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Airfix 1/48 B-57B

jeaton01

jeaton01

Well-known member
The next victim is the Airfix 1/48 B-57B. I have an aftermarket tailplane set to fix the stabilizers and rudder, and a CMK resin and PE set for the cockpit. The cockpit is in the fuselage already, and was very good for fit and detail, although I am confused with the ejection seats which appear to be a cross between B-57A and later marks. I left off the armrests and they look fairly close to the seats in the B-57B in the Air Force Museum. The front instrument panel had no definite place to fit. I flattened off the front bulkhead on the resin tub and that allowed me to get the glareshield to look about right with reference to the windshield compared to photos.

It is necessary to file off the stubs of the stabilizers that are molded on the fuselage to get the proper fit of the resin parts, and also the front of the vertical fin has to be removed to fit the new resin part for that. Airfix made the dorsal fin extend too far to the front and the resin part fixes that. Very nice resin set, I'll fill in the brand name tomorrow.


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Looks like a interesting project :good: Not a topic that has had much mention and yet there were many upgrades and modifications made to the B-57's.

Cheers, Christian B)
 
Neat choice! I had a cheap kit I built & played with as a kid, so I always liked th B-57. IIRC it was the 1st us jet powered bomber to drop same?
 
Rob, I am pretty sure Italeri did it in 1/72 only. Classic Airframes is the only other 1/48 choice.
 
Oops, sorry. For some reason I thought your model was 1/72. I still think the detail work in the cockpit is pretty darned impressive.
 
And, whammo, it's done! Well, not exactly. The model was given a black color coat with Tamiya Flat Black, then a stencil was made for the USAF wing markings. The Airfix USAF markings were much too large, and in my opinion so were the set from Superscale. I should have also painted a white background for the stars and bars because the Airfix decals used for those markings were too translucent for the black. Seems obvious in retrospect. Several coats of Future followed, then Superscale MS481230 was used for the rest of the markings, and this set worked well. Next the landing gear was attached, and at that point it was realized that 18 grams more nose weight was required. A hole was drilled in the bottom of the nose cone and lead BB shot was added. The model weighs a little over a pound when completed. After that the flaps, bombs and hardpoints, speedbrakes, and various vents and antennae were added and a final coat of Future went on. Because of its weight, size, and poor attaching methods particularly for the flaps and canopy, the model requires very careful handling. The shape of the canopy is too shallow over the back cockpit so I chose to have it open to make that less obvious. The panel lines are not accurate as to location, but that's all disguised by the shiny black paint, I hope!

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Thin plastic rod was used to replicate vent lines on the tip tanks.
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The B-57 has always had a special place in my heart.

When I was stationed at Plattsburgh the Vermont Air Guard had a mishmash of -57's and they were always a joy to watch.

Beautiful build!
 
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