Author Topic: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Finished!!!  (Read 29267 times)

Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” 06/9 update
« Reply #50 on: September 12, 2015, 03:49:02 PM »
Thanks guy's, sorry things have slowed down a bit as work has given me a new project, so for the next couple of weeks things will be progressing very slowly until the new roster starts.

Ok this is just a very minor update, as I just haven’t had much time at all to work on this.

The new Falcon vacform canopies arrived and I was all set to fit the B-57 one again, but looking at it I would still have the original problem.



While I like the shape of the B-57 canopy it really doesn’t fit the shape of the B-51, plus I would have to try and reshape it (a lot harder with a vacform canopy) some how. So I abandoned that idea and was going to wait for the B-57 kit.

I was looking at the rest of the canopies and noticed the shape of the B-47E’s canopy! It would fit and it looked and suited the B-51 even better than the B-57 one I was using.

So I had to rebuild the canopy frame to suit this canopy….would have been soooo much easier if I hadn’t made the original cockpit/canopy hole so large in the fuselage!!!



I think it looks much nicer and a bit more sleeker now plus it is a bit narrower as well which does suit the B-51’s thin fuselage. So I just have to clean up the new framework and fit the canopy and then it’s painting time!!





Oh and part of the reason I didn’t get too much done today besides waiting for filler to dry is I brought this beasty out.



National markings have been painted on, this is part of what caused the delay originally, plus cowlings/props/ and undercarriage have been fitted, I’ll update the original post.

Offline Logan Hartke

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” 12/9 update
« Reply #51 on: September 12, 2015, 10:52:25 PM »
That looks great! I'm glad you found a canopy that fits!

Cheers,

Logan

Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” 12/9 update
« Reply #52 on: September 27, 2015, 03:55:01 PM »
The canopy is so much better than I had hope, I wish I had thought of it early! Anyway....

Ok as mentioned in the Arado update, work is killing me at the moment, am flying of Sunday evenings and coming home Friday nights! So not too much modelling time!

Anyway, have finally finished sanding and filling this beast! Well I did find a spot I missed but will sort that out later.

I’ve added a few bits and bumps to her, to give her a more busy look, she’s not meant to have nice clean lines now…she’s a work horse!

So next up the canopy was masked up….for a second time..and no dust bunnies present either this time!

First up the panel lines were pre-shaded, I only have to worry about the upper surfaces as the undersides will be black. Though I will spray each one as a separate panel to help break the blackness!



Next up the first colour down was the Tan, I will be using enamels for the paint job instead of acrylics. As much as I like using them I do need to do quite a lot of masking and enamels just have so much better bit of the undersurfaces. Plus because the panel lines are quite deep (!) I don’t have to worry if the coats are a wee bit thick. That said the first coat went of perfectly!




The photos were taken just after I had painted her so there are a couple of spots that were still not quite dry and a bit shiny.  Now that it has dried some more she looks great, the first coat went on perfectly! It’ll have a full week to cure before I can start on the next part which will be Mid-Green.

She looks so much more like a real plane now with this coat on…I just can’t what to see the final results.

And the two beasties together!


Offline The Big Gimper

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Painting
« Reply #53 on: September 27, 2015, 09:38:02 PM »
Nice Tan lines.  ;D

What did you use to mask your canopy?
Work in progress ::

I am giving up listing them. They all end up on the shelf of procrastination anyways.

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Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Painting
« Reply #54 on: September 28, 2015, 03:51:22 AM »
Just very thin strips of Tamiya masking tape and liquid masking solution

Offline Logan Hartke

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Painting
« Reply #55 on: September 28, 2015, 08:22:20 AM »
Looking good!

Cheers,

Logan

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Painting
« Reply #56 on: October 01, 2015, 07:08:44 AM »
Yowsa, what an inspiration! That you can do such amazing work on such limited time is incredible!

I'm really looking forward to how this baby turns out. If the Tigercat is any indication, you'll finish it up an absolute gem!

Brian da Basher

Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Painting
« Reply #57 on: October 04, 2015, 06:02:18 AM »
thanks all...

ok, well two months into this GB/project and I have to admit I’ve made good progress on this build even if I keep getting distracted on other builds (old and new projects..must start thread for them!!). I should get this one completed in time.

So straight back into painting the next colours in the scheme. For these lots of small sausages of blu-tack were made, because of it’s scale I wanted the demarcation lines to be quite fine. Then liquid mask to protect…maybe not the best of ideas as it ruins the blu-tack and I can’t use it again (am going through it at a fast rate!).

So before the Medium Green FS.34102, I quickly redid the panels line with black again just to help them stand out again. Next the green coat, this was done in a slightly uneven manner to help give it a slightly faded look.



After a few hours drying, am using enamels this time, more re-masking and masking fluid before a coat of Dark Green FS.34079.



I was so tempted to then just rip of the masks and see how it all looks, but the paint was a a bit soft so the whole things just sat outside for a few hours in the sun to dry.

Once dry the masks and blu-tack came off, not the easiest of jobs either, and there you have it! I am really happy with the finish, the paint was nice and thin and went on perfectly, just a couple of areas that need touching up. The inside section of the left hand engine pod is a bit rough so I’ll re-mash and touch up that one. But boy she looks great!



...and yes some photo bombing by the SkyShark, she's not far off from being completed as well, so photos will be up soon-ish!




The Tan has settled down really nicely since it first went on, am hoping the greens will as well.

Next will be the undersurfaces, these will be black. Because it’s a big area there is a possibility it will look too black, so I’m going to try something I have been reading about. I will use NATO Black for this area, it’s really a very dark grey, but it allows you to use black for shading so as to give the finish more depth….well that’s what I’m told. So we’ll just have to see, plus it’s an acrylic so it’ll go on quite and dry quick…..and probably come off quick too!!!

I should have the painting done today and maybe a clear gloss coat as well.

Offline polluxdeltaseven

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” More Painting
« Reply #58 on: October 04, 2015, 08:21:52 AM »
Very impressive ! I followed this topic from a far distance since its beginning and I couldn't wait to see the paint job ;)
(and I didn't know the story of the real Tropic Moon III before this topic, so thanks for that ;) )

Offline Tophe

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” More Painting
« Reply #59 on: October 04, 2015, 09:54:30 PM »
belately...: Wow! :-*

Offline Steve Blazo

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” More Painting
« Reply #60 on: October 05, 2015, 02:38:18 AM »
Looks really good, great job on the camo !!
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Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” More Painting
« Reply #61 on: October 05, 2015, 02:56:12 AM »
The camo just takes it up another level! Wow!! probably going to scream like a fan girl when I see it with decals  :o
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Offline elmayerle

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” More Painting
« Reply #62 on: October 05, 2015, 07:36:19 AM »
That's looking really sweet so far; can't wait to see the final product.

Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” More Painting
« Reply #63 on: October 05, 2015, 09:56:22 AM »
thanks guy's, I'm getting excited with this one as well, can't wait to get the final canopy masks off so I can get a good look at the whole "look" of the beast!.

Well lots more progress and one minor stuff up, forgot to re-mask the canopy when I gloss coated the beast!! Least the canopy is vacfrom plastic, nothing seems to stick to the clear acetate.

Well as said lots of progress, the under side is painted and completed. I had intended to use NATO Black but forgot this was in a rattle can and near empty. But luckily a bottle of acrylic Rubber Black (Tamiya) was found instead, which worked out even better. NATO Black has a very slight green tint to it (well I think so) while the Rubber Black a slight Grey tint to it. But there is a subtle difference when compared to plain black, it’s had to see with the gloss coat as it is more noticeable when matt. The coat went of perfectly, being acrylic, dried very quickly. Next nose and tail radome’s were painted black as well as well as random spots of the undersurface to help brake up the evenness.

Next up a couple of white panels then the whole left to dry completely. It needed to have a clear coat on as soon as possible as the undersurfaces marked so easily especially as the whole thing sat on the engine pods!

So this morning a coat of gloss acrylic clear…and of cause as I was in a bit of a hurry I forgot to remask the canopy!! The clear will/should come off quiet easily.



Next up the undercarriage, again I needed this fitted to help protect the paint finish. And of cause as with the rest of the model/build it didn’t quite fit and was not straight! But surprisingly when finally fitted the beast actually sat fairly even, this was a worry for a while. The outrigger gear will be cut to length so that they sit correctly…plus they will be the final bits to ensure the beast sits evenly…lots of measuring will be involved there! The wheel rims were also given a wash and look really cool. I still have to make new main gear doors as the old ones will not fit…even on the un-modified undercarriage they are too small!

The Pave Gat platform is just tacked in to see how it all looks, I have all the painting to finish off on it yet.



Plus lots of weapons choices as well! I’ll only have 4 wing stores stations as well as the drop tanks, which will be of the outside on quite deep pylons. One of the pylons will have the ALQ-87 ECM pod fitted and I’m tossing up whether to fit the larger Bullpup and a couple of LGB’s/“slicks” or some other stores. I’m aiming for an early to mid 70’s time period, Vietnam or some other SEA conflict.




Well the end of this project is coming up fast! I’ll have the decals on this arvo ready for a mat coat in the morning. In the meantime I need to start making up all the aerials and antennas this beast will have, plus work on the pylons. Not a lot left to go!!



« Last Edit: October 05, 2015, 09:59:16 AM by trickyrich »

Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Completed Painting
« Reply #64 on: October 06, 2015, 09:08:42 PM »
Right as mentioned earlier it’s all steam ahead with this this build now!

The decaling didn’t go without trouble. I had to use a mix of old and new decals which all decided to give me issues! I probably could have added more but I wanted the look to be clean.

She finally had a coat of matt clear to protect her finish, and I did mask her canopy….just forgot at the time! Once removed she has the exact look I was after and look very much like Logan’s original print!

New undercarriage doors had to be made, as the old ones were too small to start with.



The weapons were given a bath in oven cleaner ready for painting. The drop tanks pylons were made up to suit, with them and the tanks given a coat of Rubber Black. They’re just tacked on for the photos. The weapon load out will be an ECM pod, a single Bullpup for high value targets, and a mix of Mk 82’s and Mk 82 “Daisy Cutters” on a BDU, just the thing for late night visits on the “long and windy roads”!



She now looks so much the part, I just love her!!!






And for those who are wondering if I’m working on anything else….

The Arado is having all the extra bits fitted…



The SkyShark is getting closer to being completed.



…and this beasty has just entered the workshop…..after about 15 years! More to come on this one!!!



Offline LemonJello

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #65 on: October 06, 2015, 11:30:51 PM »
Those are all great, but the B-51 is an absolute beauty!

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #66 on: October 07, 2015, 12:13:22 AM »
The camo on the B-51 is great; just a hint of the pre and post panel shading is coming through and the dark gray undersides look good.

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #67 on: October 07, 2015, 03:50:48 AM »
Damn fine work there!

Looking forward to what I presume is the Bill Gunston VTOL fighter.
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #68 on: October 07, 2015, 04:56:08 AM »
haha, I'm surprised you recognised what it was, others have been trying to work out what it was. Guess you have had/or still have that book? My copy is sitting beside me acting as motivation to try and finish it!!!

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #69 on: October 07, 2015, 05:16:45 AM »
The intake and the tail are a dead giveaway!

All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline ChernayaAkula

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #70 on: October 07, 2015, 08:43:44 AM »
Nice job on the camo!  :)

Seeing that pic showing the Arado and the B-51, I wonder.... B-57-style nose and canopy on a crescent wing turboprop Blitz? Could look great.
Cheers,
Moritz

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Offline Logan Hartke

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #71 on: October 07, 2015, 10:12:46 AM »
That looks great, Rich! Job very, very well done.

Cheers,

Logan

Offline Goonie

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #72 on: October 07, 2015, 05:46:46 PM »
Wow, all of that 3 airplanes looks just great :) , but that B-51... It just looks so right  :D
« Last Edit: October 07, 2015, 05:49:13 PM by Goonie »
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Offline finsrin

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #73 on: October 07, 2015, 06:43:26 PM »
Wow, all of that 3 airplanes looks just great :) , but that B-51... It just looks so right  :D

Totally with Goonie on this.  :-*

Offline trickyrich

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Re: Martin B-51G Panther “Tropic Moon III” Update 06/10
« Reply #74 on: October 09, 2015, 03:03:05 PM »
Well the time has finally come to call this one!

I had hoped to do a couple more updates before this one but frustration was getting the better of me in the end. Lot count of the bits I kept knocking off, including the new pitot probe that was last seen passing by my left shoulder to never be seen again! Plus my lovely acrylic Matt coat I use is actually really painful to use, the usual way I clean up my washes ends up turning the matt clear coat a cloudy white! Ok had my piece now on with it!

Well lots of antenna’s and bits were added, most stolen from the new B-57G kit…including the now lost/eaten pitot probe!

The wing tip gear was finally fitted, new gear doors had to be mode for them as well.

The stores were finally completed as well, I did some homemade “daisy Cutters” which turned out quite nice. The pylons I intended to use turned out to be way too short once I re-profiled them for the wings! So new ones were made to match those used on the drop tanks, overall these look much better. The Pave Gat platform was finished off and fitted.



Finally just some touch-ups and she’s done!I just so love the look of this aircraft and with all the mods I added she just looks “real”! It was not an easy build by any means and there are so many things I’d do different if I was building one again, I now have another unused nose! (Israeli B-51G??). I would so love to go large with this and build a 1/48th version, but unfortunately the donor model is a Collect-Aire beast and the latest one to show up on evilBay, well the seller wants $700USD for it!! Don’t think I could hide that one from the wife!

Anyway this was such a joy to build and finish, so here she is!!! Please enjoy…plus I will write a story to go with it……….











Story.

After the initial failure in the “Night Intruder/Bomber” fly off against the EE Canberra in May 51, Martin wasn’t put off. The XB-51 had a good turn of speed and general handling and performance was good, fuel economy though was not. So Martin set to the task of improving this notable by fitting a newer version of the General Electric J47 along with structure changes as well as the ability to fit wing mounted drop tanks. The variable incident wings were dropped as well to help save weight.

Initial plans to produce the EE Canberra in the US by Martin was scuttled by the then Labour government as relationships between the two countries soured again, and by Christmas of 51 the whole project was in doubt.

Martin had been in the meantime reviewing and implementing changes to the XB-51 program to make it a more suitable aircraft that met the Air Forces requirements. At the same time Martin had been courting other air forces as well with this new design. The Australian air force had shown early interest in the EE Canberra but a falling out by the Menzies government with the UK Labour Attlee government over trade and migration, and the forth-coming ANZUS treaty, this ended. The US was now the flavour of the moment and the RAAF was offered a deal on the B-51 they couldn’t refuse.

The B-51B entered RAAF service in mid 1954 and quickly gained a reputation for its handling and precision bombing abilities, even though its range was still a bit of an issue.

By the start of the Vietnam war B-51D’s had entered service with the RAAF, these were a major step forward in the B-51 program, with new avionics, improved engine performance and economy. But the two changes that were to have the most notable effects were the change a new cockpit layout and the fitting of the “Big Wing”. The “Big Wing” was a requirement the RAAF had wanted right from the start, but there had been development issues, which had held this up until the D model. These new wings had additional stores points as well as larger fuel tanks fitted.

Two squadrons were sent to Vietnam, 2 & 6 Sqn, these aircraft operated along side a detachment of Skysharks, which were providing Close Air Support for the Australian Army at the time. As the war continued on the role of the B-51’s started to change and an aircraft with improved all-weather/night-time abilities was required.

The result was B-51G, introduced in 1971, which had a variety of new sensors and equipment fitted. The USAF had only a modest interest in this model and only operated one squadron, the RAAF went on to modify all but a few of their B-51’s to this new configuration (four were converted to RB-51D’s). The modification program was call “Tropic Moon III” (there were two earlier programs using different aircraft). In addition to the new FLIR/LLLTV systems fitted in the new nose of these aircraft a new Pave Gat new gun system by Emerson was fitted to a few of these aircraft. These gun platforms fitted into the bomb bay of the B-51and featured a remotely controlled M61 20mm Gatling gun and optics system. In use along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, these Pave Gat fitted B-51G’s proved to be devastating to ground forces and infrastructure.

These aircraft continued in serve with the RAAF in Australia and overseas until eventually replaced by the RF/F111’s. They were finally retired in the early 80’s after over 30 years of service.