RC-135V Rivet Joint (USAF)
Photo of the subject aircraft
Photo of a RC-135V. Note the short cheek fairings that were not used on the RC-135W variant.
Photo of a RC-135V. Note the missing overwing antenna on the left wing, and the unusual engine pylon configuration of the RC-135V variant.
Another photo of the RC-135V for reference on antenna placement.
Photo of the crew access door open.
Photo of the crew access door open.
Photo of the crew access door open.
These are the TF-33 engines that came with the kit. These have many problems... ejector pin marks in obvious places, the intakes are uneven (not very round), and the pylons are not right for either the V or W variant. I will use the engines from my EC-135 kit to augment these and use the best of the bunch.
TF-33 engines with correct pylons partly assembled and ready for painting
Front cabin assembled and ready for painting. I will probably need to remove the two rear seats for detail painting. I've decided to open this kit up a bit!
The instructions do not show this piece, but it is clearly the crew access door for RC-135 aircraft, as it was on the sprue for RC-135 specific parts. It looks like AMT/Ertl may have abandoned the idea because the left cheek fairing would need to be redone. Because I am a glutton for punishment, I think I will try to do some surgery and scratch building!
Horizontal stabilizers assembled
Gear and wheels assembled
Main gear bays assembled
Base paint coat applied to the cockpit
Deciding whether to put any additional effort into the cabin. There is a good amount of detail, but much can't be seen when the plane is assembled!
Sanded off the seams and ejection pin marks from the wheels and gear - ready for painting
This hobby would probably be more relaxing if I didn't do stuff like this. Using Dymo tape to guide my cutting blade.
Removed a section of the cheek blister that opens with the cargo (crew access) door.
Used plastic card to build the interior panels for the door and blister, then applied a liberal amount of white putty
Painted the gear
Painted the gear door interiors
Started fuselage assembly... this will take a lot of patience. Warping has been reported to be a problem with these kits, and it is considerable with this one. It was kept in a garage for at least 15 years.
Komentarzy
Disabled
Album info
This Model: RC-135V Rivet Joint
Operator: US Air Force 55th Wing
Location: Prince Sultan RSAB (deployed from Offutt AFB, Nebraska)
Timeframe: 1996
Personal Interest:
All RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft are permanently based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and operated by the 55th Wing. RC-135s are frequently deployed to various forward operating locations worldwide.
JTF-SWA SERVICE
I provided weather support to RC-135 crews when I was stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1996. The RC-135 flew out of Prince Sultan Royal Saudi Air Base (RSAB) on a regular basis to perform SIGINT missions near Iraq. I regularly provided weather information for the operational planning of these missions.
