B-1B Builders

[Mark Lynam]

Jack,

Have a look at the walkaround photos section here in ARC under Jets. There's a lot of good close-up photos which will probably show the nav lights, etc. Also, have a look at this site if you haven't already, which also has a lot of good photos.

As for information on the lights, what are you looking for? I'm overseas at the moment, so not close to my resources, but I'll try to help as best as I can.

Mark

hi guys,

who can tell me something about the various navi-/ position- / strobe-lights of the B-1B ??

I'd googled endless time, but can't find anything usefull. Where the lights at the bone, and when they are used ?

I would be greatly grateful for any informations about this.

greetings, jack52

Edited January 6, 2007 by Mark Lynam

[jack52]

Hi Marc,

thanks for your posting.

I specially want to know : does the B-one have any strobes and/or beacons at the bottom of the fuselage, maybe at the nacelles ?

jack

Edited January 6, 2007 by jack52

[ermd]

Shout out to Mark Lynam!

Hey, Mark.

I am hoping to do something similar to the amazing work you did with the B1 rotary launcher many pages ago. (page 11) I went to our local bait shop and picked up some 30 gauge fly-fishing leader - that is the only gauge they had. Do you recall if that was the gauge you used on your cables and wires? Also, it looks like there is some sort of clear polymer coating on the leader - did yours have that and if so did you leave it on? It makes it a little harder to manipulate and bend, and may obscure the woven detail which I would like to try and replicate. (I'm wondering how to remove the coating in the meantime.)

I was able to correctly alter the non-tapered end of the launcher using 7/16 styrene tube as you suggested - thanks! Also, did you do anything to alter the diameter of the tapered end of the launcher or is the final diameter the same as the kit part?

If I could paste the pictures of your awesom launcher here I would, but I don't know how.

Anyway, I would appreciate your input. This is the point I decided to start my B1!

Regards,

Greg O.

[stan2004]

..

I'd googled endless time, but can't find anything usefull. Where the lights at the bone, and when they are used ?

..

Did you try Video Google (or maybe YouTube)? I typed in B-1B and the first video that came up ("airvids") shows the front strut taxi lights on, rear vert stab strobe, and both wing-root strobes flashing away. A quick hop over to the ARC B-1B walkarounds matches - for example, I guessed those clear lenses next to the red and blue-green nav lights were strobes and the video confirms that. I believe the limited video frame rate is missing some flashes and that they are really flashing at a constant rate. What's not clear from the video is if the strobes are flashing in sync. I notice on commercial a/c that some are in-sync, some alternate, and some are out-of-sync - seeing as you're making the effort that is... If you're planning to light up your model, I'd sure like to see what you come up with!

[jack52]

Hi Stan,

thank You very much. I didn't think about video google , very good idea and helpfully.

Right, the first video answers my questions.

Thanks again,

Hans

[Pruz]

Hi everybody - this a great thread for the nutty B-Oners out there with lots of shelf space. :D

I'm just about to start on my 1/48 BOne - I have accumulated 12 JDAMs (4 bunker busters from Shawn Hull and 8 Golden Dragon standard ones via Great Models.com), 10 WCMDs (well, they will be after some scratch conversion!) from Hasegawa's Strike Eagle kit, Eduard PE, Cutting Edge exhausts, towed decoys (also from Shawn Hull), and Fox One's superb decal sheet. I also invested in DACO's amazing book which is priceless for anyone attempting to do this big bird justice. Although the plan was to do a Gulf II-era bird, I am greedily eyeing Shawn Hull's Sniper pod as these are probably going to be fitted to Bones for a bang-up-to-date B-1B.

In my continuing insanity I am planning to drop the flaps and slats, scratchbuild rotary launchers for the mid and aft bays and CBM hardpoints in the fwd one - I plan to leave the crew canopies closed to save me excessive work, but the bomb bays and gear will be superdetailed and I will probably set it on a mirror base.

I hope to draw on your helpful expertise and keep you updated throughout!

By the way if anyone is interested in getting hold of one of these enormous kits they are going very cheap on eBay - looks like all the guys who bought one when they were re-released are getting shot of them already.... :)

Cheers, Alan

Edited February 5, 2007 by Pruz

[ermd]

Hey guys!

While waiting for Mark Lynam to return I have been scratchbuilding on the Conventional Rotary Launcher. I am using the excellent Daco book as a reference. According to the Daco reference, the CRL is 180" in length. Does anyone happen to know if the 1/48 Revell kit rotary launchers approximate the CRL as far as scale length?

Regards

Greg

[Pruz]

Started finally -

Here's the front cockpit - I swear it looks a lot neater in real life - good old flash photography at close range!

Panel detail is Eduard PE. Seats are covered by black "sheepskin" covers rather than the red as supplied. The non-slip flooring is 1200 grit sandpaper.

More soon - I should have a good run at it as i am off work for a while and spring is returning so I can stay out in my workshop without freezing to death...

Cheers, Al

Edited June 2, 2019 by Pruz

[Pruz]

Hi everyone,

well, this thread seems to have died out, so I'm afraid it's just my paltry efforts you are getting for now!

I seem to have lots of partly built components for this big beast - I am getting round to finishing some as I slog on. Here's the main gear well, with some added wiring and Eduard photo-etch panels:

Fwd end:

Aft end:

I found the Daco book invaluable as my main resource. I should have the landing gear done by tomorrow, with the front end, aft end and wings/stabilisers finished by the weekend.

*CHANGE OF PLAN* I am now modelling this with the flaps/slats stowed. The main reasons for this are:

1) storing the model would be too difficult - I need to be able to sweep the wings back

2) the added weight will make the airframe far too heavy for the wheels

3) the effort required to scratchbuild flaps, slats, spoilers, fairings, wing interior detail, rails and actuators would add about 6 weeks to the build and the overall effect would probably not be worth it!

As it is, it will still build up into something impressive. (cue Pinocchio nose *vooooooop!*)

Keep you posted,

Al

Edited June 2, 2019 by Pruz

[martin_sam_2000]

i got off a friend in a lot purchase when he moved a few montsh back. i plan to (eventualy) tear it apard and rebuild it. its a huge project and i have SOO much on the polate right now that its going to have to wait.

reat job on everyone who ahs posted pics of their models. its nice to see what mine can look liek when im done!!!!

sean

[Pruz]

Hi again everyone,

Still desperately trying to resuscitate this dying thread - maybe if you see my ape-like efforts it might encourage you to skip back in the thread and see some of the really amazing work being done with the Revell 1/48 B-1B.

I'm slowly making progress - here's my landing gear awaiting decals and finishing touches:

Nose gear:

Main gear:

Here's a comparison of the size of this stuff - that's a same scale Tornado dwarfed by the BOne's gear:

Not shown here (yet) are the front and rear fuse sections which are just about complete - the Shawn Hull ALE-50 trailing decoy pods are great and fit almost perfectly. The wings and stabilisers are also built, puttied and sanded.

I've started work on the bomb bays and rotary launchers - (see Mark Lynam's amazing superdetailing of the MRL on about page 11 of this thread). I can promise you mine won't look like his!

What's pretty annoying is the sides of the bomb bays are full of nicely done raised panels, cabling and spars, but spoiled by huge ejector pin marks - some stand almost 1mm proud of the surface and reach 4-5mm diameter. I would recommend a dremel tool if you are thinking of building this - I will just have to disguise some of them as components or panels as they are just too hefty to remove by grinding.

Still, it's fun making something this BIG! I dry fitted the fuselage and it measures just over three feet long. Time for some new shelving....

Cheers <_<

Al

Edited June 2, 2019 by Pruz

[PapaSmurf630]

Crikey! That is big!

Superb work so far! This really is an invaluable thread for those B1 builders out there and you seem to be doing a simply amazing job so far. The main gear you posted looks almost real! Love the look of the rubber on the tires, very nicely done.

[ermd]

Hey, Al...

For what it's worth I think your progress is looking great. It just seems I am so busy I can't seem to find the time to build lately. Please continue to post your progress.

Regards, Greg

[swimmer25k]

I am looking to finally dive into my 1/72 B-1 as I recently dropped the big $$$ on the Goffy Model cockpit. I am interested in modelling my B-1 with the flaps and slats down. I have seen many of the photos of this done on this site, but I need some help.

Does anyone have any good drawings, plans, suggestions,or any detailed photos on how to do this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I do have the Peeters book on the B-1 as well as some other documentation.

Furthermore, is the rumor true that Goffy will be doing a weapons bay as well?

Chris

[jack52]

Hi guys,

I just have one question. Who can tell me if the b-one has two different window-coatings. Photos seem to show a greenish color for the front-windows, and a redish color for side- and top-windows.

Is this correct or only a photo-effect ?

Hans (Germany)

( please excuse my bad and simple English )

[jack52]

Hi guys,

I just have one question. Who can tell me if the b-one has two different window-coatings. Photos seem to show a greenish color for the front-windows, and a redish color for side- and top-windows.

Is this correct or only a photo-effect ?

Hans (Germany)

( please excuse my bad and simple English )

hi guys,

nobody has an answer ? is this thread dead ?? or i haven't patience enough ???

greatings, Hans

[RedHeadKevin]

I know what you mean about the reflective coating on the windows, but I'm not sure how you'd want to replicate it. I could bve very wrong here, but you might try a method I use for HUD's and CRT screens. I have a sheet of thin, pearlescent Mylar that was used for wrapping presents. If I put a little bit of this on a screen, I get a cool rainbow-pearlescent finish on the screen. I don't know if it'd be transparent enough to do for entire cockpit windows, but it might be worth trying.

[Pruz]

Hans - I can see the effect you are talking about but I'm also not sure if they are different coatings. The Daco book is not very helpful on this point. The ARC Tools'n'Tips section has good ideas about tinting canopies, and www.swannysmodels.com has a good step by step article about using Future (Klear) floor polish and food dyes to achieve tinted canopies.

Anyway, a little more progress:

Here's the rear fuse with Shawn Hull's (www.shull24.com) excellent ALE-50 decoy launchers and a scratchbuilt defensive avionics blister - this replaces the two blade antennae from the old (pre-2001) DAS:

The next ones are works in progress - first a Conventional Munitions Dispenser for 10 WCMDs (made from half the kit's internal fuel tank and plastic card)

The Conventional Rotary Launchers are in the process of being superdetailed - the kit version is just a smooth cone of plastic. I didn't want to go overboard on it as most of it will be invisible when the JDAMs are on. (NB. No pictures yet cos they look cr@p at the moment)

These are the resin JDAMs - Shawn Hull's bunker buster (GBU-31(V)) and the standard GBU-31. If you want a stock of these (as most airplanes carry them now) the standard USAF JDAMs are by Golden Dragon - they come in a set of 4 for about $14 from GreatModels.com BUT beware! They are two-part assemblies - the front ends are OK but the GPS tails and fins are the worst cast bits of resin I've ever worked with - badly formed, lots of bubbles and surface imperfections. Be prepared to make lots of new fins! Shawn Hull's are just magic - accurate and so crisply cast they could be the real thing in monochrome.

These are the WCMDs in the process - they are the M-20 Rockeyes from the Hasegawa F-15E slightly modified as can be seen from the comparison. The WCMD is formed from Milliput and chopped sprue.

More soon - completed bomb bays and bombs will be up after the weekend.

Thanks for the kind observations, it keeps me motivated to continue! I am getting better, honest....

All the best,

Al.

Edited June 2, 2019 by Pruz

[Dez]

Wow, I've read through this thread and the builds I've seen are awesome. Here's my own humble submission. It was the kit that got me started again on the hobby after god knows how many years on hiatus. It was an early effort, but I learned a lot from it and want to give it another go. I got the kit off of ebay and a lot of the larger parts were warped (since it was so old), and some stuff was missing. Luckily, Revell supplies replacement parts.

The decals are from twobobs and I used cutting edge's engine nozzles. Otherwise, everything else "extra" is scratch built.

Not much, but it was my first attempt. It still needs to be "weathered", just haven't gotten around to it.

Edited May 4, 2007 by Dez

[Dez]

I know what you mean about the reflective coating on the windows, but I'm not sure how you'd want to replicate it. I could bve very wrong here, but you might try a method I use for HUD's and CRT screens. I have a sheet of thin, pearlescent Mylar that was used for wrapping presents. If I put a little bit of this on a screen, I get a cool rainbow-pearlescent finish on the screen. I don't know if it'd be transparent enough to do for entire cockpit windows, but it might be worth trying.

Well, I figure they get that metallic coating on plastic sunglasses somehow... maybe there's a way to electroplate clear styrene? Someone ought to be able to duplicate the technique. Maybe...

Edited May 4, 2007 by Dez

[jack52]

Good morning guys,

first of all : thank you all for trying to help !

@ ReadHeadKevin : we have this mylar foil in every supermarket here in Germany, and the effect is really nice. But its too stiff, because the bone's windows are curved in two or more directions. I think its impossible to applicate the mylar without wrinkling.

@ Pruz : Wooooooooooouw !!! i'm watching your build all the time, and its great ! waiting your conventionell launchers are finished.

Here's the rear fuse with Shawn Hull's (www.shull24.com) excellent ALE-50 decoy launchers and a scratchbuilt defensive avionics blister - this replaces the two blade antennae from the old (pre-2001) DAS:

First time i see this is replicated. All the guys here in Germany are building modern bones (except me, i'm building an early bone), but always with the old antennas, this hurts my eyes.

the windows : think i'll try the future method. Thank You !

@ Dez : Yes, it is a metallic coating, and its a gold coating ! But how to replicate exactly ?? Someone told me in labs with electron microscopes they are using so called 'sputters' to applicate metalic coatings on fine organic structures. This might be working, but i don't know anyone working with such equipment...

bye, Hans

[Dez]

Just another pic for B-1 Nut, I use smooth rhinestones for my landing lights, they look so much better than MV lenses, kit supplied clear parts, or paint (they catch the light better than anything I've tried so far). More pics when the light is better.

Edited May 6, 2007 by Dez

[Dez]

More pics for B-1 Nut, please excuse the dust on the plane and the grass poking into the pics.

[Pruz]

Hi again,

This should probably move to the in-progress pics forum I suppose... I'm surprised i got this far with it really!

Here are the bomb bay components finished:

Here are the bombs - all 22 of them done at last! :huh:

And these are my half-hearted "super"-detailed CRLs...

And here's the completed WCMD rack:

And here's how they all fit their bomb bays:

And i even managed to finish the nose gear with MV lenses and decals nicked from the Academy F-18 kit.

At last I can close up the fuselage and start painting! Hopefully should be all over quite quickly from here - the last fiddly bit is the engines, but I am glad to have got the flight deck, gear and weapons bays over and done with.

All the best and enjoy the weather

Al

Edited June 2, 2019 by Pruz

[KRI76]

What a wonderful work you've done Al!

Please don´t tell me it's in 1/72....or I'll loose the little pride I have left...

/Kristian