Author Topic: What-If Weapons - Air (Read 10817 times)

Jeffry Fontaine · « **on:** February 04, 2012, 06:18:33 AM »

I had some excess nose parts from a couple of the 1/48th scale Revell Bf-110 kits and kept wondering what I could do with them and before I forget, thank you to Ron Fulce (sotoolslinger) for sending me that Bf-110 kit which got me to looking for another one just to pull this off.

I finally found my Muse this morning and went about turning the nose pieces into a pair of gun pods. The nose on the standard Bf-110 has a pair of machine gun barrels mounted at the top and a pair 20mm cannon blast ports on the bottom. The night fighter version does away with the two machine guns so the common denominator between them is the 20mm cannons blast ports which are large enough to pass for a rocket launcher tube if you let your imagination get away from you.

Mating the two nose pieces together resulted in an odd looking shape that has a rather pronounced hump in the center. I did some serious sanding to get rid of most of the raised surface features on the pods and the end result as seen in the attached images taken with the camera feature on my Droid-X will give you an idea of what they look like. Not sure if these will qualify as a model but hey, I have picked up plastic, used some glue and sanded the bejeesus out of the things and I am pleased with how they turned out.

As to scale of these gun-n-rocket pods? 48th works for me but they could also be used on a 1/32nd or 1/35th scale helicopter if you can figure out how to hang them to point in the right direction
:)

***the thumbnail images look better than the full size image

***Image number four was taken with my Nikon Digital SLR on a short tripod.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #1 on:** February 04, 2012, 07:06:01 AM »

Different. Now put it under the centre-section of a zwilling something and you are on a role!

Brian da Basher · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2012, 07:38:46 AM »

That's some great thinking there, Mr Fontaine!

Those cool pods look like they could actually be little armed space ships. I could totally see them hanging off the stub wings of a Cobra.

It really makes my day to see you building, JJ!

Brian da Basher

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2012, 09:02:38 AM »

Every once in a while you have to glue something together instead of just checking to see if it will fit or work on a project

Sticking a couple of nose parts together is easy enough. With that huge supply of P-61 Black Widow parts just acquired from Terry Dean there are enough radomes (P-61A and P-61B) to create at least a good "Baker's half-dozen" (~7X) pod shapes based on the things. Did that once before several (25 years) ago just to see what it would look like and it turns a pair of P-61 radomes into a very interesting yet portly looking pod of some kind. Would be ideal for a countermeasures pod under a WW2 or Korean War era aircraft or maybe a wingtip pod serving the same purpose.

sotoolslinger · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2012, 10:22:23 AM »

Dang

Them are so freakin cool I kinda want them back

Good job bubba

Nice to see you doing PSR

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2012, 10:29:13 AM »

Quote from: sotoolslinger on February 04, 2012, 10:22:23 AM

Dang Them are so freakin cool I kinda want them back Good job bubba Nice to see you doing PSR

I could send them to Frank and let you make arrangements to take custody of them through him

sotoolslinger · « **Reply #6 on:** February 04, 2012, 10:55:46 AM »

Aww heck then it would be 2 folk who started a project they'll never get to

If Frank don't take em away from us

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #7 on:** February 04, 2012, 01:32:50 PM »

Quote from: sotoolslinger on February 04, 2012, 10:55:46 AM

Aww heck then it would be 2 folk who started a project they'll never get to If Frank don't take em away from us

Considering how cheap that Bf-110 kit is at places like Michael's you could always go down and pick up a pair of kits for parts

I finally let the pods sit for a spell to make sure the glue had dried sufficiently. I was a bit hasty in sanding on them earlier and found one of the pods was busting apart at the glue join so I had to dabble some more liquid cement on the exterior to seal it back up and that got a bit messy. Now that the pods have dried/cured the sanding went a bit easier and I am satisfied with the shape at this point.

My next short-term project will be to start assembling the P-61 Black Widow radomes into some kind of ersatz ECM pods. Wondering now what aircraft subject could benefit from such a contraption. B-17? B-24? B-29? Certainly some potential for something mounted under a wing or two.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #8 on:** February 05, 2012, 02:17:11 AM »

Quote from: Jeffry Fontaine on February 04, 2012, 01:32:50 PM

[Wondering now what aircraft subject could benefit from such a contraption. B-17? B-24? B-29? Certainly some potential for something mounted under a wing or two.

Actually the idea of an EP-61 is appealing in it's own right!

Weaver · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2012, 06:32:33 PM »

Nice one, and very credible too: FN make a variety of pods with 0.50 cals and rockets in them. They're mainly for weapons training flights (only 4-6 RPs in each one) but as a means of arming a small aircraft, they're still good.

jcf · « **Reply #10 on:** February 07, 2012, 06:44:23 AM »

Hang it off the belly via struts, like the gun-pod of the SAAB J-21R:

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #11 on:** February 07, 2012, 07:49:24 AM »

Quote from: jcf on February 07, 2012, 06:44:23 AM

Hang it off the belly via struts, like the gun-pod of the SAAB J-21R:

Jon, thanks for the suggestion with supporting image. I had not really considered individual struts for such a thing but that may be the only way to "get 'er done" is by going that route. While I never did give much thought as to what aircraft (fixed or rotary wing) these pods would go to, seems that might have been something that should not have been overlooked. However, I was more interested in seeing what would come of mating the two pieces together which I think came out looking rather convincing.

The rocket rack located on the left side of the image has the same kind of support strut attachments and that looks rather interesting.

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2022, 07:05:21 AM »

Grand Slam 22K-Pound Bomb (from Tamiya 48th scale Lancaster B.I Special)

I like big bombs and I can not lie...

I had acquired this Grand Slam bomb shape from someone that had built it prior to my receiving it several years ago. It had a number of glue scars on the fins, bomb body, and tail cone so I tried to clean it up a bit and the end result was to reduce the tail cone in length to get rid of the canted fins and glus scars around each of the fin positions. Next came sanding the remainder of the bomb and tail assembly to get rid of the other glue scars. End result was so-so but certainly better that what it looked when it first came into my possession.

Work on this little project has been off and on for over a year as a means of getting something done inbetween other projects that I had been working on and needed to let glue dry or to take a break from.

Since the tail was scared with glue I opted to reduce the length of the bomb tail by cutting the tail cone just ahead of where the fins had been attached. Once that was removed I trimmed the end and trued it up as best as I could so that a cover could be attached to the end of the new tail. This new cover was a piece of scrap plastic that once attached was sanded smooth. I considered adding surface details but decided it was best to just leave it be and it looks appropriate for what it is supposed to be. Attached image shows the tail and the new cover in place.

The next step was to clean the bomb fins and remove any glue residue that was still attached to the base of each fin where it had been positioned in the original locating hole on the bomb tail cone. Once the glue residue was removed the fins were all sanded smooth. With the fins all cleaned up it was now time to reattach the bomb fins to the tail cone. Since the original tail was unsatisfactory with the damaged areas around the original fin positions a new fin configuration was necessary. I opted to reattach the fins in a "+" pattern perpendicular to the long axis of the bomb body and no canting of the fins as done on the original Grand Slam. I found the end result to be satisfactory so that was one more step in the refurbishment process that was now completed.

The signature chain assembly used to secure the Grand Slam to the Tamiya Lancaster was long gone and I was in no mood to even consider replicating that feature. The bomb body had a divot which in turn mated to a v-shaped protrusion on the Lancaster in order to attach the bomb. The divot in the bomb body was filled with that v-shaped protrusion where it had broken away from the Lancaster to all I had to do was sand it smooth and use that scar as my reference point for the replacement suspension lugs that I wanted to add to this weapon. I wanted something looked plausible and uncomplicated. I opted to use some hinges from an armored vehicle model (no clue which kit) and these hinges which had holes were attached to the bomb body on either end of the divot scar. Attached image shows these new bomb lugs.

***edit to change title and merge topic

apophenia · « **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2022, 09:27:33 AM »

Good save Jeff

I always thought that the attached would make a good diorama ... hint, hint

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #14 on:** February 17, 2022, 11:39:13 AM »

Quote from: apophenia on February 17, 2022, 09:27:33 AM

Good save Jeff

I always thought that the attached would make a good diorama ... hint, hint

I did give some consideration to rigging it for a sling load but then I would need a vehicle that is rated for that load capacity. That would also mean spending more money.

I will stick with the cheap option and hopefully find a bomb bay large enough to hold this beast. Still sorting out something suitable to pass for a bomb rack that could carry the weight and the support structure to tie it into the airframe. I still have to see if it will fit in the bomb bay of the B-One, that should be fun.

This one was previously built but I do have three (3) more 1/48th scale Grand Slams with the odd looking chain suspension that are still in an unbuilt state. There are also a number of 1/72nd scale Tall Boy and Grand Slams in the same parts bag.

Yeah, I like big bombs and I can not lie...

Ramba · « **Reply #15 on:** February 17, 2022, 11:46:27 AM »

You are on a roll lately. Cool bomb. I agree with apophenia, that would make a good dio.

Old Wombat · « **Reply #16 on:** February 17, 2022, 12:27:39 PM »

Maybe add a couple more lugs on either side, Jeff, to spread the load & stabilise the mass in the bomb bay?

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #17 on:** February 17, 2022, 12:50:01 PM »

Quote from: Old Wombat on February 17, 2022, 12:27:39 PM

Maybe add a couple more lugs on either side, Jeff, to spread the load & stabilise the mass in the bomb bay?

More lugs means more work

Trying to keep this as simple as I can and also in line with contemporary bomb suspension systems that use 14" or 30" suspension lugs. Granted this is probably pushing plausibility to the limits with the two beefed up lugs I attached to the bomb body but it is not that far removed from the way most stores are secured to a bomb rack except much larger/beefier in size.

Quote from: Ramba on February 17, 2022, 11:46:27 AM

You are on a roll lately. Cool bomb. I agree with apophenia, that would make a good dio.

Not that much of a roll. That Grand Slam had been sitting on my work table for quite some time and was getting in the way. I had done some work on it off and on for the past year in between working on other side projects so it was time to do something more and get the idea a bit further along.

The Warthog project has been put on hold until I hear back from Revell Customer Service. Turns out the clear part (windscreen/windshield) was missing from both kits and that kind of threw a wrench in the gears of progress for the Warthogs. The alternative is to go to eBay and spend $60.00 + tax (thankfully the shipping is free) to get two more of these space takers just to finish the two original Warthogs. Yeah,verily, that sucketh greatly.

***Edit for spelling errors - jjf

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #18 on:** February 25, 2022, 10:24:50 AM »

More what-if weapons from projects that are still awaiting completion.

The two attached images are the most recent interpretation of what an extended range AIM-54 Phoenix what-if weapon would look like. This is based on an AIM-54 Phoenix AAM from Monogram, Academy, or Hasegawa with the most recent version being based on the Hasegawa Phoenix from the 48th scale aircraft weapons set. The Monogram and Academy were the initial prototypes to iron out the issues and the final effort was based on the Hasegawa Phoenix. The large cylindrical thing at the back of the Phoenix is a 1/16th scale Trumpeter 128mm tank gun shell casing that comprises three parts (two shell halves and a rimmed cartridge base). I sanded the rim from the base part and attached the whole thing to the rear of the missile. While it looks odd, I based this off of a Standard SAM that has a similar solid rocket boost motor for the version used for ASAT targets. It is simple and it looks convincing save for some kind of attachments between the booster and missile.

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #19 on:** February 25, 2022, 10:54:39 AM »

32nd scale Trumpeter AA-12 ADDER AAM shapes obtained from one of the spare model parts sellers at eBay.

Scale-O-Rama to a 1/48th scale Kinetic Kill Vehicle (no warhead) with cold gas injection into the missile exhaust for directional control (which is why there are no rear control fins). AIM-54 Phoenix is for scale reference and size comparison.

No idea what to use it on but I know it will fit on an F-14 Tomcat AIM-54 Phoenix missile pallet without issue though it is a bit long. I have yet to check fit on an F-15 Eagle but that is a potential platform.

The two gray cylinders are the Trumpeter 1/16th scale 128mm gun shell casings with the rims removed. These were used to create the solid rocket boost motor for the what-if extended-range AIM-54 Phoenix.

***edit to fix attached image -- jjf

Old Wombat · « **Reply #20 on:** February 25, 2022, 04:53:38 PM »

Ramba · « **Reply #21 on:** February 25, 2022, 08:40:18 PM »

Looks like they could be ASAT missile. Coming along nicely.

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #22 on:** February 26, 2022, 05:05:20 AM »

Quote from: Ramba on February 25, 2022, 08:40:18 PM

Looks like they could be ASAT missile. Coming along nicely.

That was what I was going for with the modifications while trying to keep it simple and uncomplicated.

More of "I Like Big Bombs and I Can Not Lie..."
Attached image is one that I forgot to include yesterday. The two things in the image are both 1/288 scale Space Shuttle Fuel Tanks. The shorter of the two was put together and modified years ago and has been sitting around waiting for a purpose. My original idea was to create a very large FAE weapon by scale-o-rama that would fit in the back end of a 1/48th scale C-130. The nose was modified with two pieces of scrap plastic and rounded off. I suppose that could be the sensor for calculating the correct distance from the ground before the propellant is dispersed to maximize the FAE experience. Still need to create a pallet for the thing to sit on and the associated straps to keep it in place. The longer tank has only been slightly modified at this point but again the idea was to again scale-o-rama the tank into a 1/48th scale FAE weapon.

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #23 on:** March 03, 2022, 01:01:51 PM »

Some WIP images of what-if weapons that i have been working on for the past couple of days. Still waiting for the glue to cure on the 32nd scale AIM-54 as it had issues with fitting together and it was worsened with the second Phoenix after I removed the forward portion of the missile body. Not sure if the things were from Trumpeter or Bronco, the source was one of the model parts sellers at eBay. Comparing the 48th scale AIM-54 to the 32nd scale AIM-54 really gives you an idea of how large these things are. Not even sure what I will do with the things once built since I have no 32nd scale F-14 Tomcats and no desire to add one to the stash. Too damned big and too damned expensive.

The other two images are of the what-if missile I created from some Trumpeter 32nd scale AA-12 Adder AAM that had the first four featured previously with a piece of something round from an AirFix Lancaster in 1/72nd scale. It looked okay but I had six more of the things that needed to be built. I found a suitable tail section in the form of some HobbyBoss AGM-12 Bullpup missiles from their AF-1 (FJ-4B) Fury kit. Each kit includes six rather crude looking Bullpup shapes and each had a separate tail cone which worked out very well on the AA-12 Adder and the offending Bullpups are now in the disposal bag to be sent away. Now all ten of these things are identical or as close as can be had with all of their imperfections.

LemonJello · « **Reply #24 on:** March 03, 2022, 09:57:42 PM »

Make that 32nd AIM-54 into a 48th hypersonic "Kirov Killer" ASM and sling it under an F-18?


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Author Topic: What-If Weapons - Air (Read 10817 times)