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Alternatives for B-52 pylon-loadout in 1:144...?


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I´m starting to build Revells B-52G in 1:144. Since this is my first kit in that scale, I don´t have any spares.

The kit comes with 12 Harpoon-missiles under the wing-pylons, but I´d prefer something less white...

Any ideas or suggestions what I can do? I have plenty of 1:72 stuff, is there something that can be easily turned into some cool 1:144 load-out?

HAJO

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The fuselage in RoGs B-52G has the wing fillets. These fillets were installed on cruise missile capable B-52Gs in accordance with the SALT II treaty to make them distinguishable from conventional B-52s on russian satellite pictures.

You could put some cruise missiles on it and do a "Secret Squirrel" plane. Or just put M-117 iron bombs on the wing pylons.

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You might look at what 1/72 Mk81s/Mk82s scale out to in 1/144...you might be able to pass a 1/72 small bomb off as a 1/144 big bomb (like a Mk84). If you stick with the stub pylons in the kit, you may need to add the center 3 racks that would be used for 500 & 750 lb weapons, as the kit pylons only depict the forward & aft stations used for AGM-84.

The Revell B-52H has the AGM-86 pylons & missiles that are appropriate for an ALCM-modified jet that Lancer refers to. I've got some if you're interested in a trade for the Harpoons & pylons.

Hope this helps

Jonah

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Thank you for the input, I will first look at my 1/72 MK-81s I have somewhere and see if they look good in 1/144. If not, I´d like to accept Gators offer and swap my Harpoons against ALCMs.

HAJO

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Please correct me if Im wrong but I thought the SALT II G models couldnt carry the Harpoon missiles?

Yes, and Revell got that wrong. The only B-52Gs with Harpoons were based at Loring AFB, ME and Castle AFB, CA.

Check out this build for more info: http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal11/10001-10100/gal10022-B-52-Granata/00.shtm

Edited by Lancer512
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I thought the B-52G units that were AGM-84 equipped came from the 42nd BW in Loring and the 320th BW in Mather? I swear there's a picture in one of Squadrons publications that shows G model 52's loaded with Harpoons back in the mid-1980's? I am not at home now so I can't look it up.

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Well, this will be a special B-52G, so there will be some things that don´t apply to the real thing. This bird is special in the way that it is "my bird" that I fly for the virtual US Air Force (www.vusaf.org). It´s a group that flies various USAF-aircraft, using M$s FSX on the VATSIM-network.

This is my ride:

-2014-jul-2-004_zpsfaeb45a3.jpg

As you can see, it´s sporting a two-tone camoflage and tailcode for the 2nd BW at Barksdale. That wing probably never wore such a scheme, but I found it perfect for the low level-profile I usually fly with the BUFF.

I´d love to have some dumb bombs like the 24 M-117s that can be seen here at the pylons, but I have no idea how and where to get some...

HAJO

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Its deeper than that Lancer512, the only G's that could carry then didnt have the SALT II wing root LE extentions.

Simply changing the decals to a jet from the correct wing/base isnt enough.

That's what I tried to explain. So yes, Harpoon carrying B-52G were not modified, and then Revell also got the decals wrong. Anyway, it is still the only G-Model in that scale.

Edit: Okay. It is Mather AFB instead of Castle AFB. However, both wings were located in California :-)

Edited by Lancer512
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I thought Castle AFB was primarily a training wing...

Anyway, about it being the old G model I wouldnt know, I take no interest in 144.

Last time I built one was more than 20 years ago after playing Ultimate Air Combat on the NES.

Hajo L that is called the "strategic scheme" almost all the B-52 fleet wore it just before FSxx081 and then FSxx118 over all. over all 081 wasnt for long and not many got it at all before moving to 118 over all, the strategic scheme replaced the SIOP scheme.

If the model does have wing root LE extentions, I would take up the offer for some ALCMs, it is the most likely load out for the jet, those extentions where there to denote it was a G model capable of carrying the ALCM

Edited by ElectroSoldier
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I was just curious. Back in '72 during the Easter Offensive the "G"s didn't even have pylon racks and I'm not sure how many iron bombs that version could carry internally.

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From memory ikar the G can carry 27 bombs in the bomb bay, and the dont know if the G model had the HSAB in vietnam so I dont know if it could carry anything other than the hound dog pylon, the HSAB is always mounted to the stub pylon.

As you probably already know the HSAB counts as a parent so you can mount a MER to it.

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OzMods sells Mk82s & M117s in 1/144, among other things. http://ozmods-kits.com/conversions-upgrades-accessories-1144

While the stub pylons & Harpoon aren't accurate for an ALCM modified jet, it was possible for ALCM jets to carry gravity weapons externally on the Hound Dog pylon (found in Minicraft kit) mated to an adapter beam and MERs. There are pictures of this jet/pylon/weapon combination in the Osprey B-52G/Desert Storm book.

Depending on the source and timeframe, I've seen Harpoon-modified jets matched with Loring, Mather, and Castle, with Castle including both the 93 BW and the jets assigned to the 366 WG at Mountain Home but based at Castle.

Revell's decals match the plastic, but neither match the loadout. In one way that's good, because if they'd included the more correct ALCM, then we wouldn't have the conventional pylons.

Jonah

Edited by Gator52
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Here's a couple shots. I don't know if you can tell anything with these but this is as close as I could normally get to then on duty and off duty was out of the question. I got these from the East Gate and the road that led into the bomb reception area.

scan0251.jpg

scan0245.jpg

scan0246.jpg

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Thanks for the link to OZModels, although if I´d buy the bombs and MERs I need I would spend around 50$... I´m on a tight budget now (we bought a house) and can´t afford this, or, to me more specific, my wife won´t let me afford this... ;)

At the moment I´m thinking about using the Harpoons, although I may be able to do a couple of CBUs by using the HVARs that come with the 1/72 Airfix Skyraider. Then I´d only have to scratch-build two MERs.

HAJO

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Thanks for the link to OZModels, although if I´d buy the bombs and MERs I need I would spend around 50$... I´m on a tight budget now (we bought a house) and can´t afford this, or, to me more specific, my wife won´t let me afford this... ;)/>

At the moment I´m thinking about using the Harpoons, although I may be able to do a couple of CBUs by using the HVARs that come with the 1/72 Airfix Skyraider. Then I´d only have to scratch-build two MERs.

HAJO

Do you know about the ARII Weapon Kits in 1/144 scale? Although there are not enough weapons for a B-52, Kit A comes with two MERs and two TERs. If you can't find anything, I can send you the two MERs.

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Never heard of them... But just looked them up, they look quite good! Any chance to buy two complete sets somewhere here in Europe?

On the other hand, I was googeling around with "b-52 jdam" and came up with pictures like this:

B-52_010.JPG

This looks quite exactly like the pylon that comes with the kit, only difference are the middle stations which are not molded on the kit-pylon, but could be scratched quite easily.

And on pictures like this

_39013389_jdam_loadb52_203.jpg

and this

6172073668_0402998ff5_b1.jpg

the JDAMs look quite big, which means I may be able to use some of my smaller 1/72 bombs to simulate them...

HAJO

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I was just curious. Back in '72 during the Easter Offensive the "G"s didn't even have pylon racks and I'm not sure how many iron bombs that version could carry internally.

The most it could carry during the Linebacker campaign was 27 internal bombs. The G's didn't have the "big belly" modification and no external pylons were fitted. They flew to Hanoi with less than 1/4 of the load that the D-models could carry and without the updated ECM gear. Sending G's into North Vietnam was one of the biggest AF screw-ups of the war. They were hit hard by SAM's and the ones that got through delivered minimal payload compared to the B-52D's. The AF would have been better off sending F-111's instead. Similar payload, better chance of evading NV defenses and they were only risking 2 aircrew instead of 6.

Small wonder that crews in Guam were close to mutiny.

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