Hello All,
I’m planning to superdetail my B-52D cockpit and crew cabin. The cockpit in the model is poorly done and will require a lot of changes. I would appreciate any tips or ideas. Below is my modified front panel as a start.
Many thanks.
Now that’s quite a project! The whole model is poorly done, by today’s standards, so if you want to be consistent you will have to redo lots of details. The instrument panel looks good, it’s almost pity to close it up in the cockpit! Good luck with your project, have a nice day
Paweł
With the way it’s all going to be closed up and hidden once you glue the fuselage halves together, I can’t help but wonder one thing: Why?
Pawel - Thanks for the good wishes.
Echolmberg - Well, I plan to install lighting inside, and I’ve also opened up the windows above the pilots’ seats. I’m considering cutting out a section of the fuselage on the right side from the front panel back to the front wheel well that would be removable to view the entire crew cabin area.
Okay now THAT I can see! That would be so awesome to be able to see inside part of the model. Now you’ve got me thinking “Visible B-52” in much the same way they have the “Visible B-17” and the Phantom P-51.
Eric
Below are some pictures of my progress. I decided to build the crew cabin as a removable module to make it easier to build and detail. Once it’s complete, I’ll cement it into the model.
The cocpit is almost completely rebuilt. I had to remove the center console and reposition it. The left and right consoles were also too high and too narrow. I still have some detail to add such as the steering columns, throttle cluster and another box that sits in front of the console but wasn’t modeled. I think it’s part of the autopilot system. The ejection seats had to be scratchbuilt as they were hopelessly inacurate. The only thing I kept of the original was the back plate with the headrest.
Here’s the finished cockpit suite. I’ve decided not to attempt to model the bomb-nav and ecm stations - just too much work and I don’t really want to cut out a section of the fuselage to be able to see it. I still plan to detail the upper deck behind the cockpit and add internal lighting.
Please see my Arc Light diorama build at http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/19/t/149616.aspx for additional detailing of the aircraft.
Cheers,
Russ