I am currently working on construction of the bomb bays and missles of my Revell 1/48 scale B-1B Lancer model. However, I am rather dissatisfied with teh lack of detail on the rotary launcher, and the missles (I think they are SRAMs) are not too good looking either. So, I have three choices:
build it with the stock launcher and missles
scratchbuild detail on the rotary launcher and leave the weapons off
get some resin SRAMs or some other type of weapon the B-1B carries
If I were to do option 3 I probably still would add a little detail to the launcher, but only if it would show. Getting to the point I really want to find some resin weapons that are carried by the B-1B; SRAMs, bombs, anything that would work. I can’t find anything on my own but I haven’t searched everywhere. Oh and the other thing is that I need 16 of the weapons to fill the two bays (the third contains a fuel tank), but if I have to do with only 8 then I can just detail the rotary launcher on the empty one. Thx and sorry if I was rambling[:)]
The SRAM (Short Range Attack Missile) was operational with SAC during the late 70s and early 80s, mostly with the B-52G and the FB-111. By the time the BONE came into the active inventory, the SRAM had been replaced by the ALCM, (Air Launched Cruise Missile). The SRAM is a pointy nosed, tapered body thing that looks a lot like a shrunk down German V-2. The ALCM has almost a triangle shaped cross section to the fuselage, (flat bottomed, duck billed looking thing) with thin, folding wings, a small jet engine on the top rear and a vertical stabilizer.
I am pretty sure the SRAM was strictly nuclear warhead, while the ALCM could be either nuclear or conventional. Either way, the ALCM is ungodly expensive at about $1million or more per copy. The JDAM seems to be the weapon of choice in Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The JDAM tail assembly / Guidance assembly comes in three sizes. When fitted to the Mk-84, 2,000 lb bomb, it is called the GBU-31. When fitted to the Mk83 1,000 lb bomb, it is called the GBU 32. The newest version is the GBU-38, fitted to a Mk-82 500 lb bomb. Boeing is working on a 250 lb version and it may be operational by now.
The GBU-31, 2,000 lb JDAM is loaded on the 8 position rotary launcher, the same as ALCMs or free fall nukes such as the B-61. I am not sure what kind of mounting system they use on the 2 smaller versions.
Woaw, that was a lot of info! Almost too much for my brain to get! lol j/k I appreciate that, but I still need to know if anyone makes replicas of B-1B ordnance in 1/48 scale. I know Hasegawa makes some 1/48 ordnance, but I think they only have about 2 of each type, so that would mean making resin copies of them, which I do believe is technically illegal…
Hey I’ve got the same kit, I’m planning on building it for my grandfather for his birthday. I figured it would be appropriate since he helped design the beast. Anyway, any tips you can provide me with would be fabulous, I want it to be the best kit I’ve built.
The items in a model kit are considered to be patented even though that may not be expressed in writing for that particular item. Making unauthorized copies, even for personal use is, technically, a violation of that patent. It is very unlikely the patent holder would even know about it, let alone prosecute the individual, but it is still illegal.
[i/]grandadjohn[/i] I have never been inside a B-1, but on the B-52, there are certain mechanical “things” that were designed to preclude the unauthorized release of a nuclear weapon. If these “things” were to be removed, then the aircraft would no longer be nuclear capable. I am not sure just how much work / expense would be involved to do this or to put them back if necessary. Since the Soviet Union is no longer our “enemy”, the powers that be in Washington and Moscow have decided to eliminate a huge percentage of both side’s nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. Manned aircraft are a very inefficient and problematical method of delivering nukes anyway, so getting rid of some of them is the easiest way to achieve the desired “arms reduction” with the least actual loss of capability.
Thanks all again for the replies. Thx for the links, yardbird78, as the great models does have resin bombs in stock. Also I agree with him on the patent issue; even in the current issue of FSM they say the same thing. I’m still thinking of making copies just for this one model, as I don’t wanna spend something like $50 just for armament, as I’ve already spent $40 on the kit and $30 on PE detail set. Just plz don’t tell the company![:p][:D]lol RadMax8: Hm, let’s see, first of all, I would suggest getting Eduard’s photoetch detail set from Squadron. Another area that can use detailing is the bomb bays. I would recommend buying some small wire in various gauges (sp?) so as to replicate electrical harnesses and such. Oh and of course you will need reference material in order to make it accurate. I did get this one book from my library that was titled Rockwell International B-1A/B that was filled with photos, even though most were black and white. However I do believe the pics of the bomb bays were B-1A bays, as the B-1B was classified at the time of the book’s publication. By the same token I doubt a judge or observer is going to a have photos of a B-1B’s bomb bay while he’s looking at your model lol. And I’m not totally sure if the bays are visible unless you put a mirror under the model or something like that. Let’s see, what next… ah yes you probably could also detail the main gear bay with some wires and such if you want too. It all depends on how much scratchbuilding and detail you wanna put into the model. I do highly recommend the PE detail set, as it corrects the instrument panels, which Revell has molded as B-1A, while Eduard’s PE panels are the correct ones for the B-1B. Now as for consturction, it does have some weak spots; it is difficult to glue the tails onto the SRAMs straight. Right now, that’s all I can think of, but I haven’t even mated the fuselage sections yet, so I don’t know every weakness. I’ll post something else if I come upon any more problems. I hope that helped some! One last tip; be patient![:D]
Check with Belcher Bits. I don’t have the address in front of me, so you’ll have to google it. He makes a wide variety of resin aircraft ordnance, including what you’re looking for.
Thanks for the tips, DDR. I plan on spending a whole lot of time on this bird. It’ll prolly need a lot of work, as it sat in an unheated garage in ohio for years. Yuck. But i havent even opened the plastic bags yet, so who knows.
If I remember correctly the B-1B can also carry several “clips” of Iron bombs in place of the rotary launchers in the bomb bays. Because B-1’s in OEF and OIF were carrying Iron bombs,GPS bombs and JDAMS instead of cruise missiles.
OEF and OIF bomb loads were relatively the same but later in OIF the Bones could carry WCMDs. Some loads were JDAM penetrators in the front (soon brought to you by Sean Hull), JDAM Mk-84 fat boys in the center and WCMDs in the back. I believe the Bone that dropped on Saddam the second time was loaded this way but I would have to check my notes.
A WCMD is a Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser. It is a GPS aided SUU-65 can like the CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition. They can also carry Sensor Fuzed Weapons which are smart area denial weapons capable of precision engagement on moving vehicles. Go to Textron Systems website (http://www.systems.textron.com/movies/sfw_2003/wmv) and you can see a video of the B-52 crew stationed at Fairford that dropped the first two SFW’s in OIF. It is a great story. The F-16CJs at two locations during the war were also dropping WCMDs and SFW. I have pictures I took at one place showing this. Funny looking CBU cans but extremely effective.
DDRmaniac122002;
you could really get creative and make the MK-82 racks for the front weapons bays, the racks carried 14 MK-82’s each and there are 2 per bay,
It’s an idea, I know that’s 56 MK-82’s that you’ll need but I think from all the planes I’ve built & scrapped I know I have got a couple modern 500 lbs MK-82 Bombs
For what its worth,
When I worked SRAM, the rotary launcherwould only be loaded with 6 missiles and not 8. This would enable us to remove electronic equipment, if it went bad, on the 2 blank stations without having to remove a missile and then “Jam” it back into place. The J-1 “jammer” was the equipment that would mate or demate a missile from the launcher .