SPA Modeler

The B-47 has always been one of those airplanes that has always been one of my favorites, both elegant in appearance and one of the major milestones in the history of aircraft design. Over 1500 were built, and besides politics it is what made the Air Force give up on the YB-49, since it had the same range and was 100 mph faster. I am using the Pavla resin cockpit and engine sets, which also provide a vacuform canopy. The kit canopy has major coke bottle disease. The decals are crocodiled from the years the kit has been in my stash, so aftermarket decals are also being used.

I have done some prep work on it, cutting the flaps free from the wings so they can be displayed extended as B-47's often had them on the ground. The landing gear bays have been installed in one fuselage half, and the bomb bay doors are also installed in the closed position to get the best fit possible. The main cockpit resin part has been fit, which was mostly done with my band saw and the engine fronts and exhausts are stuck to the nacelles, but there will be some work getting them faired in well, the sizes are close but not quite the right match to the plastic.

Very cool! Can't wait to see the build. It's a really cool looking bomber.

Neat project!

Excellent project!

I was just thinking about this type the other day looking at some Chinese Badgers, wondering how it would look if we had kept the B-47 in service to now.

I can't see the pics either.

Now there’s a bomber not seldom built up. This is gonna be fun to watch come together.

What’s even more amazing is that the B-47 could do the “idiot’s loop” nuke bomb toss…

Carlos, for a time I flew with a fellow who got to participate in that as a B-47 pilot. He told me that at a certain point at higher speeds the ailerons would cause those thin wing tips to twist, making the ailerons ineffective, or worse, the twist would cause the airplane to roll in the opposite direction. The solution was to add in rudder in the direction of roll and stop adding additional aileron. Something that might add to the stress of practice, eh?

Hats off to such a pilot! I’ve flown on one way trips with some hot dog C-130 and UH-60 pilots, but never something quite that hairy.