what bomb is this?

That's a drop tank, not a bomb. :)

M guess is that its supposed to be a Mk 83 1000 lb bomb.

I also thought it might have been a Mk 83, it measures in scale between 3000mm and 3180mm, hence my question of it being maybe a Mk 83 or 84??

Theuns

That's most likely the Mk83 1000 pound bomb.  The F-105 had 450 and 650 gallon drop tanks. The shape is wrong for a drop tank which for that era or later.  The USAF frequently armed them with M117 750 pound bombs in Vietnam.  I haven't built 1/48 in years but I can dig up my stash of 1/48 parts and see what I have.

Where did the green ordnance item come from? Which kit?

Hopefully this helps:

Cool info guys, thanx a stack.

Stik I must admit that I really do not recall from wich kit I got it, I just dug it out of my extra bits pile.

The basic shape to my eye was that of a low drag bomb and the length was close to a Mk 83, from there my question  :-)

Theuns

Cancil that,I think  I got them from Academy 1/48 F-16

Ok, I have that kit. Yes it is a poor Mk.83, not a fuel tank.

www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Ingenious-farmers-build-vital-river-boats-fuel-tanks-jettisoned-U-S-planes-Vietnam-War.html

i1170.photobucket.com/.../F-105_Thunderchief_underside_zpseec18baa.jpg

Seems the drop tanks had different fins...this has to be a MK 83 or 84 bomb

Yes, the F-16 has some very large, aircraft specific drop tanks, of distinctly different shapes, both for the centerline and wing tanks.

Theuns, if you compare the profile of that bomb to a good photo of a real Mk.83, I would say that the overall profile is a bit off. The tail cone looks to thick around the fins, the fuse are on the nose is ill defined. It's not horrid, but it does not quite look right, at least to my eye, that's all. I will see if I can find some good bomb photos of types carried by the F-105 after my bike ride here.

here is one quick and dirty way to id weapons, especially if they come in a model kit

1

they are, from the first row, top to bottom

Mk 81 250 pound mechanical fuze

Mk 82 500 pound mechanical fuze

Mk 83 1000 pound mechanical fuze

Mk 84 2000 pound mechanical fuze

BLU-27 Napalm finned version (this has some shape deficiencies)

500 Snakeye with Mech Fuze

an early CBU in the SUU-30 shell (this came in many, many different versions and shapes)

M117 750 pound

Mk 20 Rockeye CBU dispenser

the RMU+TDU (Remote Motor Unit + Target Decoy Unit,,,,,I know, I know, it is not a decoy)

SUU-20 Practice bomb dispenser (6 Mk 76+4 rocket tubes)

Mk 82 with Fuze extender and Mech fuze

fairly late model TER

fairly late model MER

most of the sets can be found here

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10000499a/20/1

and if you click the item for them, a lot of them will give you the instructions

actual models of the M118 3000# are only found in some kits in 1/48, and to the best of my ability in the asking, no one makes them in 1/72

Don't worry about the "pictures being copyrighted", I am sure they are, but, they are being used to promote the products as widely as possible by the manufacturer.

Rex

It does look very much like a MK83 with a slick/low drag tail unit. The profile doesnt look to bad except for the tail. All tail units for the 80 series bombs are add-on's and mostly will be light alloy in material. There is a distinct join between the tail and bomb itself. The front does not look like it has a fuze, but instead a penetrator which is usually used in conjunction with area denial fuzing or delayed fusing where you do not want the fuze broken up on impact. There are a large variety of fuzes, but the most common type will usually look cylindrical and protrude from the nose with a propeller looking turbine on the front.

Nose Fuze with slick tail

Your Mk83 with no nose fuze and a slick tail, note the tail join and change in material.

Eli

Here's some F-105s with Mk.83s. Not a commonly seen bomb type on that aircraft. Fairly early in the Rolling Thunder campaign before tail codes came into usage.

Great info on ordinance guys. Keep it coming!

F-105s with M118 3000lb bombs. The preferred weapon for bridge busting. Used to first drop the Paul Doumer bridge in 1967

Probably the most common load out of Rolling Thunder once the SAM threat became pronounced- centerline MER of M-117 750lb bombs and outboard pylons with ALQ-88 ECM pods

SUU-30 carried for Flak Suppression/SAM Suppression- too big to carry 6 on a centerline MER, so they are carried in a "flat four" configuration

The less commonly seen/photographed Mk.82 loadout

When Migs became a serious threat to the Thud force, one of the ECM pods was replaced by a Sidewinder on strike packages going where the Mig threat was highest

Shrikes carried when part of a Hunter Killer team with a Weasel element leader

Bullpup C

umm, those are Bullpup A, the AGM-12B model (small tactical version)

AGM-12C was the Bullpup B (larger tactical version),,,,,,and the D model was the Nuke version that didn't get deployed to Vietnam

see the table at the bottom of this page

www.designation-systems.net/.../m-12.html

Rex

also, notice the stagger on the MER if they carried Mk 83, that is because they were usually carried in pairs on a MER, but, didn't fit if they were inline, some aircraft carried the pairs on one end, if they could mount the MER in "shifted" mode,,,,,,,I don't know if the F-105 could "shift" the MER or not

They had to do that because 2 1000# bombs exceeded the weight limit of a TER (if not for the weight limit, 2 Mk 83s would be a logical looking load on a TER) (that limit might have been a CG limit on the TER, I am not positive now)

Rex

Is there a difference between the CL MER and the wig MER's?

Maybe I can convert one of the kit's wing MER's into the correct CL MER for the stack of MK 82's they supply.

Theuns

Theuns

Is there a difference between the CL MER and the wig MER's?

Maybe I can convert one of the kit's wing MER's into the correct CL MER for the stack of MK 82's they supply.

Theuns

Does the kit give you MERs? If so, you could convert it to carry Mk. 82s, but you still need to source or scratch a centerline pylon...or maybe cut it off the centerline fuel tank?? Also, notice the 2 reinforcing straps that go around the bomb bay in one of Stik's pics. Some Thuds had them, some didn't.