(DONE, pics pg 16/17) NATO Reporting name "Bull." Cuban Tu-4 Heavy Bomber

[McColm]

You could try converting one of them into the B-50 bomber.
Not too sure if there's a conversion kit available as the engines will need to be changed and the larger vertical tail fin fitted. The remote control gun turrets shouldn't be a problem to source.

[TheChronicOne]

Funny you mentioned that as I was entertaining that very idea not too long ago.

I have three more of these kits and one is reserved for being a legit, "historically accurate" B-29 but with the other two I'd like to do something different and B-50 was one idea. The more radical idea you proposed actually appeals to me quite a bit, too, but I need to hone my sawing and alteration skills on something smaller in the meantime... which I do have planned, mind you......   it will be my first attempt at a true kit bash and hack 'em up job.     I'll just say for now that it involves an Me-163 comet that will be used, in it's entirety (minus an alteration to the cockpit area as mine is the weird two seater Komet) and then the fuselage and rear empanage of something else entirely.  One plan is to have the tale planes be longer and forward swept, the other option is to have normal rear swept wings, but not tail planes, the full sized "main" wings.  I can picture the shape of it in my mind and either way stands to look REALLY cool.....   

Once this GB is done and I clear my bench a little bit I'm going to start work on it alongside an A-10 refurbish I have planned.

[McColm]

Good plan, I've got the two seater NAW-10.
I intend to use the engines on the Mach2 Sud Caravelle narrow-bodied airliner.
I'll probably replace them with a pair of Rolls-Royce Griffons or turboprops.

[PR19_Kit]

You could try converting one of them into the B-50 bomber.
Not too sure if there's a conversion kit available as the engines will need to be changed and the larger vertical tail fin fitted. The remote control gun turrets shouldn't be a problem to source.

There was at one stage, originally by DB Models, but later taken over by Flightpath I expect.

I have the engine conversion that I'm not likely to use............ 

[TheChronicOne]

Might just  have to cut a deal for them!!  Do they come with the larger props as well I wonder?

Turrets no problem, I'm thinking of doing  a weather one.... WB-50D. 



Ain't she pretty? I like the colors. I've always been a fan of the white over grey ever since I saw it on a Galaxy.(actually looks a bit like a combo of NMF and light aircraft grey? )  The yellow bits and neat propellers are icing on the cake.

Now, the tail..... uhhh....  I'd have to look into that. Is it bigger in all dimensions or just merely a bit taller, etc?  Might be easy to add to the existing tail with the kit or might not...

[PR19_Kit]

Might just  have to cut a deal for them!!  Do they come with the larger props as well I wonder?

Are they larger on a B-50?

The conversion comes with all four engines and the extended fairings behind them, 4 x little spinners (?), one inscrutable bit of resin fairing, a clear vacform blister AND THE FIN!

The instruction don't mention all of the bits, par for the course for DB Conversions sadly, but the resin is superb, as usual withn their stuff.

[TheChronicOne]

OH now I have to have it. lol   All I'd have to do is come up with the fuel tanks and little widgets that go on top of the plane (weather data collection milarkey).

Yeah!  According to wiki, "Revisions to the B-50 (from its predecessor B-29) would boost top speed to just under 400 mph (644 km/h). Changes included:

More powerful engines

Redesigned engine nacelles and engine mounts

Enlarged vertical tail and rudder (to maintain adequate yaw control during engine-out conditions)

Reinforced wing structure (required due to increased engine mass, larger gyroscopic forces from larger propellers, greater fuel load, and revised landing gear loading)

Revised routing for engine gases (cooling, intake, exhaust and intercooler ducts; also oil lines)

Upgraded remote turret fire-control equipment

Landing gear strengthened and takeoff weight increased from 133,500 lb / 60,555 kg to 173,000 lb / 78,471 kg

Increased fuel capacity with underwing fuel tanks being added.[14]

Improvements to flight control systems (the B-29 was difficult to fly; with increased weights the B-50 would have been more so).
Nose wheel steering rather than a castering nose wheel as on the B-29"

They's big ol fat blades and don't taper toward the end like the 29's:




Look at the twist on those blades!  It's pretty much horizontal on this one (below)... 


Then there's this from this handy page that talks about the differences http://www.b29-superfortress.com/b50-superfortress.htm  :
Yet another one different from the three above.  These almost look like Hercules blades...

[PR19_Kit]

PM inbound then.

[McColm]

There was a proposal for a super heavy weight B-29 fore runner to the B-50. This had a stretched fuselage to carry more bombs and additional landing gear (2 on the outer engines). Stretched wings.
Never got passed the drawing board.
Although the Search and Rescue variant with the lifeboat carried in the front bomb bay does look cool.

[TheChronicOne]

Roger, Kit. 


The SAR bit sounds cool .... now... I had no idea that one existed!! Sounds akin to the B-17 one with the boat strapped to the bottom....  I've entertained thoughts of building that one. I swear there was a kit for it already or.... something?  Maybe I was dreaming, it was quite awhile ago when I looked at it.

Seems like the 29 was too big and ... gainly to be a SAR bird.  I don't imagine they made too many rescues with it.  I guess this was the era of desperately trying to find roles for these obsolete things.  Not counting all the stuff we simply left over seas, we had a lot of surplus and I can't imagine anyone relished the thought of simply letting it rot or scrapping what for the most part were good fleets of vehicles and aircraft.

[Gondor]

There was a B-50D made by Academy in 1991 https://www.scalemates.com/kits/158464-academy-minicraft-2112-boeing-b-50d-superfortress

and DB resin did do a conversion set for a KB-50 and Cobra did a 1/72 C-97 & KC-97 Detail set which corrected the engines for the Academy -97 kits as its says on the packaging but I don;t know if the engines were the same between the -50 and -97 to say if they will be any help. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/150097-cobra-company-72009-c-kc-97-tanker-detail-set

Gondor

[TheChronicOne]

I think I have the engine conversions and the fin taken care of with the stuff Kit has... I just need to find a solution to finding the props. I'm not at the point where I can scratch build them myself yet... too much going on... I'd have to widen the ones I have while also getting the pitch correct which would be a nightmare. I could probably do the widening but not the "twist."  That said, I think I'm ready to take on the challenge of scratchbuilding the all the weather data collection stuff and filling in the holes where turrets used to be and whatever needs done to the bomb bay. I have no idea whether they simply left the bomb bay completely alone or if they made the bottom smooth.... I don't imagine they would do away with the doors because it would make loading weather crap inside much easier... but I simply don't know. I need a good "walk around." 

[scooter]

I have no idea whether they simply left the bomb bay completely alone or if they made the bottom smooth

Looks like the WB-50D at Dayton still has a bomb bay-

[Gondor]

Decals are not a problem for a WB-50 as Xtradecal did them https://www.scalemates.com/kits/993447-xtradecal-x032-72-kb-29-vb-29-wb-50-d

I found a write up of a conversion http://modelingmadness.com/review/korean/us/usaf/cjab50.htm which reminded me that I have a vac-form KC-97 in the stash which your welcome to have along with the engines from the Academy KC-97 kit, if I can find them, as I have the Cobra conversion engines to use. I will keep the Jet engines if you don't mind though but your welcome to the rest of the vac-form kit for a small fee plus postage.

Gondor

[TheChronicOne]

Ahh yes, that it does! Thanks. That helps matters but now I see the black bubble thing there that I'll have to build. Shouldn't be a problem. 

I bet once I get my hands on a series of really good walk around photos I'll be finding all sorts of knobs, bumps, and doo-hickeys..