Revell – Monogram B 29 1/48
Well at long last here is my finished B29 and I have to say it has been a real pleasure, for a very old moulding with raised panel lines it still builds up into a lovely looking kit ,there is a surprising amount of detail in the forward cabin area and in the crew sleeping area however I did not bother with the latter for three reasons ,1 I needed to keep the weight at the back end to a minimum ,2 they are not accurate as the four beds are moulded like kids bunk beds when they actually were hung off the side of the airframe and 3 you cannot see them anyway!
In order to make this puppy sit up straight I had to stuff squashed airgun pellets in every available space forward of the balance point so it weighs a lot and feels great in your hands when picked up,I used an Eduard masking set ,SAC white metal landing gear ,True details resin wheels,True details resin gun barrels and a decal set from illiad ,but if you are in the mood you can also buy a P.E . set for in the cabin area and also for the bomb bay which includes some really nice fins for the bombs which I will definately use if I do another.
Your comments please guys N.
I forgot to mention that I had to do a bit of scratch building on the upper gun turret as the later version had a four gun set up in that turret not two as in the early A/C.Thanks to Tom Cleaver for giving me the heads up on that,I would have been dissapointed to get it finished and then find out the gun turret was wrong.
WOW! Ya done good on that one, Neil!
Looks great! Nice setting on the concrete in the sun. Very neatly done and the aftermarket kits certainly add to the detail. The decal set adds colour to the drabber military look. You certainly would need the white metal landing gear. Do you have a guess at the finished weight?
It certainly looks odd (but in no negative way) in olive drab! Beautiful!
Regards
Magnus
Very nice Neil. Good looking model/aircraft in natural sunlight. Can't beat it.
I like the scheme - I know the nat metal jobs are tough, but that's usually all I see on finished B-29s. I like the camo finish a bunch. And very good photography - the circular concrete pattern is a great backdrop. How long do you think it took to build - I have that kit in the stash as a 'someday' project and was certainly thinking about and OD/NG scheme. thanks for posting that one!
Thanks for looking Paul,It took quite a lot of hours to build but I'm not sure how long I have been building it on and off since last September.
N.
Yahoo Neil, she` a big un.
Looks great mate..
Well done Neil.
Cheers Simes.
N.
On whole I like the O.D. finish and the nose art adds to the cockpit glazing ...makes the A/C more interesting. Usually, the subject/standard for B-29 models is Bocks Car or the Elona Gay or any variation of NMF which can be a downer because of the bomb and yet there are other stories to be told of the type...B-29s during the Korean conflict had some great for lack of words girlie art and in general some interesting nose art that often gets over looked by the decal folks. but with some clear decal paper and a good color photo...
Just one niggle the back round is not to scale.;)
Two thumbs up on this one.
Can't beat a noodie girl !
N.
Spot on, I think it is about five years since I have seen one in the OD scheme.
Super nice build.
Simply outstanding piece of work. Glazing to fuselage fit is impeccable. Puts me in mind of full figured woman and we know how I feel about them. What purpose does that concrete circle in your yard serve other than a ramp for your B-29?
OOh yeah I know alright!, the circle in the yard is for putting a table and chairs on if we want to eat outside but I suppose it looks a bit like a dispersal area,I didn't think of that when I took the pictures there was just nowhere else big enough.
I had to use quite a bit of filler to get the canopy to fit the fuselage so I was glad I chose the OD/NG finish as I think NMF would have been more difficult.Cheers for looking Seamus.
N.
Nice job...I love it!
Hay Neil you finished it, wow mate it looks the dogs danglies like you said it would it looks great in the all painted finish a bit more interesting than the all over metal, great model mate
see ya soon
Mark
Cheers Mark ,I should be at the next 580 show in July,I will try to bring this puppy just not sure how I will get it there.
N.
Nice one Neil. That's the first Super Fort I've seen finished in OD/NG. Have to admit when I first looked at it all that OD fooled me into thinking it had black or dark grey uppers. That is one big model and you got a beautiful finish on it.
Yeah agree with all above, great bit of work, the real Cat's A*s. (Reply to Dog's Danglies above). Olive Drab does her well.
I really like it, Neil. Where's that heavy hunk of naughty lady going to be shown in your pad?
Great job.
Thanks for looking Bob, my finished builds all get boxed up and stored in my man cave and only come out for club show days.
N.
Neil, this is beautiful. Maybe I missed something, but I guess this was a prototype a/c, with the OD finish? I always have a soft spot for the B-29. I grew up in Southern California all during WW2, 1939 - 1947, from age 1 to 8. Having grown up at this time in that locale, seeing warplanes fly over every day, from all the aircraft factories in the area, I became an airplane nut. Our neighbors a couple of houses down had a daughter who was engaged to an Air Force officer who was co-pilot of a B-29. Ralph Keltner was his name, and he was a hero to me, and I really enjoyed talking to him when he would visit on leaves. I even had my first flight in an airplane, in Ralph's Aeronca, which he had based at a nearby airport. We flew over our house, quite a treat for a young kid like me. Unfortunately, after the war was over, when taking off from Kwajalein Island, Ralph's B-29 blew up, and all were killed. A hard thing to know for a 6 something year old kid. But it is one of my connections to the B-29. Thanks for jogging my memory. That is a great B-29 you have done, just don't try to take off from that patio!
Hi Robert, not a prototype ,the early B29's were painted up, just like B17's and B 24's the paint was dropped I think to save weight/money, lets face it if 400 heavey bombers are all flying together a bit of camo aint fooling no-one - right?
N.
Very nice work Neil.
For those who may be inspired by Neil's model to pull out your B-29, Terry Dean makes a great set of lead weights that fit in the nose around the wheel well under the cockpit floor, that will keep it nose-sitting in any circumstance other than sitting on a 40-degree grade or upside down.
Thanks for looking Tom,I did try to find those lead weights in the U.K. but had no luck,my method worked fine but I had no idea when I had used enough weight so probably went over the top,the Terry Dean weights would take all that guess work away.
Cheers N.
B-29s have a real presence don't they. Love the camouflage scheme too.
I'd be interested to know where your'e going to store it as I will soon need to do some serious negotiations with the household authorities & will need all the help I can get! Thanks for posting Neil.
I normaly store my finished builds in plastic boxes about 3ft x 18in x 6in which are really handy and cheap to buy,but for this badboy I will need to source some large cardboard and construct a box.
Thanks for looking Tony.N.
Wow you finally got it done - great job Neil, i'm sure it will get you a lot of attention at any shows you present it at. Great work.
Thanks for looking pal.
N.
What a unique looking beast. Very nice.
Thank you, niky.
N.
Terrific to see it finished, Neil, and it's ended up really looking the part. Your photographs definitely show the size of this plane, and the natural lighting sets it off a treat. Fantasitic!
Thanks George, I took the pics outside because there was nowhere else big enough !
N.
Hey George ,hope you aren't feeling home sick because the weather here in dear old blighty is lovely ,typical English summer.
N.
You mean it's cold and wet, and people still insist on sitting on the beach eating their cheese sandwiches? Ha ha, only joking. Winter here is over and the temperature is hitting the other end of the scale, +30 deg C, we're eating outside most nights at one of the BBQ restaurants before heading to one of the bars to watch the world cup.
Neil, Congratulations! I don't know where you are but I hope you can hear me as I stand up and applaud this accomplishment!
Thank you Ralph,I am in Warrington (U.K) half way between the great cities of Manchester and Liverpool so sadly I cannot hear you ! but thanks anyway for your kind words.
N.
That's a big one! Looks awesome that mate. Where abouts are you going to keep it?
Lets face we all want a big one and now I got one, I will have to get some cardboard and construct a box to store it in,for now it is on the dining room table,thanks for looking Rich,N.
Ah yes, I remember when we were all passing the salt and pepper around the F16. "Don't get any gravy on the Apache"! Fun times.
I'm moving back to Newcastle in August now mate so I can finally unpack my things and bust out some models! I've got a fair bit of DIY to do before I can start the next project but I'm setting the second bedroom up as my command center / man cave! I've got quite a stash building up to get through!
Nice one,where are you at the moment?.I will be in the Toon meself in September for The great north run,looking forward to it ,I really like Newcastle ,"haway the lads" and all that Geordie banter.
N.
It's a great place, I can't wait to move back! I'm on the Shetlands and the minute. I gave up on the dead horse that is restaurant work and joined the oil and gas industry. I've been wanting to for some time now to be honest mate. Much greener grass!
I've viewed (and built) a lot of B-29 models, but you've scored a "home run" with your interpetation of this bomber. Your paint scheme is thinking "out side the box", I enjoy it when a builder like you does something radical for a change. Superior job!
Thanks Mike ,check out my gallery I've done one or two familiar aircraft in unfamiliar schemes.
N.
This came out looking fantastic Neil! I've been waiting to see the finished build! The contrast between the flat paint and polished glazing looks cool! Now I gotta get back to work on mine!
Thanks Josh,can't wait to see it done.
N.
Well done Neil, can't add much more than what has already been said, but just Bravo! Love the uniqueness of that scheme which is quite rare to see. Don't have one of these in the stash but if an opportunity comes about to get one. But I do have a heavy bomber myself that has been off and on again on the bench. So I know how it is. Thanks for a wonderful unique B-29.
Thanks for looking Chuck.
N.
I was wondering when you'd finish her off. Great results. Did you build the addition to your house necessary to display her?
No need ,I bought a tent for me ,the little lady and the dog to live in...
N.
I'd need a bigger house. Great job. Nice to see it in OD too.
Great work Neil. She sure is one hell of an aircraft. You did a splendid job with camo. Mahes a difference from natural metal and looks better in my opinion.Now find some place big enough to put it 🙂
sweet as apple cider...smile
Thanks for looking Bob ,she was a pleasure to build,I'm thinking of a Liberator to sit next to her,probably Ploesti veteram "The Witch ".
N.
Neil,
a marvelous job and well worth the wait to see it completed. You did a masterful job on this model. It looks great.
Thanks Frank,I like it .N.
Impressive build Neil, saw this at Telford last year! Detail looks awesome! 🙂
Good work! Сould still use this detailing set http://metdetails.com/catalog/metalic-details/aircraft/148/md4805-detailing-set-aircraft-model-b-29