1:32 scratchbuilt B-17 Fortress diorama - update 06/11 FINISHED!

[richdlc]

Hi - I've been keeping a build blog over at large scale planes & thought I'd let you have a peek at my latest project

Am building a 1/32 crahsed/recovered B-17 from the Combat Models vac. (fuselage only). I plan to show it on a trailer, being pulled by a suitable wrecker (it's a toss-up between a Scammel Pioneer, a Ward La France or a Diamond T. By rights it should be a USAAF C2 wrecker but no-one makes a kit)

The fuselage will be heavily battle damaged - the plan is to show a large hole blown in the side to reveal the scratchbuilt interior..

anyway - enough talk, here's some pics. So far have made a start building the chin turret, and am in the middle of the ball turret & mount

inspirational shots - all images are for illustrative purposes only:









I will probably have to scratchbuild a suitable trailer.

I roughly cut the fuse halves out & cleaned them up a little, drew on panel lines & opened up the crew and tail gunner access doors. I used the 1/100 scale plans in the back of the superb Aero Detail book. These will serve as a rough guide for the panels, which I will make one by one from thin sheet pewter.









vacform kits are a steep learning curve for me - rule number 1 is that nothing fits! I found a crude but effective method for the fuse halves - I basically removed as much of the casting 'lip' around the mating part of each half as I could, and then held the fuse halves together with elastic bands - I let the natural tension of the bands pull the pieces together & then if they overlapped, I removed the offending bit of plastic from one half. The result is that any imperfection or wavy line on one half should (in theory) be compensated for exactly on the other half...the end result was fuse halves that fit together quite well.

Of course the solution would be to have a huge sanding board or a belt sander or something...but I don't. This method has worked OK but it's pretty basic. As long as the fuse halves are together & it 'looks' right then I'm happy - I just have to remember NOT to use the fuse join line as any kind of reference when deciding if another part is on straight!

Here's some shots of the two halves joined - everything just about fits, although I will have to make adjustments as I go along. Most of the openings have been cut out, but there's more I can add:

Edited November 5, 2013 by richdlc

[richdlc]

you'll notice that I've also removed the fuselage/main wing joins that were moulded onto the fuselage halves - on my kit, the castings were off on one side, making them lopsided when viewed head on. Although I will need the tapering bits where the wing root meets the fuselage, I decided it would be easier to completely remove the offending protuberances. I sanded everything flush & plugged the holes with a few sheets of plastic card cut to shape. These don't have to be perfect, as the new wing join structure will be added over the top, and the entire thing eventually 'skinned' with pewter sheet. You can see that the fuse is now much more of a 'tube' in this shot:

You can also see that I removed the moulded on nose piece (an 'F' model shape). Unfortunately, most of the clear pieces provided as part of the kit are of poor quality & unusable... I had planned to show the nose perspex smashed anyway to show off more of the interior...I'll decide what to do on that score at a later date...

Finally, for now, I removed the top of the rear gun position - the vac kit again has an 'F' model tail and I need to build a 'G' model Cheyenne tail turret. The turret itself was modular, and could be removed. I considered doing this, but then decided it would look nicer to have a tail gun after all. The Cheyenne has a very distinctive shape, and the access tunnel tapers into a kind of teardrop shape culminating in the guns - I will have to scratch this as the kit part is unsuitable & too wide:

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:

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

here's what I knocked up:

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

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:

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

I 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):

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:

I decided to go with the late model turret - this will probably come back to bite me in the bottom 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 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.

curved:

remove curved part, replace with flat

near the crewman's 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:

a few more pics - head on, right side up

[cuprar]

I'll be watching this one come together, great work so far.

[richdlc]

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

rear view:

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.

There are an overwhelming number of detailed shots of the interior of the ball turret freely available on the net, so let's take a look at some of those first - as always, these shots are reproduced for illustrative purposes only. I've picked a couple at random to show you what I need to build....or should I say, what my fanatical mind keeps making me build - no doubt most of this will be hidden, but it's a lot of fun making it...

OK here's some shots of the real deal:

a general shot (I believe of the turret from 'Aluminum Overcast')

the main feature is the K4 gunsight (the big black thing in center shot) - this was identical to the K3 sight used elsewhere on the a/c, except built upside-down for use in the ball turret. Here's another shot of it:

and here's a shot of the interior with the gunsight removed (looking upwards) - note the crossbrace/spar above the MGs, the wooden handles (I believe these are the firing handles & buttons for the guns and the turret traverse mechanism), the junction box on the left and the intriguing round device with winding handle:

I made the crossbrace/spar first. I then started to make the other bits in little sub-sections - here's what I have so far:

I also added a coat of primer to the turret halves to make them easier to work with. There's a ton more little parts, wires etc to add.

I decided that I had to draw the line somewhere & couldn't add every single detail - or rather I shouldn't because it'll be difficult enough to see inside the turret once it's done. I plan to leave the hatch open of course...

Here's a reminder of just how busy the inside is: (picture sourced from the net for illustrative purposes only) - this turret is minus the gunsight

Here's the front of my turret with a coat of paint:

rear part:

both halves:

these are the cocking mechanisms for the guns - basically they were steel cable on a pulley system - crude but effective.... Aires gun bodies with brass barrels:

Here's the turret buttoned up - still a lot to do but looking a bit more like a turret at last:

next I started construction of the turret mount. Here's what it looks like on the real plane:

I began with two circles of different gauge plastic sheet, cut with a circle cutter. In all honesty I made a guess at the diameter after measuring that of the turret - it was just about right. I then turned to my trusty friend once more - the ping pong ball. It was perfect for the 'hood' shaped bits on either side. A short while later I had this...

And here's how it will fit over the turret:

Fast-forward a couple of weeks - my interpretation, from plastic sheet, strip, rod:

other side:

[richdlc]

quick break between posts so I don't use up my image quota...

I left the mounts for the support brace hollow - the plan being to bed in the legs of the brace with milliput for strength:

I built the frame & attached it to the mount, then bedded the legs in with squadron white stuff. (All photos of real aircraft are again freely available on the net. I have reproduced them for illustrative purposes only)

The front has a spare parts box, the rear is where the gunner's oxygen hose attaches to the frame:

Early ball turrets had an internal ammo supply - late turrets like this one had side mounted ammo cans. I made these from plastic sheet, strip and rod:

I made the pole mount from appropriate diameter plastic rod - there's a couple of plugs with wires which run up to the ceiling of the aircraft. I deliberately left the pole too long - I'll work out exactly how long it needs to be once I mount it to the aircraft.

I also made the oxygen bottle from plastic tube with flat end caps sanded to shape:

And here's the major components. A few more little details to add & then I can assemble it all. I plan to use etched brass flex chutes from the Eduard 1/35 UH-1 Huey gunship detail set to replicate those found on the real thing:

I made the trunnions that fit onto the side of the ball turret - the turret pivots on these to achieve elevation & depression.

Here's an image of what I need to re-create. As usual, freely available on the net & reproduced for illustrative purposes only. This is a shot of an early model turret (as evidenced by the greater number of windows on the turret sides) but the trunnions are identical on the late turret I am making.

the trunnion on the other side is subtly different in that it has a 'thingy' sticking out of the side, as seen on the left. I believe that's the technical term for it haha

I finished off the turret by adding some external details & attaching the other side panel. Here's some images from the net (for illustrative purposes) - you can see the turret has a protruding 'ridge' at the top - I can only assume it was to prevent the turret from elevating or depressing too far into the fuselage:

[richdlc]

early turrets had an internal ammo supply, which was replenished via a hatch on the roof of the turret - all later turrets also retained this feature:

you might notice that there's some big gaps at the top of the side panels - I decided to leave these as the top half of the turret is completely covered by the mount. They are also invisible from the inside of the turret, so that's OK...the same reasoning applies to some of the top windows - they are already a little crazed because of the poor quality of the transparent plastic. I further managed to mess them up with superglue fumes ........fortunately they are mostly covered up by the positioning of the mount.

Next I knocked together the gunners oxygen hose - this attaches to the frame of the mount & then disappears into the turret top. I simply wound thin gauge solder around larger gauge & glued it in place, I think it'll look fine after a coat of paint - here's a dry-fit:

inally here's some comparison shots of the real deal & the interior of my turret. A quick wash & dry brush should make these details pop, but for now I think I"m done adding details otherwise I might never stop lol

and that's where I'm up to as of today (29th May 2012)

thanks for looking & any comments welcomed!

Rich

[Jim Saudi]

Outstanding work. What more can I say!

Jim

[richdlc]

Outstanding work. What more can I say!

Jim

hey thanks Jim.

typically, HK models have announced the release of a 1/32 kit...I'm hoping it won't be for a while yet lol....having said that, all the scratchbuilding is fun. I just have to work out how far to go with it...I plan to have a huge hole blown in the side of the fuselage to show off the interior, and I'll also have the nose caved in & the perspex shattered to do the same for the forward cabin - there's some really inspirational shots of damaged B-17s at this website:

www.daveswarbirds.com

thanks for looking

Rich

I'll be watching this one come together, great work so far.

thanks man - I was so busy posting I missed your comment!

[Nik W]

This is absolutely incredible, seriously impressive amount of work in terms of scratch-building going on here and I can't wait to see more of it.

I've never attempted a vac-form before, but I have one in ths stash (a Dynavector Scimitar) and plans to have a go at one of the Sanger Shackletons and this is just reinforcing my desire to have a try myself!

Regards,

Nik

[Radleigh]

Superb, Got a 48th B-17 myself that i'm doing crashed, but it's tucked away. Looking forward to seeing this progress.

[richdlc]

hey thanks a lot guys...been wanting to do this for years. I remember seeing Shep Paine's famous crashed B-17 diorama when I was a kid & thinking how cool it looked

[Radleigh]

hey thanks a lot guys...been wanting to do this for years. I remember seeing Shep Paine's famous crashed B-17 diorama when I was a kid & thinking how cool it looked

If thats the one I think it is, I thought exactly the same thing, I had a flyer with a few photos of it on...?

[richdlc]

If thats the one I think it is, I thought exactly the same thing, I had a flyer with a few photos of it on...?

yeah, I think it came with old boxings of the Monogram 1/48th kit

[James G]

Great scratchbuilding skills there Rich, will be watching with interest!

[Once more unto the bench]

typically, HK models have announced the release of a 1/32 kit...

Somehow I doubt that the HK kit will be a serious rival to this build! Keep up the great work.

[Dermo245]

Thud. Jaw hits floor.....

Outstanding work Rich - keep up the awesome build!

Dermot

[tomprobert]

Awe inspiring stuff... I built this kit a few years back so know exactly what you're up against. Good luck is all I can say!!!

[Martian]

Most impressive! It should be a show stopper when it is complete.

Martin

[Forlornhope]

Damm thats pretty impressive scratchbuilding looking forward to seeing more

[HADman]

Great idea! Good work for it!

[periklis_sale]

ok now show as the machine that you shrink the real hings :D :D

AMAZING work my frind!!!

:clap2: :clap2:

[richdlc]

thanks for the nice comments guys....I am now gathering info to detail the top turret....more updates soon

Rich

[richdlc]

*update 30/05/12*

Hi - I've been busy painting & weathering the ball turret & have begun final assembly. The general concensus is that the frame (and parts of the interior like the forward cabin & navigators compartment) were painted dull bronze green, whilst as the war progressed, ball and top turrets were left unpainted. As they were made from pressed aluminium pieces, this meant painting the turret in Humbrol dull aluminium. The mount and support pole was painted in Humbrol 75 (Matt bronze green). Ammo boxes were painted aluminium. I will leave them off for now as I need to source some etched brass flexi chutes from an Eduard Huey gunship detail set. Everything was given a wash of raw umber oils & then drybrushing.

I added a kill marking swastica under the left gun (R/H gun in pic) which is just about visible in this shot, and the name 'Lucy' under the opposite gun...

there's a red data stencil on the internal ammo hatch. I found a spare decal that roughly approximated the text (it actually says 'locked when handles are in line with red marks'). I also added a data stencil on the tool box from a Mike Grant decal sheet.

trunnions now attatched:

and the oxygen hose:

that's it for now. Whilst waiting for a few little bits to finish this off, I will soon be starting on the top turret!

stay tuned...

Rich

[Warris]

Superb scratchbuilding Rich

[Mike]

Fabulous work!