KC-135A Stratotanker in 1/72 scale by AMT/Ertl

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:00 pm

Just to get my foot in the door I'll post a pic of the box. I won't be starting for a few days because my work area looks like it blew up! I'm not one of those super tidy builders so I have a LOT of cleaning to do before I start on a kit this big.
So, here it is:

Post by **Lee** » Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:24 pm

HOOOOOOGE......!!!!

Post by **martin57** » Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:51 pm

oh yeah another biggie best of luck

Post by **LudvigN** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:33 am

This will be my main "to follow" thread in this GB! I wonder is that a Seattle Seahawks decal on the side of the plane? Cool if thats the case!

Post by **Willem** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:59 am

Nice one DB, looking forward to following your build.

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 3:25 pm

A little teaser of what's to come! I hope.

From an airshow we went to, when I was 10, at Westover Air Base. My dad had been stationed there when he met my mom (before they were mom and dad, of course!). He was in the 99th bombardment wing at Westover as a mechanic on B-52's, often flying in them on training missions. I chose a tanker to build, however, because it was the single most important aircraft in the war. Almost every mission revolved around getting fuel to the fighter and attack groups. Along with home base, the tanker was a most welcome sight for fuel hungry jets!

From: http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0099bw.htm
On September 4, 1956, the wing moved to Westover AFB, Massachusetts, and was redesignated the 99th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on October 1st. It soon began receiving the new B-52C. In the latter half of the 1960s their B-52Cs were redistributed among a number of different B-52D units and operated primarily as crew trainers until 1971.
In 1956, the 99th received the new KC-135 Stratotanker and began it's refueling mission. The tanker squadron also operated EC135s in a Post-Attack Command Control System role until 1970.

Post by **snappercity** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 3:33 pm

A nice big build. I have the KC-135R in the stash. Looking forward to seeing this come together.

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 8:38 pm

Finally I've opened the box!

It's big, as you can see by the 24" ruler in the shots below!

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By the way, for LudvigN, the "seahawk" markings are from Fairchild AFB, in Washington state.

The instructions are just a big, 2 sided sheet!

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A big old pile of sprue!

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Two choices for control panel: Decal or painted.

The "boomer's" station:

The clear bits. The main window is molded with the ceiling controls.

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The cockpit under way!

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Post by **DBMiller** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 2:24 am

Moving right along on the cockpit and some work on the refueling end of the beast!

It's too long to get a good photo of the whole interior! The plastic is so soft (really soft!) and flexible that I had to attach it to a block of Styrofoam to work on it! Also, the crew access area sticks out below the deck so I had to elevate the piece. The pencil is just for tension.

Here is the cockpit with a view of the (as yet unfinished) lavatory. You don't get one of these in a fighter!

Post by **UKguyInUSA** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:41 pm

Oh DB, you've got such a big one there! Looking forward to seeing you build this one

Post by **DBMiller** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 4:47 pm

The KC-135 in one of my favorite movies! What a job that is; they move around so much!

[youtube]Qs7EikHQGlA[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/user/longlance67 · Post by **longlance67** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:11 pm

very cool project my friend

looking forward to this one

Shane

Post by **Deacon** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:31 pm

Nice start sir.

Post by **Willem** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:48 pm

A great film DB. Looks like the kit could be a handful (a bit like your Liberator) but you'll sort it.

Looking good so far mate.

Post by **robertw** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 8:14 pm

That thing is awesome! How would you rate it overall? Might have to look for one...

Post by **martin57** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 8:26 pm

great start looking good ,

Post by **Hillbilly** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 3:06 am

Outstanding work so far

Can't wait to see this beast finished!

Post by **Daishi12** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 3:29 pm

Nice looking kit, I like the overhead control panel moulded into the windscreen.

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Oct 01, 2014 1:48 am

Only a little more work today since I had to chop some wood to get ready for winter and was a bit tired out. Glued the wheels and refueling probe together as well as the horizontal stabilizers (not shown). Also attached the parts that make up the main gear well and wing attachment strut. The parts have very little flash and, so far, are going together very well. I had a bit of an alignment issue with the refueling probe but that is cleaning up pretty well.

In case anyone thought the KC-135 was big in 1/72. This would be a rather large diorama!

c5b_kc135.jpg

How is this for a classic Vietnam image of the importance of the tanker!

KC-135A_refueling_Wild_Weasel_team_Oct_1972.jpg

**Felis Barcinonensis YouTube Channel** · Post by **felisbarcinonensis** » Wed Oct 01, 2014 9:59 pm

Lookinng goooood!

Post by **froppolo93** » Wed Oct 01, 2014 10:22 pm

It's like a mother that nurses her cubs

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 6:11 pm

After a lot of thought I've decided to close up the fuselage. There is no detail inside where you can see into the plane from the cargo door, and I don't want to scratch build the complex wall padding and seats. It's a combat refueling plane and would not have cargo anyway. I've also added plastic tabs to help align and secure the fuselage halves as well as the lower wing section, when I go to glue them together.

The piece with the red paint is the boomer's position. I will glue it in when I've finished painting it. I think you can see a bit of it from outside.

The cockpit almost done. There is a photo etched set for this that includes a bunch of detail you can't even see from outside! You can't see most of what came with the kit as it is, so why bother?

The reinforcement tabs.

The cargo door sealed up. It was made to be open so needed a bit of help to keep it in place for gluing shut.

I've also been gluing up some of the other bits as I go along so I should be able to close it up soon!

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:26 pm

The wings seem a bit warped so I'm trying out a way straighten them and keep them from sagging when built. I glued a metal rod to the wing while it was taped flat to the table. It should help a bit.

The interior glued into the port half to the fuselage! I used the port side so I could line up the crew entry hatch to the access built into the cockpit.

Post by **bobbewieter** » Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:54 pm

Keep up the good work

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:01 pm

I've started work again after a nice weekend off taking photos. As you can see by the nose shot the fuselage is a bit twisted.
As I've said before, the plastic is very soft and flexible and it really shows here. Since I don't want to glue it up twisted I started with the tail and let it sit until cured before continuing down the belly. I will leave that for a day or so then move on to the spine. It should (I don't see a crossed fingers smilie) glue up straight! So far there are only 2 places on the underside where it misses aligning the panel lines, but, I should be able to fix those up just fine.

I'll drag this one to the finish, so help me!

KC135_in_tow.jpg

Post by **UKguyInUSA** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:36 am

Getting there slowly but surely

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:51 pm

OK, this is not the best alignment ever, but only on the underside. I can see there will be a fair bit of sanding and re-scribing to be done.

Boomer's bay from underneath:

Main gear well:

Nose gear; the worst because the fuselage rides up on the gear well and will have to be heavily sanded down:

But, the worst part of all. What is wrong with this picture. I've given you some hints.

If there are alignment tabs inside the fuselage halves that catch the interior deck, why is it not aligned? Inquiring minds want to know...

Looks like I will be fishing around inside the nose to check that the deck really has caught the tab correctly. If it hasn't, I guess some cutting will be in order.

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sun Oct 19, 2014 4:58 pm

That looks a bit off DB
could have been the age of the kit or atleast not so good manufacturing as there is now
But i'm sure it can be fixed

Post by **Yevgeny** » Sun Oct 19, 2014 5:24 pm

That sucks, but looks like the model is in good hands

Post by **planemaker** » Sun Oct 19, 2014 5:40 pm

Great work so far!

Hope you sort out the interior floor.

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 3:59 pm

The problem with my canted cockpit was mostly caused because the tab that was supposed to hold it in place was broken and I hadn't noticed. It was, of course, waaaaaay down in the nose so I had to come up with another plan.

I had to (carefully!!!) cut open the nose and (carefully!!!) pry it open enough to twist and shout the cockpit back into place. I got it mostly where it belongs, thanks to tape and a paint brush. At least it is a lot better than it was.

While that was setting up I started on the engine nacelles. That one with the funky primer splotch is because of a blast of water that got by the trap. Easy enough to fix.

Post by **TheWeasel** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 5:40 pm

Great work on fixing the cockpit. Love the band-aid look of the tape on the nose-cut

Post by **DBMiller** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:56 am

Issues, issues, and more issues...

What a challenge to clean up a seam with ridges! It's bad enough the ribs don't line up but to clean in between...ugh.

Working away at the seam. After using a thin file I ran Q-tips dipped in lacquer thinner over the seams to melt them smooth. It seems to be working as the ribs are holding up, though I may have to re-build them with strip or stretched sprue.

Glued the lower wing section in. I couldn't get tape to work so I used monster clamps! The colored spring clips are just to keep it balanced upright on the foam pad.

Because the fuselage didn't line up as I had liked there was a gap. I filled it with a strip of thin plastic card. The wing braces didn't line up at all! I have it clamped up and glued in line (no photo yet) to give the wing the proper upward angle.

..

I'm really looking forward to getting this smooth enough for a bare metal paint job! Not.

Post by **grover** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:23 am

DBMiller wrote:Issues, issues, and more issues...

I'm really looking forward to getting this smooth enough for a bare metal paint job! Not.

What a job. Your pain is my learning though so thanks for keeping at it and sharing all the progress. Really enjoying your build and learning a lot of cool tricks too.

**Felis Barcinonensis YouTube Channel** · Post by **felisbarcinonensis** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 9:24 pm

Wow! It's like being in labour! but I'm sure it will be worth the pain

Post by **JayCub** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 9:34 pm

Great work log, the alignment would have me driven insane, but if it helps your not the only one it has happened too

anyway getting back to the build it really is awesome
Tom

Post by **UKguyInUSA** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:25 pm

Great build mate....despite all the issues, you're persevering and overcoming them! Keep it up

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 4:01 pm

Since you are all enjoying my head banging so much I though I better give you some more!

The wings.

They are warped, not so they need a hot water bath, but warped. To start, I glued a wire rod along the leading edge (inside, of course!) and clamped that flat until the super glue set. Then I glued the front edge only of the lower half and clamped that flat until cured. When that's dry I will glue the trailing edge of the wing. With any luck that will square up the wing enough and keep it from sagging over time.

The rod in place and curing.

The lower wing glued on and clamped.

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From the underside. You can see the rod extending along the wing edge.

Post by **nkawtg** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 5:46 pm

Enjoying your build but sorry for your head banging issues. I've got this kit in my stash. Thanks to you I'm learning a lot about what to expect and look out for when I get around to building it. Glad you're persistent with it and looking forward to the final product. Keep up the great work. NKAWTG

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Troy

Post by **TheWeasel** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 6:42 pm

GREAT work! I feel for you, but I think your fixes and corrections are a highly educational source for when I ever run into a kit that needs some extra work to look right.

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 10:09 pm

Thank you all for your confidence! I only hope my wing fix actually fixes the wing and doesn't make it worst! Honestly, the kit is not that bad, just not up to modern standards. The soft plastic helps in some ways; it doesn't fight me when I try to put it in it's place.

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Nov 05, 2014 2:02 pm

Update pending recovery from my "episode."

Sigh.

Post by **Willem** » Wed Nov 05, 2014 5:28 pm

Come on DB, spill the beans. Though I'm not building at the moment, I'm still following several builds on here.

Remember- A problem shared etc.

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Nov 05, 2014 6:06 pm

I'm at work now so I can't really get in to it, but, that thing I did, don't do that.

Post by **DBMiller** » Thu Nov 06, 2014 12:33 am

As I said, don't do that. I was soooooo clever about "straitening" the wings. Turns out, they don't really need it. They seemed really flexed out of shape, and all of my reference shots showed what look to be just what this diagram shows:

Unfortunately, the wings are molded in this shape and don't line up if you muck about with them before hand! It's a good thing I taped it up on both sides; one with my "fix" and one with out! As you can see, there is a huge gap between the 2 lower wing parts because I worked it too far out of shape. Also, because the airfoil shape was so off, where the wing joins the fuselage at the top didn't fit right any more. The part I hadn't worked on joined up fine. The gap on the right side doesn't look great now because it is only taped. It will line up nicely when glued.

So, a little very careful work with the knife, and a thank you to me for not gluing the trailing edge yet, I was able to open it up and remove the rod.

I'm going to finish polishing the fuselage first, then I will glue the wings, from the root out this time, checking to see that the upward angle of the wings is maintained! If I glue a little at a time and clamp it until dry it should line up at the right angle! If it needs support after that I can slide some rod into the wing once it is dry. That's plan "B" anyway.

Post by **Pierce** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 3:32 pm

How old is that kit. I feel your pain I built a early 1990 something ch54 skycrane. It really makes you appreciate how far kit have come in quality

Post by **DBMiller** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 12:16 am

First up, new tools to help with the build. A new scribing tool, and my first ever set of scribing templates!

The spine of the plane had a bad seam. There was a slight step between the 2 halves and the ribbing didn't align so I sanded it almost right down. I've started adding back the ribs with thin plastic strip. Only the upper part of the ribbing needs replacing and I think I can sand it back to look like it belongs there!

Post by **DBMiller** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 3:45 pm

And here it is! All done and not too bad, although the photographs exaggerate the imperfections quite a bit! Actually, the photos make it look like I was drinking while I was gluing...hum. For the record, I don't drink. Apparently, I don't glue straight either.

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With the boomer's cover installed. The part in the middle, with the window, has hinges but I cut them off and glued it all together. I just have to clean up the seams with some super glue.

From these shots you can barely make out the ribs. They are more subtle than I have them so I will have to reduce the thickness quite bit.

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UPDATE:

A light coat of primer to check seams before moving on to the wings. The ribs don't look too bad. Also started on the engines; carefully marking the tops so I know where to put them!

.

Post by **DBMiller** » Tue Nov 18, 2014 5:42 pm

Well, I've bit the bullet and started gluing on the wings. Right now only the front edge is glued. Once that sets I will glue the join to the fuselage, which looks a bit tricky, then the trailing edge.

If I wasn't such a slob it would fit on my table better!

Post by **JayCub** » Tue Nov 18, 2014 6:36 pm

The build is awesome, and you had me laughing along the way, I understand the frustration at times also, the fix for the ribbing was smart and im looking forward to the next update
Tom