I was a member of KANG back in the 90’s early 2000’s. Worked on 64. She was a pig. You made her a bit dirty. We kept them pretty clean. I remember when she was painted in camo. The day the nose art was officially unveiled, local Native American tribes came out and gave her a blessing with incense burning and everything. Great memories.
Wow, that's awesome that you worked on the actual aircraft! Yeah, I made her a little more dirty than I'm sure she would have been, it was just more fun to do that! Great story about the Native American blessing, thanks for sharing and for watching! Cheers!
Worked numerous airshows and yes, many models make thier models too dirty. Crew chiefs are usually VERY proud of thier aircraft and keep them pretty clean.
I will attest with newer jets some folks do overdo the weathering. For all the shit I give maintainers being security forces, you bunch do keep big birds clean. Never saw a filthy B2 in the 4 years I was in. And recently saw one of these big birds fly low from a local air show near me and made me feel like I was back in the Air Force again.
I was with the 384th for almost their entire run on the B-1 (87 to 94), but retired before the deactivation. I was under the impression that the 184th just took over most or all of our aircraft. Was 064 really one of yours?
Definitely enjoyed the interactive commentary along the way. It felt like you were talking to someone rather than narrating a documentary. Awesome build!
It takes an exceptional modeler to make the questionable kits look high-end and you have accomplished it. Hats off. Highly impressed, outstanding work.
Late 90s when I came home from the USAF (F-16 crew chief), a friend of mine gave me this kit. The thing is, he had tried putting it together and it was fully built, but for some reason he had filled in the gear wells and weapons bays with chunks of balsas wood he glued in. He still had all of the gear parts and cruise missiles. So he gave me all of that stuff and I spent days cleaning that all out and rebuilding the model. Had to scratch build some gear doors and bomb doors. I re-scribed the panel lines, rebuilt the cockpit, and repainted it. Never got any decals for it, but it still turned out ok. Would love to have this kit again and build it up myself.
I wasn’t sure I was up for a two-hour video, but I couldn’t stop watching. Your work is fascinating. It's akin to watching an artist make something from a blank canvas. The bird on the gear doors is a Jayhawk. Yours is a stylized version of the traditional picture. The Jayhawk is the logo for the University of Kansas.
@@HammerheadModelMaking Your shows remind me of watching, the artist, Bob Ross. I don’t know if you’re old enough to have watched him, but he had quite a following on TV. He started with a blank canvas and then painted these amazing pictures. I would think the painting is finished, that nothing more could be added. Then he would say that maybe it needs a bush here, or a few more clouds there. I’d think, “No, don’t do it. It’s finished as it is.” I was always wrong. Somehow, he’d add so much more so that in the end I realized how well he understood art. I do the same thing with you. For example, when you started adding the two-part epoxy on the engine nacelles, or re-shaped the clear parts over the cockpit, I thought it would never work, but your improvement made it all look so much better. You have an excellent eye for the artistic and it’s always fun to watch experts work their magic.
@@dr.m.m.thomas4409 I love Bob Ross! Watched him quite often as a kid, initially because we just thought he looked and talked funny, but then came to appreciate his talent! I'm not quite sure I'm at Bob Ross level, but the comparison is not lost on me, thank so much for the kind words!
Was stationed at Ellsworth AFB 2004-2010, and I’ll never forget the first rumble at our new home on base when the B-1s would take off. A beautiful plane and hats off to those maintainers on the line. This plane is a beast in the air and a heck of a maintenance nightmare on the ground. Thanks for building.
Great build. I'm a former Bone driver and I built this kit, as is, back in the 90's when I was stationed at Dyess AFB. I wish I knew how to properly build a nice model when I did. It was so big I had to leave it in the squadron when I changed stations. I have few comments about the build. First, you would never see the B-1 with the gear down and the wings swept aft, they would be at the full forward 15 or 20 degree position on the ground. Second, the B-1 doesn't have a full shoulder harness on the ejection seat, crew wore a harness that clipped into the seat above the shoulders. Finally, I wish you picked an active duty squadron that still flies the B-1B instead of the 184 BW that lost the B-1B in 2001.
I always appreciate a 1st person perspective on a subject, so thank you for your feedback! If I may address a few of your points: I am aware that the wings fully swept back is not normal for a parked B-1, however, in order to get this to fit in my display case, this was the only way to make it work (like you said, its a big kit and it only fits by less than a 1/4 inch!) Thats good to know about the harnesses! I will file that away for the next time! As for the markings option, it was all about that shark mouth on the intake splitter, I was really drawn to that. However, I do have another one of this in my stash and I plan on building it was one of the aircraft my brother worked on during his time at Elsworth. I was ordinance. So, for the next one I plan on going whole hog on it, detailed bomb bays, extended wings possible with dropped flaps, open and detailed cockpit, the whole works so that will largely correct the points you brought up!
Well I didn't expect I'd sit through an entire 2 hour build video but here we are. The final result is outstanding. A kit that is rarely seen as a finished item. Absolutely superb work.
@@HammerheadModelMakingIf nothing else it earned you another subscription. I was in the USAF in the early 1970s and love me some pretty planes. I’ve never been within spitting distance of one of these monsters but to my eye your model looks great especially considering what you had to work with. Brittle decals are one of my pet peeves and in your place I’d have trashed that refueling port decal the instant it broke and just painted it. You either have far more patience than I or just wanted the torture to be over. In any case it’s done and looks to have been worth the effort.
I like how you encourage modelers no matter what level they are at you dont demean them you share how you make errors occasionaly thats cool and how your willing to explain explain every step
Excellent build sir! I personally also enjoy these longer form videos with the details - it helps in my own builds. Though it sounds like I am in the minority of being someone who actually likes Revell kits. Yeah, they are not as nice as say a Tamiya kit, but I got into this hobby because of a Revell kit, and I still build them 20 years later. They hold a special place in my heart lol
Nothing wrong with Revell (or Revell Germany) kits. They do have some interesting subjects. Some of the Revell kits are old Monogram kits with new decals and paint schemes.
Crew chiefs jump the tubes to do a fan inspection prior to flight/engine runs, which is why the bottom of the intakes wear faster than the rest. Incredible job!
You're a wise man... Waiting 10 years, collecting aftermarket parts, and making sure your skills are up to it. I'm not sure I would be so disciplined. What outstanding results! Beautiful airplane.😊😊😊
As much as I wanted a break i just couldn't stop watching. Absolutely stunning build and commentary. Also thank you for not spoiling the video with crap music. Once again well done, you're a credit to the modeling community.
Wow! Im very impressed with your work on this kit. The paint job turned out so nice with all the grime effects. Love the way you explained everything too. Thanks for sharing!
Props to you my friend. You’re a phenomenal teacher. You bring down the intimidation level immensely. It’s been 30 years since I built a model…you’ve taught me a lot. Thank you💯
Thank you! Thats my goal, to help bring down the intimidation level! I hope you make plans to pick the hobby back up, never a better time to do it! Thanks for watching!
So amazing to see the process of such a large scale model in great detail. When you threw all that milliput on the end of those nacelles I almost had a heart attack 😂😂😂 Can’t believe I watched for 2 hours, and could have watched 2 hours more! I’m a tank modeller mainly, but am seriously thinking of doing some aircraft soon. Your videos on the process are invaluable. 😊
Thank you very much! Trust me when I say I agonized over the engine nacelles and the amount of work/milliput it would require and weather or not I should do them, but I'm glad I did! Thank you for watching!
Totally freak'in awesome to the bone! Best of the best scale B-1 builds I have seen to date. Worked on all 100 of the full scale birds in Palmdale, CA back in the 80's, Site X, bldgs 702, 703, 704 and then at Edwards AFV. Left Aerospace work in the early 90's. Turned 70 a couple of months ago and retiring at the end of this month. Have this kit in the stash and like you have collected lots of aftermarket for it. Your a beast and you have done this kit more than justice, well worth the 2 Hrs spent watching your work in this video. Thank you! The America flag did it for me.
The version of the B-1 you made is from the 184th that is the Kansas Air National Guard at McConnell AFB, KS. Those bird decals are Jay Hawks as in the college Kansas Jay Hawks. Great job on the build. Definitely some challenges since the kit was so old. Well done, sir!
I think it looks great. Nice and clean build and the final finished kit came out very nice. There is always something to learn as you build and after 65 years of building myself I find something new to try out on every build, it never ends.
Thank you for this excellent video. The B 1 is a great work! Congratulations. I´ve build an Airfix Spitfire MK 1 A, a very old kit. I started 2008 and I finish it now, 16 years later. Modelling is a great hobby! Greetings from old Germany!
Thank you for posting! and happy modeling. Back to clear parts sanding. same mistakes i've seen numerous times: circular or oneway direction sanding. its wrong way to get even surface. You could get scrathes that would reveal themselves after priming or final paint coat. correct type of manual sanding is cross direction. several moves in one way and next run is crossing first run. First run makes one direction micro scrathes, the second run destroys this order and reduce scratching. after several moves in this way you could move to another grid 400->600 and so on
@Katachimoto Thanks for that sanding tip, I'm about to start sanding a clear 2 part resin lake diorama that finally cured. I'm really nervous about the sanding as I don't want to ruin a project that took me many hours to build. A cloudy or scratchy surface would be very depressing. So if I'm reading your technique correctly, the idea is to sand in a "cross" or "X" pattern. I always thought circular was the way to go, but now I see the light!! Thank you. Arigato!
@@TheGryxter Hi. you get it right. cross pattern. and there are some very important points. first of all grid of paper to be used. iyt is better to make more moves with #600 then ruine surface with #400. F.e. im using #400 only for hard "shapeforming" works. #600 works better if you need flat even surface. after #800 im starting priming w. mr.surfacer1200. after surfacer im usualy polish surfaces via sanding spong (3m microfine> any tamiya sanding sponges because of price) 2nd thing is correct stepping to upper grid. if you started with #400 the #600 have to be next choice. not 800 and so on. 800 would not remove scratches caused by 400. and they woukd reveal themselves after painting.
Incredible work! Love it when the big birds get love, too. Also crazy seeing my unit represented on a jet like this- I joined the 184th long after the flying days were over, but have had the privilege of working with one or two of the names on this jet. Thanks for doing it justice!
That 2 hours went by so fast! I was absorbing all the amazing building & painting efforts you put into making this model. The results speak for themselves. What a fantastic looking B-1B! Like you I have one sitting in my stash, partially built and set aside long ago, because it was beyond my skill level at the time. Your video is an inspiration to me to get it built! Thanks for taking the time to produce this great video.
That is a triumph!! Wow, beautiful build in all respects. I really enjoy the long form video with the narration. It's just right; it's easy for content creators to either spend too much time showing repetitive tasks, or conversely to gloss over something I would have liked to have seen elaborated on. The editing and narration of this video were spot on. It completely held my interest for 2 hours and I picked up some new stuff. Fantastic job and thank you!
Holy cow, this is easily your best build yet. LOVE your idea sanding down canopy and clear parts so they sit flush. I've been struggling with this in a lot of my builds and your suggestion has really helped.
Two hours of glory. You did an amazing job building, painting, filming, editing. Myself, I did this kit about 25 years ago or so. Little did I know, it had THIS potential. I'm raising my glass!
I'm not a modeller myself. I just consume a lot of videos on youtube because I appreciate the skill involved (and I do hope to one day start my modelling journey myself). But this has to rate as one of the most detailed and fun builds I've watched. Hats off.
Oh nice a Kansas ANG bird! Back in the day I managed to get a personal tour of the GA ANG B-1s flight line in 1998. Was such a freaking awesome experience I'll never forget! So cool that the ANG had B-1s for a while.
That was two of the most awesome hours I have spent watching a true master at work. No kidding my friend, that thing turned out to be one of the most exceptional pieces I've ever seen. A true work of art. Bravo!
Just finished watching the part about the clear plastic. A job well done. You can also try this tricks: Get up to 3000 grit or so wet sand and start using a car headlight defogger with a Q-tip or a microfiber towel (just a folded edge for this small part is enough) . Personally i use a cheap type (both for the car headlights and models). Arexons Fairings Renewer if I remember correctly. A small dab will suffice. Another (better) option is Tamiya's clear polishing compounds. To get the best shine however you really ought to use all three (coarse, fine and finish) They are pricey though. Another cheap trick is to use nail files - buffing sticks (borrowed of course from the Mrs). They work wonders. Cant wait to see the rest of the vid. Thanks for posting.
Like you I’ve had this kit in my stash for years. Your build quality is amazing and has encouraged me towards finally getting into this build. Your paint variations and weathering turn this enormous model into a really realistic aircraft. Looking forward to seeing your other projects,thank you 👍👍👏
Amazing job! To answer your question about the fluids that mostly come out of the nacelles, they are turbine oil and hydraulic fluid. Fuel is usually cleaned pretty well due to volatility, and has very low viscosity. It doesn't leave too much residue. Where oil and hydraulic fluid hang around quite a bit.
David R Lentz, Columbus, Ohio, USA (Monday, 5 August, 2024) I had this kit (actually, several over the years). Several months past, whilst in hospital for a fortnight, my doctor had arranged for me to move to better quarters. I understand a staff-member of a state agency ostensibly “looking after my interests” had told the staff of my residence that I had authorised them to throw away ALL MY POSSESSIONS, including that bomber kit yet in the box, as well as all the others I had built and detailed. So I take my delight in watching you build yours. Thank you. Brett, I tell you this so that you can understand the depth of my appreciation for you here.
What a difference ten years makes! Always good to revisit an old kit you started and see how you can go about improving it using the skills you would have gathered since putting it down initially. I know a plane this size would definitely have given me lots of headaches if I had attempted to build it, especially when I was younger. I'm impressed with all the steps you have taken to modernize and improve the overall quality of the kit.
Yeah, its quite fun to be able to compare how far I've come since then! I wish I had other kits I could do this with, but thats the only one I had from that time period. Thanks for watching!!
I remember this kit in the early 80's that my dad brought home for us to build but sadly, never got finished and was trashed. Cannot wait to pick it up again
I lived in Wichita, Kansas in the early 90’s where B1B was always flying out of McConnell AFB. It was awesome to watch them take off with after burners in the late evening.
That was two hours that just zipped by! I was enthralled from start to finish. As a scale modeller, I found some very useful takeaways for my future builds. As someone once said “The time to stop learning is never!” Great video and awesome end result.
Great video and build. As a cat owner I am very familiar with “Intermissions” and have long accepted that every single one of my builds has cat fur imbedded in the paint somewhere 😂
I had bought my kit (1/48) in the early 80's and it came in white, one of the choices was white so I left it that way. I took a long time to build and after a couple of moves I had to leave it behind along with all my other kits. Enjoyed your build video. Keep up the good work.
Don’t normally really comment, but after watching a few of your videos I have to say the detail you add to each of the models is simply amazing. This one certainly takes the cake for me, the addition of the flag took the model to the next level for me, incredible!
I've just got all the Barracuda resins for my B-1B. Really happy that you've done this, especially with regarding the nacelles, intakes, and cans. Forewarned is forearmed! Cheers!
I can relate to shelving it til ready 😊. I So Get It! I am constantly impressed with the results of building my models. I attribute this to, yes maturation in life but also appreciation of the things that we neglected as children. I used to “chuck” the small decals, especially “no step” 😂. Today, I take pride in placing each and every decal! I also enjoy using My airbrush, vs the old days with “Testors” and a single brush and 1/8bottle of thinner for everything 😂. All of that to go outside play with it, break it and the inevitable “fire death” 🔥lol😂. Yes, my Modeling has come a long, long way. Thank you for the vid.
I really really enjoyed watching this whole video watching you turn that kit from a basic Ravelle model into something as beautiful as you’ve done was more than I could possibly help unfortunately for me you’ve made it so that I am thinking about building that kit I will never be able to make it look as good as you did, butwatching your efforts and what you did and how you fix that give me a lot of ideas for tips on how I can do a better job on my modeling too. Thank you so very much for this video.
Glad you enjoyed it! I think the biggest issue with the kit is just the sheer size of it! It can be quite a handful! But, if you get around to working on it I wish you luck!
This has been my go to video for my downtime on holiday. Looked forward to it each day when I'd get 20 minutes to watch a chunk before heading out again. Fantastic stuff.
Nice build. This reminds me of my B-52 model I made when I was a teen. It had the X-15 underneath it, and was just as huge. But my skills back then weren't anywhere near your, and we didn't have 3-D printers 35 years ago.
Nice job, I managed for full video watching, just increased speed a little bit) didn't expect such a big plane to exist in a 1:48 scale, so much work, appreciated! Some time ago, modeling the A-10 Warthog in 1:48 for me was difficult because of size, but you model it's...no words, only emotions.
The most excellent build video to date. Liking the flag on the hood, it just pops! The flush glass and… all of it, dude. All of it, just fantastic. The payoff is huge.
When preshading and painting a kit, especially one this big, it's best to work in small sections at a time, then move around to entirely different parts of the plane. Otherwise, any changes in technique, movement, paint mix, mental state, etc will change from one part of the aircraft to an other. You don't want to end up with one wing with nice, tight figure-8's in your preshading/mottling, going to the other wing where you've changed your whole technique because you've been doing it for 3 hours and you're tired and you're on your 5th new bottle of paint and your coffee has worn off.
These are definitely good tips, in the end I ended up with so many layers of paint over the preshading that it didn't really make much of a difference anyways!
Hi Brett. I really appreciate your detailed commentary and honesty. Absolutely great content!! Beautiful work!! Extremely fun to watch from begining to end. Thank you!!
Great job. I made this model twice. Once when I was about 14 and made the white testflight version and the second time when I was getting back into hobby a few years ago. Nowhere near the quality of your work. It’s a beast on the workbench and eats paint😁
No matter what there is always room from improvement in anything we do! Nobody is a master at something they do. There is always a different technique or skill at achieving a goal. Thanks for the breakdown and love the content!
Absolutely stunning work sir! Not opposed to 2 hour + videos from you brother. This was a truly enjoyable watch and the final product of your efforts, what a great payoff!
I’m new to your channel, this was my first video and I watch it all the way through. Relaxing and informative. Thank you, I love the detail and weathering you gave it.
Pre-watch comment. Looking forward to this. I bought the kit decades ago and bring it out to have a look at it once in a while. I get excited to build it then I realize I have nowhere to display it once it is built. Sigh!
I've struggled with this kit for years, off and on. I always wanted to add detail to the wheel wells and the bomb bays. I keep watching and waiting and waiting and waiting for detail sets to come out, and I got fed up with the fit and the detail, and the sheer size of this big bastard. I'm sure I'll finish it someday.
I know that there are some new(ish) sets for detailing the bomb bays, but I've yet to see anything comprehensive regarding the wheel wells. But yeah, think is a monster!
Thanks for the inspiration. You have done a great job! Believe it or not I have this kit started and sitting in my stash for a longer time period than you. Now I feel I should complete it too.
Honestly, im thinking about buying this model, on the brgining of this movie i was thinking - no way, i dont want to build this. After i watched whole building process i want one! WOW mate - very impressive work.
I have watched this video with intrigue, appreciation & admiration; firstly for the awesome build presentation. Secondly for the way that you have presented it. Almost all the build videos go through the process of creating the best or perfect model; without mishaps or errors. It’s refreshing to see a creator being transparent & revealing the imperfections within perfection. Well done & keep it going! I will be sharing this video a lot with local hobby groups & clubs so that the best also make mistakes! I’m currently busy with a step-by-step video build where, from the first upload, I’ve demonstrated the build process with errors & mishaps included. I don’t get a lot of views, likes & comments; maybe because people don’t want to see errors, but I’ll continue with my approach to presentation & creating. Looking forward to your next!
I appreciate the kind words, and yes, I'm trying to be more transparent when it comes to mistakes and how to overcome them. I'm pretty much always making mistakes on every kit I build and I suppose its better to learn from my mistakes if you can! Thanks for watching!
@@HammerheadModelMaking I’m doing the same with my Step-By-Step video build series of Eduard 1/48 Mirage iiiCZ. The latest upload, just under an hour viewing, I fiddle & fumble with the camouflage masking & I also apply the wrong colour because I didn’t check & confirm references. Go check it out & your opinion or feedback would be appreciated; be honest, if it’s shyte, say so. I was in the military for 14 years & can handle it!
Got this kit. Absolutely LOVE the build. Hope I can pull off a similar finish to mine. 2hrs well spent! Had one come to our Air force base here in Western Australia in 2005..fell In love then...
Thank you for sharing this particular build because I jumped on this particular model when it first came out. Unfortunately, storage in my parents place in the attic disintegrated the original Revell box but brother placed all the kit sleeves into ziplock bags. It is all in waiting so I can build this together with my son. I always built Tamiya and a pure fan of their quality products, but life has delayed some on my building process. Well done!
Man, your videos are great! love the commentary and just the whole process, I usually put your vids on while I'm working on my radio control models and I love them!
Really impressed with the refueling guide reconstruction. I'd have given up and created a stencil. Loved this whole watch and I'm copying some of your techniques.
Hi Hammerhead Model making. This is one of my favorite aircrafts, second to the SR-71 Lockheed Blackbird, and I got myself a modelling kit. You are absolutely amazing with everything as I have learnt so much in this video clip. Absolutely stunning mate. Loved every bit of the clip. Well done.
I enjoyed this video! Long, but very educational. I'm pretty apprehensive trying new things but when I saw you using the 5 minute epoxy putty I thought I could try that on applying resin zimmerit to my armor models that allows me to adjust them so that was an inspiration. Also, I have a Revell 1/32 Hawker Hunter and that's a fair size kit in itself that i felt like working on after watching you build this beast. Eduard has re-boxed this kit with the photo-etch goodies (I think it also includes masks) and that'd be interesting to see but I feel something of this size once is good enough.
I totally get it, I was apprehensive about a lot of things when building models, even up to a few years ago that kept me from improving my skills, but once I finally started to just push myself and try new things, I've found my skills have been improving quite rapidly! Good luck with your Hunter, sounds like a nice kit!
Hello dear friend. Since long time, I have wanted to build this giant. Finally I found but I confess I'm afraid when i opened the box 'till I saw this build sections. This video will being great guide and reference for me. Thank you very much for sharing it. Cheers!