Martin B-57A/RB-57A Canberra WIP

**nazca_steve** · January 21st, 2011, 21:44

Hello all,

well, as part of the continuing Flying Stations Canberra series, I am now making good progress with the B-57A version. I've been wanting to tackle this for a while, and these American versions will be the focus of the next pack. So the brief background. While the B-57B-G tandem seat versions are far more well-known, the series began with the short-lived B-57A version, of which only 8 were built, before moving on to the dedicated reconnaissance version, the RB-57A. Even these were quickly supplanted by the preferred interdictor tandem versions.

However, as a fan of the 'goldfish bowl' bomber canopy types, I am making these early versions, and these may be (correct me if I am wrong) the first dedicated models, i.e. not just repaints of British B.2s, for the 57A series. This means completely revised and repainted cockpit with new seats, deleted overhead windows for the observer, new consoles, equipment and canopy heater strips. A shorter, rotating bomb bay door with new ordnance. Various other cosmetic differences such as the J65 engine and intakes, differing pitot etc.

Some shots of the natural metal B-57A:

Bay door rotated (have to admit, this was a definite improvement over my beloved British Canberras, pains me to say!)

back on the ground:

(smoke will be revised to get dirtier and denser soon):

I have to add, it's been a joy painting this one up, lots of lovely reflective, burnished natural metal, and of course, who doesn't love that garish tone of zinc oxide! Can't wait to get around to the RB-57A schemes...

***Ferry_vO*** · January 22nd, 2011, 00:10

Looks great as usual Steve; love the metal finish!

**Felixthreeone** · January 22nd, 2011, 07:12

YES! Looking forward to these.....

**mgchrist5** · January 22nd, 2011, 08:12

Fantastic, Steve! I can't wait to see the revised VCs in these Americanized British classics. I just bought your South American Export pack a few weeks ago and will gladly snap up this pack when it's released. Keep 'em coming.
:ernae:

**nazca_steve** · January 22nd, 2011, 08:44

Thanks for the support, fellas and for buying the packs. The South American one was a fun one too.

Yes, the VC will be fun, it's amazing to see just how much the USAF designers cleaned up the EE cockpit design. Everything looks less crowded, far less 'coal hole', but then a lot of that was achieved with the light grey paint they used over the black finish of the Brit versions. I was most suprised to see the USAF seats were not a Martin-Baker design, so perhaps someone can tell me when these were first fitted to American planes. It's a totally different design that even has armrests; for someone only familiar with MB seats it was a trip to see that!

So, lot's of work to do on the VC and 2D panels now that the basic exterior is done. There will be some 'suprise' models also included in this pack - versions of the 57 I had not even heard about till recently. Should be a fun one

**Felixthreeone** · January 22nd, 2011, 11:39

Steve, which pack will contain the NASA variants? Are they RB's or NB's haha I don't even remember

**nazca_steve** · January 22nd, 2011, 11:51

No NASA variants planned for this series, as they are built off the tandem seat arrangement. Those models are for a different series and a different day! This whole series is bomber canopy versions only, but there has been a lot of interest in fighter canopy and tandem seat versions that I will seriously have to consider them later this year.

Buuut...there might be a different kind of NASA version in the B-57 pack that should be suprising to users...

**Felixthreeone** · January 22nd, 2011, 12:25

Cool...thanks, Steve! I will be looking forward to this pack for sure!

**Desert Rat** · January 22nd, 2011, 13:05

Looking amazing, great work on the metalwork there. Whilst the USAF birds ain't my favs, they will certainly have a place in my collection.

:salute:
Jamie

**nazca_steve** · January 22nd, 2011, 14:25

The metalwork was fun to do, have to admit. I got a new Wacom tablet to replace my aging Graphire 2, this Xmas and boy is it a joy to work with. Made the burnishing a lot easier to do, given the extra pressure sensitivity you get in the pen.

Jamie, have to agree, the tandem seaters are not my faves, but I admit they are growing on me. These at least are still goldfish bowlers so we have that common ground with the Brit types. Natty paintwork coming up on the recon birds, I'll give US Air National Guard units credit there, they had some great designers/painters on staff!

**ZsoltB** · January 22nd, 2011, 23:18

Beautyful!

The B2 version, I froze
But as you will have money, buy the other type too!

Thank you!

Regards,

Zsolt

**mgchrist5** · January 22nd, 2011, 23:34

...the tandem seaters are not my faves, but I admit they are growing on me.

Personally, I love the fighter canopy versions more than any others. Something about their aesthetics always appealed to me. It might not be as original as the Brit design, but it just seems "meaner"...for lack of a better adjective. Either way I'll take whatever Canberras you spit out. Bill Holker's models are fantastic, as is the old Alphasim B-57...but neither of them measure up to the VC clarity and functionality of your versions...and NO disrespect meant to either of the aforementioned...which were great models in their day!

The only question remaining is how many more models of Canberra can there be to model? Steve, you just might achieve a FS record for the most variants of a single specific model ever offered.

**nazca_steve** · January 24th, 2011, 07:56

Haha, yes indeed, I wondered when someone would point that out

The thing is the Canberra had such a long and varied career, that it HAD so many variants! There aren't many planes that can boast that. The other thing is, I am just plain mad for the type and genuinely enjoy making them, even if some are perhaps 'unnecessary' to the FS world!

So to your question, I think I have material for 3 more packs, and even then, that is cutting out the RAF recon versions.

Agreed, the B-57 tandems do look mean; the bubble canopies just look friendlier, perhaps why I like them. And also agreed, Bill Holker and Paul Foster's models were and are ace, but I never had Alpha's Canberras.

**nazca_steve** · January 27th, 2011, 22:39

Just took my first spin in the RB-57A version, very similar to the B-57A except with a camera bay and some other mods, pretty cool looking bird though. Here is the first of the paints, an Arkansas ANG bird.

Just cannot get enough zinc oxide...

**edmoore235** · January 28th, 2011, 06:56

Very nice Steve. Look forward to when you complete the package. Thank you.

Ed

***WarHorse47*** · January 28th, 2011, 14:16

Beautiful. Can't wait.

--WH

***Motormouse*** · January 29th, 2011, 08:07

Originally Posted by nazca_steve

I was most suprised to see the USAF seats were not a Martin-Baker design, so perhaps someone can tell me when these were first fitted to American planes. It's a totally different design that even has armrests; for someone only familiar with MB seats it was a trip to see that!

Yoo..hooo ..Steve... American (USAF) seats were by AMI
http://www.ejectionsite.com/ami.htm; and IIRC the armrests contained the ejection trigger (handle); the USN on the other hand preferred Martin-Baker for its' aeroplanes, as the AMI seats could not be operated quickly enough below 500ft (ie if your plane was crashing and below 500ft; by the time seat triggered it would be too late); it was 1959 before AMI produced a rocket seat (for the F-106)

http://www.ejectionsite.com/emakers.htm

ttfn

Pete

**nazca_steve** · January 29th, 2011, 10:18

Fascinating stuff, I had no idea who built them, now I've just learned something. Cheers for that Pete.

**Cag40Navy** · January 29th, 2011, 13:21

Awesome job Steve! You make these Cann's shine! (Fighter canopy and tandem seats this year please?)

**nazca_steve** · January 29th, 2011, 18:28

Yep, I think these will be possible as FS9 models carrying on in this range. I was originally planning to do a whole new FSX build but think I will save that for a whole new project.

***WarHorse47*** · January 29th, 2011, 20:10

Originally Posted by nazca_steve

Yep, I think these will be possible as FS9 models carrying on in this range. I was originally planning to do a whole new FSX build but think I will save that for a whole new project.

Good news.

Thanks for the update.

--WH

**Cag40Navy** · January 29th, 2011, 21:11

Originally Posted by nazca_steve

Yep, I think these will be possible as FS9 models carrying on in this range. I was originally planning to do a whole new FSX build but think I will save that for a whole new project.

Complete the Cann's series's then go back and make them all FSX native after FS9.

***modelr*** · January 30th, 2011, 10:50

Originally Posted by Cag40Navy

Complete the Cann's series's then go back and make them all FSX native after FS9.

I second that.

**DennyA** · January 30th, 2011, 19:01

Sweet, Steve! Glad I reinstalled FS9. I'd love to see an FSX series eventually -- FS9's really frustrating at times when you're used to FSX -- but it's worth going back just to be able to fly planes like this.

**nazca_steve** · January 30th, 2011, 20:57

Thanks Denny. Yes its the time-old FS9 vs. FSX dilemma, what do, what to do. I have tasted FSX briefly, and based on how good it looks, I know that aside from not yet having a machine capable of doing it justice, I need to hold off on installing it. It's like Pandora's box, once I have it, will I still continue to develop and enjoy FS9? Questionable. So, for now I will soldier on and finish this series. Any FSX fixes will be texture updates to the canopy glass, but not native new-builds on this series - too much work. FSX will be a totally new aircraft, most likely after I finish off some other to-do FS9 stuff.

In the meantime I have been working on tweaking the RB-57A and painting her up - a real pleasure. Hard to rein it in and keep working on the actual pack as there are so many cool colour schemes for this bird.

In her little (high gloss) black dress:

Opening the oh-so-cool rotary bomb bay

Yeah, this isn't really a recon run at this altitude!

Climbing back up and camera bay open (that tiny little thing aft of the bomb bay)