Clunkmeister

Ummmmm, uhhhhhh, ummmmmm . Noooooooo but now that you mention it, it does look, well, kinda, well you know. :-/

That’s completely different compared to the production versions. It looks as though there is no bottom level crew area as there is in the production version. It looks very WW2. The prototype seems like a major conversion. Main landing gear is completely different as well.

Peter, although this is 1/48 and technically not Large Scale, it is a LARGE scale model, and I think many of your basic techniques along with modeling 101 should do the job. I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to build this kit and to be able to build it here amongst friends.

It looks like I’m going to be busy. The pilots panel and the massive engineers board have round edges for, but no instrument detail inside the gauge edges. So, Airscale to the rescue. I’m thinking two 1/48 WW2 cockpit sets, plus six 1/48 early jet sets. Then bezels and placards. This cockpit is highly visible through the big Jetsons style bubble. HGW belts are included for all work areas. Lower deck work areas are visible through the bomb aimer’s nose. Much help needed although the basics are all there. B-36 cockpits were very cluttered and busy areas. Researching the photo lab now. It goes in the forward bomb bay. Of course the RB is a featherweight, so all gun positions except the tail must be eliminated.

I’ve received several inquiries on how to open up molded over areas on HPH fiberglass kits, and it’s no different than styrene and good old resin; drill around, slightly inside the circumference, (I use a 1/16 bit in a Dremel), then join the holes and once the molded area is off, carefully sand to fit. No different look Han a year other, but remember, fiberglass dust itches bare skin like CS gas residue, so wear long sleeves, and for God’s Sake, wear a respirator!

It’s looking the business, Peter. I’m soaking this up like a sponge, and believe it or not, I’m learning many techniques to transfer to my own bench. Along with watching world class models emerge, the schooling itself is utterly priceless. It will translate into many more Airscale products sold to me as well. The search for betterment is never ending. Im beginning to wonder if stepping up to a smaller scale number might be a good idea. HPH has plenty of decent 1/16 forms to start with.

eeeeyech! Yup, I re-read that and it DEFINITELY came off differently than I desired.

Scott you KNOW I've got THAT sickness, too. I just SBR'd a Henry Mare's Leg in 357, but no can for it. A buddy built a sweet little subsonic 300 blackout on an AKM frame with a can, and that thing got my blood pumping. All you hear is the cyclic noise and a clang a half second later. I'll be filling out paperwork this weekend......

Hubert, I, like you wanted a DC-3. I can live with the C-47 because most of the freighter I knew were ex C-47s, and most were unmodified other than gutting the interior. To me, a REAL DC-3 has all you mentioned, plus Wright single row engines, which means a much different look. And I didn’t just want a DC-3, I wanted a DST, but beggars can’t be choosers, and as a DC-3, I could scratch the DST differences. Different window arrangement, door on starboard side, skylights for berths, etc. Plus those Wright engines. A HUGE difference can be seen in the pics. I think you can find a dealer to sell it to you for less than MSRP. I bought mine for under $600.00 after taxes, etc. That’s a bit over €500.00. Let me know if I can help. I spend a small fortune on HPH, maybe I might have a favor due from my dealer.

Ha! I can see a rotating stacked display shelf in my mind. A conveyor belt/escalator affair. Yes, all the V bombers. Don’t forget the gorgeous Vickers Valiant, my favorite of the three.

Good, I picked up some cool Polish deckles for it, plus Aires intake, exhaust, gear wells, and ACES ll seats, with a nagging thought in the back of my head that maybe Poland specified the K-36 rapid egress system instead. Gotta check....

Scott, I paid less than 600 for my C-47. Talk to Greg, he can hook you up. I can pick it up from his house and arrange most advantageous shipping at my office.

Scott, I scored this version, and I hope it’s as decent as the SUFA. My goal is a Polish version...

My buying has definitely slowed down, but I can honestly say that I’ve gotten most large scale aircraft I’ve thought I’d build. I’ve traded extras for stuff I want and have looked into heavy transport types. Especially those not usually seen here, like Russian and French types. I haven’t grabbed an An-124 because I see them here often and they’re much like a 737 to me now.. ho hum, another Antonov moving oversized freight.

Carl, shoulder belts are dependent on time frame you’re modeling. Early Kingfishers had lap belts only.

I have all of that and more into my PBJ-1H build. I bought every possible piece of AM for that thing.

Agreed. It’s not the money outlay per se, even though it’ll hurt, but just the question of where on earth will it go? How will you display it? Hanging it, to me, isn’t an option.

Yeah that's me with the Curtiss Calamity

Yep, I think 100 B-36s went in a couple weeks. My kit is #84 I think. And they added another run afterwards due to demand. And that kit is beyond insane. And I am happy beyond belief to have gotten my hands on one. Greg had 10 reserved, he started selling them in the morning, I called at 1:30 and got the very last one of his first 10. He later was able to reserve 10 more. It's crazy how quickly the went out. But that was just reserving one and paying for it. It took HPH another year to come through with the kit itself. I'd be curious to know how many cancelled. On projects like this that call for a commitment from the buyer, I'd make the deposit large enough to cover a good portion of raw costs and make it non refundable as well. Yeah I think it depends on the subject matter involved and that's why the lack of success of the Gooney Bird/Dak really gives me pause. That kit's a big up front expenditure, but being that absolutely nothing else is needed, it's an absolute bargain for what you get. I'd be curious to know how many were bought by those on lsp after all the hooplah and stuff. Not that it matters, though..LOL Curiosity. I know of a few here who have them, so I'm sure some over there got one as well.

Well, that's what she said. Smitty, if it came down to it and my support was needed to see it over the top, I'd jump in, but I just don't see 100 takers. I've been wrong before, though. I'd already ruled out a 1/48 BUFF, despite the fact it'd make sense to display with the 36, but I'm waiting with baited breath for the B-47. If they were to do a 1/32 B-58, and even a B-57, I'd be all in. The 58 especially can be displayed sidelong on a shelf. But my C-46, (R5C for you squids) is still my "oh baby baby" dream.)

Ryan, truer words have never been written. I've long thought that much of the enjoyment of the hobby is lost when we try to emulate something we saw, or strive for the unattainable perfection that's so often beyond reach. After a marathon kit, I really enjoy the simplicity of an OOB build, just to get the juices flowing again. Despite that, some of my OOB choices defy logic... I've never been so miserable than when I was applying a multitude of placards and stencils to the cockpit of an F4U-1, and the absolute perfection of the kit fit bored me to tears. A double negative for me. So now this Corsair sits on the SOD and a dozen other Tamiya uber kits molder away in the stash. I guess I'm a bit twisted and touched in the head....

You read my mind. B-29 and maybe even a B-32 would be somewhat well received. A large scale B-58 is the one that would set folks off, though.

Smitty, as excited as I am that HPH is looking at more big kits, I can say that for me at least, it's a bridge too far. And this from a guy who'd buy anything, as long as it's huge and awesome. I appreciate the big BUFF, but not enough to shell out 1300 Euros for one. Plus having to display a model with a 6ft wingspread would be the true definition of insanity. I heard by the wayside that the C-47 is not selling well for HPH and they consider it a commercial failure, which really surprises me, as I have personally bought more than enough copies of that kit to do me for 100 years. The noise and rejoicing surrounding the announcement of that kit brought was absolutely deafening, and I would have expected that they'd easily sell 350 copies in a couple months. So I'm shocked by their admission, and have a much greater appreciation of why a kitmaker is cautious and tends to discount the hollerings of folks like us when deciding what to produce. In other words, we now have a concrete example of why we keep getting 109s. I theose who committed online to buying a C-47 actually followed through, they'd have sold an easy 500 copies by now.

Getting there... now we mount antennas, paint escape hatch in greenhouse, and flat coat wheels. Great Success!

Welcome, Michael! That Phantom is one seriously awesome beginning here on the forums. Extraordinary!