This one just finished for the SAC II Group Build. An old kit that I picked up on e-bay. Had some wing warpage on the starboard side. Decals were shot, but some Microscal liquid film followed by Pollyscale softner saved most of them. No weathering at this stage, I might be tempted to go back and brush some pastels along the panel lines later. I really enjoyed researching the rolling thunder and Linebacker operations in Vietnam, whetted my appetite for sure.
Didnt sand the tyres down as I may yet have to hang this one from the ceiling when I eventually run out of display space !
Nice job! Always did like the “Buff”. All you need is a B-36 to put along side to wipe out the rest of your dispaly area! Oh, those expansion joints in your “hardstand” are a little too wide for 1/72 scale! Heh, heh!
I really like the paint scheme! I always thought that they looked best in those colors.
I’m not a big B-52 fanatic but I didn’t realize that they could carry an extra bomb load on those pylons. Maybe I haven’t been paying enough attention. Very cool!
Great job on a great airplane. Depending on how weathered you want , the climate on Guam was not kind to the paint on these monsters.
I remember when the 7th BW left for Linbacker II. The guys had about enough time to grab their duffles, kiss the wife and kids , and tell them “Don’t know where I’m going or when I’ll be back.” But us ‘dependents’ back home knew. Also impressive was the mininmum interval take off (MITO) of 6 or more BUFFS at a time.
Yes the D model BUFF could carry something like 84 ea. 750 pounders internally and another 24 under the wings. That’s a lot of high explosive . Made the North Vietnamese realize “we will bomb you back to the stone age”.
Excellent example of a rarely modeled aircraft around these parts, its one of those that I think everyone wants to do but generally lack the time, space or courage to undertake. I would love to get one together, looks to be the size of my bathroom though lol. Instead I will just live vicariously through your build.
I built that big sucker back in 1974 or so… I’ll never forget the time it took to build & paint… 'Course, I only had Testor’s tube cement and painted that camo with a brush and 1/4 oz Testor’s bottles…
You are correct . Thanks for refreshing my memory. Great photo. Part of the D’s ‘big belly mod.’ Great way to load a lot of ordinance, quickly. Went a long way to making Linbacker II possible. I count 28 per clip.
Most of the load in the BUFF’s 'Nam campaign was carried by D and F models ,While many Gs and Hs stayed home as part of our nuclear deterrant.
The BUFFs I had the honor of wrenching on while assigned to the 93rd BW were G and H models. But my dad worked as a civilian with the 7th AMS at Carswell during my junior and high school years. Those big Ds were a common sight over Ft Worth,TX in those days .
I remember when U-Tapao got some “G” models in for a time to help out. I’m not sure when they left, we were usually busy on various parts of the base and I didn’t always get a chance to get near the flight line.
