tomprobert

In regard to the ball turret ammunition cans, the external cans mounted on the cradle above the turret were not a WWII fit - these are often found on war-bird B-17 restorations and are not typical of wartime ball turrets. The ammunition was all carried internally during the war - the ammo cans above were developed as part of the B-32 Dominator programme and were never used on WWII-era B-17s. If anyone does come across as WWII-era photograph of the external ammunition cans fitted on a B-17 ball turret I'd love to see it! I've been researching the B-17 for many years and am yet to see such a photograph. Equally, if anyone has a photo of an internally painted B-17 I'd love to see that too - again I've not been able to find a single WWII-era photograph showing a painted interior of a Fort - the flight-deck aside. Rumour has it Douglas painted some of theirs but I'm yet to see photographic evidence. Tom

Looks like Tigger Wilkes has a few 1/32 B-29 orders coming his way considering the level of interest! Fire up that vac machine, John

Thanks, Kent. Yes - I have most of what I need - I'm not going to go mad on the detailing - just enough to look ok when peering through the canopy. Tom

Hi Alain, Yes, you can see the problem along the bottom of the hull in the second-to-last picture above. I'll build the short area up with card and filler then blend.

Yeah... it's massive. It'll be fine until the wings go on, then all sorts of problems will begin The ID Models plastic is thicker (averages around 1mm) than most other vacs I build which is really useful. The latest releases from Tigger also use nice, thick plastic and it makes such a difference - so unlike the cigarette paper Combat Models use!

Afternoon all Some more progress on the Sunderland to update you on... One of the main problems when building big vacs like this the fact that due to the nature of the plastic and the fact there's no interior provided, the fuselage lacks structural integrity - especially when it comes to adding the wings and tail, etc. Therefore, lots of internal reinforcement is needed to provide enough strength for the model to be able to support itself. So it was out with the profile gauge and thick plastic card, and slowly bulkheads began to emerge... DSC_0039 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr For anyone familiar with the internal layout of the Sunderland, you will quickly see these bulkheads and floors are far from resembling reality, but considering next to nothing of the interior will be visible I went for strength over accuracy. The centre-section 'bomb room' as well as the nose section and cockpit are more in keeping with the real thing, however: DSC_0035 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The other fuselage half... DSC_0037 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr ..now slides nicely over the other... DSC_0041 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr ...apart from the fact that the starboard fuselage is approx. 4-5mm deeper than the port - a bridge I'll have to cross at a later date! The sheer bulk of the fuselage and the size of the real aircraft is quickly becoming apparent: DSC_0043 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr A few more bulkheads to fabricate, and then it'll be on with making the finer details of the interior areas that will be visible. Until next time, Tom

I use this one: https://www.workshopheaven.com/shinwa-profile-gauge-c-200mm.html?googleshopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=googleshopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI77inl__d3wIVar7tCh0fUwvzEAQYBCABEgJKDPD_BwE It's pretty bulky but ideal for these large vacs. Thanks, Clark. I'm not sure what's going on there - I'll have a look when I upload the next round of pictures. Tom

Every now and again a model on here blows one's mind - this is one of them. Stunning! I'd love to see it in the flesh one day - is Telford on your radar at all..? Tom

To save yourself some work, it may be worth contacting Combat Models and ask for a copy of their D-model 'greenhouse' glazing from their vacuform kit. I still have one left over from my build, but I intend on keeping it I'm afraid in case HB do something silly with the glazing on their D-model kit - i.e. put impossible to hide joins right through the middle of it! I still have the Combat vacu rear turret too, and will be using that for my D-model when it's released. Combat also provide the correct Martin upper turret dome, too... Great project by the way - I'll enjoy this! Tom

I've made a start on some of the interior bulkheads and have begun with the flightdeck, making the floor and rear section. The rear bulkhead has a door on the real aircraft which leads through the centre fuselage sections, but for strength I'll be keeping it solid. A top-tip to avoid wasting expensive plastic card when making kits like this to use a profile gauge and transfer the initial shape on to cardboard (I use an old cereal packet) and then, when the shape is perfect, copy it on to plastic card. This way, if you make any mistakes it doesn't matter! IMG_0690 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Now you have a perfectly fitting floor and bulkhead with no wastage: IMG_0692 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Next up will be the many bulkheads needed throughout the fuselage to keep things rigid - I'm back to school tomorrow though so progress will slow for a while. It's a shame when you have piles of books to mark when there's an exciting project like this on the bench Until next time, Tom

It wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, but it’s ultimately very rewarding! Yes multiple spars and fuselage bulkheads will be needed to support it. I’ve been working on the cockpit bulkheads this evening so will post some pictures later this weekend. The main spars will also be part of the fuselage bulkheads as they run through the centre section for integral strength - well that’s the plan anyway. Hopefully all will go to plan and I can show you how it all works as the build progresses. Tom

What a beast! There’s some great shots there that’ll no doubt come in useful. I don’t suppose you have any of the forward beaching gear do you? The one in Duxford here in the UK is in a cradle, and I think it’s the same with the Hendon example although I’ve not visited the revamped museum yet so can’t be sure. In regard to stressed skin... I’m contemplating riveting the model but not sure my skills extend to stressed-skinning it. It’s a such a huge canvass and I think it may be easier to try to fool the eye and replicate the effect with careful painting. Tom

I’ve built a 1/32nd B-29 and it’s verging on impractical. It’s so huge I was constantly knocking it into things, it’s a nightmare to transport anywhere (I can only do so in my estate car with the seats down) and it’s only ever been to one model show because it takes up so much table space. Another problem is storage - even if the wings come off it’s still so big, finding a box or case big enough is almost impossible. Mine resides in my attic on some industrial shelving and rarely comes down. I tend to agree with Jennings - the idea was great when I was contemplating mine but in the real world making, transporting, displaying and storing it is not practical. Tom

Wow, that looks stunning - we need more info! Is there a build-log at all? Is it finished? Tell me more

Couldn't agree more - but sadly I need to return to work to be able to afford all the plastic card I'll be needing