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CONTINUATION OF MY 1:20 SCALE SCRATCH BUILT B17G (RADIO ROOM)


fozzy

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  • 2 weeks later...

EQUIPMENT ON THE REAR PORT BULKHEAD

 

Hi Guys

 

There is a lull in the good weather so I have found the time to do another posting here rather than concreting!

 

This will be the penultimate posting of the Radio room before I tackle the complicated mechanism above the Ball Turret!....something that's going to be a tough one no doubt!

 

....but first lets get to today's posting!

 

Not too much stuff had to be scratched...there is a spare oxygen bottle....Liaison Transmitter ....Liaison Antenna Tuning Unit and a few bits and bobs on the side wall.

 

So here is the Liaison Transmitter and Liaison Antenna Tuning unit before painting...............

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead.jpg

 

 

After I painted it this is how the Liaison Antenna Tuning Unit turned out.........

 

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(1).

 

....and the Liaison Transmitter......

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(2).

 

Below this equipment a spare oxygen bottle was stowed....(this varied from aircraft to aircraft).......

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(3).

 

This next photo is of some of the gear that could be found...I say could be found ...as once again info on the many different specs of the B17s is huge!........

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(4).

 

This was now all installed into the radio room and as I usually do here are the photos to show this........

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(5).

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(6).

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(7).

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(8).

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(9).

 

Equipment_on_the_rear_port_bulkhead_(9a)

 

Looking forward now to the last part of the actual Radio room and that is all the Transmitter Tuning Units that are stacked up on the other side of the aft bulkhead.

 

Of course that is in between more darn concreting!!!

 

See you later lads and Lasses!

 

Fozzy

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Hi guys

 

Today I would like to show you the completion of the radio room it self.

This section of the build will still be on going as I have to get the ball turret installed and a shed loads of other details on the exterior....which brings me to a BIG problem!:(

 

As normal with scratch building ...sometimes mistakes are made!...well I will own up to my mistake and tell you that the position of the ball turrets aperture is slightly out!.....( it needs to be a tad more to the rear)... I might be able to get away with it but it means a lot of re adjusting which means destroying a lot of the detail I have already completed!

I always thought this next stage would be challenging as I am trying to get the turret installed in two halves because I am building this B17G in two halves!....I find that constructing the aircraft this way makes it a lot easier than the method of Port and Starboard construction. That is until it comes to the part whereas the ball turret is connected to both top and bottom of the fuselage!

I did think of displaying the ball turret separately but then thought that nothing else on this model is separate....at the moment!....no doubt that when I start to install it , possible ideas will float around in my head ...well I hope so else this project will temporarily grind to a halt!!...........no one said that this would be easy!!

 

So putting that nightmare to one side........lets get to the last of the radio room detail.

 

 The last rear starboard area of the radio room meant that I had to scratch 5 x Transmitter Tuning Units....a couple of hand cranks and an extinguisher........here are the hand cracks and extension bar before painting...

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room.jpg

 

A rather laborious task but here are the 5 x unpainted Transmitter Tuning Units.....

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(1).jpg

 

The radio room door was made from a sheet of plastic card next. There was 2 doors in the radio room one on the forward bulkhead and one on the rear bulkhead....some information and photos I have seen show that the rear door wasn't always on...this could be just for the War birds so for aesthetic reasons I have left it off!....here are parts all painted and ready to be installed.....

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(2).jpg

 

This photo shows the hand cranks on the bulkhead wall........

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(3).jpg

 

....and here is an assortment of photos showing everything in place ...including the camera door hatch....

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(4).jpg

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(5).jpg

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(6).jpg

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(7).jpg

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(8).jpg

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(9).jpg

 

Completion_of_the_radio_room_(9a).jpg

 

So for me its time to put my thinking cap on and try and sort out this Ball Turret mess.....once I get somewhere I will report back!....could be some time!!!

 

Cheers for looking in

 

Fozzy

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Afternoon chaps!

 

Well after considering all the possible ways of how to build the structure which holds the ball turret to the fuselage just beyond the radio room I came up with some sort of plan!

 

I had some vac formed molds of the ball turret that were not good enough when I was constructing it........way back it seems!......which luckily I kept. I thought that as it's the correct shape may be I could cut pieces of it to fit on top of the ball turret and then add the bits and pieces on top of that?.....so I went about that idea.

I thought the best plan would be to construct it inside the fuselage above the ball turret aperture.....and then eventually feed the already constructed ball turret up and onto the structure.

Some of the shapes of the parts were a bit of a nightmare to replicate but after a few days of experimenting with different materials I managed to make the parts look half decent!!

I haven't finished the structure at all ....I have just done the basics and to show you what else needs to be done ...here is a photo of the real thing!......

 

SED.jpg

 

 

As you can see these bars ...part of the structure that attaches to the top of the fuselage...have yet to be made.....

 

DER.jpg

 

...and then of course the ammunition cans and oxygen bottle ...not to mention all the other stuff...have also have to be replicated!....got my work cut out!

 

OK ...so here is the start of my structure before any paint has been applied.......(can't think of another name for it!....I keep saying "structure"...boring!!:rolleyes:)

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret.jpg

 

I have placed the ball turret in place to check what it all looks like in the next 3 photos......

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(2).jpg

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(3).jpg

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(4).jpg

 

...and here it all is with paint applied!..........

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(1).jpg

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(5).jpg

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(6).jpg

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(7).jpg

 

detail_above_the_ball_turret_(8).jpg

 

So now it leaves me to figure out how to attach it to the ceiling of the fuselage.....when I sorted that out I'll be back!

 

Cheers for looking in guys!

 

Fozzy

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by fozzy
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