on here all year. Simply stunning. The detail is mind blowing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 27, 2023 Author Share Posted September 27, 2023 On 9/26/2023 at 3:04 AM, Sodasorb said: That’s a great display! Thanks for posting. 10 hours ago, GreyGhost said: Absolutely Amazing Build ..! Wonderfully Displayed as well ... 13 minutes ago, tomthegrom said: Probably the best build on here all year. Simply stunning. The detail is mind blowing. thanks a lot !! This is very gratifying of you... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spruemeister Posted September 29, 2023 Share Posted September 29, 2023 This, is talent and dedication. I built the first release and never thought to do something so dramatic. I was just thrilled to get it done. Rick L. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fab-reims Posted September 29, 2023 Author Share Posted September 29, 2023 6 hours ago, Spruemeister said: This, is talent and dedication. I built the first release and never thought to do something so dramatic. I was just thrilled to get it done. Rick L. I wanted to give it an appearance that was out of the ordinary without it becoming a “what-if” either. It had to remain historic... and I discovered these few photos of his third flight Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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