B-29 & B-50 Superfortresses, and C-97/ Stratocruiser

[Jschmus]

I found this image of a P2B-1S:

Boeing P2B-1S

It's even uglier than the P2B-2 above.

[Daryl J.]

Here are a some ideas floating around in my head for a Superfortress build starting soon:

U.S. Navy in WW-II, Atlantic scheme but modified to include a darker grey as well.
Purpose:  Sub hunter, convoy escort
Mods--the visible ones anyways:  Tip tanks (need some sort of clue besides paint that this is a different aircraft than stock),  a large-bore howitzer scabbed onto each side for sub-killing, depth charges and bombs mixed in bombays.
Some turrets removed.

Or:


USAF-SEA ground attack with SUU-23's beneath, possible ordnance under the wings.   Green/Green/Tan/Black.



Or:

US Department of Agriculture survey aircraft used to monitor American farms and the production from them by air.   This has been done for years and the data given to the military for security purposes but this aircraft would indicate the practice began much more soon.    Dad would get so angry when the photographs would show up in our mail with IR photography of our grain bins with them telling him just how much he had in store and how much in the field.   They were stunningly accurate, even back in the 1970's.    So the Superfortress would be:  Completely cleaned up airframe, all turrets removed along with some observation blisters, tip tanks added,  IR sensors in one bomb bay, cameras in the other.   White top, dark grey sides and undersurfaces, red paint styled similar to the Arctic schemes.


Part of me wants to do all 3 but in 1/48 scale......................

The 75mm side guns on the Sub killer concern me a bit, but if the Mitchell could carry one, why not two on a B-29 (P2B-2)



Daryl J., more or less thinking aloud

[dragon]

You do know that this project would be a lot easier (and cheaper) if you used the minicraft 1/144 B-29A. B)  

[GTX]

RAF, but in the scheme of war time night bombing Lancs/Halibags (i.e Black bottom and green/brown tops).

Regards,

Greg

[Daryl J.]

You do know that this project would be a lot easier (and cheaper) if you used the minicraft 1/144 B-29A.   

Sorry, it's gotta be the Monogram kit.  



Daryl J.

[gooberliberation]

Soviet air force.

in all seriousness, expanding the scope to include the Tu-4 opens up some possibilities, like...

-1940s style greens over light blue
-middle east style tans, browns, and greens
-overall dark blue, why? why not?
-light gray over white
-PLAAF/KPAAF/VPAF green and brown squigglies

No sense in having two opposing sides flying pretty much the same airplane in the same paint(or lack thereof) :dum:

[Radish]

I've got the Academy B-50 (1/72nd) that will eventually get done as a RAF Washington B.4 in troo Bomber Command Black with Brown/Green uppersurfaces.

Martin H did a 1/144th B-29 in those colours too.  

[Daryl J.]

Ah, the Bull....I'd forgotten.

Perhaps it would have to be some sort of three-way tense-up:  The B-29's out of Alaska and N. Bend, Oregon, Canadian Superfortresses out of Vancouver, and Tu-4's all sweeping the Pacific for ,uh, fishing trawlers.

The Grey/white scheme I've in mind would work for an AK-based unit, the Canadians would of course have to have some White/Red/Black/NMF scheme somewhat aligned with Air Canada-style colors circa 1969, and the Russians could perhaps be their dark blue on top with white from the upper-third of the fuselage down.  


Thanks for the reminder about the Bull.
Daryl J., w/ no idea about Chicom use.


PS:  Overall Gloss Dark Sea Blue would look great too, I've just no idea what role the USMC could have used them in save for standard bombing missions based alongside the USAF in Kadena.    

[Radish]

A friend of mine built that.....

scroll down the page here on Britmodeller until you see it....

http://www.britmodeler.com/forums/index.ph...p?showtopic=290

[Daryl J.]

Here is the color pattern for the B-29 project. The colors will be changed to a dark neutral grey, light neutral grey, and white for the majority of the airframe and  the Monogram B-29 kit will be used.  The interior, for visual harmony, will also be a grey rather than the usual greens.

The cammouflage pattern on the Ta-183 is somewhat the trademark what-if scheme I've used for a few years now and like it enough to put a variant of it upon a Superfortress.



Initial rudimentary backstory:
The B-29 Squadron known as the Alaskan Tigerbacks was tasked with keeping communist spy boats, ships, and subs far away enough that it would be difficult to monitor us.

Photos to follow once Rollmodels delivers the kit.

Competion goal is in time to show it for the McMinneville, OR  meet in mid-September.   We'll see..............    

,
Daryl J.

[Daryl J.]

J.  Thanks for the tip.   I was thinking of doing some of these in 1/144 for that exact reason.

There is to be quite a buy on the triple-7 in 1/144 next month on one of the online shops as well as a 757 and DC-6B so the B-29 was to be included.   Fujimi, eh?  Fujimi it'll be.



Daryl J.

[dragon]

You do know that this project would be a lot easier (and cheaper) if you used the minicraft 1/144 B-29A. B)

EEEEWWW!!  Even for Whiffing purposes that kit is a POS.  Use the Fujimi 1/144 kits.  At least they're vaguely B-29 shaped (unlike the Crown/Minicraft kit).



J

I had forgotten about the Fujimis :dum:
Besides, it is that lack of B-29ness that makes the minicraft kit so much fun.  If it turns out bad, you only wasted 10 bucks.

Something I did to two Minicrafts some time ago.


B)    

[Archangel]

This particular B-29 was modded to send radio and TV signals from the air. the idea was that sending up aircraft to broadcast the signals would give you a far greater range then with the towers used for years. They actually broadcasted one of the Republican conventions during the election year with it.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

source: Air University Review, March-April 1967, The Extra-Super Blockbuster, written by Dr. William S. Coker

Toward the end of the war a B-29 had been converted to carry two 22,000-lb bombs, one under each wing, for use against Japan.

I have seen but one image of the B-29 carrying a pair of 22,000 pound Grand Slam bombs and it does not show much in the way of how these weapons were attached to the aircraft.  Is there any additional images or reference drawings that show the stores pylon and how these large bombs were attached?

[kitnut617]

Is that the photo of it flying and from just below and behind on the starboard side Jeffry ?