B-1B Lancer (BONE!)
Lots of putty needed.
Lots of putty needed.
Scratch built the rest of the intake trunk.
Scratch built the rest of the intake trunk.
First pass at putty.
Lots of air bubbles in the sloppy application of putty meant I had to keep filling them as I sanded and shaped the contour. Had to use different colors of putty to know what I had just done.
Lots of air bubbles in the sloppy application of putty meant I had to keep filling them as I sanded and shaped the contour. Had to use different colors of putty to know what I had just done.
Lots of air bubbles in the sloppy application of putty meant I had to keep filling them as I sanded and shaped the contour. Had to use different colors of putty to know what I had just done.
Lots of air bubbles in the sloppy application of putty meant I had to keep filling them as I sanded and shaped the contour. Had to use different colors of putty to know what I had just done.
Good detail in the after market cans.
Had to use a piece of sheet styrene to fill the gap been engines.
Glass did not fit well. At all. Had to get really aggressive with sanding to get it to blend. Scary step - I've never had to get crazy like that before, but I ended up getting it smooth again.
Glass did not fit well. At all. Had to get really aggressive with sanding to get it to blend. Scary step - I've never had to get crazy like that before, but I ended up getting it smooth again.
Wings are painted, decals are on, and gloss coated before I assembled the main fuselage.
Wings are painted, decals are on, and gloss coated before I assembled the main fuselage.
Empennage was a hell of a seam. Lots of CA. Parts were rounded instead of flat, so not good butt-joint here.
Forward fuselage seam was a pain as well.
Eject hatches for the back-seaters needed a lot of attention too. Didn't fit well.
Body primed!
I was using rattle-can Tamiya paint, and because it's a lacquer, it kept eating at my joint putty. Can you see the seam it exposed?
I was using rattle-can Tamiya paint, and because it's a lacquer, it kept eating at my joint putty. Can you see the seam it exposed?
Painting done!
Yep. Broke off a horizontal stab late in the game. I walked away for a few days after that.
Wheel bays were a great place for hiding the control switches for the lights.
Battery is accessible through rear bomb bay. Magnets keep it closed.
Love the detail on this resin exhausts.
Love the detail on this resin exhausts.
Forward bomb bay has the brains of the operation
Vortex generators were created from scrap PE.
Sniper pod added.
I actually added LEDs to both landing lights, but one of them stopped working after I buttoned it up (of course!).
The back cabin is fully detailed and lit (because it was fun!), but you can't see much through that small window.
Wing root lights. Pretty sure I have the nav light and strobe backwards, but oh well.
Strobe in tail. It stays lit at about 5% power, but when I need it to flash, I bump it to 100% briefly.
Tough getting good pictures of the lights. Sorry for the bad quality.
Tough getting good pictures of the lights. Sorry for the bad quality.
Tough getting good pictures of the lights. Sorry for the bad quality.
Tough getting good pictures of the lights, especially when the plane is 3' long and 3' wide. Sorry for the bad quality.
Tough getting good pictures of the lights. Sorry for the bad quality.
Tough getting good pictures of the lights. Sorry for the bad quality.
Taped together to see how everything fits.
Arduino controller
Cut out the panels that needed to be green and backlit. Replaced with green styrene and sealed with clear green paint around the edges.
Cut out the panels that needed to be green and backlit. Replaced with green styrene and sealed with clear green paint around the edges.
Had to get creative running all the wires.
Had to get creative running all the wires.
Note the two landing lights that I had to pre-wire. They weren't attached to the nose gear until much later.
Proof of concept to make sure I had the lights working.
It's beautiful in there, but you can't see it now!
It's beautiful in there, but you can't see it now!
It's beautiful in there, but you can't see it now!
It's beautiful in there, but you can't see it now!
The kit had the wing tip lights in the wrong place, at least according to the research I did. Filled the panel lines and made new lenses from scratch.
The kit had the wing tip lights in the wrong place, at least according to the research I did. Filled the panel lines and made new lenses from scratch.
Light is roughed-in.
With moveable wings, I made sure the wires wouldn't prevent movement or get snagged.
Cut off the fake light and added a scratch made strobe on the tail.
Cut off the fake light and added a scratch made strobe on the tail.
Cut off the fake light and added a scratch made strobe on the tail.
Because I built the plane in 3 sections, I had to plan the wiring ahead of time. Stuffed the empennage wiring inside until it was time to join it to the fuselage.
Resin upgrades.
Resin upgrades.
Main gear bay has the control switches.
Main gear bay has the control switches.
Main gear bay has the control switches.
Had to cut out the spot in the wing roots for the lights I added.
Had to cut out the spot in the wing roots for the lights that needed to be added.
Had to cut out the spot in the wing roots for the lights that needed to be added. Scratch built new lenses.
Comments
16 2 September 2021, 02:30
Villiers de VosImpressive. Very well done. The integration of your upgrades were very well done.
2 September 2021, 05:38
Gary VictoryReally impressive work Casey. Clever idea hiding the light switches in the wheel bay. Top job Sir. 😉
2 September 2021, 06:33
Casey RupleyThank you both! All of those upgrades were definitely a challenge, but worth it in the end. Someone in my local club has the same kit and upgrades waiting to be built - he keeps trying to get me to buy it all and do another. Nope!!! One and done. Not only was it painful, this thing is 3 feet long!
2 September 2021, 14:41
Andrew HortonIncredible! How long has this beast taken? I saw one for sale for $40 at IPMS, but I couldn't grab it at the time. : )
2 September 2021, 15:26
Casey RupleyThank you! I'm a very slow builder, so take that for what it's worth. I spent 7 months working on this project. It's been a couple of years since I finished it, but if I had to guess, it was probably around 150-200 hours of effort. If you're talking about IPMS Nationals at Vegas a few weeks ago, I think I remember seeing the same model. $40 is a steal - I think they're going for at least $100 on eBay, if I remember correctly - but you'll invest a lot more on blood, sweat, tears, whiskey, and upgrades. Hard to resist the upgrades - the base kit is dull.
2 September 2021, 15:39
Jorge AvilaCasey, very impressive! Give yourself more credit on this build. You did remarkable, especially for adding the LEDs. Looking at how you did the intakes is pretty ingenious as well. I have a mess that I am not sure how I'm going to clean up on the intakes. This looked like the easy fix. Thank you for sharing!
2 September 2021, 15:51
Casey RupleyThanks, Jorge! I look forward to seeing how your build progresses.
2 September 2021, 17:52
Andrew HortonThat's cool you were at Vegas. We had a table there. I don't imagine there will be another 1/48 B-1 anytime soon. Did you bring this one to the contest? I recall seeing a completed on on the table.
2 September 2021, 17:56
Casey RupleyI thought I recognized the name and your pictures (after I looked at your website). I definitely remember your table in the back row. No, that wasn't my B-1. That was a great model, however, and well modified with flaps, spoilers, etc. That took a lot of commitment as well. Kudos to whomever built it.
2 September 2021, 18:12
Donald Dickson III did this with those same extras. It definitely took me while, especially with those damned intakes. Good work!
B1-B | Album by smokeriderdon (1:48)
2 September 2021, 18:39
Andrew HortonIf you were to build it again, what aftermarket would you recommend (as well as not)?
2 September 2021, 18:45
Casey RupleyThanks, Donald! "Those damned intakes" is right!!! Not sure what everyone used for such a large amount of putty, but I used acrylic gel medium because it was cheaper than using the same quantity of our other, more preferred (i.e. expensive) putties. Dries really hard, so it was tough to sand, but very durable.
FLM: Personal opinion only, but I'd prefer to see a new tool for the 1/48 and 1/72 scale versions of the Bone. We're all still building kits that are decades old for this subject, and the details and construction are horrible. I know there are new versions in 1/144 scale, but something is still needed in the bigger scales. If someone made a kit with proper panel lines (they're drastically out of scale on existing kits), updated engines, and all the trimmings, I'd definitely get it and save myself the hassle of trying to fit it all together.
That said, to answer your question more directly, I can't really speak to which aftermarket upgrades NOT to get because I was really happy with what I used. The Barracuda resin parts were great. I used Caracal decals as well.
2 September 2021, 19:16
Jorge AvilaThe bone at the IPMS Vegas show was from Chris Derks of Alexandria, Virginia (according to the winning list). I would have loved to make it up there but couldn't unfortunately. That modified B-1B looked great. FLM: On my current build, I am also using the Barracuda intakes and initially the Cutting Edge engine nozzles and cans. I just recently got the Barracuda nozzles and those seem to be a bit bigger but the fit is also better. I currently have two kits and I am contemplating on redoing the whole intake and nacelle assembly to incorporate the Barracuda using 'sprue goo' (styrene filler). Casey is right that this thing is tedious work but fulfilling when it comes out looking great (hopefully).
2 September 2021, 23:31
Donald Dickson IITo be honest, had I known when I purchased those intakes what it would entail, I likely would have just gone with the kit offering and been satisfied with the resin exhausts. Yes, they look great, but man was that a royal pain.
3 September 2021, 09:29
Jorge AvilaBone Fragments has an additional intake conversion kit that may help but ultimately is a struggle.
3 September 2021, 17:27
Slavo Hazuchawow, that´s some serious surgery on the basic kit... I sort of want this kit, but every time I see "evidence", reason takes over and I don´t feel the urge for another 6-9 months 😄
you did a valiant effort with all the adaptations and brought it miles closer to the original - great job, respect for all the courage & determination + the finished deal looks really great with all the lights & co 👍
top build report too!
7 September 2021, 10:11
Donald Dickson IISlavo, I feel like you would do a killer job on it making mine look amateurish.
7 September 2021, 15:32
Casey RupleyThanks, Slavo! I agree with Donald, you would crush it and I would love to see what you could do, but trust your gut and save yourself the pain. Wait for someone to build a respectable 1/48 or 1/72 scale version of this beast. Come on, Tamiya!!!
8 September 2021, 16:55
Donald Dickson IICasey, THIS would have been a much more needed and welcomed kit from Tamiya rather than that F-4.
8 September 2021, 17:59
Casey RupleyAgree! I've heard that kit is a dream to build, but I'm not in the market for another F-4 at the moment. Oh well, we continue our wait.
8 September 2021, 18:31
Jorge AvilaFrom what I understand, doesn't the company that makes the kit need some sort of license from Rockwell (or in this case, Boeing)? I'm sure there is some sort of licensing involved and may be too expensive for some other company (like Tamiya) to create their own. Although, that would be awesome!
9 September 2021, 04:37
Album info
I completed this two years ago and was inspired to upload the project after seeing someone else working on theirs. Not my best work, but after 7 months and countless problems, I was just happy to be done with this kit, and whiskey helped tolerate the flaws. Upgrades include late model resin intakes, exhaust, wheels, towed decoy fairings, and several antennas; added LED nav nights, strobes, landing lights, cockpit lights, and instrument panel lights; custom programming for 3 different lightening sequences; scratch built intake ramp veins for late model; new decals; sniper targeting pod; static whips on tail; vortex generators on empennage; scratch pitot tubes. Forward and Aft bomb bay doors provide access to 9V battery, wiring, and Arduino control board; bomb bay doors are magnetically secured.
Lighting sequences:
1. Progressive, rotate through all circuits
2. All lights on
3. Startup: cockpit/cabin (on), instrument panels, cockpit/cabin (off), nav lights, strobes (flash in sequence between wing root and tail), and landing lights
