Posted 12 years ago
ohmyflyguy
(83 items)
This particular rescue started with the carcass of a KEMLINE B-29 Pressed Steel Toy airplane. KEMLINE was a small steel processor in Pennsylvania who, as a subcontractor, made steel parts for other companies during WWII. When the war was winding down, they created this pressed steel toy airplane that had top and bottom halves clipped together then spot welded. The airplane was quite faithful to the Boeing B-29 but the paintwork, markings and landing gear was poorly applied. Not many were made so finding one now is rare. Typically, the few that show up are missing their cowlings, propellers and the landing gear. With none of these parts reproduced, the only choice is to be creative to come up with solutions. I am known as an off-the-shelf overhauler so I searched the local hardware store for bits and pieces to finish the B-29. Since the direction would be far and away from its origins, I studied the airplane for new directions. KEMLINE did not have gun turrets nor appropriate landing gear struts. The choice then was to convert the airplane to of of three B-29's used to haul the X-1 aloft in the late 1940's. This meant an X-1 needed to be created as well. The X-1 features steel wings and empannage with a hardwood fuselage. Into the dorsal spine I imbedded 4 'rare earth' magnets. In the belly of the B-29, I cut a small slit to accomodate the X-1's fin.
The results are as you see...
Enjoy,