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Revell 1:48 scale B-1B Lancer?


KingTiger435

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I've been thinking of saving up for the Platinum edition (the one with PE) Revell 1:48 B-1B Lancer, I just want to ask if its any good.

There isn't much content on the platinum edition and I want to ask if anyone has built it before, was it a good kit? were there any faults or anything with it?

Or can anyone recommend any good videos about the kit?

Thanks in advance!

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Well it's the ONLY B-1B bomber in 1/48 scale so I'd say that limits the field quite a bit. There is a lot of chatter I hear that the engines need to be replaced with AM ones, which are available but not exactly affordable for those on a budget I believe. Caracal decals just released a second sheet for it (1st one sold out long ago) and Kursad has some really cool options on it. I've seen some great builds of it but have shied away from the actual details of putting one together as I know I can't afford one myself.

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You won't find a better one! ^_^ It is about a metre long - that's over 3 of your Imperial feet in case you were wondering.  Scary large. :frantic:

 

Also, on a more sensible note, the detail is a product of its time, but if you're not opening the bomb bays, you shouldn't worry too much.  I think there was some issue with the exhausts too, and you'll need a little extra detail on the landing gear legs.  That's just my take on it from in the box and faffing around for a while trying to do a new single bomb bay tunnel with removable bulkheads like it should be.  I spilt glue on one of the bulkheads, and kind of lost heart, amongst other reasons :)

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9 minutes ago, Mike said:

You won't find a better one! ^_^ It is about a metre long - that's over 3 of your Imperial feet in case you were wondering.  Scary large. :frantic:

 

Also, on a more sensible note, the detail is a product of its time, but if you're not opening the bomb bays, you shouldn't worry too much.  I think there was some issue with the exhausts too, and you'll need a little extra detail on the landing gear legs.  That's just my take on it from in the box and faffing around for a while trying to do a new single bomb bay tunnel with removable bulkheads like it should be.  I spilt glue on one of the bulkheads, and kind of lost heart, amongst other reasons :)

Thanks for the response! It hurts to hear about the bulkhead. One of a modellers worst nightmares are spilt glue or paint.

55 minutes ago, whiskey said:

Well it's the ONLY B-1B bomber in 1/48 scale so I'd say that limits the field quite a bit. There is a lot of chatter I hear that the engines need to be replaced with AM ones, which are available but not exactly affordable for those on a budget I believe. Caracal decals just released a second sheet for it (1st one sold out long ago) and Kursad has some really cool options on it. I've seen some great builds of it but have shied away from the actual details of putting one together as I know I can't afford one myself.

Thanks! Ill keep the engines in mind

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Oh yes... I bought my first one as a teen in the eighties for then 49 German Mark from a sale - together with some Revell spray cans which effectfully ruined the whole kit before it was completed. Still I could not bin it and have most of the parts even today. Later I bought a second kit and several extras but just cannot get it started... The best stop for extras now is Barracuda. They have resin wheels to replace the rubber ones in the kit, early and late exhausts (the original kit has only the early ones), external upgrades and even engine intakes. With a bit of luck they will have an annual sale in June:

http://barracudacals.com/products.php?cat=14&pg=3

 

Eduard did etch parts but such (maybe these) are included in the Platinum release. And if you add some tons of resin you might want to invest into a white metal u/c from Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC 48072).

 

Over all this is currently the most acurate kit of a B-1B. The recessed panel lines are oversized (and actually the main reason I did not start the build so far), the engines have a terrible fit that cry for a very coarse file but maybe the Barracuda intakes are better. The wings are usually extended when parked with flaps and slats dropped. But for shelf space you might want to ignore this (as flaps and slats are molded shut). The included ordanance was not so common AFAIK (I do not care that much about this but others may do) and the tank was not positioned in the back bombbay but in the front one (tank colour was white by the way).

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On 5/28/2019 at 11:49 AM, Caerbannog said:

The best stop for extras now is Barracuda. They have resin wheels to replace the rubber ones in the kit, early and late exhausts (the original kit has only the early ones), external upgrades and even engine intakes. With a bit of luck they will have an annual sale in June:

http://barracudacals.com/products.php?cat=14&pg=3

 

http://barracudacals.com/products.php?cat=14&pg=3

Fixing that link for you. Note if browsing Barracuda's site there is a direct link to "B-1B" details that only calls up their parts for the Monogram 1/72 kit.  The link above will take you to the 1/48 sets for Revell's kit.

 

There's a comprehensive review of one of the previous releases on Britmodeller here:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234984955-rockwell-b-1b-lancer-148/

 

I've yet to see a detailed review of the Platinum Edition, but from preview info it doesn't appear to include two major features of a "modern" B-1:

 

1) Exhausts - The kit represents the 'turkey feathers' as used on B-1Bs from service entry up to the mid-late 1990s.  The change to "featherless" exhausts with exposed actuator mechanisms was roughly concurrent with the transition from SAC to ACC (Air Combat Command) and the simplification of the paint scheme from the 3-tone "Strategic" camouflage to overall FS36118 gray.

 

As noted above, Barracuda does resin exhausts for the early or late designs - late will be mandatory for any schemes from the pas 20 years.

 

2) Weapons - Since the kit was molded as a SAC-era bird, the kit features a WWIII load of AGM-69 SRAM nukes in the belly.  The conversion of B-1Bs to carry conventional munitions happened around the turn of the milennium, thus the kit has no provisions for later JDAMS or "dumb bombs" (Mk. 80 series).  You'll be in for some heavy aftermarket investment on ordnance as well as some scratchbuilding if you want to show the bomb bays open and filled with things that go boom for any timeframe after the end of the Cold War.

 

In addition to those "big ticket" items, there are an abundance of detail corrections/updates you may choose to make depending on the era you're representing and just how accurate you want to be.

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Having seen two built at our club it does look impressive.

 

Apparently the joints between the fuselage sections are a bit of a nightmare.

 

Julien

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It's as good as gigantic kits of iconic aircraft get!

 

The kit is very big and makes a blank canvas for your wildest modelling ambitions. I built one as a modern version but even in the Platinum edition it builds out of the box as a grey-green Reagan-era strategic bomber with SRAM missiles and a long range fuel tank. If you want anything more modern than that, you have to work on it or spend big on aftermarket, which kind of defeats the object of saving up for a Platinum kit.

 

It has huge, trench like panel lines which are easy to fill, and huge, trench like seam gaps between the front and rear fuselage which aren't. Invest in some putty!

 

The engines have been covered above, basically you will need to do some scratchbuilding if you want to modernise as the kit nacelles only fit the kit turkey feather exhausts. If you want to do without turkey feathers, you'll have to build back the nacelles about 8mm (1/3") to accommodate them. Also you'll need to add rotary bomb racks, defensive avionics and communications bumps and antennae, a few vortex generators and so on if you go down the modern route.

 

The cockpit and wheels benefit greatly from the Platinum set, but bear in mind very little of the cockpit is visible due to the smoked glass canopy.

 

The landing gear are mini-masterpieces that look brilliant when built up. 

 

It's an absolute beast of a kit and will stop any passerby at any show by its sheer presence. However, if you do build one in your modelling lifetime, I can pretty much guarantee you will only build one!

 

Alan

Edited by Alan P
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22 hours ago, Julien said:

Having seen two built at our club it does look impressive.

 

Apparently the joints between the fuselage sections are a bit of a nightmare.

 

Julien

The three main sections (which coincidentally mirror the assembly of the real thing) do take a bit of putting together! 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here are some pics of the seam joints:

20cc2472-2586-4fc3-ab5a-a006db1e2cbc.JPG

d477799c-434e-4550-a9fd-5d57c1f68593.JPG

589bdb71-d64b-4f9c-8f92-904dfbbee8ac.JPG

Not pretty!

 

Some of the remedial work if you want to modernise it is quite involved as well. It might be worth me posting a retrospective WIP as I built mine before Britmodeller existed!

Edited by Alan P
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On 6/1/2019 at 12:49 AM, Alan P said:

. 

 

It's an absolute beast of a kit and will stop any passerby at any show by its sheer presence. However, if you do build one in your modelling lifetime, I can pretty much guarantee you will only build one!

 

Alan

Drat, I’ve got two in the stash. I’m going to need a bigger house!

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On 6/10/2019 at 7:46 AM, Alan P said:

Here are some pics of the seam joints:

20cc2472-2586-4fc3-ab5a-a006db1e2cbc.JPG

d477799c-434e-4550-a9fd-5d57c1f68593.JPG

589bdb71-d64b-4f9c-8f92-904dfbbee8ac.JPG

Not pretty!

 

Some of the remedial work if you want to modernise it is quite involved as well. It might be worth me posting a retrospective WIP as I built mine before Britmodeller existed!

The seams aren't great, and will take a bit of cleaning up. I have the Eduard set, and I will get around in the future to modifying the Seat mounting - they are on rails and move back to ensure the crew members legs are free of the consoles prior booster firing. But the Revell did the seat fittings based on the prototype when the entire cockpit area was within a capsule that separated from the airframe with the crew inside.

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It's a brute of a kit. I built one a number of years ago. A tale of love and hate but I was delighted with the end result and it still sits proudly in my display cabinet.

 

Revell B-1B

 

(sorry for the poor pictures, camera wasn't great back then!)

 

Some of the parts that I had to scratch build are now available from Barracuda Studios, but as mentioned, aren't cheap. Aftermarket decals are a must and I'd recommend getting a set of SAC metal undercarriage as I just don't think the plastic kit parts will stand the test of time. The intakes are also a nightmare, missing inner vanes amongst other things. I'd suggest getting the Barracuda Intake set which comes with corrected intake fairings and FOD covers.

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  • 3 months later...
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On 10/13/2019 at 4:24 PM, exdraken said:

:analintruder: So NOOOIIICEEE...!!!

My bank account is going to hate it, tho, me guesses...

Yeh, it is.

Cheers,

 

Unc2

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  • 3 months later...

Hi King Tiger.

The Bone is my current WIP. Perhaps a bit ambitious as my sixth or seventh real kit after eighteen months modelling, but it came half price from a Hobbycraft sale.

I don't have a lot of workspace so for me it is an exercise in logistics as well as patience.

It is a big kit, a consequence of which is that the large fuselage sections flex, which makes an accurate fit challenging. Expect to become well acquainted with your filler of choice. Oh, and it helps if you like sanding. I am finding it fascinating, though hard work. Weapons bays are open for me. I must admit that I have found the interface between PE parts and the kit plastic to be less than adequate, the crossover instructions are poor in my opinion. When it has reached a presentable state I will post a pic. Hope you enjoy it!

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Almost bought one of these many years ago, had no idea of the poor fit, yikes those pics look scary, way beyond my patience level, even after filling and sanding (that I hate) it looks like some serious re-scribing would be needed to match panel lines too?

I'm spoilt with Tamiya modern quality I'm afraid ... but I bet it can look stunning once built by a skilled and patient modeller.

Are there any B2 stealth Bomber kits in 1/48 I wonder?

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On 1/20/2020 at 10:45 PM, djbramble said:

It is a big kit, a consequence of which is that the large fuselage sections flex, which makes an accurate fit challenging. Expect to become well acquainted with your filler of choice. 

Perhaps wise to introduce some plasticard (or metal) stiffeners where possible, rod in wing to stop sagging etc... 
And I thought a 1:32 Tomcat was big.

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Hi alt-92

I've managed to brace the front of the mid section internally with some pre curved sprue, which looks ok.

I will add more support from the outside wall of the front weapons bay to the rear of the front section. Not much to work on, but worth a shot.

Apart from that, plenty of cement, filler and fingers crossed.

Cheers.

 

 

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