crazypoet Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 It's still going to be a while before I start my B-25 strafer - which is a good thing, as I'm still digging up info and finding AM parts. It is in that spirit that I come before you all on blended knee and ask: "Does *anyone* make 1/32 scale Parafrag clusters for this beast???" I'm speaking specifically of these guys: If push comes to shove I'll find a way to scratch them (the Dremel-lathe comes to mind), but I'd much rather not... I'm going to need 6 clusters to finish this the way I'd like - bay open and loading in-progress. Have any of you seen or heard of these little beasties being available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted January 26, 2016 Administrators Share Posted January 26, 2016 I have never seen these in our scale... Sorry.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 Urk. Well then. I guess it's the lathe, evergreen and brass then! I love a challenge... :/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Fran Posted January 26, 2016 Administrators Share Posted January 26, 2016 no... never saw it in 1:32... Sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 As I'm continuing my research for this, I came across a reference for "Honeycomb" racks for the 23# parafrag bomb, that allowed B-25s to carry up to 72 parafrags hanging vertically. It was a field mod for B-25s in the Southwest Pacific, based on a design first used in A-20s in 1943. It was a common loading for airfield attacks, but it's not described at any level of detail in any of the standard technical manuals from the era. I've only found a single photo of this load type - badly lit, just showing the noses of the bombs from an oblique angle looking up at the bay from the left/front of the AC - I'll copy and link it here when I have a chance later today. Has anyone seen any other info on these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Here's the one picture I've found so far: It's from the photo collection of the pilot of the AC I'm building, so there's a good chance that it's "my" bird in the photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I pretty sure there was a decision about them on LSP in one of the HK B-25 threads in Gen Decision.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted January 5, 2017 Author Share Posted January 5, 2017 I have an update to this! The good folk at Resin2Detail have the 3-bomblet parafrag cluster in 1:32 available at their store. It comes in packs of two for $6.99 per pack. I chatted with them this morning, and they are also looking to package the individual bomblets for use in dioramas and non-cluster loadings (such as the honeycomb load I posted above). I just ordered six of the cluster packs (12 clusters total) for my HK B-25 build. I'll post a review when they arrive. These folk are amazingly responsive - I posted a question on their FB page and had a response within *minutes*. Very cool to work with. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 These arrived over the weekend, and I'm delighted! I ordered six sets of two parafrag clusters, among a bunch of other goodies, from Resin2Detail The detail is superb, right down to the arming wires. There were minor casting issues on two of the twelve clusters - the central support rod did not completely fill in the molds. This is a minor issue in that I can repair the defect easily. I let the folk at Resin2Detail know about the defects and they're resolving them. They are *also* preparing to release individual parafrag bombs... I will be fist in line when these come out, as they'll help me to build exactly the bird I want. Color me happy!!! Now the next challenge - finding a photo or drawing of either the honeycomb or the squirrel cage rack that Pappy Gunn designed for these things... I've read about it in every reference I've been able to find on the B25 in the PTO, but not a single photo or drawing have I seen! It's truly frustrating... The closest I've found is a very oblique view into a loaded bomb bay, that shows 72 parafrag bombs loaded vertically. Two 3x12 "honeycomb" racks are described for that particular load-out, but nary a picture to be seen... The Squirrel Cage rack is a bit different - it held 40 parafrags stacked horizontally, 10 rows of four stacks, with each stack of four loaded nose-to-tail. I could use either of these for the bird I want - I just have to find a picture first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted January 22, 2017 Author Share Posted January 22, 2017 Success... sort of... There's documentation that the "honeycomb" rack for parafrag bombs used for the B-25 was adapted from a similar system first developed for the A-20. The photo I posted above of the 72 vertically suspended parafrags in a B-25 is the only photographic documentation I've found for that mounting in a B-25, but I was finally able to find at least its linear ancestor in the very excellent A-20 book by William Wolf. In the A20 mount, two separate packs of 20 were carried in a fore/aft arrangement; the B25 version was two packs of 36, loaded side by side. This is the only photo I've found so far of the actual rack used in either aircraft. I'll use this as a basis for building something for the B-25. It's at least a step in the right direction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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