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1:18 Scale B-17G Flying Fortress Forward Fuselage


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With a mountain of different things that need to be made on this project, I'm trying to work on a little bit of everything, I printed a "BUCK" of the top of the flight deck, it's really the only aluminum part that needs alot of attention, it has some pretty good compound curves that require alot of manipulating to achieve the final shape, I was able to get a piece that I'm pretty happy with, I added some riveting and also made a partial test piece of the side window frame which has a recessed lip around the inside of the frame to create an off-set for the sliding side windows of the cockpit.

 

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Also I drew up and printed the main structure for the bottom of the upper turret, I have to draw the other parts, gun mounts and ammo feed chutes and boxes.

 

 

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Enjoy,

Pat

 

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32 minutes ago, BiggTim said:

What are you using for your references, Pat? Really inspirational!!

Thank you !!! I have been using all kinds of references, I have a couple hundred photos from the internet, I had some reference from previous projects before and I have been using a half built HK kit for reference as well. I know all the short comings of the HK kit but with the cockpit already assembled on it, it helps to give me some spacial reference to fit things without having to go through every detailed drawing and layout to draw parts, I don't want to spend that much time on it, which gives me a decent chance of a finish line !!!

Pat

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2 hours ago, brahman104 said:

Hey Pat,

 

Rivets look great!!! That part was tough on mine too...... definitely helped to make the piece quite oversize and then trimmed it back. You've got a few rivets to go!!! :) 

 

Awesome stuff,

 

Craig

Thanks Craig, the roof cap went pretty quickly aside from having to re-print my buck, I didn't have enough of the windshield and side window surface on the first one so it was difficult to get the aluminum to burnish down over the front and sides at the front corners, learning curve, for sure !!!

 

Pat

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I had drawn a Browning M2-50 Caliber machine gun for another project, I had to make an aircraft barrel and cooling sleeve for this model, the cooling sleeve is bordering on paper thickness, that's why it looks a little distorted in the image, I did find away to re-straighten them after printing and curing, I just happen to have a piece of steel tubing almost the exact size of the inside diameter of the cooling sleeve, I put inside a cured printed sleeve, held it in front of a heater a few seconds and then rolled it on a flat surface like a rolling pin until it cooled, seems to work ...

Also I needed to make a "FLEX" mount cradle to put the gun on, so I drew one up and printed..

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I had to temporarily stick one into a nose cheek position just for a look...

 

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Looking outstanding! I love this project. And I want one.

 

If you care about accuracy, I should point out that your top turret pedestal isn't accurate to any wartime version of the B-17. When HK first released their B-17G kit, they based their top turret structure off the one inside Sentimental Journey. Save for the upper perspex and the guns, SM's top turret was actually pilfered from a P2V Neptune and retrofitted into their B-17. Their second release, the B-17E/F, had the correct top turret for all models of the B-17. See the attached photos:

 

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Another detail feature for those that are curious, if you look at the foot plate on B-17 top turrets, if it has a teardrop-shaped bump on it, then the top turret had direct flow oxygen and did not have an oxygen tank attached to the top turret. If there is no bump, then it should have an oxygen tank fitted. Later F's, and all G's, had direct flow and no oxygen tank affixed to the turret, which was situated under the ammunition boxes.

 

- Dennis S.

   Mount Juliet, TN USA

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