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

Nice looking kit ! I like the way they do the cruise missile load.

Maritime strike/Maritime reconnaissance or a passenger airliner, aerial water bomber or ELINT platform. I went down the route of the Avro Vulcan B.4 bomber but you could add some floats and change it to a flying boat/Floatplane configuration.

It would be very difficult to fit a flying boom and keep the stealth ability unless you have the whole boom recessed and behind doors, including the hinges and flying wing. This would probably have to be on or near the centreline and extend for almost all the fuselage length if the boom is a conventional one such as used by the KC-135 and KC-10. This also causes the problem that any refuelling aircraft will have to be almost directly below this tanker because the boom would have to be hinged fairly near the nose wheel bay to allow for the length of the boom.
Having the boom hinged at the rear of the fuselage would pose an interesting engineering problem to the designers due to the stresses and loads imposed by the airflow. A folding boom is another possibility and more practical than the rear-hinged version. There is precedent for such designs, an example being the arms used to deliver concrete to difficult or high places.
Another option is to use the hose and drogue method. With this, all you need to show is a small hatch that the hose and drogue come out of and this can be near the rear of the tanker as well allowing for increased safety distances between tanker and receiver.

Gondor

Edited for clarity.

What Gondor said.

Quote from: Gondor on June 01, 2024, 01:33:57 AMAs this is a discussion about using the model to be a stealth tanker and nothing else I at least shall keep my comments to the subject.

There was a specific request for other ideas (it's also inferred in the title):

Quote from: seadude on May 31, 2024, 02:56:30 PMAn 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?

A boom system could work, although it would take up a big chunk of internal volume, but I have no idea how that would compare with a drogue system.

Have a retractable boom extend directly out the back of the plane, then drop once deployed (the stabilising fins could be variable, so they extend horizontally at all times - either hydraulically or via linkages), with the nozzle-extension functioning as per normal.

QuoteAnother option is to use the hose and drogue method. With this, all you need to show is a small hatch that the hose and drogue come out of and this can be near the rear of the tanker as well allowing for increased safety distances between tanker and receiver.

That's probably the best option. But just one hose and drogue system under the centerline of the aircraft or 2 systems, one under each wing? Hmmmm. Decisions?

Quote from: McColm on June 01, 2024, 12:46:36 AMMaritime strike/Maritime reconnaissance or a passenger airliner, aerial water bomber or ELINT platform. I went down the route of the Avro Vulcan B.4 bomber but you could add some floats and change it to a flying boat/Floatplane configuration.

The model, particuarly the wings, isn't thick enough to convert it into a flying wing passenger airliner.
Maritime strike? Not keen on that idea.
ELINT platform? Maybe. But not quite keen on that either.
Firefighting aerial water bomber? Possible. I'd have to give it some thought.

But t he USAF don't like the probe system, primarily because it can't deliver the flow rate of the heftier boom system.

Just thinking about the flying boom again. A larger boom, in diameter, would enable the boom to have more sections inside it so it could telescope further. That way you could get away with the hinge being towards the front of the aircraft and no complex folding of the boom. An exploding sheer system would have to be fitted to remove the boom if it was stuck in the deployed position as the extension of the boom would have to be long, very long to keep the receiving aircraft out of the tanker's wake.

A maritime strike version would simply be the same aircraft as the bomber other than an optimised radar and different weapons in the bomb bays. So no difference unless you have the bomb bay doors open.

ELINT is listening in so lots of aerials unless you painted a few panels a slightly different colour and added a few external panels with zig-zag edges to their front and rear.

Gondor

Gondor

I would do a telescoping boom from one former bomb bay, and a drum reel for probe and drogue in the other bomb bay so you could refuel both types.   

Can the B-2 carry a meaningful amount of fuel, in terms of volume and weight?

According to wikipedia.... it has "2 internal bays for ordnance and payload with an official limit of 40,000 lb (18,000 kg); maximum estimated limit is 50,000 lb (23,000 kg)"
and ... F-35A has "Fuel capacity: 18,250 lb (8,278 kg) internal"

Quote from: perttime on June 01, 2024, 12:18:49 PMCan the B-2 carry a meaningful amount of fuel, in terms of volume and weight?

According to wikipedia.... it has "2 internal bays for ordnance and payload with an official limit of 40,000 lb (18,000 kg); maximum estimated limit is 50,000 lb (23,000 kg)"
and ... F-35A has "Fuel capacity: 18,250 lb (8,278 kg) internal"

Wiki says it has a capacity of 167,000 pounds of fuel, so if it donated some of its own fuel, then it could pass some significant gas.  Max take off weight of 376,000 pounds.  Heavier than a KC-135, less than a KC-46.  Maybe if a strike group had a less stealthy tanker further away from the conflict, the KB-2 and the strike package could be topped off in a safer area.   

Quote from: sandiego89 on June 01, 2024, 01:19:04 PM

Quote from: perttime on June 01, 2024, 12:18:49 PMCan the B-2 carry a meaningful amount of fuel, in terms of volume and weight?

According to wikipedia.... it has "2 internal bays for ordnance and payload with an official limit of 40,000 lb (18,000 kg); maximum estimated limit is 50,000 lb (23,000 kg)"
and ... F-35A has "Fuel capacity: 18,250 lb (8,278 kg) internal"

Wiki says it has a capacity of 167,000 pounds of fuel, so if it donated some of its own fuel, then it could pass some significant gas.  Max take off weight of 376,000 pounds.  Heavier than a KC-135, less than a KC-46.  Maybe if a strike group had a less stealthy tanker further away from the conflict, the KB-2 and the strike package could be topped off in a safer area. 

All very well, but the refuelling equipment takes up space rather than fuel. Talking of refuelling equipment, I just happen to have a part build 1/72 KC-135 at hand so I took a picture of the length of the boom fitted to that with a 1/72 scale ruler next to it.



There is also the problem that when refuelling either, or both of the aircraft involved are likely to be less stealthy which makes the use of a stealthy tanker pointless unless you can make the boom stealthy as well. The same goes for the hose and drogue.

Gondor

A stealth boat if you lower the wings or apply some heat and bend them in a downwards position or upwards to create a submarine Manta Ray.
1/48 cockpit and turn it into a fighter-bomber.