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1/32 recovered B-17 - UPDATE 12/10/13 - FINISHED - YAY!


richdlc

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Hi Rich,

What a great build project.

 

Very ambitious; marrying vac kit fuselage with a standard injection kit truck plus scratch build a trailer. :m0152:

 

Which vac kit B17 are you using?

 

Is the vac kit a 1/35 scale like the Diamond T wrecker?

 

Look forward to more updates.

 

Regards,

 

Christian

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys

back with a small update - to answer Christian's question first - the kit is a 1/32 vacform by ID models - and the wrecker I plan to use is a 1/35 kit by Accurate Armour

OK - I removed more openings for windows and turrets etc. I decided that I would make the turrets first, before starting on the interior. First up was the Bendix 'chin' turret. I referred once more to the excellent thread started at the warbird information exchange website about the restoration of the B-17G at Duxford, as well as numerous other images found on the net, and my reference books.

The turret is a complex shape - I started with a tube of thin plastic card & cut out the various openings needed. The bottom of the turret is rounded & curved in complicated ways. I found another use for my pack of ping pong balls left over from the Corsair build & chopped the bottom off one & stuck it on. Here's some images from the warbird information exchange site for illustrative purposes only - these are of the restoration of B-17 'Texas Raiders' - this shot shows the shell ejection ports at the top, and the openings at the bottom for the .50 cals to allow full elevation and depression of the guns:

157.png

the large square openings are inspection windows at the back of the turret:

142.png

here's what I knocked up:

IMG_1967.jpg

Edited by richdlc
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IMG_1969.jpg

and after cleanup, sanding, filling & a coat of primer:

IMG_1977.jpg

 

there is also a streamlined fairing behind the turret - I basically made it through trial and error with a fan shaped piece of thin plasticard and some internal ribs from slightly thicker card - here's everything roughly mocked up:

 

IMG_1973.jpg

I couldn't resist mocking up how the turret will look with some .50 cals installed:

IMG_1964.jpg

 

that's it for now - questions & comments welcomed!

 

Rich

Edited by richdlc
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Hi everyone - thanks for looking at my build & the encouragement, I will certainly need it!

 

*update 19th April 2012*

 

Been cracking on with building the turrets - have done just about all I can for now on the chin turret, so started on the ball turret.

The vac kit provides this in two halves, moulded in clear plastic - unfortunately the transparency isn't great but hey, what can you expect... on the plus side, a lot of it gets covered up by paint

 

First up are some images of the real thing - there were two types of turret, early and late - the early ones had more viewing windows in the sides - here's a pic of the ball turret taken during a restoration of Memphis Belle (for illustrative purposes only):

 

60.png

 

and a couple from the restoration of 'Texas Raiders' (again for illustrative purposes only) - you can just about make out that the turret in the last two pics (a late model) has fewer windows than the early pattern turret in the first pic:

 

66.png

 

69.png

 

I decided to go with the late model turret - this will probably come back to bite me in the ass later when I realize that only natural metal finish aircraft had them (and I want to do an O/D machine) but I'll deal with that issue if and when...

 

OK - here's some images of my turret under construction. I made the framing for each little window from very thin plasticard & attached using liquid cement. Mounts for the guns from plastic tube, strip and sheet. I carefully removed the crewman's access hatch - I only have one of these turrets so any false moves and it's adios muchachos! the armoured glass directly in front of the gunner is flat, and the kit part curved - I carefully removed the latter & replaced it with a flat piece of clear thermaform.

 

IMG_2015.jpg

 

curved:

 

IMG_1999.jpg

 

remove curved part, replace with flat

 

IMG_2001.jpg

 

IMG_2003.jpg

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near the crewman access hatch on one side there was a bad moulding flaw right where a window needed to go! I drilled out the shape inside the black outline and replaced with thin, clear plastic underneath the framing:

 

IMG_2004.jpg

 

IMG_2006.jpg

 

a few more pics - head on, right side up

 

IMG_2013.jpg

 

IMG_2008.jpg

 

head on, upside down - have started to remove shell ejection ports:

 

IMG_2011.jpg

 

rear view:

 

IMG_2009.jpg

 

I have one or two more little windows to add, plus some details like seams, nuts and bolts etc - it's a little confusing to look at now but I will give it a coat of primer & it should be much easier to work with - next up, the interior - fun fun fun!

 

back soon

 

rich

Edited by richdlc
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