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1/32 Mk.82 Conversion to JDAM


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Hi guys, and gals (if there are any).

I don't post here much other than reading, learning and admiring all the great work done on ARC. So, I want to jump in and do a small thread on converting all the Mk.82 bombs have lying around into JDAMs. My own conventional munitions update program :) There are a total of 28 bombs total from the Hasegawa and Kangnam kits that I have.

I added a little weight with lead pellets (I don't like the feel of hollow plastic in this scale).

img0723z.jpg

Here is the prototype glued and fins sniped. When I get it right the other 27 will go in assembly line fashion, I hope.

img0725am.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
There we go someone that has at last figured out what to do with the egg bombs from a kangnam kit!LOL Well I hope it will turn out good Ill be watching closely cause I still have a lot of 32nd birds in the stash just begging for the treatment!

Thanks for the support. Progress is slow on the bombs since I don't have any good reference photo's of Navy & AF GBU-30s. There seems to be different versions of fuses on the same bombs.

I also have a 1/32 Tomcat (Revell) on my plate to finish, and boy am I full. I will try to get 1 laser Jdam done for reference.

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Here is a little update.

Finished the front fuse, and reshaped the rear. For the fuse I took

the tip of a 2mm rod, rounded it.

img0778w.jpg

Looking at some of the GBU-30 photo's I noticed that the length of

rear fin adapter was longer than the standard Mk.82s. So I added 1mm

of plastic card. I might add another 1mm.

img0786u.jpg

That's it for now.

Edited by Biped19
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You may not like the feel of hollow plastic in this scale, but by adding all that weight to your bombs, you could really screw with the center of gravity of your plane (making a tail-sitter worse, or better.) Also, you could cause problems with wing droop, or bombs breaking off racks more easily.

Also, Why not try resin-casting some of these? You'd probably sell a zillion of them.

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A little bit of info for you.

The GBU-30 was never put into production, a Mk 82 JDAM is the GBU-38 series. The GBU-38 is about 4.5 inches longer then a Mk 82 GP Bomb (when configured with a conical fin). The item on the nose is not the fuze, it is called a solid nose plug and fills the fuze well where a mechanical nose fuze would go when the warhead is configured as a GP Bomb. The Navy and Air Force use different nose plugs, the Navy's is more rounded while the Air Forces is more pointed and shorter. Depending on what aircraft you are putting this on will depend on the nose plug, they can not be mix matched. If you are looking for reference for a 500 lbs JDAM, google GBU-38 JDAM, there is lots of stuff out there.

Just went back and look, I believe you are planning to put this one a Tomcat. Two things to remember, only three Tomcat squadrons ever carried the GBU-38, VF-101 (testing), VF-31 and VF-213 (for their last cruise on 2005/06). Second, make sure the nose plug is the Navy version (rounded).

HTH

Reddog

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  • 2 weeks later...
You may not like the feel of hollow plastic in this scale, but by adding all that weight to your bombs, you could really screw with the center of gravity of your plane (making a tail-sitter worse, or better.) Also, you could cause problems with wing droop, or bombs breaking off racks more easily.

Also, Why not try resin-casting some of these? You'd probably sell a zillion of them.

Your probably right RedHeadKevin, but you would be surprised how light they still are. They just look big and heavy in the pic. I haven't built the rest and I'm still working on the first one. I haven't tried resin casting before. It would certainly be easier to perfect one and cast the rest. Naturally, I would need the right resin.

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A little bit of info for you.

The GBU-30 was never put into production, a Mk 82 JDAM is the GBU-38 series. The GBU-38 is about 4.5 inches longer then a Mk 82 GP Bomb (when configured with a conical fin). The item on the nose is not the fuze, it is called a solid nose plug and fills the fuze well where a mechanical nose fuze would go when the warhead is configured as a GP Bomb. The Navy and Air Force use different nose plugs, the Navy's is more rounded while the Air Forces is more pointed and shorter. Depending on what aircraft you are putting this on will depend on the nose plug, they can not be mix matched. If you are looking for reference for a 500 lbs JDAM, google GBU-38 JDAM, there is lots of stuff out there.

Just went back and look, I believe you are planning to put this one a Tomcat. Two things to remember, only three Tomcat squadrons ever carried the GBU-38, VF-101 (testing), VF-31 and VF-213 (for their last cruise on 2005/06). Second, make sure the nose plug is the Navy version (rounded).

HTH

Reddog

Thanks Reddog! Great info. Since I'm already working on a navy "round plug" version, I'll stick with it. But, I will eventually get around to the naval fused version and others, eventually. I'm seriously thinking about casting these bad boys.

Edited by Biped19
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