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ET2SN · 04-20-21, 06:11 AM

And, just like that, after travelling almost as much as I did in the Navy, the Academy Buff arrived yesterday.

To be fair, the discreet black shrink wrapped box spent the weekend cooling its heels at the town Post Office as I was supposed to get it last Friday. But, fair enough and what-ever, let's crack this box open.

The big question will be "Is this kit worth it?". Well, sure and let me explain.

There are four distinct models of the modern B-52H in 1/144th scale. From back in the early 90's there were a series of modern B-52G and H kits from Revell. For starters, they were all that was available in this scale (there was also the 1/200th scale Buff from Tamiya but its as rare as chicken teeth). The Revell kits had some issues in terms of accuracy and basic fit but from most angles they "looked right". Minicraft started to offer a series of B-52s by- let's say 2010. The box is sturdy and the (Cartograph) decals are really nice. The plastic is mostly unbuildable except for the Hound Dog cruise missiles and the Quail decoy/drone but there are some "spare parts" possibilities- otherwise display the model in a very dark room. No kidding, if you see this kit and its cheap- BUY it. You really want those decals and some of the parts can be used for repairs or mods. I didn't include the original Academy kit because its mostly the same moldings and parts as the Minicraft kit.

Flash forward to today, you can still buy the Minicraft kit online and the Revell kits show up from time-to-time on Amazon and EBay. We also have the two new kits from GWH and Academy. The GWH kit is still the "boss" but the Academy kit gives it a good run for its money and the Academy kit is also cheaper (both in terms of MSRP and shipping).
Its tough to say how the hobby industry will embrace these two kits. If I had to guess, for the Continental US and Canada, the Academy kit will be easier to find online or on the shelves.

Academy kits tend to stay "in stock" longer than GWH kits, which will make them easier to find and purchase in a couple of years.

With all of the preamble done, let's dive deep into Academy kit #12622.

I'll start off with the price, as purchased from EBay with no bidding. I spent about $45 in total including "around the world" shipping (about $20 less than its GWH brother). The box is nice but slightly flimsy and prone to shipping damage. Mine showed up slightly squashed but the contents were fine.

You get a snot-load of plastic from Academy.

Most 1/48th scale kits don't weigh this much. We're talking about 50% more plastic (by weight) than the GWH kit. There are a lot of redundant parts and trees. There are a LOT of redundant parts and trees.

Molded parts look good but the panel lines are slightly thicker than the GWH kit. If you prime or use surfacer prior to painting, this won't be an issue. Academy seems to be following GWH in terms of antennas and their locations. This might be based on recent modifications to the actual aircraft, or they both got it wrong.

A little research might be needed. Otherwise, I like the Academy antenna blades better and Vortex Generator fans can rejoice!

I think Academy did a better job, overall, of making these parts more visible.

Some down notes- the instructions need work. An experienced builder will have trouble following everything that's going on, figuring out what those Options REALLY are and why they are Options in the first place. I'm pretty sure some parts are missing.

Go up a couple of posts and I yammered a bit about those two red ID lights just in front of the tail. There are (large) holes in the kit in the proper locations, there just aren't any parts (that I've found yet) that fit in those holes.

*
In terms of weight, this kit is going to be a pig. The four engine pods look great but each engine pod requires five large parts (not including the pylon) and each pod winds up as almost a solid chunk of plastic.

At a minimum, I'm already planning to drill out the wheels and tires for some metal axles which means the gear legs might need some attention.
Where GWH used slide molding, Academy made it look like they used slide molding but really kept the machine work simple. This results in thicker parts. Just be aware that you'll probably be dealing with weight issues once the kit is assembled.

To wrap up the down stuff, the kit is heavy, the instructions can be confusing (this kit really needed a write-up on what was new and why) and this may not be the final form of of this re-tool.

Decals- Pretty much the same as it's GWH brother. *Meh*. The detail is mostly crisp, I guess. I get the scale vs printing resolution stuff but other brands are pulling it off, if not the aftermarket. Marking options are for 3 (4?) aircraft- "Memphs Belle the XXXIVth"

with a red Barksdale tail stripe, "LOKO" (the old "El Lobo" nose art from the Secret Squirrel mission?) with its own red Barksdale tail stripe

, and a "no name" Buff from the 69th BS at Minot with a yellow "Knighthawks" tail stripe or just a black-outline "Knighthawks" stripe with no explanation given.

BE CAREFUL hacking into that decal sheet, there are some stealthy white "Barksdale" scripts hiding on the sheet.

Bombs and pylons- You get full loads (and then some) of what look like 500# "slicks" (I want to say MK-84s but that might be wrong), 2,000# JDAMs, and what sure look like cluster bomb units.

A very nice conventional load out. The pylon options both use the smaller stub-type pylon fitted with an HSAB and TERs (if you can follow that, I owe you a beer).

The RTSL in the bomb bay of the GWH kit is ditched in favor of the old "clips" which date back to the B-52Ds with the "Big Belly" mod from Operation Arclight. These "clip ins" are a really nice addition and have been missing from B-52 models for a long time. A Lighting pod and a Sniper pod plus their pylons are included but not used, according to the instructions.

The only downside to the load-out is that building the pylons themselves will be "fiddly" and there are some fairly small parts that will need to be accurately glued. Otherwise, I'm giving the load-out an 11 out of 10.

Wings and tail- So far, so good. The seams look really good after a rough clean-up and dry fit. The tail planes include the flare ejectors where they should be located plus the really small button antennas and formation lights are just barely there, but at least they are there.

My biggest gripe with this kit (besides the engine pod construction) is with the rotary cannon, or least where it used to be. Either include the cannon or include the damned plate, in this case neither happened. I get the feeling this part of the kit's design happened 5 minutes from quitting time and everyone just walked away and called it done. Plan on a lot of drilling and some scribing or keep your fingers crossed for some photo etch. You could also snag the plate from your "donor" Minicraft kit and its decals.

Nose, cockpit, and forward fuselage-

with the exception of the upper radar dome. The G and H models don't have one. Academy kinda thought that they do and used it for another option. By the 1980's the radome of the B-52 looked like an old prize fighter with a broken nose. The ALT-28 ECM antenna is located on the top of the radome, just forward of the cockpit windshield. Or, at least it used to be? No explanation is given but you can model the nose either with or without the ALT-28.

BTW, in the build photos the seam between the upper and lower radomes is weathered and enhanced like a panel line. In reality, its a one piece monster of a dome made from fiberglass, plastic, and metal and whole thig hinges upward to access the main radar dish. Fill and smooth that horizontal seam so it looks like one piece, with which ever option you choose to build.
Cockpit glass is first-rate and will remind you of that old Revell kit, only Academy got it right.

There are even inspection windows in the doors for the refueling receptacle, which I'm not sure if the H has them, but again, they're there if you want them (and its easy to get rid of them). Academy stays on its current form and supplies a die cut sheet of masks for the windows, a nice touch.
The cockpit interior is lot more sparse than its GWH brother, but the GWH kit goes way overboard on this part. The only error is the headrests on the seats. Academy gives you seats from an F-14. The real seats feature a spade-or-triangle-shaped headrest that's painted red. Its an easy fix with some sanding and filing.
OK, time for the parts that got me excited.

You have some options on how to pose the "FLIR" turrets under the nose. FINALLY! I'm pretty sure this is the first time (aside from the 1/48th scale and 1/32nd scale monster kits) you can build a B-52 with the "FLIR" turrets open.

What you get are four different turret assemblies and fairings. Two are stowed, two are deployed. Pick your options and build accordingly.
BTW, I use the term "FLIR" turrets because only one of them is actually a FLIR and its the turret below the co-pilot's seat. The lens to that turret is square shaped and covers a gallium arsenide photo sensor. That sensor should be painted a fairly dark clear orange over a dark gold background. The turret under the pilot's seat houses a normal TV camera that's connected to a starlight scope. One turret sees IR, the other sees everything else. The pilot's turret looks like the top lens of an old school periscope

and is oval shaped with a white outer surround. There is no "right" way to pose the turrets in the air or on the ground. Its normal to have none, one, or both deployed depending on what's going on. And, what's going on can get really silly. On a parked bomber with some airmen working on normal maintenance, the TV can be used to spot any senior enlisted or officers who might be on the prowl. Even the FLIR can be used to play "The FLIR Game", a game almost as old as the IR photosensor. The game is to spot who might have whizzed in their pants a bit. I know, the game is REALLY stupid but even your's truly wasn't above playing it. The points still counted.

The main wing joints look to be pretty tight. This could be important if you opt to store the kit with the wings off and display it with the wings on. The overall weight of the kit may be a concern and you'll probably want to pay attention to securing the landing gear and wheels.

So, would I recommend this kit? Oh heck yeah for the experienced modeler. This will probably become the "go to" Buff in the north American market and there's plenty to enjoy. If you've built 1/72nd scale and 1/48th scale aircraft before, I'd still take the plunge and try it. While the GWH kit has slightly better fit and engineering, the GWH kit also has its share of inaccuracies and a higher price tag and possible/probable availability issues. This kit may go through a final re-re-tooling before it starts to show up in hobby shops, my example is probably an early release, and we REALLY need that new decal set, Caracal. Some aftermarket resin/PE support would also be nice but its not a deal breaker.

*- I took a break during this post to grab something to eat and re-read the instructions for the fourth time.

The ID lights are included on sprue A (parts 5 and 6) and are some of the smallest parts in the kit. You still might want to drill out the lenses/domes and use the clear red over dull aluminum trick.

04-20-21, 06:11 AM	#11
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,513 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	And, just like that, after travelling almost as much as I did in the Navy, the Academy Buff arrived yesterday. To be fair, the discreet black shrink wrapped box spent the weekend cooling its heels at the town Post Office as I was supposed to get it last Friday. But, fair enough and what-ever, let's crack this box open. The big question will be "Is this kit worth it?". Well, sure and let me explain. There are four distinct models of the modern B-52H in 1/144th scale. From back in the early 90's there were a series of modern B-52G and H kits from Revell. For starters, they were all that was available in this scale (there was also the 1/200th scale Buff from Tamiya but its as rare as chicken teeth). The Revell kits had some issues in terms of accuracy and basic fit but from most angles they "looked right". Minicraft started to offer a series of B-52s by- let's say 2010. The box is sturdy and the (Cartograph) decals are really nice. The plastic is mostly unbuildable except for the Hound Dog cruise missiles and the Quail decoy/drone but there are some "spare parts" possibilities- otherwise display the model in a very dark room. No kidding, if you see this kit and its cheap- BUY it. You really want those decals and some of the parts can be used for repairs or mods. I didn't include the original Academy kit because its mostly the same moldings and parts as the Minicraft kit. Flash forward to today, you can still buy the Minicraft kit online and the Revell kits show up from time-to-time on Amazon and EBay. We also have the two new kits from GWH and Academy. The GWH kit is still the "boss" but the Academy kit gives it a good run for its money and the Academy kit is also cheaper (both in terms of MSRP and shipping). Its tough to say how the hobby industry will embrace these two kits. If I had to guess, for the Continental US and Canada, the Academy kit will be easier to find online or on the shelves. Academy kits tend to stay "in stock" longer than GWH kits, which will make them easier to find and purchase in a couple of years. With all of the preamble done, let's dive deep into Academy kit #12622. I'll start off with the price, as purchased from EBay with no bidding. I spent about $45 in total including "around the world" shipping (about $20 less than its GWH brother). The box is nice but slightly flimsy and prone to shipping damage. Mine showed up slightly squashed but the contents were fine. You get a snot-load of plastic from Academy. Most 1/48th scale kits don't weigh this much. We're talking about 50% more plastic (by weight) than the GWH kit. There are a lot of redundant parts and trees. There are a LOT of redundant parts and trees. Molded parts look good but the panel lines are slightly thicker than the GWH kit. If you prime or use surfacer prior to painting, this won't be an issue. Academy seems to be following GWH in terms of antennas and their locations. This might be based on recent modifications to the actual aircraft, or they both got it wrong. A little research might be needed. Otherwise, I like the Academy antenna blades better and Vortex Generator fans can rejoice! I think Academy did a better job, overall, of making these parts more visible. Some down notes- the instructions need work. An experienced builder will have trouble following everything that's going on, figuring out what those Options REALLY are and why they are Options in the first place. I'm pretty sure some parts are missing. Go up a couple of posts and I yammered a bit about those two red ID lights just in front of the tail. There are (large) holes in the kit in the proper locations, there just aren't any parts (that I've found yet) that fit in those holes. * In terms of weight, this kit is going to be a pig. The four engine pods look great but each engine pod requires five large parts (not including the pylon) and each pod winds up as almost a solid chunk of plastic. At a minimum, I'm already planning to drill out the wheels and tires for some metal axles which means the gear legs might need some attention. Where GWH used slide molding, Academy made it look like they used slide molding but really kept the machine work simple. This results in thicker parts. Just be aware that you'll probably be dealing with weight issues once the kit is assembled. To wrap up the down stuff, the kit is heavy, the instructions can be confusing (this kit really needed a write-up on what was new and why) and this may not be the final form of of this re-tool. Decals- Pretty much the same as it's GWH brother. Meh. The detail is mostly crisp, I guess. I get the scale vs printing resolution stuff but other brands are pulling it off, if not the aftermarket. Marking options are for 3 (4?) aircraft- "Memphs Belle the XXXIVth" with a red Barksdale tail stripe, "LOKO" (the old "El Lobo" nose art from the Secret Squirrel mission?) with its own red Barksdale tail stripe , and a "no name" Buff from the 69th BS at Minot with a yellow "Knighthawks" tail stripe or just a black-outline "Knighthawks" stripe with no explanation given. BE CAREFUL hacking into that decal sheet, there are some stealthy white "Barksdale" scripts hiding on the sheet. Bombs and pylons- You get full loads (and then some) of what look like 500# "slicks" (I want to say MK-84s but that might be wrong), 2,000# JDAMs, and what sure look like cluster bomb units. A very nice conventional load out. The pylon options both use the smaller stub-type pylon fitted with an HSAB and TERs (if you can follow that, I owe you a beer). The RTSL in the bomb bay of the GWH kit is ditched in favor of the old "clips" which date back to the B-52Ds with the "Big Belly" mod from Operation Arclight. These "clip ins" are a really nice addition and have been missing from B-52 models for a long time. A Lighting pod and a Sniper pod plus their pylons are included but not used, according to the instructions. The only downside to the load-out is that building the pylons themselves will be "fiddly" and there are some fairly small parts that will need to be accurately glued. Otherwise, I'm giving the load-out an 11 out of 10. Wings and tail- So far, so good. The seams look really good after a rough clean-up and dry fit. The tail planes include the flare ejectors where they should be located plus the really small button antennas and formation lights are just barely there, but at least they are there. My biggest gripe with this kit (besides the engine pod construction) is with the rotary cannon, or least where it used to be. Either include the cannon or include the damned plate, in this case neither happened. I get the feeling this part of the kit's design happened 5 minutes from quitting time and everyone just walked away and called it done. Plan on a lot of drilling and some scribing or keep your fingers crossed for some photo etch. You could also snag the plate from your "donor" Minicraft kit and its decals. Nose, cockpit, and forward fuselage- with the exception of the upper radar dome. The G and H models don't have one. Academy kinda thought that they do and used it for another option. By the 1980's the radome of the B-52 looked like an old prize fighter with a broken nose. The ALT-28 ECM antenna is located on the top of the radome, just forward of the cockpit windshield. Or, at least it used to be? No explanation is given but you can model the nose either with or without the ALT-28. BTW, in the build photos the seam between the upper and lower radomes is weathered and enhanced like a panel line. In reality, its a one piece monster of a dome made from fiberglass, plastic, and metal and whole thig hinges upward to access the main radar dish. Fill and smooth that horizontal seam so it looks like one piece, with which ever option you choose to build. Cockpit glass is first-rate and will remind you of that old Revell kit, only Academy got it right. There are even inspection windows in the doors for the refueling receptacle, which I'm not sure if the H has them, but again, they're there if you want them (and its easy to get rid of them). Academy stays on its current form and supplies a die cut sheet of masks for the windows, a nice touch. The cockpit interior is lot more sparse than its GWH brother, but the GWH kit goes way overboard on this part. The only error is the headrests on the seats. Academy gives you seats from an F-14. The real seats feature a spade-or-triangle-shaped headrest that's painted red. Its an easy fix with some sanding and filing. OK, time for the parts that got me excited. You have some options on how to pose the "FLIR" turrets under the nose. FINALLY! I'm pretty sure this is the first time (aside from the 1/48th scale and 1/32nd scale monster kits) you can build a B-52 with the "FLIR" turrets open. What you get are four different turret assemblies and fairings. Two are stowed, two are deployed. Pick your options and build accordingly. BTW, I use the term "FLIR" turrets because only one of them is actually a FLIR and its the turret below the co-pilot's seat. The lens to that turret is square shaped and covers a gallium arsenide photo sensor. That sensor should be painted a fairly dark clear orange over a dark gold background. The turret under the pilot's seat houses a normal TV camera that's connected to a starlight scope. One turret sees IR, the other sees everything else. The pilot's turret looks like the top lens of an old school periscope and is oval shaped with a white outer surround. There is no "right" way to pose the turrets in the air or on the ground. Its normal to have none, one, or both deployed depending on what's going on. And, what's going on can get really silly. On a parked bomber with some airmen working on normal maintenance, the TV can be used to spot any senior enlisted or officers who might be on the prowl. Even the FLIR can be used to play "The FLIR Game", a game almost as old as the IR photosensor. The game is to spot who might have whizzed in their pants a bit. I know, the game is REALLY stupid but even your's truly wasn't above playing it. The points still counted. The main wing joints look to be pretty tight. This could be important if you opt to store the kit with the wings off and display it with the wings on. The overall weight of the kit may be a concern and you'll probably want to pay attention to securing the landing gear and wheels. So, would I recommend this kit? Oh heck yeah for the experienced modeler. This will probably become the "go to" Buff in the north American market and there's plenty to enjoy. If you've built 1/72nd scale and 1/48th scale aircraft before, I'd still take the plunge and try it. While the GWH kit has slightly better fit and engineering, the GWH kit also has its share of inaccuracies and a higher price tag and possible/probable availability issues. This kit may go through a final re-re-tooling before it starts to show up in hobby shops, my example is probably an early release, and we REALLY need that new decal set, Caracal. Some aftermarket resin/PE support would also be nice but its not a deal breaker. - I took a break during this post to grab something to eat and re-read the instructions for the fourth time. The ID lights are* included on sprue A (parts 5 and 6) and are some of the smallest parts in the kit. You still might want to drill out the lenses/domes and use the clear red over dull aluminum trick.