XB-70

I'd say NMF with a white underside.

I would do it in similar colours to the B1-B since it was a similar role.

Here are three photos that show off my favorite weird Valkyrie fact: the tire treads are black; the sidewalls are SILVER. (It’s an anti-heat measure.) Check it out!

What color/s the B-70 would have been is an open topic with apparently no answer. The B-70 was to have entered service in 1970 (Steven Pace, 2^nd Ed., Aero Publishing). At the time most, but not all, bombers in the U.S. Air Force were painted a camouflage top and (when freshly painted) gloss black bottom. Take for example the B-52D or FB-111 or you could also look at a NMF top and black bottom like the B-52Fs or even the B-52H camouflage on top white on bottom.

However, I’m partial to a South East Asian Camouflage/Black paint job. Some will bring up the issue of the paint falling off because of the heat. The SR-71s and A-12 Blackbirds had black paint (actually some kind of blue) and their stenciling colors of white, red, blue, and yellow might suggest that some super high temp paints were available for triple sonic aircraft at the time of B-70 deployment. Keep in mind that the U.S. Air Force had issued a South East Asian Theater camouflage/black painting specification for the B-58. It’s been pretty much locked down that no B-58s were painted that way but the specification still can be reviewed, the T.O.1-1-4, (15 May 1970)  specified Tan FS34201, Green FS34079, Green FS34159 and Black undersides

The tires were silver the blackish part on the tread is probably from regular tire grime picked up on the runways. The special tire mixture had aluminum in the mixture, (Steven Pace, 2^nd Ed., Aero Publishing), for high heat stability while at high speed temperature soaks. I have been up to the XB-70 AV/1 (Air Vehicle/One) at the Air Force museum in Dayton, Ohio and the material on the tread is silver but dirty from grime. I tried to dig my nail into the side wall and found the material to be unlike regular tires. The tires were about like trying to dig your nail into a soft lead bar but the surface bounced back and I doubt you couldn’t peal any off.

If you are wanting to build a B-70 as from some BW/Squadron be aware that starting with AV/3 There was an in-flight refueling receptacle scheduled to be in the nose forward of the variable geometry windshield plus the forward edge of the front canard was to be changed to 60 degrees, (Steven Pace, 2^nd Ed., Aero Publishing). Its your model paint it the way you want to. Magoo  

For most of the 1960s all USAF bombers were NMF or silver paint on top and sides with white undersides to reflect the light and heat from a nuclear explosion.  When the F model B-52s first started conventional bombing over Viet Nam in June of 1965, they used that paint scheme.  They soon painted theundersides gloss black for better concealment at night.  In late 1966 the D model B-52s with the Big Belly modification took over the ARC Light mission in South East Asia and the F models returned stateside and back to the nuclear deterrent role.  The black undersides were repainted white again.  The Ds had gloss black underneath and on the sides with a special SAC 3 tone camo on the top.  (Different from standard USAF camo for SEA aircraft).  They retained that paint scheme until their retirement in the mid 1980s.  The rest of the B-52 fleet started getting the SAC camo tops in the late 1960s while retaining the white bottoms.  In the late 70s and early 80s, the B-52s started getting a gray and green camo and eventually went to all dark gray.

  The B-58s were natural metal finish for their whole careers.  The FB-111 had SAC camo on the tops with a white bottom.  The F-111s of Tactical Air Command had the standard SEA camo with white bottoms in the US and black bottoms in SEA.  

The B-70 was scheduled to go operational in the early 1970s and would almost certainly have not been used in SEA.  It would probably have started out with SAC camo on top and white underneath.  It could have transitioned to European I, green/green and gray camo in the late 70s or early 80s and then all gunship gray if it had lasted into the late 80s and early 90s.  Since anything to do with the B-70 going into operational status, the paint schem or anything else about them would be pure specualtion.  You could paint it anyway you want and no one can argue with you.  It is all a matter of opinion.

Darwin, O.F.

I think...the B-70 would have retained the overall gloss white which was also being used by the RAF on their bombers of the era...Vulcan, Victor and TSR-2. It wasn't until the Russians proved they could shoot down high flying aircraft with missiles did the doctrine change to low penetration which required a disruptive paint scheme on the upper surfaces to blend in with the terrain during flight.

Given the B-70 was an intercontinental bomber, it most likely would have not been based outside the USA, because it was to be produced in fewer numbers.

It was to operate at high altitude where its uppers surfaces would never have been seen and those surfaces would only be seen while on the ramp at its home bases in the USA.

It is also possible some might have found themselves being painted all black like the SR-71 and U-2 which also operated in the same altitude environment. The black helps manage heat as well as blend in with the black sky found at such high altitudes where the curvature of the earth is clearly seen.

Hmmm...I wonder what a floatplane version would look like?

I worked with the 305th ARRS where we had KC-135 and EC-135 aircraft.  I kinda felt that it wasn't going to be gray/white of the EC or just gray of the KC.  I've already built the 72nd scale Valkyrie which is around 2 1/2 feet long.  What I wanted to do was to build an in flight diorama of my KC-135/A model refueling the XB/70, but I simply don't have 6 feet to waste. Thanks for the info.

stcat

Hmmm...I wonder what a floatplane version would look like?

I don't know but with the low slung intakes, it would have made a great reef!

ap me

I worked with the 305th ARRS where we had KC-135 and EC-135 aircraft.  I kinda felt that it wasn't going to be gray/white of the EC or just gray of the KC.  I've already built the 72nd scale Valkyrie which is around 2 1/2 feet long.  What I wanted to do was to build an in flight diorama of my KC-135/A model refueling the XB/70, but I simply don't have 6 feet to waste. Thanks for the info.

 

I was with the 305th TRANS at Grissom in 81-83. Lived on Capehart St on base, worked at TMO.

Here she is at the U.S.A.F. Museum in 1970:

http://www.edwardsflighttest.com/b70.html

Theres a few interesting paint schemes on there for it. I especially like the thunderbirds one.

That Thunderbird or Air Force One scheme would be the ultimate WIF.

Darwin, O.F. 

I am sorry for your time on the crotch of the world(grissom afb) where the worst scum of the airforce nco and officer corps were stationed.   i have to bath every time i think back to that piss hole of a place... but thanks for the pics

You must be a big city fella ...Grissom was a great assignment! A short 5 1/2 hour drive from home, stock car and drag racing just across Hwy 31 from the base at Bunker Hill Speedway. Outdoor activities!  Housing was nice, we had a big wooded backyard...the only drawback was when they were doing jet cals at night on the -135As. A short commute to Indianapolis, Chicago, Dayton or even Toledo.

I got to go TDY to such places as Norte Dame and Purdue Universities too!

My oldest son was born while I was stationed there. Here we are together sweeping the sidewalk and drive after mowing the lawn. That's my rig parked in the street.

Any USAF assignment was what you make of it. My roommate in Korea thought nothing positive of being there...of course he sat in the room every minute he wasn't working or eating.

ADDED: Grissom had one of the best swimming pools...it was huge. It was used by the Navy to train aircrews as well as submariners survival training. Deep too! For years the runway also had the outline of a carrier deck painted on it...imagine those KC/EC-135 jocks trying to do carrier landings in the corn field! LMAO

We did more ORI's in the shortest period of time I have ever done at any other SAC base...Three SAC ORI's and two AF Reserve (tentant) Unit ones...in the span of 2 1/2 years. ORI's weren't fun, especially when you had plans to go on leave and they cancelled it, deeming you were mission critical. But it was nice having an additional three day pass added to my leave afterwards for doing so well.

Sorry for hijacking this thread.

While I have never been stationed at Bunker Hill/Grissom AFB, I have to agree with Hawkeye that any assignment, (military or civilian), is what you make it.  If you have a negative opinion about yourself and everyone and everything around you, life is going to be pretty miserable.  I spent 21 years in the USAF at several bases and had the pleasure of working with some really great NCOs and Officers.  Getting involved in base and community activities opens up your world to many positive experiences.

Darwin, O.F. 

     of the 42 months i spent at grissom,  i had about 40 week ends off.  i spent 2 years on nights.  doing those engine trims.  it is ok that the people that didnt work directly with the aircraft,  had the best time there.   but for the people that had to work for a living.... well not so much.   

      i spent 25 years working for the military,  after i got out in 88,  after working for several good and a few outstanding units.  i finished my work in the gulf.  in the sand.  but even that was better than grissom..  

      i had my 3rd stripe when i left grissom.  in 88 i already had my 4th.  working for the dod,  i had the rank of gs9 and retired as a gs13..

    grissom sucked.  filled with drunks and child molesters.   and that was in just one unit,  but if you drank with  the command staff,  no one noticed 

     enjoy your opinion,  its just not mine.....

It could have been worse, he could have been sent to Minot.

wrong again... lol... the 319th bomb wing grand forks 83   for training  tankers

I'll paint my hard won kits in gloss white, not too imaginative, but at least they showed up that way.

i didn't realize they put lights in the exhausts for shows....lol.....

The XB-70, my second favourite airplane!

The AMT kit is pretty good, I spent time bolstering it's innards:

This is so the wing doesn't act like a jelly sandwich:

This really flattened out and joined the underside of the wings:

I hate 'squishy' builds, so I put in bulkheads, makes the kit 'sound right, I also had to put about 5 pieces of sprue into the forward fuselage to get it to fill into the wing slots.....

I'll post it here if it progresses....

well, my kit was in a box for about 5 years.  i had a child to bring up.  i finally got back to it.  i painted the bottom black.  i will paint the top in 3 colors of green.  i installed the nose s.p.r.  i am still thinking about matint it to a kc-135 a, that i have yet to build.   just need to finf 6 feet of space to do it.