B-58 Hustler

[Aircav]

Seen a good picture in FSM of a Hustler in gloss black fitted with canard's, looked very VERY COOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!
:zz










***provided link to image under discussion***

[Mike Wren]

Seeing as Italeri are re-releasing their 1/72 B-58 later in the year (Monogram's 1/48 kit has just come out in a Revell box too, if you're less spatially-challenged), I automatically started thinking What-if...

I came across this site with an Academy 1/144 B-58 in SAC camouflage...

[a href=\"http://www.smallscale.sphosting.com/b58.html\" target=\"_blank\"]B-58[/a]

I was thinking of an Aussie conventionally-armed one in Vietnam minus the nuke pod and carrying a load (and I mean LOAD) of iron bombs under the fuselage, any thoughts?

:/

[Radish]

I once worked on a scenario that the RAF bought some Hustlers(needed as an emergency re-armament programme) and painted them Dark Sea Grey overall. To \"boost\" their numbers and confuse enemy intelligence sources, the RAF bought 6 real ones and 12 fibre-glass copies. With careful changing of serials and towing from hanger to hanger, they succeeded!
I built (sadly, long gone!) a fibreglass copy....a model of a model!
I've thought of an all white one for sometime, but it does look great in SEAsis camo.
:G

[nev]

I think (from memory) in the1/72 one its 6 of each ie 500lb slicks, snakeyes and fuse extenders, MK117s.  I think you get 2 of each 1000lb and 2000lb.  However, with some cutting and glueing the fuse extended ones can be made into normal slicks.

[Mike Wren]

the Hustler was at least trialled with either 2 or 4 weapons pylons under the fuselage/wing junction, able to carry more 'conventional' nuclear bombs as opposed to the pod.

What about a low-drag conformal weapons pod/pallet fitted in place of the pod, housing conventional bombs?

[Matt Wiser]

SAC was intending to have multiple types of pods on the B-58. One was a recon pod w/various cameras, another would have had conventional weapons, (Convair tried to sell the Hustler to Australia against GD and the F-111), and a proposed interceptor version would have had a fuel pod and 4 AIM-47 \"Ultra Falcon\" AAMs. (BTW the B-58 was used as a test platform for the YF-12 program with the radar and AAMs)

[uk 75]

One of my favourite aircraft, but apparently something of a lemon in real life, was the Convair B58 Hustler.

Back in the early 60s this looked like the future of bombing. Compared with the V Force aircraft it was ugly but fast looking. If it had been less expensive and more effective, it would have made a great V Force replacement medium strategic penetrator.  The USAF colors on this plane were also cool and early 60s.

There are already decals and patterns for a USAF version in Vietnam colors, but imagine the possibilities in RAF/RAAF colours.

Plain white RAF strategic flash white with pale roundels

Standard RAF camouflage

Hemp finish

Gulf pink

Metallic finishes with various dayglo flahes like the USAF

UK 75

[Gary]

I don't know that I can agree that she was a lemon. She delivered as promised, but she was a very hot aircraft to handle and kind of expensive to operate. Landing was especially difficult thanks to the high speed and the delta wing. In the air she was supposed to be a dream. I had read Airpower's article on the Hustler and I guess that fighter pilots had wanted to fly her.
But like all hot aircraft, with increased performance come a less forgiving nature.
Had Hustler had the advantage of flight control computers for stability she'd be awesomer.... more awesome.

[NARSES2]

I have 2 of the Accademy 1/144 scale kits and one will be * in RAF colours - probably anti-flash white
Chris

Legal Disclaimer

* Please note that the phrase "will be" when used in refering to kits in the stash does not indicate that the writer will ever build them in this form, or indeed build them at all, but that at the moment this is his current intention.

[noxioux]

Them's fightin' words, UK 75.

The Hustler was NOT a lemon.  It was complicated, difficult to fly, and extremely expensive.  But it was faster than anything else in the air at the time.  Hell, it would still be considered a fast bird if it was still operational.

And the Hustler is NOT ugly.  She might not be your type, but she's still a beauty.

There are many stories of the Hustler leaving their fighter compadres in the dust.  In fact, it is stated many times that the only real chance an enemy fighter had to intercept the B-58 was if it could do it on the initial head-on contact.  Otherwise, the Hustler would be well out of range and uncatchable by the time the interceptor got turned around.

Gary makes a good point, too.  Most of the trouble with flying the Hustler (which was largely a problem of balancing the fuel load, and power management) would be a cakewalk for modern avionics.

I like your ideas for alternative schemes, though.  But the most intersting Hustler of all is the fabled test bird in SEA camo, the rumored Texas hangar queen.  There are plenty of stories about its existence, but not much else.

You should all stay tuned for the unveiling of my Wild Weasel Hustler in SAC SEA colors.  It's going to be a handsome brute.  But I'll only show you if you quit bad-mouthing my baby.  

[waynos]

My RAF Hustler is getting its RAF decals from the TSR 2 sheet, maybe with serials from the Phantom, however I have just read about a twin engined Interceptor version and my plans are a bit up in the air now!

[Spellbinder99]

Have to agree...the Hustler was the sexiest airplane ever to fly....Naming it Hustler was a master stroke as you wanted to give her money just to look at her....

Cheers

Tony

[proditor]

Interesting quote here :

Compared with the V Force aircraft it was ugly

Now, how would the sleekest looking, slimmest and fastest bomber ever could be uglier than a Victor, eh?

 

Mark this day in your books folks, card-carrying yank here, and I think the Victor defines a certain indescrible sexiness that died in the 70's when planes started to become wings with engines and a box for the pilot.  It is a woman with curves that make your mouth water and your heart thump a little faster.

Of course the Hustler is just as sexy in a Victoria's Secret supermodel way.

[Madoc]

UK 75,

The Hustler a lemon?  Ugly?  Bite thy tongue ye of little faith and no sense of style!  The B-58 was _and_is_ one of the most beautiful aircraft to ever take wing.  Her lines flow smoothly and finely.  There's nothing ponderous about the Hustler, no awkward bumps or fairings or after-thought additions.  The plane was sleek and pure power.  The B-58 was the epitome of 1950's speed and performance design philosophy.  The only reason her career was so short was because the world changed even faster than she flew.  The B-58 was a high speed, high altitude nuke carrier and had to be tightly optimized in order to achieve that.  Thus the plane was not well suited for doing anything else but carrying a few big yield nukes very far, very fast, and very high.

SAC made the right decision in retiring the plane as it no longer fit with the way the world had changed come the late 60's.  This in no way makes her a lemon.  Instead, it just proves how prophetic the naming of the B-58 was - born pretty, lived fast, died young.

Madoc

[noxioux]

That does it.  I'm not even going to mention my killer B-58 spaceplane idea now.  I won't say a word about the underslung scramjet.  And I definitely won't be sharing the cool supplemental rocket engines either.  You'll never get to see her decked out in sexy white and black thermal tiles.  I'm just going to keep it a secret forever .  So there.