Author Topic: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration  (Read 104553 times)

Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #250 on: November 30, 2019, 06:25:50 PM »
I mentioned and dismissed the T34/C-97J option upthread. The earliest this is available is 54/55, by which time you might as well go for a RC-97J for the reconnaissance mission as it has substantially more internal volume available for equipment and operators. By the time a T34-B-29 comes to fruition for the crews' sake I hope it is in a stand-off role! Hmmm... USN GAM-63 Rascal toting B-29s for Sverdlov plinking?

Oh and in my defence, I only mentioned T40 as a way to get a B-29 turboprop variant in a timeframe that the B-29 is still something like a viable combat aircraft not because I thought it was a good idea!  :-\ ??? :))

Couple of other bad ideas that I may end up building:

A mixed wing of B-50s with a few knackered B-29s to bolster the numbers (B-29s used for training/as hacks etc) are forward deployed in Turkey when the Jupiter MRBM suffers a spate of pad explosions and is delayed, as a fig leaf deterrent. Then when Jupiter is finally deployed, rather than waste fuel bringing the B-29s back, they are gifted to Turkey (minus their more potent warloads of course). To compensate, Greece gets some RB-45s that were keeping an eye on the Aegean and Bulgaria re-converted back to the bomber role to maintain a semblance of balance.

Bell get a contract from Marquardt to test some of their ramjet designs so use modified surplus X-1s dropped from B-29s - essentially an unmanned X-1 with a conical-centrebody (MiG-21) nose intake and external booster rockets to get them up to speed. Ramjet development continues to the point we get baby Navahoes under B-29s....
« Last Edit: December 01, 2019, 01:56:58 AM by Empty Handed »

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #251 on: November 30, 2019, 10:52:48 PM »
Well the RAF used some Washington's up to 1958, in the ELINT role. They probably could have done with an engine upgrade by then ---  ;)

Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #252 on: December 01, 2019, 01:50:43 AM »
^ Ah well I was proceeding under the assumption of NIH syndrome for US as well as any potential US-sourced foreign B-29s. For some reason I regard the Washington as a separate entity to the B-29. Stupid brain! For British-refitted Washingtons, myriad options open up! Bristol Orions would be my preference or for a timeline closer to OTL, go with Tynes.

An Orion-Washington would be just fine for the later stages of Operation Firedog or Blue Steel trials as well as electronic shadow games above the Baltic....I'd still want the main deterrent in the hands of the V-Bombers though.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2019, 02:09:20 AM by Empty Handed »

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #253 on: December 01, 2019, 02:48:17 AM »
I mentioned and dismissed the T34/C-97J option upthread. The earliest this is available is 54/55, by which time you might as well go for a RC-97J for the reconnaissance mission as it has substantially more internal volume available for equipment and operators...

...Oh and in my defence, I only mentioned T40 as a way to get a B-29 turboprop variant in a timeframe that the B-29 is still something like a viable combat aircraft not because I thought it was a good idea!  :-\ ??? :))

Fair enough.  I got led astray by the mention of T56s.

Other options might be some experimental versions using early British turboprops such as the Rolls-Royce RB.39 Clyde, Armstrong Siddeley Python or even Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart.  These are all arguably available in the mid-late 1940s.
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #254 on: December 01, 2019, 02:53:20 AM »
rather than waste fuel bringing the B-29s back, they are gifted to Turkey

Hmmm...a Türk Hava Kuvvetleri B-29 would be an interesting build.
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #255 on: December 01, 2019, 02:54:58 AM »
^ Ah well I was proceeding under the assumption of NIH syndrome for US as well as any potential US-sourced foreign B-29s. For some reason I regard the Washington as a separate entity to the B-29. Stupid brain! For British-refitted Washingtons, myriad options open up! Bristol Orions would be my preference or for a timeline closer to OTL, go with Tynes.

An Orion-Washington would be just fine for the later stages of Operation Firedog or Blue Steel trials as well as electronic shadow games above the Baltic....I'd still want the main deterrent in the hands of the V-Bombers though.

Well 1/72 Tynes are available from Aircraft in Miniature

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #256 on: December 01, 2019, 10:43:41 AM »
^ Ah well I was proceeding under the assumption of NIH syndrome for US as well as any potential US-sourced foreign B-29s. For some reason I regard the Washington as a separate entity to the B-29. Stupid brain! For British-refitted Washingtons, myriad options open up! Bristol Orions would be my preference or for a timeline closer to OTL, go with Tynes.

An Orion-Washington would be just fine for the later stages of Operation Firedog or Blue Steel trials as well as electronic shadow games above the Baltic....I'd still want the main deterrent in the hands of the V-Bombers though.

Well 1/72 Tynes are available from Aircraft in Miniature

They are?  Where?  Do you have a link, please? 

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #257 on: December 01, 2019, 12:54:06 PM »
They are?  Where?  Do you have a link, please?


They don't seem to be in AIM catalogue at the moment. A set was sold as Transport Wings (TWC72031) "Canadair CL-44J Conversion (Tyne engines)" for the Mach 2 Britannia kit.

You may want to email them about future availability ... http://www.aim72.co.uk/page142.html
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #258 on: December 01, 2019, 09:04:03 PM »
They are?  Where?  Do you have a link, please?


They don't seem to be in AIM catalogue at the moment. A set was sold as Transport Wings (TWC72031) "Canadair CL-44J Conversion (Tyne engines)" for the Mach 2 Britannia kit.

You may want to email them about future availability ... http://www.aim72.co.uk/page142.html


Standalone Tynes would be a nice additional to their Dart engines.
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #259 on: December 01, 2019, 10:30:36 PM »
It is as Stephen says, part of the CL-44 conversion set. You get them from Hannants. BTW, AiM hasn't updated their website since Aug 2018  -----   ???  I think they have a farcebook page but I don't go there so can't say for sure. I just check the Hannants AiM page periodically  ---

Below are the other bits you get in the CL-44 conversion, fuselage plugs and a clear windshield.

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #260 on: November 05, 2020, 12:00:41 AM »
FICTIONAL Boeing B.29 Washington variants by John Kacey 'Maverick' ...

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #261 on: November 05, 2020, 01:04:13 AM »
Been tempted, and collecting the parts, to model a RAAF B-44B "Washington Mk.II" with 2x ADEN 30mm cannon in each turret instead of 4x .50 machine guns (basically a similar approach to what the Soviets used on the Tu-4 turrets, relative the those on the B-29).

The RL XB-44 was a testbed for the R4360 installation that went into the B-50; this would just be a derivative for the RAAF.

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #262 on: November 05, 2020, 01:23:55 AM »
One in a USAF flavour.
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #263 on: November 05, 2020, 01:28:38 AM »
Nice photo of a RAF Washington.
H/T to tsrjoe.






B-29 Washington with Red Rapier

WW353 also served with the RAAF: http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a76.htm
« Last Edit: November 05, 2020, 07:13:23 AM by The Big Gimper »
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #264 on: May 15, 2021, 03:32:42 AM »
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #265 on: May 15, 2021, 02:32:50 PM »
That just screams "DIORAMA!" ... but only for those with severe AMS. ;D
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #266 on: May 16, 2021, 02:51:27 AM »
Yep!
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #267 on: May 20, 2021, 07:28:08 AM »
Boeing B-14.5 MediumFortress

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #268 on: May 20, 2021, 10:13:56 AM »
Must be low production model with limited use that never made the press !

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #269 on: May 20, 2021, 12:32:13 PM »
Atlantis Models produces a 1/120th B-29 that might be scale o rama into that B14.5 medium bomber.
Like I don’t have enough projects!

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #270 on: May 22, 2021, 03:43:28 AM »
Oh those poor engines...
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #271 on: May 22, 2021, 03:58:58 AM »
Mind you, what about a twin turboprop version?
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #272 on: May 23, 2021, 01:00:28 PM »


That is an awesome pic GTX😯, giving much perspective!!
I visited The Australian National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin, Victoria yesterday and was fortunate enough to be given an in-depth personal tour by one of the officials. He showed me their Avro Lincoln, which is in a thousand pieces and under tarps....I couldn't believe the thickness/depth of the main wing box.....

MAD

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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #273 on: May 24, 2021, 01:00:38 AM »
I visited The Australian National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin, Victoria yesterday and was fortunate enough to be given an in-depth personal tour by one of the officials. He showed me their Avro Lincoln, which is in a thousand pieces and under tarps....I couldn't believe the thickness/depth of the main wing box.....

Cool.  It's been a few years since I was last there.  Did you also see the CA-31 mock up?  The museum will need more room if they ever manage to get some of their items completed.
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Re: Boeing B-29 Superfortress ideas and inspiration
« Reply #274 on: May 24, 2021, 07:26:52 PM »
I visited The Australian National Aviation Museum, Moorabbin, Victoria yesterday and was fortunate enough to be given an in-depth personal tour by one of the officials. He showed me their Avro Lincoln, which is in a thousand pieces and under tarps....I couldn't believe the thickness/depth of the main wing box.....

Cool.  It's been a few years since I was last there.  Did you also see the CA-31 mock up?  The museum will need more room if they ever manage to get some of their items completed.

Unfortunately the CA-31 mock-up is no longer on display, but in a non-public access shed GTX, which I was fortunate to see on this in-depth tour. One thing I did notice and I was very appreciative, was the fact that you can actually hop into the cockpit of their Gloster Meteor, CA-27 Sabre, the Canberra Mk20 and Sea Venom, which was fantastic, as it gives an eye-opening perspective of the aircraft!!😯👍

MAD