Moon Puppy's Big Bone...

[moon puppy]

From Wiki

The Rockwell (now part of Boeing) B-1 Lancer is a four-engine, variable-sweep wing strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force. First envisioned in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with sufficient range and payload to replace the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, it developed primarily into a low-level penetrator with long range and supersonic speed capability.

The bomber's development was delayed multiple times over its history, as the theory of strategic balance changed from flexible response to mutually assured destruction and back again. The initial B-1A version was developed in the early 1970s, but its production was canceled and only four prototypes were built. In 1980, the B-1 resurfaced as the B-1B version with the focus on low-level penetration bombing. The B-1B entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1986.

I got out of the service in 1985, six months before the B1 was deployed to Grand Forks ND AFB. I never got the chance to see one up close let alone load a SRAM AGM86 or B61 gravity bomb. I was there when they started digging up the hanger floors to reinforce them to carry the different weight load. Well that's what we think they were doing, need to know and all that.

Well that's the short history, what will I build?

The Monogram B1-B

yeah, that one!

But I'm going to short cut this. Gear up, Wings Swept, Burners open (I think that's the state it should be when wide open), no interior and the windscreen will be blackened out.

Color scheme...more on that later.

First hurtle? While inspecting the kit I got off ebay a couple of years ago i found...No Instructions!!!!

Can anyone throw me a bone? I know someone has the instructions and a scanner..please??

 

[Sharkmouth]

You're kidding, right?

It is posted on Swanny's Site:


Regards,

 

[moon puppy]

HA! Should have know Matt would have me covered.

No, I don't kid about my Bone.

 

[moon puppy]

The majority of the instructions are for the landing gear and bombbays..this may not take long.

Saul, have you built this? Do you know if the internal bulkheads are needed for any support?

 

[jknaus]

The majority of the instructions are for the landing gear and bombbays..this may not take long.

Saul, have you built this? Do you know if the internal bulkheads are needed for any support?

If your worried about support, you could aways squirt a bit of expanding foam in. Not much and make sure there is somewhere for the overflow to com out. Bulk with low weight. win win.
James

 

[moon puppy]

That'll work sure nuff. Thanks James.

 

[Sharkmouth]

Never built a large bone... I only found a sharkmouth recently.

Regards,

 

[moon puppy]

The canard would make a nasty tooth...

 

[Kreighshoer]

i heard this is a pretty big plane ... i hope it will be big fun for you to build!

i surely will have big fun following!

 

[dollar19]

I have been waiting a long time to see this!

 

[moon puppy]

I know I said I was going to clean up, I did..really, I did!

Here we go!

I think the first thing I will start on is the Eduard PE afterburners. At least I have instructions for them.

 

[Kreighshoer]

cripes ... that's not big, that's HUGE!

i never had thought that the kit was THAT big!

 

[dollar19]

Yeah Laura, forget the coffee table.....this one will take up the dining room table.

 

[MrT]

Yeah it's big!!! I had one got scared and sold it. Hope you got a big bench.

Terry B)

 

[moon puppy]

OK so I lied. I didn't start with the burners I started in midsection. I wanted to close up the bombbays and gear well to remove any temptation to get off track and lost in hyperdetail mania.

To answer my own question, yes, the internal is necessary if only to hold the cord shape of the build, I'll post pictures shortly.

Dang thing is big...

 

[moon puppy]

So the answer to the question, is the interior needed?
Yes, I think so.
the bulkheads help give the cord shape of the airframe you can see here:

This is the forward bulkhead of the gear well, with one side glued down you can see the gap on the other, not sure if that would be called a dihedral but that upward curvature would be lost and not defined

Here the other side is secured

Not sure if you can see the difference, this is before and after the bulkhead was inplace.

 

[moon puppy]

Good ol' Monogram...I remember now how we could knock those kits out so quickly. But not doing any interior really has cut down time.

Today's work.
Tail plane is together, no elevators yet, mid section is dry fitted and wings are glued. There is a very nasty seam on the trailing underside of the wings that will need a lot of work. I haven't sealed up the mid section yet because I may want to rig some sort of break down of the three section and I really do want to create some sort of inflight base.

yeah, that's 3 foot pulled out on the tape. Did I tell ya this thing is BIG!?

Please, anyone have any ideas on how to make a inflight base? I'm wide open for suggestions.

 

[Sherman 18]

Holy :pinch: That thing got some size! COOL

 

[moon puppy]

Here's what I'm doing with the windscreen.
AlcladII Gold...

think I'll do a squirt of black behind that to blacken it out more. You can't really see it here but the lip between the two side windows really distorts the effect. Not sure what I can do about that, replacement windows from somewhere?

 

[Sharkmouth]

In flight base on a jet... why not stick the stand up its ...

For the windows, did you not learn from my gap filling exercises? Try this on a scrap kit:

[ol]
[li]Use cellophane to mask around the cockpit framing.[/li]
[li]Glue or cement the cockpit glass in place.[/li]
[li]After it is cured, apply thin cyano-acrylate glue to the gap (use a drafting pen for control)[/li]
[li]After one hour, sand away and repeat steps 3 & 4.[/li]
[li]Sand and polish.[/li]
[/ol]

Regards,