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My COVID-19 lockdown project

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  • My COVID-19 lockdown project

    Back in March when the state of Washington went into lockdown over the coronavirus, I needed to find something to take up the slack. So I dusted off one of the last Fisher Model & Pattern 1/32 scale RB-51 kits and made that my stay-at-home project. 4+ months later, while not completely done, the 'whole' saw the sunlight today.

    I think initially there were 200 kits produced and sold at $225 each. After that run sold out, Paul Fisher made an additional run of 30 kits, but by that time the molds were starting to be worn, so these 'extra' ones didn't fit as well, had a lot of extra flash and gaps. But still...as I had already built one of the original 200, I knew that even though this one was out of the last run of 30, the extra work required would be worth the patience. (By the way, Paul Fisher's shop was destroyed in the California wildfires last year, so all the molds and equipment of Fisher Scale & Pattern are gone, unfortunately.)

    Red Baron RB-51 Unlimited Racer Kit No. 3210 Probably the most famous Unlimited  race plane of all time, the Red Baron was a highly modified P-51 Mustang, re-engined with a Rolls Royce Griffon driving contra-rotating props and a host of aerodynamic mods, not to mention one of the most striking paint schemes  ever to grace a racer.


    Paul's kit was of the 1979 Reno version--the well-known Michelob Light sponsorship with the white wings and Old English-style "Red Baron" lettering on them. But I had always been intrigued by the very first version of the RB-51, as it looked at the 1975 Mojave races, just a couple weeks after the major surgery to upgrade the racer to the Rolls-Royce Griffon. At that race the paint was still wet, essentially. It had a different upper and lower cowling than the RB sported by the time it ran at Reno '79, as well as a different tail, and a large 'barn door' ventral fin that was hastily affixed the night before the Championship race at Mojave '75 to counter directional stability issues encountered during qualifying. And, it was painted all red. It wasn't nearly as graceful as the plane that Steve Hinton dominated with in 1978 and '79...but when it first came out, it looked meaner. I've always said that the first year with the Griffon and the 'big bulge' cowling, it looked like a bully.

    I had to retro-modify the Fisher kit from 1979 back to '75.

    Four and a half months later, the (nearly) finished product saw the sun this morning. I still have to put the exhaust stains on the fuselage, and paint the silver canopy rail on the windscreen...and there is a lot of detailing left to change the head of my after-market resin P-51 pilot into Mac McClain wearing a backwards baseball cap, sunglasses, headset and WWII-style oxygen mask. But those are just a couple of little things (that will probably take another two months, knowing me).

    But until then, I thought I'd share the fruits of my labor...and I've added a Jim Larsen photo (courtesy of Tim Weinschenker) of the real thing from the '75 Mojave race for good measure.
    Attached Files

  • #2
    Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

    Nice work Big, thanks for sharing! Good to have you back!!!!!
    Wayne Sagar
    "Pusher of Electrons"

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

      Truly, some fine work sir!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

        Originally posted by Big_Jim View Post
        Back in March when the state of Washington went into lockdown over the coronavirus, I needed to find something to take up the slack. So I dusted off one of the last Fisher Model & Pattern 1/32 scale RB-51 kits and made that my stay-at-home project. 4+ months later, while not completely done, the 'whole' saw the sunlight today.

        I think initially there were 200 kits produced and sold at $225 each. After that run sold out, Paul Fisher made an additional run of 30 kits, but by that time the molds were starting to be worn, so these 'extra' ones didn't fit as well, had a lot of extra flash and gaps. But still...as I had already built one of the original 200, I knew that even though this one was out of the last run of 30, the extra work required would be worth the patience. (By the way, Paul Fisher's shop was destroyed in the California wildfires last year, so all the molds and equipment of Fisher Scale & Pattern are gone, unfortunately.)

        Red Baron RB-51 Unlimited Racer Kit No. 3210 Probably the most famous Unlimited  race plane of all time, the Red Baron was a highly modified P-51 Mustang, re-engined with a Rolls Royce Griffon driving contra-rotating props and a host of aerodynamic mods, not to mention one of the most striking paint schemes  ever to grace a racer.


        Paul's kit was of the 1979 Reno version--the well-known Michelob Light sponsorship with the white wings and Old English-style "Red Baron" lettering on them. But I had always been intrigued by the very first version of the RB-51, as it looked at the 1975 Mojave races, just a couple weeks after the major surgery to upgrade the racer to the Rolls-Royce Griffon. At that race the paint was still wet, essentially. It had a different upper and lower cowling than the RB sported by the time it ran at Reno '79, as well as a different tail, and a large 'barn door' ventral fin that was hastily affixed the night before the Championship race at Mojave '75 to counter directional stability issues encountered during qualifying. And, it was painted all red. It wasn't nearly as graceful as the plane that Steve Hinton dominated with in 1978 and '79...but when it first came out, it looked meaner. I've always said that the first year with the Griffon and the 'big bulge' cowling, it looked like a bully.

        I had to retro-modify the Fisher kit from 1979 back to '75.

        Four and a half months later, the (nearly) finished product saw the sun this morning. I still have to put the exhaust stains on the fuselage, and paint the silver canopy rail on the windscreen...and there is a lot of detailing left to change the head of my after-market resin P-51 pilot into Mac McClain wearing a backwards baseball cap, sunglasses, headset and WWII-style oxygen mask. But those are just a couple of little things (that will probably take another two months, knowing me).

        But until then, I thought I'd share the fruits of my labor...and I've added a Jim Larsen photo (courtesy of Tim Weinschenker) of the real thing from the '75 Mojave race for good measure.
        Well done, sir! Great project done well. Thanks for sharing it.
        Owen Ashurst
        Performer Air Boss - Reno Air Races
        http://airbossone.com/

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

          Beautiful Job !!!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

            Great Job. It looks like the "RealDeal" with all the detail.
            Lockheed Bob

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

              How about a twin design for two of these 12 cylinder 650 hp Cosworths ?

              How on earth do you follow something like the McLaren F1? Nearly 30 years on, Gordon Murray has the answer: the £2.5m, 650bhp T.50 hypercar. And who better a...

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

                While 2 engines are nice.....why stop there

                P-53 "Stampede"
                Attached Files
                Last edited by pt17av8r; 08-11-2020, 07:50 AM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

                  Originally posted by pt17av8r View Post
                  While 2 engines are nice.....why stop there

                  P-53 "Stampede"
                  Other potential thoughts or concerns aside ... I would hate to get caught in that prop wash!
                  Chris

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: My COVID-19 lockdown project

                    Very nice work Mr. Big Jim. And the 1/32 is a good scale. Congratulations!

                    Comment

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