Construction report - Academy B-1B in 1/144 scale

April 15, 2026

"THE BONE"

My club colleague really inspired me with the 1/48 version to build this aircraft as well. However, since no inexpensive version was quickly available (from 200 EUR upwards), I resorted to the 1/144 version from Academy.

I can already say that I was amazed by the quality and existing details in the sprues directly upon opening the box. Before I could even start, I measured the exhaust nozzles to install my own parts (the nozzles were really the only part where hardly any detail was present).

Academy B-1B Engine and exhaust nozzles

Directly to the nozzles: "Rockwell B-1B Lancer exhaust nozzles open"

Cockpit hand-painted and inserted into the first fuselage half. Then it was time for the wings. Here, too, there was a lot of detail already present. What I really like and what is also helpful when painting is that the wings can be inserted after assembly. There is a peg for each wing for attachment, which also allows for pivoting.

So it was time to glue the fuselage halves together and clean them up, which was very pleasant as the entire kit has a very high fitting accuracy.

The bomb bay and landing gear were next; this required a delicate touch, as we are working on a 1/144 scale! :)

I had also ordered the tire and rim set from Reskit, which unfortunately broke when cutting it off and ended up in the trash. That annoyed me a bit; well, maybe a dedicated product will be added in the future.

Thus, the individual sub-assemblies were ready for priming and painting. I unfortunately didn't have Gunship Grey in my inventory, so I mixed it myself. A few highlights were added with the airbrush to create more depth and color play in the surface.