Martin MGM-13X Buzz Bomb

[MMM]

What if the "Amazing 50-Foot Woman" were a real, credible threat? What exactly would the military response be to a 50-foot woman and her insatiable appetites?





Martin MGM-13X "Buzz Bomb"

In the 1950's, a combination of increased above-ground atomic testing and classified alien encounters led to the creation of several notable "giant mutants". Certainly, one of the most attractive of these was Nancy Archer, the so-called "Amazing 50-Foot Woman". The story of her "creation", and her subsequent rampage, became the subject of the well-known documentary, "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman!"

The unprecedented threat presented by a 50-foot woman with unquenchable desires and a bad disposition led to the formation of plans by the U.S. military to subdue her insatiable appetites. This required use of a modified weapon system, designed specifically for the physical requirements of effectiveness against a 50-foot woman, should her wild and untamed activities threaten an innocent civilian populace.

The Air Force suggested the use of a Martin MGM-13 "Mace" missile, modified for the specific needs of this mission. It was felt that the standard armament of the "Mace", the W-28 1.0-megaton nuclear warhead, would be "overkill" for this target, especially if the missile was ever used in a densely-populated area.  To avoid collateral damage, the payload was reduced in size to a smaller conventional warhead.  (Many arguments were made to keep the original armament, but in the end the engineers produced research that proved that, for this purpose, "size doesn't matter.") The decrease in weight of the warhead necessitated a redesign of the missile, shifting the wings back on the fuselage to match the shift in the missile's center of gravity. It was also pointed out that this redesign would also allow for deeper penetration of the target, producing greater certainty of a more satisfying resolution.  Additionally, a "speed control ring" was added just forward of the wings, to create laminar-flow drag and slow and stabilize the now-underweight airframe.



Re-designated the "Buzz Bomb" because of its low flight profile, the MGM-13X was designed to be launched on a moment's notice by a small crew, fly at near-ground-level towards the target, and penetrate the target area with a climactic, earth-shattering explosion. The distinctive salmon-colored "camouflage" was intended to mimic the sandstone rocks of the American Southwest. However, under the brutal desert sun, the paint job faded to a light pink, leading some wags to christen this "Barbie's Missile".

Fortunately, before the missile could be deployed, the unexpected arrival of Glenn Manning (a/k/a "The Amazing Colossal Man") made its deployment unnecessary. After their eventual marriage, the couple lived out the rest of their lives in a 90-foot high one-bedroom bungalow on the shores of Lake Mead, built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.



This whole endeavor started two years ago, when I first saw the Renwal "re-pop" of their old "Mace with Terracruzer" kit at the Starship Modeler booth at Wonderfest. My wife took one look and said, "That thing looks like a sex toy for the Amazing 50-Foot Woman!" I knew that that's what I had to build this as... with some suitable backstory, a handy helping of double-entendre, and a good measure of "plausible deniability" as to the subject matter of the build.

Construction of this kit was relatively easy. As would be expected for a re-pop like this, the kit DOES show its age, with all of its toy-like working features and relative lack of detail in important areas (like the interior of the missile, which was hollow, without intake or exhaust detail- you could see through it, like a paper-towel roll).

I decided to build the trailer and missile first, leaving the "Terracruzer" tractor for later. (This also makes sense from the standpoint of moving this kit to shows- with the "Terracruzer", this finished kit is over two feet long.) I did slide the wings back, to emphasize certain characteristics of the missile. AVES is your friend in filling in the original wing holes, along with a LOT of PSR (Putty-Sand-Repeat -ed.). I also added the "speed control" ring- a self-adhesive plastic anti-skid strip I picked up at a major-chain box store. Otherwise, this model is pretty much what you get in the kit.

I also fixed the problem of the lack of detail in the various openings of the missile with judicious use of spares from the parts box. This was especially an issue with the air intake- you could see all the way back to the back of the missile, without any intake detail. It was difficult to find pictures of what these actually looked like, so I used my imagination in creating details that would look realistic when seen through the various apertures in the kit. The exhaust came from a cut-down MiG-29 exhaust from my parts box. A cookie to the first person that recognizes what part I used for the intake for the jet engine (a part I picked up at an Iron Modeler parts dump at Wonderfest a few years back). I painted and shaded these interior parts first, before closing up the missile.





This picture also shows how far back I moved the wings- the old wing roots were filled with Aves on the outside, but are still visible from the inside.



Assembly was fairly straightforward, again with a LOT of PSR. The model was primed with Tamiya Fine White primer, and then painted with Vallejo acrylics. The distinctive "salmon" color is a 4:1 mix of Carmine Red and Flesh Tone, with a 6:1 mix for the underside and a 4:1:2 mix with White for the "sun-weathered" topside. The missile launch platform is a 4:1 mix of Dark Blue and Sky Blue, with differing layers in darker and lighter blues. The Terracruzer tires are Dark Gray, with a thin layer of Dark Brown. I did some weathering- mostly sun bleaching and dust, with some oil washes (my first time using this method!) and some VERY thinned Desert Sand misted over the bottom of the model. Unfortunately, many of the decals from the Renwal kit seemed undersized compared to the box art, so I used a few decals from my stash instead.



I made a simple desert base from a picture frame, some foam core, a thin layer of vinyl spackle, and a generous sprinkling of sand and gravel, painted in different colors of Vallejo acrylic brown and yellow. Running a Terracruzer wheel assembly over the "sand" several times made tracks that suggested the missile had been set in place, and then left in the desert sun. There are even small sets of footprints, made with the original Renwal figures, suggesting activity before everyone left.

All in all, a fun kit. Now I just have to finish the rest of the Terracruzer...

[Captain Canada]

Funny stuff ! Great model as well.

[zenrat]

Heh heh heh.  Very good.

[TallEng]

"Buzz Bomb" "Speed control ring" 
Snigger....
Brilliant

Regards
Keith

[sandiego89]

Genius!  A WHIF in the PG-13 category! 

The Terracruiser trailer is a figitedy bit, with all those moving rams and hinges to elevate the missile to the launching position. I made one as a launcher for a ZELL F-104- nuke armed of course.  http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35160.0/highlight,zell+f-104.html

Well done.

[tc2324]

Now that really has made me lol. 

So much so that SWMBO even popped her head in to see what the fuss was all about. 

[nighthunter]

My wife saw this and was greatly amused. Epic!

[NARSES2]

Wonderfull

[proditor]

Bravo sir, bravo! 

[rickshaw]

Mmmm, not sure about the suitability of this for public viewing....   

[Joe C-P]

You are a baaaaaad man. 

[Modelling_Mushi]

God help me, if you had said that the missile was encased in a thin flexible plastic shroud for transport to the insertion site I would have died laughing. 10/10 sir.

[scooter]

[Army of One]

Some wonderful work there......

[Scooterman]

EPIC!!