1/72 B-18 Bolo - Complete!

[WIXerGreg]

I was waiting to post this until the model was finished, but my mention of it in another thread sparked some interest so I figured I'd go ahead and post it now. I've been at this thing for about three months now and realistically I've probably got another month to go. I'm having a little trouble staying motivated!

I love the bare metal, prewar insignias, rudder stripes and the checkered cowls, so I decided to do it in these markings.



I started with an Airmodel vacuform B-18 conversion kit that I had bought with a DC-3 kit a few years ago. I pretty quick abandoned the DC-3 kit in favor of a DC-2 kit so the wingspan would be closer and the cowls and engines would be correct.






Fuselage together.



I cut the nacelles off the lower center section of the wing.



Joined them to the wings.



My exhausts needed to come back across the top of the nacelles.



Using some square styrene stock I modified the top of the nacelles and fabricated some exhaust stacks.



I modified the top of each cowl where the exhaust stack comes out. Here's the original and the first modified one in primer.






The thickness of the wing roots on the fuselage was thicker than the wings, and the wingspan was a little short of correct 1/72 scale. I added some material to the roots, which added to the span and allowed me to blend the wing into the fuselage. Here it is in the rough stage.



Here it is finished.




Starting to come together.



What's the best way to hold a drying wing vertical? A B-25 cylinder!



An entire weekend worth of foiling.











The engines are painted up, the yellow and black checkered cowls are partially painted, and tonight I finished up attaching the nose and cockpit glass. I started painting the rudder stripes this weekend but after a full day of trying to revive my red paint a chunk plugged my airbrush and I dumped the rest of the jar in the garbage. This weekend I hope to get the stripes painted, the framing on all the glass foiled, and try to get back to painting the black checkers on the cowls. I'll keep this thread updated when I have decent progress to report.

Last edited by WIXerGreg on Mon May 23, 2011 5:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[rossjools]

, G'day Greg,
That's a nice looking model you're building there. I'd always thought the B-18 was a bomber version of the DC-3/C-47 series aircraft but from what you've posted it seems like a hybrid of the DC-2 and the DC-3. Is this correct? To my eye it actually looks as though it may have been more DC-2 than DC-3 with a new fuselage. Again am I correct in thinking this? Anyway, good to see your work on this project. More power to your arm and inspiration and motivation to your mind and thank you for sharing your work so far.

Cheers,
Ross.

[WIXerGreg]

Hi Ross!

You're correct in your thinking. The B-18 basically used the DC-2 wings with a newly designed bomber fuselage. Borrowed from the Boeing site:

The twin-engine B-18 Bolo was the first Douglas medium bomber. It was a combat version of the DC-2 commercial transport, absorbed punishment well and was especially useful during the early days of World War II.

The prototype (Douglas Bomber 1 or DB-1), finished in 1935, was designed around the DC-2's wings, but had a deeper and fatter fuselage with a bomb bay under its center section. The single DB-1 later was used to test the firing of large cannons from an aircraft.

Douglas produced 370 of the production model B-18 Bolos, and their availability during the late 1930s allowed the Air Corps to train bomber crews. The B-18 Bolos made up most of the bombers deployed outside the country as the United States entered World War II.

B-18 Bolos were used for anti-submarine operations in American and Caribbean waters and as trainers and transports. Twenty served as general reconnaissance bombers with the Royal Canadian Air Force as Digby Mk1s.

In November 1938, Douglas used the stronger wings of the DC-3, a new and better streamlined fuselage, and large fin and rudder for the Bolo's successor -- the B-23 Dragon. The first of 38 B-23 Dragons built flew July 27, 1939. The 26,500-pound B-23 bomber incorporated the first tail turret installed in an Air Corps bomber and was powered by two 1,600-horsepower Wright R-2600-3 engines. Following the war, many Dragons were adapted as corporate aircraft.

[Second Air Force]

Looking good, Greg!

I like the markings choice--the Y1B-17 will be from the 38th Recon Squadron as well.

Scott

[the330thbg]

Awesome.., but one question.

Why did you foil it before you completed it with the fuselage forward?

Will you not have to 'blend' the two parts and destroy your foiling?

Looks awesome!!

I was trying to understand the clear method to your madness!

[WIXerGreg]

Thanks guys!

Awesome.., but one question.

Why did you foil it before you completed it with the fuselage forward?

Will you not have to 'blend' the two parts and destroy your foiling?

Looks awesome!!

I was trying to understand the clear method to your madness!

Hmmm.....Lack of plannning? Lack of skill? I think I'll be ok though. The rest of the nose is made up of clear vacuform, which I've gotten attached now. I've blended the seam from the fuselage to the vacuform pretty well with Krystal Klear and then I'll foil over it and overlap the joints a little bit, which I hope to have done this weekend. I would have posted this picture last night but Photobucket was still having problems.

[the330thbg]

Awesome!!!

Always loved the Bolo!


Always wanted to see her in 1:48th!

Maybe "Wingscale" will be pushing out a 1:32nd Scale? LOL!

[Mgawa]

Huge work but I think the result will be great!

[Chris Brame]

Belated response (sorry) but great job, Greg!

Now I'm beginning to remember why I never finished that one... back in 1980 there were no DC-2 kits to cannibalize. And I love the picture of it stuck in the B-25 cylinder - at that angle it looks like the photo of the B-18 stuck on a precipice in Hawaii - missing nose and all.

Don't forget - the dorsal turret in the NMUSAF example is from a straight B-18, not a B-18A.

[Bluedharma]

Here are a few B-18 Bolo pictures I have taken over the past few years at this link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluedharma/sets/72157626552954114/

Pictures below are of the Bolo (39-25) at the Wings over the Rockies Museum.

[The Inspector]

Wonderful job! I love it when conversions are done with thought, grunt, and sweat, not just 'shake the box'. Has the question crossed your mind yet as 'what in the heck am I gonna do with an expensive but useless DC-2 fuselage'? And you've got more determination than I do to mess with BARE METAL FOIL.

[k5083]

Impressive project!

I'm already jealous of your end result. Have wanted a Digby on my shelf for years, but wouldn't put in the effort. You'll have earned your reward!

August

[Steve Nelson]

Has the question crossed your mind yet as 'what in the heck am I gonna do with an expensive but useless DC-2 fuselage?

You could always combine it with a set of C-47 wings and tailplanes and make a C-39.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3303

From the NMUSAF website:

The C-39 was a mixture of DC-2, DC-3 and military specific parts and assemblies. The plane used a basic DC-2 forward and center fuselage section mated to a DC-3 style aft fuselage and tail. The wing consisted of a DC-3 center section and DC-2 outboard wings. The landing gear was based on the design developed for the Douglas B-18 bomber. Because the C-39 was essentially a hybrid of DC-2 and DC-3 assemblies, it was unofficially known as the DC-2½.

SN

[WIXerGreg]

Thanks for all the pictures and kind words guys. A little encouragement goes a long way!

I don't know what I'm going to do with the expensive DC-2 fuselage yet (I paid $40 for the kit). If I put it in the stash it might just sit there forever. I thought about throwing it on eBay and let somebody get some use out of it. Now Steve's got me thinking about a C-39 though!

I got the nose foiled up this weekend with less than desired results. My red paint showed up so I was able to finish the rudder stripes. They need to be touched up in a few spots but overall I was pretty happy with the way the rudder turned out.

[The Inspector]

Lots of blending with either thinned blue glazing putty and sand like you were milking a nervous tiger with a MICRO-MESH kit, or try good old ELMERS white glue to blend the two together layer by layer. Still lookin' good!