Opening Escape Hatches On A B-52

[bwillard]

Hello all,

I'm making a start on the AMT 1/72 B-52G, and am noticing a lot of real estate in the cockpit. I really enjoy cockpits, and am thinking about how to open up the hatches on top to show it off. I've got the Verlinden scribing template which has the squares with the rounded corners. I'm guessing I would just scribe the outline and slowly work my way down with an x-acto knife. What is not obvious is how to cut through the fuselage without removing so much material that the hatch is noticeably smaller than the opening. I suppose I could use the template to make hatches out of sheet styrene and do a little heat-forming to try and match the curvature.

I've seen B-1 models with open hatches.

Has anyone done this on a B-52?

Any suggestions?

Also, what kind of seats are in this guy?

I also welcome suggestions for accuracy, so that it looks somewhat convincing.

Thanks for reading and happy new year!

Brian

[ikar]

Of all the places that I've been with B-52's, "D", "G", or "H", the onl hatches I've seen open were the crew entrance hatch under the nose, weapons maintennance hatches for the tail gun, and the hatch for the drag chute. I have never seen the hatches over the flight deck opened.

[ghodges]

There's almost no way to open a kit hatch AND use it on the model. First, as you point out, it ends up noticebly smaller. There's also the likleyhood that your tool will stray and damage the hatch while removing it. And most importantly, almost all kit plastic is too thick to be a good scale representation. Your best bet is to cut open the hatch area and build a new hatch door.

 

If you have a Mattel vac machine or the ability to thermoform sheet plastic you can use the cut out part as a master. Since the new vac piece will be slightly larger than the master, it'll look good (size-wise) by the open hatch hole. You will need to add more sheet plastic structure to the interior side to beef it up a bit, and to add those details you want there anyway.

 

If thermoforming isn't an option and you need to duplicate some curvature, you can do that by hand. Get a thin sheet of plastic or metal (cut up soda cans are great for this). Fold a paper towel over on itself several times to form a raised "pad". Place the sheet on the paper and use a mandril (your Exacto knife handle, a piece of dowel or brass rod, or a paintbrush handle) to ROLL over the sheet. The degree of curvature will vary on the following: 1) the diameter of your "tool" (mandril); the thinner the rolling stock, the sharper the curvature. 2) The pressure you exert while rolling. Start with easy pressure and add as you go. If you push hard to start you may "crease" the sheet; ruining it. 3) The thickness and how "padded" your paper towel base is (the softer the base, the greater the curvature) and 4) the thickness of the plastic or metal sheet you're working on. As you might guess, it'll take some trial and error to get the exact result you want.

 

Note that your sheet material will have some "spring" to it that will make it difficult to attain the curvature you want. Plan on rolling in more to begin with to get what you want after it relaxes. Metal sheet can also be "annealed" to take its spring out. Do this by setting it on a stove burner and heating it til it discolors. Let it cool and its ready to go! By the way, doing this and using the above rolling technique is the way to make those PE gun barrels curve all the way around into a circle!

 

Hope this helps. It's a bit of work but your premise is right; an open hatch adds a great "candid" look to a model and adds visual detail that's very appealing. Best of luck!

 

GIL

[ewahl]

I have used a sewing needle held in a pin vise as a scribing tool for opening hatches and panels on cars and aircraft. Use a thick tape to exactly cover the panel or door you wish to save and begin by tracing lightly around the tape's edges. Once you get a visible score in the surface of the plastic, use some more tape around the outside of the part so if the needle slips you won't get a long scratch where you don't want it.

 

I've cut through plastic up to 1/16th inch on car bodies, and all aircraft are usuall much thinner. The sharp needle point makes a very narrow width cut in the plastic--much less than the back of a #11 blade, for example. Take your time and work carefully. It's tedious, but it will work. The hatch door will be almost the same size as the hole when you are finished.

 

Ed

[VonL]

Your best bet is to cut open the hatch area and build a new hatch door.

 

Agreed on this point. Go for it - heck, put some lights in there!

 

While I never saw a BUFF with its upper hatches open on the ramp, they do (did) take them off in the phase dock, whenever it's necessary to pull the ejection seats for maintenance. I passed up an opportunity to photograph this very process a long time ago...in a galaxy far, far away.

 

I think the seats are similar to some other resin aftermarket type that's out there, forget which ones.

[bwillard]

Ed: good to hear from you bro. I'll try the needle idea.

 

VonL et al.: I think I will make new hatches and see how they turn out compared to the kit plastic. I definitely will make a go at lighting the crew cabin. There are number of instrument panels that would lend themselves well to fiber optics.

I researched the seats a bit, and in 1/72nd scale, I think a good approximation would be ACES II seats, where the angle-of-attack sensors are removed and the cushions are red instead of sage green.

I do not belong to the accuracy-gestapo, but I want to make an effort.

(I view every model as an approximation, but that's another convesation.) ;)

 

Thanks a bunch for the advice, and keep it comin'! :)

[VonL]

Rage On!

 

As long as you're doing this creature in 1/72, may I suggest using the True Details T-38 seats as a closer fit for the BUFF...? If you can't get those, then the T-33 or F-105 seats might work. Key differences are the head rest shape, the parachute sits in the seat with the crewdog and the side-mounted combination armrest/pull trigger assembly that does not exist on the more modern ACES-II.

[bwillard]

Excellent tip on the seats! The true details F-101 seats look very similar to the Buff seats, particularly with the headrest. Squadron has 'em for 3.49 a pair. I'm going to get to work on this and post photos as I go.

Thanks!

[VonL]

Good call - I'm intrigued to see this one built. Please do post pix. Mine will just have a pair of pilots in front, to 'fly' it from the ceiling...but the next one will likely have more of what you're doing.

 

CHEERS!

 

Von_L