Northrop-Grumman B-2S - DEAD!!!!

[sandiego89]

Glad to see you "back on the horse" Kit. They will get done. All the best, Dave

[PR19_Kit]

It looks like this one may get resurrected once I get back to my proper home just prior to Telford this year.

I've laid in stocks of Presto putty and much wet & dry paper, so I should be OK for a month or two.............

[kerick]

Sounds interesting! I'd love to see this one done.

[PR19_Kit]

While I've been back in my old home this week, I dug the B-2S out of a pile of old junk, and found its monster box as well. To my amazement, I've found that I bought it a set of SAC white metal gear legs at some stage. Even the decals look in good shape, or at least are good enough to scan as they're just black.

The model itself is SO dusty it's not true, I may have to power wash it before I can start the never ending sanding job on it!

But it's still just as big as it was before, over 2 FEET wide! And no, I'm not going to give it longer wings!

[PR19_Kit]

After 'only' eight years I've finally got some primer on the B-2S, or one quarter of it anyway, namely the starboard upper side.

I spent a LOT of time sanding that 1/4 of the model, and it took ages a) because I needed to use so much filler on it (the un-sanded port side shows how much....) and b) It has lots of RAISED panel lines too. On a model of a stealth bomber, go figure?



I'll engrave some panel lines in their place, but they won't be very deep, and then I can start on the port side.

I don't want to even THINK about sanding the undersides, that's still the same as it was in 2018, and it has lots of concave curves to sand into as well.   

[kerick]

I think I would skip the rescribing those lines. Stealth needs a really smooth surface. Unless you paint it up like a space shuttle. 😳🤣

[PR19_Kit]

Except the 'cheap' B-2S is made of metal and will have to have some some panel lines.

They don't make press tools 170 ft wide. 

[PR19_Kit]

I've just spent 2 HOURS, and used a whole sheet of 320 grit wet & dry, sanding down the first PSR job on the B-2S!

I look as if I've been sitting in a sand storm now, and my track suit is going straight in the wash. I'm headed for the shower too, goodness knows what colour the water will look when I wash my hair.

Sadly, although it looks pretty smooth now, the joints on the underside are still no good. The gaps between the upper and lower wing halves are more than 1 mm wide, as they don't touch each other styrene glue is no use at all. I'll have to use gap filling super glue I think or the thing will creak and groan for the rest of its life. 

Pics of the primed upper surface maybe later this evening, but the undersides are some way off that stage as yet.

[PR19_Kit]

How about this then, paint on BOTH sides of the B-2S, well, the top and the bottom then as it doesn't really have sides, does it?                                                                                                     



The top really isn't too bad, it's smoothed off nicely and with a few panel lines scribed on it'll be ready for its colour coat.



It's difficult to see in this small scale pic, remember the model has a span of almost 30 ins., but the underside leading edges are a mass of cracks and bumps and will need the gap filling super glue that I mentioned before, and some more PSR before it's worth colour coating.

Sanding this thing was the first time I think I've ever been physically tired after doing some modelling, my right arm aches even now and it's been a couple of hours since I finished doing it!

I know it's all very modern, up to date and stealthy, but it's not exactly the most inspiring of shapes, is it? 

[Gondor]

Possible entry for song of the day, "My Boomerang Won't Come Back"

[PR19_Kit]

Sanding, sanding and MORE sanding! 

My arm is falling off, but I'm getting there. Some thick gap filling super glue seems to have solved the problem of the two halves of the model not staying stuck together and the last area of that is curing now.

The upper surface has its second coat of primer on, and it's not looking too bad. I'll scribe the panel lines on the port half before the final primer coat goes on, maybe tomorrow. It'll be a while before proper primer goes on the underside though, and I expect at least one more PSR session there too.

[Captain Canada]

I can imagine that's alot of sanding !

[PR19_Kit]

Too darn right it is! 

I'm just about to start on the penultimate (I hope...) session.

[PR19_Kit]

I've about had enough of the underside joints not joining!

I've glued and puttied and sanded them more times than I've had hot dinners by now and I'm fed up. They STILL crack as soon as I pick it up by one wing tip, and that's the only way to hold it when spraying it as it has no fuselage at all!

So I'll do one more putty/sand routine and that's it. After that if the joints crack they'll stay cracked and I don't care. It's not as if many people will see the cracks anyway as they're on the underside of the model, right?

So that's that!

[Rick Lowe]

Is it worth carving out the putty and gluing in styrene strips?
Just a thought...