Project Welcome Home

Boeing B-52G s/n 59-2584 has been a resident of Paine Field, Everett, Washington, for almost three decades since its retirement from SAC. Delivered to KPAE by the USAF in 1991, it appears it was originally planned as the centerpiece of a branch of the Museum of Flight that was mooted to be built. That never happened and the B-52 has been sitting on the field - occasionally moving locations - with many questioning how long the Stratofortress would survive in one piece. Thankfully, the Museum has unveiled their Project Welcome Home which would see the B-52 moved to Seattle and displayed as part of the outdoor Vietnam Veterans Air War Commemorative Park near the Duwamish River.

Recently, the B-52 was moved to Kilo 6 and repainted in the SIOP scheme it wore when flying as part of Operation Linebacker II over Vietnam. Now the hard part begins...moving the airplane to Seattle.

Modelers Note: You want to build a B-52 in 1/72? Ok, crazy person. Your choices are the Monogram B-52D from the 70s or the newer AMT kits of the B-52H and B-52G; now boxed by Italeri. I've not seen any of these kits...even though I lusted after the Monogram kit as a child...but I hear the AMT/Italeri kits need some work. Modelcollect has announced a new tool B-52H, but no plastic has been displayed.

Kittyhawk - Done!

A quick snap of the Academy P-40N Kittyhawk completed as RCAF 877/T of 132 Squadron.  I'll post up glamour shots and a full article in three months when it returns from display at the Museum of Flight as part of the US Aircraft in Foreign Service display.

Kittyhawk IV progress - Getting There

Decals are on, the engraved detail has been washed with Tamiya panel accent colours, and Vallejo flat has done its job.

Under the Gun!

I'm running up against the clock on the Academy P-40N. It has to be done for a Museum display on September 7, 2017. (Hey, didn't I have like six months to get this thing done last time I posted?) I finally decided to build the aircraft from Carl Vincent's AviaDossier #1. (RCAF 877 from 132 (F) Squadron.) The Neutral Grey is Tamiya AS-7 decanted from the spray can. The Interior Green is Gunze Mr. Color 351. Hope to get the Olive Drab on tomorrow. I do fear that the oversized canopy will ruin the look of the model.

Tired of the Mosquito yet?

Because I'm not...

European Theatre day on a Sunny Seattle Saturday.

Nebraska Vulcan

While in Omaha for the IPMS Nationals, I got the chance to visit the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Nebraska. The Museum has a neat collection of types in varying states of restoration, but it was through a back door out into the harsh sun that the aircraft I wanted to see resided....Avro Vulcan B.2 XM573. Originally built to carry the Avro Blue Steel nuclear missile, it was modified for conventional bombs in the mid 1960s. XM573 arrived in the U.S. for museum display in 1982. While relegated to the storage/parking yard, the Vulcan has spent some time under cover in recent years. It is hoped it will be in line for restoration in the near future.

Note that the IFR probe is missing from the Vulcan's nose? It was removed by the RAF after delivery for operation use during the Falklands War.

The RAF attempted to be model friendly with their maintenance stenciling.  Notice that they tell us on the main landing gear door about the maker of the paint (Titanine), the type of paint (DTD 5580 which is a Polyurethane), the reflectivity (Matt) and when it was painted but never list the colour!  Ouch. (It is BS 627 Light Aircraft Grey, if you care.)

This part/section must have been painted at a later time as DTD 5580A was a replacement for DTD 5580.

Modelers Note: The only choice for a 1/72 Avro Vulcan B.2 is the Airfix kit from 1983.  (It is not a terrible kit, but it lacks detail, has raised panel lines, and huge joint lines across the wings that take work to completely eradicate.) That is until Airfix unveils its new tool 1/72 Vulcan at Telford...

Do we need to chip in and buy the RCAF some Micro Set?

We modelers spend lots of time applying a good gloss coat and using decal setting solutions to make our decal film disappear.  But what does the RCAF do? Apparently nothing; just look at all that silvering! The subjects are CU-161 Sperwer RCAF 161007 on display at the National Air Force Museum of Canada at CFB Trenton (above) and CU-161 Sperwer RCAF 161001 sitting on its trolly in Kabul in 2003 (below).  The RCAF operated a fleet of fleet of 30 CU-161s in Afghanistan from October 2003 until April 2009.  Upon retirement, many were placed in Museums across Canada.

(Lower photo courtesy of the Canada. Dept. of National Defence.)

Modeler's Note:  As far as I know, the French designed and built SAGEM Sperwer has not been kitted in 1/72.