USAF B-36 Peacemaker in 1/72 scale

With all of the assemblies added and with the canopies added and the glass at the gunner's stations, the structural part of the model aircraft was complete.


That is one HUGE aircraft...and she is looking very good.

Over the next session or two I will be placing the numerous decals on the aircraft. The walk ways are long and intricate on the top of the wing.

But, at this rate, I am now hoping to be complete by Christmas.

That table is 30" wide. The wingspan is almost 36" and the length is probably 28" or so. This model takes up LOTS of space and it is certainly stretching my workbench's ability to accommodate it.

Hehehe...I showed my wife and asked if I could temporarily take over the dinner table. LOL! At this point that solution is a negatory.

If the space in your construction room allows, it may be time for a workbench extension. The model is looking really good already, Jeff.
Now maybe next spring it's about time to construct a 1/72 airfrield in your back or front yard, if available, for all your aircraft. Just dig over a maybe 1' wide stripe and poor a thin layer of plaster on it.
And remebmer, not asking means you can't get negative answers
Long term, that tactic might have it's downsides, though.

Scratch said:

If the space in your construction room allows, it may be time for a workbench extension. The model is looking really good already, Jeff.
Now maybe next spring it's about time to construct a 1/72 airfrield in your back or front yard, if available, for all your aircraft. Just dig over a maybe 1' wide stripe and poor a thin layer of plaster on it.
And remebmer, not asking means you can't get negative answers
Long term, that tactic might have it's downsides, though.

Click to expand...

Hehehe...we've been married 38 years...so the long term is already in place.

I learned a long time ago...and she has trained me well.

And I am thankful for it too.

To all of you...here's some adivse:

Cherish, love, respect and appreciate your good wife. it is well worth it to work through any difficulties and hard times. Note I said, "good" wife. Mine is, and I am willing to admit that far more than half...probably on the order of 75% of issues have been on me.

We worked through them all.

Then six years ago when I got cancer, when I had three very major surgeries in three weeks (14 hours, 18 hours and 12 hours) and lay near death in an ICU for six weeks, she stayed in the ICU with me and only left to change clothes, eat and bathe. Every time I woke up she was there.

I am vary certain her being there made a HUGE difference and probably saved my life.

All the honey-dos, all the giving in, all the having to eat crow were more than worth it.

This is just some advise from someone who has been there.

Jeff Head said:

With all of the assemblies added and with the canopies added and the glass at the gunner's stations, the structural part of the model aircraft was complete.

​

That is one HUGE aircraft...and she is looking very good.

Over the next session or two I will be placing the numerous decals on the aircraft. The walk ways are long and intricate on the top of the wing.

But, at this rate, I am now hoping to be complete by Christmas.

Click to expand...

I thinks she is one the most beautiful model aircraft you ever built Jeff. Sigh, I wish they still built planes like that, but with all the modern avionics, engines and electronics of course.

The Build</b> - Radar dome, Fuselage decals, and wing access walkway decals - December 21, 2015

In this session, I began placing the decals on this beast. Before I started that, I needed to paint the forward portion of the large radar housing underneath the fuselage.

Then I added the decals to the main fuselage. I am using the Warbird decal set for the B-36 that includes the specific decals for the "City of Ft. Worth" aircraft, Warbird set number 72032. It also includes the specific markings for the "Broken Arrow" aircraft (which designates and aircraft that either crashed with, or lost nuclear weapons), which I am not using. GREAT set of decals.

Then it was time to establish the service walkways on the top of that huge main wing. Here I am using the Warbird details decal set for the B-36, Warbird set 72003 that includes all of the detail decals as well as the USAF and insignia markings. Many, many decals in this set.

This involved a LOT of straight lines, and also a lot of intricate areas around each of the six large engines, where maintenance people access the top side access panels for the engines.

I started off getting the major straight line portions of the walkways laid down. You want to make sure you cut the decals into manageable lengths. Invariably I find, if I try to use long straight line decals, it either gets twisted, or breaks, or somehow gets adversely effected in the handling and placement. So I cut mine into lengths that are no more than 4-5 inches long and then piece them together. I have found that this is more manageable and gives me better results in the end.

Then it was time to begin the more intricate work of the access paths around each of the engines. This involves specific lines that surround the upper parts of the engine nacelles, and then provides access to the engine on either side, and on top of the nacelles.

I cut out and organized the decals for each nacelle, and then added the walkways starting on the outer engine nacelles on each side progressing towards the inner nacelles. This was work requiring a lot of patience. Getting all three nacelles on each side done required three days of work...working an hour or so, letting them dry, coming back and adding more, letting that dry...until the nacelles on each side in the same location were completed. Then letting that dry and starting on the next inboard nacelle.

In the process I added the USAF and insignia markings on the upper wings, and then later on the lower side of the wings.

Here's how all of that went.