Navy Tailless design

[RussC]

  Among the wartime flying wings was an application of the Northrop B-35 for long range naval patrol units. The PBRM2 Manta was a modification of the standard B-35 strategic bomber by placing the crew into a raised flight deck and side by side seating, removing tail guns in favor of early magnetic anomaly detectors in a retractable tail cone. The Manta's design filled 3 main roles, long range patrol with a emphasis on antisubmarine warfare using acoustic torpedoes. Secondary roles were surface attack and also air-sea rescue. For these two purposes, the plane was equipped for use of early glide guided bombs like the Azon and the "Bat" plus the craft was equipped with a 15 person air drop-able lifeboat and canisters to drop 20 large inflatable rafts, enough to support a shipwrecked crew of a destroyer or a light cruiser with one drop pass. The Manta used the latest 1946 era radars in a upper dome antenna shell. Replacing many flying boat types, the Manta stayed in use until the end of the Viet conflict, growing a ever changing collection of jet pods, antenna domes, missile containers and racks plus new observation and control blisters and ports.
 
 
 
Model is a card model, with only toothpicks for wood components. Paper parts can be crude, note the prop spinners, the rear observing blister and the jet pods.
 

 
Recently, another builder made a similar naval B-35 type using the awesome huge 1/72 AMT / Italerei kit. The plane mounts a saucer rotodome over the center section, which is what I would do if showing a post-1955 Manta in my 1/144th model.
 
 
 
An underside view showing the parachute equipped lifeboat and the dispenser doors for sonar bouys and the retractable turrets, which were gone from post 1960 Mantas.

[Maverick]

Once again, some amazing stuff Russ.

Regards,

Mav

[upnorth]

Right nice, that!

[PR19_Kit]

Once again, some amazing stuff Russ.

What Mav said, and amazingly plausible backstory too! 

[Weaver]

Once again, some amazing stuff Russ.

What Mav said, and amazingly plausible backstory too! 

Seconded on both counts. The real-life Achilles Heel of the XB-35 was directional stability which made it poor bombing platform, but that wouldn't matter a damn for these roles, where the inherent cruise efficiency of the flying wing would really shine....

[Cobra]

Sweet Job Russ i can almost hear the Alarm Buzzer going as an ASR Crew scrambles to the rescue of some Navy Destroyer Crew! Great Paint Job & Awesome Decal Work! Hope to see more great stuff from You Dan

[lenny100]

are you sure you use "paper"
they look better than most mainstream kits

[NARSES2]

Superb stuff 

There is an Italeri B-35 doing the UK show rounds in overall gloss sea blue and it looks gorgeous

[RussC]

are you sure you use "paper"
they look better than most mainstream kits

Yes, paper. For making models, I may use three different types of it- depending on the amount of curve needed. For wings of large size the material is Bristol Board Smooth, which is an art paper for use with pencils or ink. I use the 100lb weight thickness (one ream will weigh 100lbs) of this material, it can take weak curves and good for a lot of flat parts like gear doors, small fins. For more curved items, basic manila drafting paper, about half the thickness of Bristol and finally for the most curved things, plain old typing and computer printer paper. For the flying wing basic form, one ply of Bristol with the strong curve at the leading edge made by bending and pressing with metal tools over a round form doing a lot of rubbing. Then a second layer for the more flat parts of the wing, because it needs to bear a lot of load if the model is picked up with fingers near the wingtips. Often, to give wings more rigidity, I would, when they were dried and ready to be sealed up at the ends, stuff them full of bamboo in the form of chopsticks available at any Chinese restaurant.
 
 For tube shapes like engine cowls, jet exhausts, rocket bodies, the thin paper can be used but built up in thickness by cutting a long strip, applying a light coat of glue and then winding it over a round form building up maybe 3 or 4 thicknesses. Dries very strong and can be cut to length while still on the form using a box cutter knife and rotating.
For some really curved parts, was playing with this idea when making some of the newest paper models. Everyone has heard of the "smash" method of making a canopy with thermaform clear and a master form, right? Well, it will work with paper, although slower and wet versus hot. Using the drafting paper, soak a square of it about 3 inches bigger than the master mold until it gets very pliable. Lay it over the master ( which is placed on a flat plastic card ) and let it slump under its own weight - remember its quite fragile when wet- and add more water with a paintbrush and lightly push with the brush until the shape is in contact all around. Now take a few paint jars and tins and weigh down the paper all around the master. Let it all air dry and then cut out with sharp scissors like it was vacform. Wooden masters need to be sealed with lots of shellac or the paper will bond to it.
  I have a full tutorial on making paper models over on kg144bbs in the FAQ area. I used a few projects to illustrate the basics, one is the Savoia S55 flying boat I posted in another thread topic, a second is buildings like the control tower in the aerodrome dioramas.

[PR19_Kit]

And here's me moaning about the amount of PSR work I have on hand! 

That all sounds VERY complex Russ, but then we do what we're used to I suppose. I'd like to see you actually doing that some time, it'd be fascinating.

[RussC]

And here's me moaning about the amount of PSR work I have on hand! 

That all sounds VERY complex Russ, but then we do what we're used to I suppose. I'd like to see you actually doing that some time, it'd be fascinating.

PSR? What is that?

[PR19_Kit]

PSR? What is that?

I'm not sure if you're joking there or not Russ. 

If not, and you may not know the term as your card technique doesn't use it, it means 'Putty Sand Repeat'. A process that drives me NUTS and is by far the worst part of any modelling project to my mind.

[RussC]

PSR? What is that?

I'm not sure if you're joking there or not Russ. 

If not, and you may not know the term as your card technique doesn't use it, it means 'Putty Sand Repeat'. A process that drives me NUTS and is by far the worst part of any modelling project to my mind.

  Ahh ok, I am familiar as half my builds are styrene and resin. I just never abbreviated. Actually, I have used putty on paper kits since I do something that is considered as heresy by purist paper card modelmakers. Actually I do 4 things they despise, I use wood, I sometimes even stick a clear vacform canopy on a project, I'll even mount a plastic or metal prop if I have one from the stash that fits and worst for last.... I PAINT paper models  I'll prime and sand using Glidden polycrylic, usually 4 times (there's a repeat!) and use the same acrylics as plastic kits get and to place myself firmly in their lazy bin - I USE DECALS and a good coat of future over the whole lot at the end Bwaaaa ha ha !!!!. And so, if There is a need of a wing root fillet or a gap , I will use squadron white putty thinned with alcohol, even aftershave works well, and go that way. Interesting note- while I have an average human sense of smell- years later I can sometimes still get a whiff of the scent of the aftershave from a model - even under all the paints, especially if its on a place where the kit will be touched like a trailing edge or a wingtip .

[McColm]

Wow!!

[chrisonord]

WOW 
I am really liking this Russ, a real work of art in paper 
Chris.