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AN-M66 bomb with conical tail


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I'm building all stores in 1/48 used for the F-84F in RNLAF service. The conventional bombs used were:

 

  AN-M65 (1000 lbs) with M129 conical tail
  AN-M66 (2000 lbs) with M130 conical tail
 
You can see both in the following picture, fitted with wooden transport rings:

 

1de73a6e-84a8-adc8-f66a-e6a8fef232f3.jpg

 

The AN-M65 is included in the Monogram 1/48 kit and made in resin by IsraCast.

 

The AN-M66 is available from True Details (48505) and Attack Squadron (48030), fitted with the WW2 style short box tail. Here's a picture of both resin bombs:

 

f84f-41.jpg

 

However both AN-M66s are quite similarly undersize, around 90%, the exact numbers are reported below. That makes me wonder whether my sources are correct - I would think so since they are official manuals. Furthermore I cannot find a single photo of an AN-M66 fitted with a conical tail. Was this a very uncommon postwar weapon? Any experts out there that know something more?

 

Rob

 

- - - -

 

References used for AN-M66:

 

TM-9-1980 / AFM 136-7 'Bombs for Aircraft' (1950). Page 195: body length 71.8 in (38.0 mm). Only discusses box tail versions.

 

OP 2216 'Aircraft Bombs, Fuzes, and Associated Components' (1960), pages 5-24 to 5-30, sketch.

 

TM 9-1325-200 (Army) / TO 11-28 (Air Force) 'Bombs and bomb components' (1966). Page 2-25 reports for the M66 with 'fin assembly M130': length of assembled bomb 116.80 in (61.8 mm) body diameter 23.29 in (12.3 mm), fin span 32.32 in (17.1 mm)

 

- - - -

True Details 48505
  diameter is 11.2 mm, 91% of the real value (or 83% in cross section area)
  length is 35.3 mm, 93% of the real value

 

Attack Squadron 48030
  diameter 11.3 mm, 92% of the real value (or 84% in cross section area)
  length is 33.9 mm, 89% of the real value

 

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You can added another reference to your list;

 

NAVWEP 00-120-2, page 1-38 dated 1967 shows the M65A1 with a M129 Fin.

 

NAVWEP 00-120-2, page 1-46 dated 1967 shows the M66A2 with a M130 Fin.

 

I think this was a rare configuration due to the box fins (AN-M113A1 for M65 and AN-M116A1 for M66) were plentiful and the M129/M130's were newer and there wasn't that many in inventory. There were thousands of box fins in inventory after WWII so it made sense to use up that stock before using the new fins that there were few in inventory. By the time the box fins started to be depleted, so did the bomb bodies.

 

Just me thinking, I don't have any hard documentation to support it so take what you read with a grain of salt.

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19 hours ago, GW8345 said:

You can added another reference to your list;

 

NAVWEP 00-120-2, page 1-38 dated 1967 shows the M65A1 with a M129 Fin.

 

NAVWEP 00-120-2, page 1-46 dated 1967 shows the M66A2 with a M130 Fin.

 

I think this was a rare configuration due to the box fins (AN-M113A1 for M65 and AN-M116A1 for M66) were plentiful and the M129/M130's were newer and there wasn't that many in inventory. There were thousands of box fins in inventory after WWII so it made sense to use up that stock before using the new fins that there were few in inventory. By the time the box fins started to be depleted, so did the bomb bodies.

 

Just me thinking, I don't have any hard documentation to support it so take what you read with a grain of salt.

 

Thanks for the reply! Do you know whether that Navy manual is available online? I searched but could not find it.

 

In the mean time I may have found a way to scratch-build the pressed sheet metal fins, more news later. I will probably have to guesstimate the dimensions, since none of the manuals that I have actually shows the M66 + M130 combination.

 

Rob

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3 hours ago, Rob de Bie said:

 

Thanks for the reply! Do you know whether that Navy manual is available online? I searched but could not find it.

 

In the mean time I may have found a way to scratch-build the pressed sheet metal fins, more news later. I will probably have to guesstimate the dimensions, since none of the manuals that I have actually shows the M66 + M130 combination.

 

Rob

I don't know if the pub is online, I have an old partial paper copy.

 

PM me your e-mail address and I'll scan the pages this weekend and e-mail them to you. The pages have the engineering drawings with dimensions.

 

GW

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On 12/3/2018 at 7:20 AM, Rob de Bie said:

 Furthermore I cannot find a single photo of an AN-M66 fitted with a conical tail. Was this a very uncommon postwar weapon? Any experts out there that know something more?

 

Rob

 

 

These look like them:

 

1374181_716504838375671_1529950291_n.jpg

 

Jari

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12 hours ago, Finn said:

Rob trying looking here:

 

http://bulletpicker.com/pdf/OP 1280, Aircraft Bombs.pdf#page=73

 

dimensions for the M129 and M130 tails are there.

 

Jari, many thanks for the link! The manual indeed contains some very useful details to build a reasonable accurate M66 with M130 tail. Let the scratchbuilding begin 🙂

 

Rob

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12 hours ago, GW8345 said:

I don't know if the pub is online, I have an old partial paper copy.

 

PM me your e-mail address and I'll scan the pages this weekend and e-mail them to you. The pages have the engineering drawings with dimensions.

 

 

 

GW, thanks for the kind offer! But Jari solved the problem already 🙂

 

Just to be sure: since you mention 'engineering drawings with dimensions', do you mean these drawings from that manual, or something else?

 

f84f-42.jpg

 

Rob

 

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20 minutes ago, Rob de Bie said:

 

GW, thanks for the kind offer! But Jari solved the problem already 🙂

 

Just to be sure: since you mention 'engineering drawings with dimensions', do you mean these drawings from that manual, or something else?

 

f84f-42.jpg

 

Rob

 

The drawings I have show the bomb and fin and are not the same as the ones you posted.

 

It's up to you if you want them, I'm fine either way.

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24 minutes ago, GW8345 said:

The drawings I have show the bomb and fin and are not the same as the ones you posted.

 

It's up to you if you want them, I'm fine either way.

 

Good thing I asked 🙂 I will PM you!

 

Here's what I just drew up using the OP 1280 drawings plus data, plus some scaled-up measurements of an M65 bomb with a similar tail. Since I haven't seen a single good side view of this bomb+tail combinatoon, I can't do a visual judgement of the result.

f84f-43.jpg

 

Rob

 

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2 hours ago, Finn said:

Here is a 500lb version:

 

652acf74ccb3d488_large

 

Jari

 

Thanks! The bomb series was used quite a bit more than I knew a couple of months ago, I'm spotting them more and more 🙂

 

A bit more progress on my M66: I took one of the resin bombs and built it up with 0.5 mm thick strips, to arrive at the correct diameter while maintaining the shape. I looked in my scrap models collection for a conical piece, and found an Esci 1/72 F-104 that fitted quite well, so I cut the radome off. I will now hold for GW's information. In the mean time I will apply Millliput to the bomb body to make it nice and smooth.

 

f84f-45.jpg

 

Rob

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, Rob de Bie said:

 

Good thing I asked 🙂 I will PM you!

 

Here's what I just drew up using the OP 1280 drawings plus data, plus some scaled-up measurements of an M65 bomb with a similar tail. Since I haven't seen a single good side view of this bomb+tail combinatoon, I can't do a visual judgement of the result.

 

 

Rob

 

I'll get them scanned and e-mailed to you this weekend.👍

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16 hours ago, Finn said:

Rob here is video show showing either the M65 or M6

 

Jari

 

Thanks for the great video link! I think it shows an M65: that would be ~2.30m / 7'7", and I think that scales reasonably with the figure.

 

I'm currently rebuilding the bomb components, based on GW's drawing, and I hope to show progress soon.

 

Rob

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 weeks later...
22 minutes ago, crackerjazz said:

That's awesome scratchbuilding, Rob.  What are the pressed fins made of, and how exactly do you press them onto the buck (and how do you build this)?   I couldn't quite get the process for the fin-making part -- can you elaborate a little please?  Thanks!

 

I first printed the bomb to scale (1/48), then glued pieces of 2x1 mm plastic strip exactly butting on the edges of the pressed steel shape. This is the mold, nothing more. The material is 0.1 and 0.2 mm aluminum foil, from food dishes. I pressed with my finger or thumb, the pressure depends on the material thickness and the depth you're looking for. It works very naturally. In the end the 0.1 mm parts were too vulnerable, I used 0.2 mm parts.I hope it's clearer now.


Rob

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  • 1 month later...

Slowly but surely I'm getting there! I made a mold of the scatchbuilt tail, then made some castings, and assembled and painted two of them. I still need to add fuses, and I left off the lugs since I'm using small magnets to attach them to the pylon, but I'm happy with the results so far.

Rob

 

f84f-58.jpg

 

f84f-57.jpg

 

Edited by Rob de Bie
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