HPH 1/48 Convair B-36 Peacemaker – preview
Further to the earlier post by by Josh Patterson, here are some photos of the HPH Models 1/48 scale B-36 kit as demonstrated in Telford in November.
Hopefully this gives a good idea about the size of this mammoth kit, bat also the level of detail incorporated by HPH. Similarly to other large HPH releases, the main components of this kit are moulded in fibreglass, with a wealth of resin and photoetched parts that complement rhe pack. Very impressive indeed!
What a Beast! This looks very interesting. I wonder how much weight will be needed to make sure this doesn't become a "tail-dragger?"
Wow! Again! What does it take to glue fiberglass together? Will our regular plastic glues suffice?
Another photo op WITHOUT the transparencies! What are they? Vacuformed? Injection plastic? Resin? That BIG Greenhouse can make or break this kit! Sure wish they'd show them,
Bo
I saw this there. He had the other sections to hand and they looked superb. He always has a selection of unusual, high quality models - a Catalina cutaway in 1/32 comes to mind - but you need deep pockets.
I never attempted this type of kit but judging from the photos, superglue is used throughout. On pic #12 you can see a substantial amount of it having been used to melt together the resin wheel well assemblies with the main lower wing.
With my Concorde and XB-70 all the fiberglass parts (except the forward fuselage and underbody) were pre assembled. (Making for a tricky build!) I've seen a PAK-FA for sale with the parts unbonded so I'm going to request that the fuselage and wing halves be sent that way. Then I will use epoxy to bond them. HPH sends some with the Valkyrie kit.
Oh, and the transparencies are clear resin. HPH does a spectacular job at producing these. Crystal clear where they need to be and a slight grittiness where the paint goes.
Question. Doesn't clear resin tend to yellow over time?
That would be a shame to have yellowing parts a year or so later.
Bo
You know, I don't know how he resin ages. (Or what they use for the clear.) I wonder if it has more to do with environment though. I've notice various things from Star Wars toys to Super Nintendo consoles. You can tell the ones that were in a smoker's home because the color of some parts would be tinged from the smoke. (A control line model Burt Rutan had as a youngster is in the EAA museum and its canopy is a fantastic shade of brown!) I wonder if periodic exposure to sunlight would clear them up though. Kinda like taping yellowed decals to a sunny window for a few days.
It certainly leaves a LOT of room for detailing, doesn't it? Mind boggling comes to mind.
Never thought I'd see the day! Speechless! Better somebody elses wallet than mine!
For a real-life comparison between the B-36 and the B-29...
http://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=2RPllGZb&id=0DE9A050FB0AE4A6BC011A0A10BF5B5CA967F3A2&thid=OIP.2RPllGZb-hiyey51OSY-iAEsDI&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2facesflyinghigh.files.wordpress.com%2f2014%2f07%2fb-36aarrivalcarswell1948.jpg&exph=492&expw=736&q=b-36+peacemaker&simid=607990457037491063&selectedIndex=4&ajaxhist=0
Thanks Martin! I was hoping to see it posed with Monogram's B-29 like the photo David shared. (Or have one of the employees recreate the photo of the kid holding the 1/72 version from the side of the old Monogram box.) The photos do prove that it will fit on a contest table and it can be lifted by a human though! I do wonder how I'm going to paint it! I had a hard time with the C-130!
It's hard for me to consider this modeling. This is more like assembling a kit plane in the hanger!
That would really make a great diaroma. Imagine having a B-29 parked under the wing ... and a B-25 parked under the B-29. That's how I remember the full size display at Wright Patterson many years ago. It would be expensive though. I would use epoxy resin for assembly on the fiberglass parts too. Thanks Martin.
Holy cow, that is a monster!