Italeri 1/72 KC-135R Stratotanker, 100th ARW
This is the Italeri KC-135R built out of the box. I used a mixture of kit decals and those from a Wolfpak sheet. I attempted to build this (foolishly) as part of a club Blitz build over a weekend. I almost got there too. A couple of weeks later it was finished off. These ex-AMT tooled C-135 kits go together well with a little care. I added reinforcing in the wings to prevent wing droop and also reinforced the upper fuselage seam. That was the only real extra work I did on this build. One day the accompanying F-15D will be built to hang off the boom.
5 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Ray, this has to be pretty big ! then you put it on a stick, that I'm guessing is somewhere between a good balance and strength. With that part of my admiration mentioned, I can add that this looks very impressive. Well done.
Another beauty, Ray! I had the fun of flying in an old KC135 from Mildenhall, UK to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA back in 1990, when I was still in the Army. We were flying over Greenland (among other places - Ha!) when the pilot allowed all 21 of us passengers (hangers-on) to go back & view the world from 39,000 feet (about 12,850 meters) from the air-to-air refueling station. I have a great photo (now lost temporarily) of the tallest mountain in Greenland from straight above! (Snebordet - 10,335 feet or about 3,334 meters)
It was a gorgeous sight & one I'll never forget!
PS - the flight was awesome as well. As a Military passenger, we could do things no longer allowed on commercial flights, such as what we did and go up to the flight deck & talk with the aircrew & even use the pilot's urinal (toilet - WC) - which is a very simple thing mounted on the aft side of a bulkhead near the front.
Nice build, I should imagine that's a fair sized model.
Certainly is Julian, 22.5" (53.75cm) long with a 21" (52.5cm) span. It goes nicely with my 1/72 B707 and the E-8C (another B707 type) I am currently working on.
As others have stated, a rather good sized model to be balanced on a pole. I know - I have a 48th scale KC-135 hanging from the ceiling. How you'll get a 72nd Eagle to "hang from the boom", as you say, will be just as daunting IMO. That said, I like what you've done here...excellent work, my friend.
If he has the boom set right, it will be with wire inside the Eagle leading up into the refueling tube. If a guy could balance a Monogram B-52 that way (he had strong wire running from the nose of the KC-135 to the tail of the B-52) an Eagle should be (relatively) easy.
Yeah...I suppose you're right. PLUS...if the F-15 is also mounted to the base (as opposed to simply just "hanging there"), it'd be a WHOLE lot easier to accomplish.
That is the way I will be doing it. Nothing too technical. I have a few other KC-135 kits where I could try the wire through the boom trick.
That'll look good with the air refueling. I remember 30+ years ago seeing a 1/72 KC-135 refueling a 1/72 B-52D in SEA camo at a show in San Diego. "Impressive" was somehow inadequate.
Thanks all, I am always impressed with the way others mount they tankers and receivers and am trying to find an elegant yet simple solution.
Another beautiful build sir!
Great to see something a little different, Ray, and I like the way you've displayed it "in flight".
Great work!
Excellent work Ray.
Frank
Nice build mate, feel free to post it again with the F-15!
Yes want to see it with the F 15, looks good as is Ray, well done.
Hello Ray,
That KC-135 is still soldiering on in several air forces. That tells me, that "old" constructions are far better constructed than the brand new AC that rolling of the production lines.
Your model is a proof of that, because as you mentioned: " The model got together well".
Regards,
Dirk/ The Netherlands.