Building the Boeing B-29 Superfortress on a Scale 1:48

I had in mind to make a few modifications to this plastic model airplane, which included the following:

• Add aluminum foil to surface areas to make it more realistic.
• Add internal illumination to help see the detailed interior.
• Add working navigation lights using LEDs.
• Change the tires that came with the kit to include tires that had a weight effect from the aircraft.
• Add electric motors controlled by an external control box.
• Add wire antennas.

How I built this model:

It took me about six months to complete the model. The first step was to build the internal components, such as the cockpit, radio room, bomb compartment, etc. Then, I installed the electronics, such as LED bulbs and electric motors. I installed 7 LEDs: A flashing LED on the top of the tail, navigation LEDs on the two wings, another LED on the bottom of the fuselage, another LED on the front tire, and two LEDs to illuminate the internal details. All the LEDs were glued to the plastic fuselage using a precision hot glue gun, ensuring that the plastic would not melt by using too much glue.

The electric motors were wired independently to allow individual control of each propeller (see the diagram below). I also used a precision hot glue gun to attach the motors and wires to the fuselage. I tested the lights and motors before sealing all the plastic fuselage parts with glue.

I painted the model’s surface using metallic and aluminum paint and covered some areas of the model with thin aluminum foil using special glue for this purpose. I made some panels opaque by using a pencil eraser over the paint. The leading edge of the wings was painted black. I also added the radio antennas using fine metallic wire.

I built the control box using a plastic component box I purchased at my local Radio Shack store. Each engine had a switch, a variable resistor to control the speed, and a digital numeric LED that indicated the engine number. A resistor can be added to each engine to reduce the voltage and prevent damage to the variable resistor. A 6-volt power supply can power the engines or in lieu of four 1.5-volt “AA” batteries. The control box also included switches for the internal lights and navigation lights.

Here is a short video demonstration of the model in action. From the video, you can see that some of the propellers are a little misaligned. I plan to fix this issue by removing the propellers from the engine and reapplying them to the motor shafts.

Below is the Circuit Diagram I used to wire the four engines to a control box I built from scratch. I used electric motors purchased at my local Radio Shack store in 1996 (7.5VDC Micro Super High-Speed Motor). Nowadays, you can get miniaturized components at different online stores, and it is also possible to build wireless engine control boxes using components for remote-controlled airplanes. That means there are no wires from the model airplane to the engine control box.

Here are a few pictures of the finished model. These pictures were taken using a diorama setup. This massive model will occupy ample space for those thinking about building this model on a scale of 1:48. Before you build it, have enough space to display it. You may also want to consider building this model on a scale of 1:72. Modern electronic component miniaturization will allow you to install miniature electric motors and LEDs to a 1:72 scale model of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

I hope I have inspired some of you to build a model like this that includes major modifications and adds another dimension of realism. Believe me, it was a lot of fun. Now, I have in mind building a model of the “PBY Catalina” and “Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress” making similar modifications. Until next time. – Oscar

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress:

The B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine, propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing. It was flown primarily by the United States toward the end of World War II and during the Korean War. It was one of the largest aircraft to have seen service during World War II and a very advanced bomber for its time, with features such as a pressurized cabin, an electronic fire-control system, and a quartet of remote-controlled machine-gun turrets operated by the fire-control system in addition to its defensive tail gun installation.

The name “Superfortress” was derived from that of its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress. Although designed as a high-altitude strategic bomber and initially used in this role against the Empire of Japan, these attacks proved to be disappointing; as a result, the B-29 became the primary aircraft used in the American firebombing campaign and was used extensively in low-altitude night-time incendiary bombing missions. One of the B-29’s final roles during World War II was carrying out the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Source: Wikipedia. Click here for more information about the B-29 Superfortress)

Reference material:

Superfortress: The Boeing B-29 and American Airpower in World War II

B-29 Superfortress – Color Walk Around No. 54

B-29 Superfortress In Action (Aircraft No. 227)