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HK B-17...C 11/2 progress resumes!


brahman104

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you for all the kind words Gentlemen, it is indeed good to finally be making a bit of progress on her :)

 

Sooo, I have been ignoring the bomb bay for quite some time, which is probably because there's lots of shininess (sure that's a word) and details that seem quite complicated. Besides, I'm having a great old time marvelling at how I've managed successfully build a brass "pod" that I can slip in and out of the fuselage to my heart's content.....

 

Unfortunately, that attitude contributes nothing towards overall completion, so I decided I'd have a bit of a poke around at the bay.

 

I still need to be careful about access here, and as much as I would like to close off the top, I'm going to hold out a little longer, but in the mean time I decided to attack the very obvious gusset plates which hold the main trusses together. This goes a long way to hiding my dodgy "plating" over the original brass pieces  :ninja:

 

IMG_3986_zpsvlcvtsde.jpg

 

These little things take ages, and the real bomb bay is full of them. Because I'm adding raised rivets, I have to make a template that is actually the reverse of each junction...... ask me how many times I got that wrong. :doh:

 

Looking at the outer racks, I decided that given I'm going to put an auxiliary tank in one side and some bombs in the other, I could probably live with using the kit part, albeit modified (I know you're all wondering if I'm ill......) I also decided on a little artistic license, and made a few of the (what I think are) bomb release solenoids different colours to indicate they may have been swapped out.

 

IMG_3988_zpsghhhdeux.jpg

 

The same could not be said for the main catwalk/truss thingy. Given that I'd already done the outer sides in litho plate, it would have looked rubbish to slap the kit part in there; well that and the kit part wouldn't fit in my bay :) This presented a new problem, because it would also look rubbish to "skin" each truss frame with litho as the catwalk can be seen from both sides. Soooo, out came the milling machine and I made a new one (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT OF CRUELTY TO INNOCENT ALUMINIUM)

 

IMG_3991_zpstlzimify.jpg

 

IMG_3993_zpsbednl63o.jpg

 

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Then it was back to some good old gusset making, except this time there was even more :frantic:

 

IMG_4001_zps5kufo2re.jpg

 

Slowly, but surely, the new 2017 catwalk began to take shape...

 

IMG_4004_zps8r3zn4fy.jpg

 

And for those that thought I'd forgotten the step, I actually had....

 

IMG_4010_zpslylrrsfc.jpg

 

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One from above, before you never get to see this again.

 

IMG_4017_zpsh3fvpuy7.jpg

 

And a few more..

 

IMG_4018_zpshhs8vmx6.jpg

 

IMG_4019_zps7ub8rnw9.jpg

 

Still plenty to do in here, as you might have guessed there'll be a working light in the bomb bay step as well as a dome light above, there's also lots of cables, boxes and fuel lines to go in there, but with the catwalk in position, it'll be easier to build everything else off it.

 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the catwalk thus far has taken me four full days to build........ :)

 

Enjoy!

 

Craig

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