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Museum of Flight to Hold Welcome Ceremony for Newly Restored B-52 “Midnight Express”

The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington has announced a Welcome Ceremony for their newly restored B-52 Stratofortress “Midnight Express.”

As previously reported, the bomber (S/N 59-2584) had been parked outdoors at the museum’s Paine Field facility in Everett for the past 26 years. A $2.2 million effort was launched to restore the machine for use as the centerpiece of a new Vietnam Air War Memorial Park, which will pay tribute to the aircraft of the Vietnam War and honor the service members who flew and supported them.

The fuselage will be the largest and final piece of the restored aircraft to arrive the museum. It is currently scheduled to depart Paine Field in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, June 3, travelling south on I-405 to I-5, then towards the museum on East Marginal Way South. The public is invited to watch its arrival at Raisbeck Aviation High School parking lot, where it will eventually be reassembled for display in the new memorial park, which will reportedly begin construction this fall. Continue reading Museum of Flight to Hold Welcome Ceremony for Newly Restored B-52 “Midnight Express”

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B-52 “Midnight Express” Begins Journey to Seattle, Reassembly for New Memorial to Follow [Video]

Last week The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington received the first truckload of parts for their B-52G Stratofortress “Midnight Express” following an exterior restoration.

As previously reported, the bomber (S/N 59-2584) has been parked outdoors at the museum’s Paine Field facility in Everett for the past 26 years. A $2.2 million effort was launched to restore the machine for use as the centerpiece of a new Vietnam Air War Memorial Park, which will pay tribute to the aircraft of the Vietnam War and honor the service members who flew and supported them.

Now repainted, the aircraft has been partially disassembled and is now in the process of being moved to the memorial park site on west side of the Museum’s Aviation Pavilion. The museum reports that the “small parts” will be stored until final assembly takes place later this spring.

Click below to check out a video of the first parts following their arrival.

Continue reading B-52 “Midnight Express” Begins Journey to Seattle, Reassembly for New Memorial to Follow [Video]

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HpH Announces Development of B-52H Stratofortress Model Kit in Massive 1/48 Scale

Following the release of their massive 1/48 B-36 Peacemaker, HpH Models has announced a new addition to their “extreme” model line in the form of a B-52H Stratofortress.

The kit will reportedly include fiberglass main assemblies, vacuum cast resin details and clear parts made of transparent resin. Also said to be included are photo-etched and metal parts, a wet transfer decal sheet and painting masks.

The kit (HPH 48052L) will contain a complete interior, undercarriage, open bomb bay and bomb racks with a basic armament fit. Extra accessories will also be released as separate sets that include a complete maximum payload of “steel bombs” (including their appropriate racks), ALCM cruise missiles (including the internal rotary launcher and external racks) and a huge landing flaps kit (it is necessary to order this kit simultaneously with the B-52 kit in order to prepare the basic wing parts for the flaps installation).

The kit is currently priced at 775 Euro (or about US$962) incl. VAT and is available for pre-order with an expected release in March 2019. A 40% cash advance (310 Euro) is required to get on the list of BUFF buyers, as this allows reportedly allows work on the kit to be accelerated.

Click below to check out additional images.

Continue reading HpH Announces Development of B-52H Stratofortress Model Kit in Massive 1/48 Scale