Monogram Superfortress
The subject of this build is B-29-45-BW 42-24695 T6 Lucky 'Leven flown by Lt Barton Yount of the 873rd BS / 498th B, Isely Field, Saipan, 1945
Big, empty gear bay needs detailing - rear wall
Front wall of the gear bay
Test fit, starting to look good
Detailing the "trays"
Gear tray looks better
Sidewalls fabricated
Gear bay painted
Test fit with the wing spars
Big, heavy kit, reinforcing the gear bays
.50 MGs from Master
Intercooler doors, made from aluminum sheet vs. plastic
Inside intercooler doors
Aluminum sheet intercooler door
Modifying a resin P&W 2800R into Wright Cyclone 3350
Looking better than the plastic
Inside the cowlings
Doing the necessary modifications
Crankshaft casing needs lengthening
times 4
Starting to look right
Starting with the ignition wiring
making the intercooler apertures the same size and shape
Boxes for the intercoolers
Exhausts from a Trumpeter 1:32 BAC Lightning turned into turret housings
Frame for the dorsal turret
Test fit
Removing the thick cooling flaps
Drilling the exhausts
Exhaust pipes are too long, need to be shortened
Further detailing the exhausts
Making exhaust pipes
Exhaust as supplied, round aperture (left) and corrected (right). Big thanks to Thomas Mayer for the wonderful reference pic!
Inner cockpit framing
Cockpit padding/insulation
Bad: Dorsal gunner's blister and the tunnel do not communicate
A section from a 1/32nd SC 250 from the spares box has solved the problem
Much better!
New 20 mm cannon made from hypodermic needles. Kit part (top) is awful. M2 .50 barrel provided for comparison.
Padding for the tunnel made from aluminum sheet
Pedestal for the dorsal gunner. The kit part is lacking detail
There are issues with the location of items in the crew rest area.
Crew berths needed some rework
Kit toilet (left) undersized and lacking a lid
Tail skid bay
Filling the gap left by the rudder
Prepping for paint
Tail skid had no working hinge, so one was made from plastic strips
Hinge for tail skid
General layout of Aft pressurized compartment
Flare port
Put-put exhaust drilled
Making sure the floor aligns properly
Turret casings
Upper rear turret casing in place. Will be barely visible, but it's there...
Pressurized aft compartment in place
There was no chute for the spent cartridges in the tail stinger
Test fit for the tail guns. The canvas cover was reshaped and reduced substantially
The first aluminum skin to be applied
Tail gunner's position as provided is too cramped.The seat should not be on the floor
A more accurate position of the bulkheads
Tail gunner's compartment. The floor has been enlarged. Ammo tubes and the seat are in their correct places
The frame for the seat and the footrests on the ammo tubes will be added later
The pressure bulkhead door was missing.
Tail gunner's seat
Frame for the gunner's seat and the bulkhead padding
Seat mounted on its frame
Had to make new side windows, size difference is pretty substantial
Test fit, kit walls were substantially thinned
Clear parts had to be made for the tail gunner's place, the kit ones (above) were badly undersized
Correcting the size and shape issues of the tail gunner's escape hatch
Escape hatch, almost done
Window frame
Padding made from aluminum foil
Padding and window are in place
Oxygen panel
Roof section for the tail gunner
Armor plate for the tail gunner now of correct shape and size
Armor plate dressed in padding
Tail gunner's emplacement almost there
Making the padding
Eduard placards do not fit well, central console had to be enlarged 1 mm
Looks decent
Dorsal armor will not be added, as it obscures details. Crews removed it to save weight
Starting to improve the main gear doors
One down, three to go
Replacing the feet of the navigator's table
Looks decent enough
The navigator's table and the radio rack are now two distinct parts. Had to correct minor size issues
Test fit. "Portable" oxygen unit rack in place. The radio rack has four levels. To be continued
Emergency hydraulic hand pump for the co-pilot
Navigator's station and the shelves for the radio rack...
...should look like this when together, side view
Navigator's table, ready for assembly
Eduard brassin wheels painted with Vallejo Tire Black look as if they were made out of actual rubber
Emergency hydraulic hand pump
Radio rack got its second shelf
Navigator's table/radio rack assembly done. Not much will be visible, but it is there
Comments
17 24 April 2017, 08:26
Tim HeimerLooking good! I'll be watching . Nice detail mods! That plane is monster size! I have the kit in my stash.
24 April 2017, 13:06
Florin MoldovanDue to the size (65 cm length, 90 cm wingspan and 19 cm height) and the raised panel lines mean that the 1/48th Monogram B-29 kits tend to be "stash queens". This one is going to be built however, so let's see how it looks when it is complete, in its aluminum foil finish!
25 April 2017, 05:05
Tim HeimerHey Florin, if you would, please list any mod kits you use. It would be appreciated. Also do you intend to use anything like prop blur for the propellers?
25 April 2017, 12:37
Kerry COXFlorin. I am wondering about the resin engines. 👍
have you looked at the Aires resin engines. ?
google.com.au/url?sa..ust=1493211687255056
25 April 2017, 13:02
Kerry COXI am really impressed with the plastic sheet work your doing, and generally. Just so interesting what you have tackled.👍
Good luck with it all and I salute you. 🙂
25 April 2017, 13:04
Florin Moldovan@Thomas Mayer: Many thanks! They look good but are rather fragile, and will need careful handling.
@ Gerald Willing:😉
@Timothy Heimer: Aftermarket parts used: Eduard Zoom PE for the cockpit, 1 P&W R-2800 engine from Eduard's Royal Class Hellcat (and 3 homemade copies), 12 M2 .50 MG barrels from Master and some decals (marking to be decided). Maybe the cuffless propellers if accurate for the chosen version. Paints are from the Vallejo Air range and the aluminum foil is a regular, household one.
@Kerry Cox: Thank you for the kind words! To my knowledge there is no Wright R-3350-23 Cyclone in 1:48th. Closest to it was a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp for a Hellcat that I had, copied it 3 more times and proceeded to make it look like a Cyclone. Maybe not 100% accurate but so much better than what was supplied in the kit!
26 April 2017, 09:34
Kerry COXFlorin, I am grateful for your information and I admire your resourcefulness in duplicating the engines in your own way.
Skills like that are a rare.👍
I will be looking forward to 'progress updates' as it looks a real challenge.🙂
26 April 2017, 10:55
Tim HeimerThank you Florin! I will be watching, keep up the good work! We love it.
26 April 2017, 12:47
Gordon SørensenGreat work, Florin! The wheelwell bays look fantastic. I have wanted to try folling a aircraft as well, but will definately start with something smaller!
26 April 2017, 13:25
Kerry COXWhy am I not surprised.? OMG. ! My expectations didn't go this far. AMAZING in every way. I love your dedication Florin. For sure. 🙂 🙂 🙂
12 September 2017, 18:23
Florin MoldovanThank you so very much! There is a downside to this - progress is slow: doing the research takes a lot of time, then finding the right materials and then finally building it.
17 September 2017, 05:04
Wim van der LuijtGreat to see the progress is there....the pace is irrelevant.....The details look very good Florin!
2 November 2017, 08:14
Florin MoldovanThank you! Having fun and hoping there is something that others might find useful.
13 November 2017, 14:32
Florin MoldovanCan't wait to add the aluminum skin, but there is so much to do!
22 November 2017, 11:08
Steve -Florin, I too will add my praise for your work to date. will be watching for sure. 👍
27 November 2017, 20:48
Tim HeimerI have been watching this since the beginning and I am blown away by the detailing mods you have been doing! WOW! Keep it up Florin it is so amazing the work you're doing!
25 April 2018, 16:50
Kerry COXThis is a 'creative' project I have enjoyed for quite a while. Your attention to detail and ability to use what is 'at hand' is inspiring.👍
Now for an other snack and beer. 🙂
Well done. 👍 🙂
25 April 2018, 19:40
Bryn CrandellThe gunner's spot is amazing. Didn't realize how off it was. Not a lot of room to think back there for the gunner.
20 August 2018, 15:56
Steve -Every part you touch recreates a much more complete and accurate representation of the B-29.
30 September 2018, 00:13
Kerry COXHow about this build. !
Just some stunning results are starting to appear. Most impressive.
5 October 2018, 20:43
Florin MoldovanThe kit is a very good base for detailing, but there are times I wish it were 1/32nd scale. Once closed not much will be visible...
17 July 2019, 13:36
Florin MoldovanThank you, Gentlemen! Hopefully it will be done by the end of this year
20 February 2021, 09:21
John WilkesYour work is astonishing! You have taken what is not much more that a plastic shell and given it life! I have this kit but with the limited imagination I have it will never amount to what you are producing here. Thank you for showing me how with a scalpel and a razor saw one can build believable structures.
16 April 2022, 02:30
Thomas BischoffAm I correct that you do not use any aftermarket sets?
Incredible scratch work - scares me away from this kit - lol
16 April 2022, 07:22
Florin Moldovan@Nathan Dempsey and Clifford Keesler Thank you Gentlemen!
@John Wilkes Never compare yourself to others in a negative way, you are Unique. All you have to do is be willing to try and not fear failure. Fail? Not a problem, do it again and again until satisfied with the results.
@Thomas Bischoff, Actually using the maximum of aftermarket parts avalable to me. The gun barrels are from Master, pre-painted PE for the Cockpit from Eduard, wheels are Eduard Brassin, propeller blades are from Squadron, decals from Kits world. Have to admit that what you see here is insanity, more than 90% of the stuff built won't be visible in the end. If you have the room for it, do not be intimidated, go ahead and build it!
30 April 2022, 12:55
Steve -Well done on this beauty, so far. Now awaiting whatever crafty, clever construction you will embark on now 👍
1 May 2022, 06:00
Clifford KeeslerBeautiful job on the gear. I really need to build my B-24 or B-36 one of these days. I have built the B-29. I really like the old Monogram 1/48 bomber kits.
4 May 2022, 20:06
John Wilkes@Florin Moldovan I spent the summer at the lake building a few shake the box kits. I love the immediate gratification of cracking open a box on Thursday and hanging it by Sunday. I have four cars to build and a cool P12E biplane. that will take me through the Winter. I am stalled on a three masted tall ship. It is the big project that is staring me in the eye.
Many thanks for the encouragement, I have a huge stash of older kits and they are one by one being built with more frequency as I no longer have a day job. Retirement has given me more hours in a day to enjoy those kits I bought so long ago.
6 November 2022, 00:47
