Bill_S Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 I've always loved the lines of this plane. I never realized just how big it is until I saw the real one at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The obligatory box pic... The parts count is not too high; the molding is a bit on the soft side when compared to kits of a more recent vintage. I hope to have this one enterred in my club's contest in September. I purchased a PE set from Brengun. Four frets, with some very fine parts. No cockpit enhancements were included in the frets. The PE is used on the exhaust area, landing gear, and various plates and scoops on the fuselage and wings. Assembly starts with the wings. Four parts, two upper and two lower. Upper: And lower: Exhaust nozzles fitted into the lower fuselage: Now the first problem arises. The fit is good between the nozzles and the lower fuselage, but when I fit them to the bottom wing I get this: The dividers between the individual nozzles are to be sandwiched between PE parts. Time to put on my thinking cap... Intakes with Tamiya putty... The next issue was an easy one. There was a noticeable step between fuselage parts on the starboard side. Nothing a couple of shims won't fix. I couldn't resist a mockup of the airframe. Even in 1/72 scale, this should be impressive; it's a hair under a meter long. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Looks like an interesting project, Bill. It'll be cool to see what the PE does for the kit. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Bill Fantastic start on a great build - unique doesn't come close. Will be following all the way. Keep 'em comin Peter 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 This is going to be amazing , pulling out my comfy chair 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Wheel set from Armory http://armoryhobbyshop.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=44598 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 22 minutes ago, Martinnfb said: Wheel set from Armory http://armoryhobbyshop.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=44598 Martin, thanks for the link. Armory also makes a PE nozzle set. I ordered one, but they cancelled it. I assume they aren't shipping right now. Hopefully things will change soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 A stiffener so I can hold the engines in the vise. Partitions milled off. Partitions removed from wing. Stock cut for new partitions. Lots of trimming to do. PE in place on the partitions. Not perfect, but it will do. Nose gear bay bulkhead in place. The damn thing sit way too high; no way the fairing will fit flush like this! I cut a slot in the roof of the gear bay to see if I could get it to sit low enough... It looks ugly, but not much of it will be seen. I had to trim the PE part anyway. I hope the rest of it fits better than this. And the fairing fits! 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRUMS01 Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 I built this beast several years ago and had the same experience you have so far regarding the fit. My wings were also warped a little. I believe I used half a tube of contour putty to fix the fit and seams between the fuselage to wing and the fuselage four parts too. Take care on the landing gear as it can be difficult getting every wheel to sit on the ground too. It was a challenge but rewarding once completed. Your work is looking good so far, keep it up. What are you going to do for the panel lines? Like I said, good work so far.... Ben 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted April 6, 2022 Author Share Posted April 6, 2022 5 hours ago, DRUMS01 said: I built this beast several years ago and had the same experience you have so far regarding the fit. My wings were also warped a little. I believe I used half a tube of contour putty to fix the fit and seams between the fuselage to wing and the fuselage four parts too. Take care on the landing gear as it can be difficult getting every wheel to sit on the ground too. It was a challenge but rewarding once completed. Your work is looking good so far, keep it up. What are you going to do for the panel lines? Like I said, good work so far.... Ben Thanks for the kind words, Ben. This plane will require lots of filler. I'm planning on sanding, then rescribing; the upper wing practically screams it. I'm also toying with the idea of an in-flight display too. The PE for the landing gear is quite complex. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share Posted April 14, 2022 This kit is a bit of a pig; I'm beginning to understand Nigel's rants on his youtube channel. I'm glad I didn't spend a lot of time on the cockpit. Not much will be seen, and I had to do some shaving to get the thing to fit into the forward fuselage halves. I had to clamp things very tight in order to close the fuselage. I still had a gap forward of the instrument panel. I'll fill that with styrene sheet. The spine of this section is a mess... I've begun the tedious process of rescribing, and I bought a new tube of Tamiya putty. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 Nice work! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted April 19, 2022 Author Share Posted April 19, 2022 Cut out a couple of molded on scoops on the fuselage; they'll be replaced with PE. Right now, they're held in place with PVA; lots of filling and sanding to be done before they are attached permanently. Given the size of the delta wing, I thought for sure this beast would be a tail sitter. I've got it propped up at the main gear attachment points; there is no need for any nose weight. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted April 19, 2022 Administrators Share Posted April 19, 2022 Great project, Bill. She’s gonna be impressive. I always wanted a B-70 in my cabinet, but there’s no cabinet big enough. 😂 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Phew, this kit seems to be a lot of extra work, I admire your patience. This along with the Hustler are fantastic (in the words sense) airframes, which inspired my thoughts in their time, design wise and technically. Please keep on fighting the plastic, for a great result Bill. Cheers Rob 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 There was a noticeable step between the upper fuselage and the clear canopy (two are provided; one subsonic and one supersonic). I cemented a piece of sheet styrene to bring the fuselage up to the level of the glass. More filler and more sanding are in order, but I'm pleased with the result thus far. I glued the fuselage to the upper wing. There is a noticeable gap at the join. I hate sanding those inside corners. I pulled out some 0.030 inch (.75 mm) diameter rod from the supply box. It fits quite nicely in the gap and (hopefully) will minimize filling and sanding. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnB Posted April 29, 2022 Share Posted April 29, 2022 Certainly out of the ordinary Bill. It'll be a looker for sure! (You are correct! That is one big airplane. I saw one over at Carswell AFB back in the late 60's or early 70's and I too was surprised at how big it was.) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted May 1, 2022 Author Share Posted May 1, 2022 Surface detail on the aft fuselage is faint and the white plastic makes it hard to see. I put some highly thinned Tamiya black down to highlight. I'll rescribe what's already there. A heavy layer of putty. Most of the putty is sanded off... It's going to require another application or three. In the meantime, I've started on the landing gear. Four PE parts for the mains, one for each nose wheel. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Bill Awesome progress - amazing work as the kit surely seems to be testing your metal at every turn. Fantastic work on one tough build. Keep 'em comin Peter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 This is an impressive dart, Mike. Your extra work pays off, I really like the enhancement, the PE brings to the kit. Cheers Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted May 4, 2022 Author Share Posted May 4, 2022 Freshly scribed panel lines. Time to get out the putty and tackle those seams! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Very nice build on a not-too-easy kit (talk about an understatement ). If the B-58 looked like it was doing Mach 2 on the ground, the B-70 was doing warp 0.7 Hubert 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 3 hours ago, HubertB said: Very nice build on a not-too-easy kit (talk about an understatement ). If the B-58 looked like it was doing Mach 2 on the ground, the B-70 was doing warp 0.7 Hubert Hubert Well said ... Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted May 6, 2022 Author Share Posted May 6, 2022 Several applications of putty and lots of sanding... I still have lots of scribing to do, but it's all on flat surfaces, and should be relatively straightforward. Another obstacle to tackle... when I test fir the tabs on the tails into their slots, they don't fit. Looking down into one of the slots in the wing, I noticed this: Not a really big deal, but it's aggravating. I'll have to carve the tab on one of the tails to put a step into it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 Bill Nothing like filling and sanding to occupy your bench time. Yup. see what you mean about the slot - surely is aggravating. Keep 'em comin Peter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted May 11, 2022 Author Share Posted May 11, 2022 Some noticeable misalignment between the upper and lower wing sections. I masked, filled and sanded to eliminate some of the grooves. In a moment of inspiration, I found a new 18 ga. hypodermic needle in the tool box. Sharp, beveled and the correct diameter... I laid the needle flat on the wing, applied pressure to keep it in the groove, and gave it a push. I've highlighted the end result with a wash. A little cleanup, and she's good to go. On to the next task. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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