Revell 1/48 scale B-58 Hustler

[Bill L2]

Outstanding model Lee. Great job. You do a fantastic job on these kits.

[Ronnie Murray]

Thanks for posting this one Lee, it's got plenty of WOW punch to it.  It looks very mean and fast, almost like a space ship.  The difficult paint scheme looks tight and thanks to all your creative photography we can't see all the nasty goofs you made on it....(bwahahha!)  Congratulations on accomplishing the "Royal Flush" of Monogram bomber builds.  There are probably 6 modelers alive that can say they've done that.

[Lee_K]

Thanks, Matt!  I remember those Big, Bad, and Beautiful boxings of the Monogram bombers.  I think the B-29, B-36, B-52, and B-58 all got that treatment.  Mine was a 1993 re-press that had flash and sink holes to remove from the complicated landing gear pieces.  The external bomb racks were particularly bad.  Thanks for the kind words.

Lee K

[Matt C]

This is awesome, Lee! I hate to hear that it's so much work, but your results look astonishing. Little things, like the black variation between the nose and anti-glare panels, really make it pop. Your Alclad is really nice; I still struggle with "stripes" from uneven/too dry application; it's impressive how even the Alclad finish is on such a large model.

I was actually just reminiscing about the '80s Big, Bad & Beautiful boxing of this kit and the B-52. I got (and slapped together) the B-52 as a kid, but still haven't done the B-58 some 20 years on.

[Ronv]

Looks sweet Lee!
RonV

[Ryan K]

Congrats on another great build and finishing the cycle.

[Lee_K]

I think the B-58 is the coolest bomber the US ever flew.  This is the Revell Germany issue of the old Monogram 1/48 scale kit and it was one of the most difficult models I have ever built. Fit was really poor just about everywhere, doubled in severity by the need for a natural metal finish. I used an airliner modeler technique of lopping off the front section of each engine nacelle, gluing together the ring and filling the seams on the inside, painting them white, adding the shock cone, and regluing them to the front of the nacelle and filling the seams. The kit incorrectly provides recessed windows for the bomber/navigator and Defensive Systems Operator so I cut clear pieces from a CD cover and made them flush. The model is primed with Tamiya lacquer semi-gloss black from the spray can and painted with various shades of Alclad II. Decals are from a Mike Grant sheet.

I now understand why seeing these one of the Monogram kits built is such a rare occurrence. It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to press on with the fit, the tedious seam work (the joint between the top of the engine pods and weapons pod and the bottom of the wing is particularly bad), and tons of masking for the multi-hued natural metal finish. I'm glad I finished this one as it completes my journey through the Grand Cycle of Monogram Bomber kits: B-17G, B-24D, B-25H, B-25J, B-26B, B-29A, RB-36H, B-52D, B-1B, and B-2, but I can't say that I enjoyed it one bit.












Lee K