Nostalgia Build - Monogram's Hustler

[helios]

To attempt to avoid motivation loss on the Mitchell, I figured I'd drag another big box out of the stash to open up some more space and give me something more akin to my usual interests (mid-late Cold War aircraft). I originally built this kit back in '89/90 when Monogram re-released it as part of their "Big, Bad, & Beautiful" series. Remember those?

I'm not going to get too carried away with this one, but I will be using it as an experiment for re-scribing and Testor's Metallizer paints.

I'm off work for the next couple weeks, so hopefully I can make some decent headway with the Mitchell & this one.

A quick dry fit and size comparison with another delta wing counterpart.

 

[helios]

It's going to take a bit of finesse and filler for this one I think.

 

[jeaton01]

Looks like a sinkhole I saw in Florida! With a little love it'll all be fine.

 

[moon puppy]

I started that kit YEARS ago, thought I was going to rescribe the lines...HA!
Tried ordering a resin cockpit from some group, it came in with so many issues I sent it back and got money back.

One of those programs you wonder why the hell they stopped it. Can you imagine those things with modern engines and technology?

 

[helios]

Made a spreader bar from a sprue scrap and trimmed a couple locating pins to allow a bit of movement. End result was getting the upper gap a bit tighter. Still going to take some filler, but I might be able to get away w/ a little Mr. Surfacer 1000 in the gap. Lower side is going to take a lot more work.

 

[moon puppy]

 

[Heavens Eagle]

I sold my kit several years ago as I had no desire to fight with a NMF. Today I would consider it using Alclad paints. I would also use Evergreen plastic sheet and Super Glue to fill the gaps and then smooth them. Putty for the most part doesn't work all that well except for minor fill problems.

Looking forward to seeing this one Chris! Maybe I will get another along with a B-29 to park with my B-36.

 

[errains]

Hands down one of my All Time favorite century series Jets!!...She just has Bad Azz Lines!

 

[moon puppy]

century series Jets

Would this be a Century Series?
I think we had a campaign for Century Series once. Might be an idea.

 

[Barney]

I remember building a 1/72 kit back in the dark ages... I thought then and still think this was one bad mamma jamma!

 

[sharkman]

Just read up on this bird, Very cool about the escape capsules!! Sounds like the other crew had quite claustrophobic conditions!

Looks good!

 

[Rhino]

Hands down one of my All Time favorite century series Jets!!...She just has Bad Azz Lines!

58
Are you shitting me? B-58 does NOT say "Century Series" to me! Silly Eric! Unless you include every USAF airplane in the 20th Century.

 

[jeaton01]

The Century series was just fighters, F-100 to F-109, the F-4 tried to impersonate one briefly as the F-110 but McNamara found out about it and wrecked everything! And that's no shit, as a fighter pilot would say.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Ahhh, but we do have the F-117! How it ended up with that number I don't know but it is over 100. Some of the Century fighters ended up just being prototypes and never entered production. Those were also rather odd looking so it doesn't surprise me much.

 

[Barney]

Let is not forget the F-111.

 

[moon puppy]

Let is not forget the F-111.

The F4, started life as the F-110 if I recall.

 

[Barney]

That is my understanding, also. That is what happens when politicians start naming things... Also, they had to keep it simple for the Navy.

 

[bob letterman]

Wow Chris,

Looking good! Takes me waaaaay back too! One of the first plastic kits I ever built was a Comet brand B-58 Hustler. It was in the early 1950s, I can't even remember the scale!

Bob

 

[Heavens Eagle]

I remember building the (I think it was) the Lindberg kit of the B-58. It had working landing gear, ailerons, cockpit hatches, and the large "bomb" could be left unglued and thus removable. I had two neighborhood friends that went ape over it and each bought the Monogram kit. I remember the Monogram kit was about 2/3rds the size of the Lindberg one and of course nothing worked on the Monogram kit either.

 

[Barney]

A little research and... The ex-Comet B-58 was in 175th scale. It was released by Aurora when they bought out Comet and by a company called Addar when Aurora went TU in the early 70's. Aurora also produced a 1/76th kit beginning in the late 50's. Revell produced a 1/94th kit. The kit I build was a Monogram that dropped the Pod by pressing a button. I used to Nuke everything in my room, daily!