1/72 Revell B-2 ATB into stealthy aerial refueling tanker.......or not?

[Gondor]

Looking at the pictures of the model and worrying about the exhaust of the engines, would it be possible to increase the size of the upper surface exhausts and to close the underside exhausts thus reducing the amount of disturbed air below the aircraft a bit?

Gondor

[Pellson]

I've always thought of that kit as a wonderful start of for an Avro Vulcan follow-on British strategic bomber, and I am aware that some simple repaints has been popping up now and then. However, I would probably have dome some reshaping at least. Adding a couple of typically Hawker Siddeley-shaped fins, f.i (see Hunter, Harrier and Hawk, for reference) or something else to "britify" the design somewhat. But that's me.

[Rheged]

I've always thought of that kit as a wonderful start of for an Avro Vulcan follow-on British strategic bomber, and I am aware that some simple repaints has been popping up now and then. However, I would probably have dome some reshaping at least. Adding a couple of typically Hawker Siddeley-shaped fins, f.i (see Hunter, Harrier and Hawk, for reference) or something else to "britify" the design somewhat. But that's me.

"Britification"     what a lovely concept.  Well done Pellson, you have just added a new term to our vocabulary.

[seadude]

I just had an idea last night.
If the refueling tanker idea doesn't work out for any reason, then what about a stealthy aerial transport aircraft?
It's not that far-fetched as the USAF has been trying to design different concepts over the past few years.
I've got a whole ton of 1/350 scale US Marine Corps armor vehicles that I didn't use when converting some amphibious assault ship kits.
The picture below shows the sprue of an M1 Abrams tank next to the fuselage of the 1/72 scale Revell ATB bomber kit. You could probably fit 6-8 M1 tanks in each of the weapon bays.............or perhaps I should say "cargo bays". If I went with this aircraft idea, it'd probably be a diorama scene with vehicles and cargo being loaded on the aircraft at an airbase. I'd also have to devise some sort of ramp or lift system for the vehicles and cargo to get into the bays.
If a 1/72 aircraft and 1/350 armor seems too weird, then just remember the Godzilla: King of the Monsters film several years ago and there was a large flying wing aircraft in that film named the USS Argo. It was huge and could carry internally at least three V-22 Osprey's in a hangar bay.
https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/USS_Argo

[Rick Lowe]

Lift fans... giant lift fans in the wings, and a couple of smaller ones at the nose and tail.
True 'land anywhere' capability.

Or Tony Snark's follow-on design for the new SHIELD/whatever replaced it Helicarrier... In Gold and Red!


Yes I am a bit sleep-deprived, why do you ask?

[chrisonord]

The one I have is destined to be a maritime patrol aircraft, in RAF service. Manta Ray MRB-1 mk1. It will be armed with Harpooe, or an anti ship version of Storm Shadow. It will be tasked with patrolling northern European /NATO waters as well as home waters.

[Weaver]

I've always thought that a flying wing is the ideal shape for a clean-sheet-of-paper tanker. Fuel is the ideal payload for a flying wing since it can adopt any shape, be carried anywhere from the centre to the tips, thereby achieving span-loading, and offloaded in any order, thereby preserving span-loading. HDUs at the wingtips can be as further apart (assuming it has a larger span than an airliner-based tanker), and if the engines are podded on the upper surface (not strictly relevent to the ATB kit, I know) then the wake is clear of any refuelling gear, be it boom or hose.

Don't know how much stealth you'd be able to keep, but remember "stealth" isn't all-or-nothing: ANY reduction in RCS is useful in improving survivabilty, even if it's not as great as a 100% stealthy aircraft. If the tanker's staying in areas where only the longest-ranged enemy weapons can reach, then reducing it's RCS so they can't lock on to it at those ranges is still valuable.

[McColm]

There was some concept artwork for a commercial airliner version of the Flying Wing so this could be another option.

[seadude]

Can I get a Mod or Admin to move this topic into the Aircraft sub-board within the Current & Finished Projects forum, please? Thanks.

[NARSES2]

Moved as per request

Chris

[seadude]

Just a tiny bit of work on this so far. Don't expect this whole project to be a very fast build. Might not finish it till in the Fall or early winter.

[seadude]

I forgot to mention the following.
I checked on the dimensions for the refueling boom on the KC-135 tanker aircraft.
Extended to it's full length, it is about 48 feet long. In 1/72 scale, that equals about 8" inches.
Retracted, the boom is 28 feet long. In 1/72 scale, that equals between 4 1/2" to 4 3/4" inches long.
Those measurements present a problem. 
If I build a fully retracted refueling boom and put it in the new bay I'm building, it will have to be a completely new style of boom that fits into only a 3 1/2" inches long bay.
Now I would have liked to somehow have this aircraft "in flight" with the boom extended. But I'm not sure how to do that.
The other option is to have the aircraft on the airfield tarmac with the refueling boom bay doors open and the refueling boom angled downward and extended slightly with maintenance personnel working on it. And then I'd have a large mirror under the aircraft so people can see underneath the model.
Thoughts on everything, folks?

[Rick Lowe]

How about having the boom extended on the downward angle you're planning, and the refuelee being under the aircraft getting topped off?
Like they do nowadays.
You can always either extend the bay, or call it a new type of boom, to get around the issue.

Or have the boom only partially recessed, and the rest extending out the back, like a 'stinger tail' or MAD-boom affair.
It slides out, then swings down for operation.

[Luftwaffe1946]

It's been a long time since I had one of these kits. The last time I had one was in the late 80's when I was a teen.
Anyway, I picked up a new one that I saw on Amazon about 3 years ago.
Unfortuneately, the decals are FUBAR.    But the rest of the kit is fine and no parts are missing.
An idea/project I thought might work might be to convert this kit into a stealthy aerial refueling tanker aircraft. But could it or not? If not, then what else could I do with this kit?
If an aerial refueling tanker concept is possible, what modifications/changes do you see that would be necessary to make it into a stealthy tanker?

I found this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaWf3YjKUc
And the instructions found on Scalemates: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/7/0/1/143701-20-instructions.pdf
Article on The War Zone website: https://www.twz.com/air/new-skunk-works-stealth-tanker-concept-unveiled

[Weaver]

It should be technically possible to make a refuelling boom that fits into a shorter length. Make the front part in two sections that telescope over each other, then make the "stinger" in two or more sections, like a car aerial. All this would make the boom fatter, but that's just the price you have to pay. From a modelling point of view, the fatter boom could be an advantage if you display the aircraft in-flight and use the extended boom as an "invisible" support strut. Have the receiving aircraft on the end of the boom sitting on a flat base with a picture of cloud tops on it. Then have a steel rod running rigth up the centre of the boom, through the receiver and base at one end and into the tanker at the other.