1/72 Mach 2 RB-57F with DB Productions Resin Cowl, Nose and P&W T33 Turbo Jets
I am a fan of cold war reconnaissance aircraft and so, like some folks out there, I had the Mach 2 RB-57 kit just sitting on the shelf. I had read the reviews and new the kit's plastic was less than optimal and so it just sat there, for years, gathering dust. Well, I recently went to a model show in Lakeland, Florida and picked up a DB Productions nose, cowl and engine face and a pair of beautifully cast, P&W T33-P-11 turbo jets and because of this, I really had no great excuse for the kit to just sit there. After all, I had a previously built RB-47 on display that needed some strategic reconnaissance company! I have posted a picture of the two of them together and it gives a perspective of just how incredibly big the wingspan of the RB-57 is (122 feet or 37 meters). The auxiliary T33's gave the aircraft a boost of an extra 2- 3,000 feet above 40,000 feet. Noteworthy, in my opinion, were the two WB-57F brought out of storage for service over Afghanistan. This bird, a bomber by original trade, can carry a far greater payload than the U-2S and so was needed for a specific high-altitude mission. The Mach 2 kit fought me the entire time. The plastic was brittle, fragile and had tiny pockmarks. Natural metal finish is not forgiving of anything less than a perfectly, primed and polished surface and unfortunately, though I gave it my best shot, I can still see blemishes throughout. At any rate, it's done and I am happy with that. I hope you enjoy the pictures, something different anyway.
Man. you are not kidding about the Mach 2 plastic being worse than dogfood. Still and all, what's sitting there is a testament to talent, skill, and stubborn perseverance over plastic.
Thanks Tom, your words are very kind.
I can see the attraction of these Cold War spy planes, James, and you’ve done a marvelous job in finally completing what appears to be a “difficult” kit.
Thank you, George.
Great looking models!
Thanks Jeff!
Finishing a Mach2 kit is an accomplishment by itself, coming up with such a wonderful result is truly smazing!
Congratulations James!
Thank you for the kind words.
You really got an amazing result out of this kit, James @jbpruitt
Well done.
Thank you, John
Nice work and congratulations on actually finishing thus one! I’ve never seen one of those built.
Interesting subject with two examples being pulled from the bone yard, rebuilt and used in Afghanistan. The original design is older than the U-2 and with modifications the aircraft is older than the pilots who flew them. I wonder where the airframes our know?
Some strong work on this build James. Natural metal for some is a challenge, adding after market and making a kit look professional is something to be proud of. Some consider the original kit a pig that you'd slap lip stick on and hope for the best. But, to pull the rabbit out of the hat and make it look good know that is an art.
I think they are in Houston, Texas- if memory serves me correct. It was quite difficult to get the plastic smooth enough for NMF.
Well,, in France we already knew that FM was... difficult; their policy was to initiate odd or rare planes, but it was apparently made lacking precision; the other day, I was chatting with a friend about Mach 2 which produced I don't remember what plane, and he told me that "Mach 2 is the same c**p as FM". Two French brands, two major failures, what a pity. Well, where is my new Eduard, ICM, &c... box I just bought ?
Jose, I think Sword is also French and they have been making some really lovely kits in 1/72!
And congratulations to you, chap, for achieving this task with talent
Looks good - especially with what you started with! I've built a Mach2, and would never try to put an NMF on one! Well done.
Thanks Greg!