Gorby Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Absolutely stunning job on that ball turret, but I don't think we would expect anything less from you. Well done that man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Brilliant Can't say much more than that because you Fozzyed it perfectly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 8, 2018 Author Share Posted March 8, 2018 Thanks chaps! I am just coming to the end of the detailing of the bottom half of the turret...should have a post ready tomorrow or next day! Fozzy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Fozzy, I found this close up picture that may help you. https://whistlingdeath.tumblr.com/post/171556172315/photoyage-ball-turret-of-a-b-17-flying-fortress Regards Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 44 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: Fozzy, I found this close up picture that may help you. https://whistlingdeath.tumblr.com/post/171556172315/photoyage-ball-turret-of-a-b-17-flying-fortress Regards Pete Thanks Pete ....nice shot of the turret!....it just shows you how cramped and claustrophobic it must have been..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 And then you had to hope that the turret would retract & the gear came down before the aircraft ran out of fuel. Am I right in thinking that you couldn't bail out of the turret when it was in the down position? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairystick Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 The word "amazed" doesn't go far enough to describe that ball turret. Brilliant work Fozzy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 33 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: And then you had to hope that the turret would retract & the gear came down before the aircraft ran out of fuel. Am I right in thinking that you couldn't bail out of the turret when it was in the down position? The retractable turrets were in the B24s Pete....the gunner would only enter the ball turret after the B17 had taken off...the turret would rotate so that the guns were facing down which would make the door way exposed inside the fuselage....the gunner would enter the turret and then on the way home from a mission when all was safe he would swivel the guns down again and exit into the fuselage. The gunner was always in the fuselage when landing due to the very fact that you mentioned. The powers to be also didn't seem to thing that it was good for a gunner to be in that cramped position for many hours....many gunners became casualties due to cramp and had to literally be lifted out of the turret. As for a parachute......there wasn't enough room for a parachute in the ball so the gunner had to rely on his crew mates to get him out of the turret in an emergency...his parachute was in side the fuselage. The whole thing is absolutely insane ...which absolutely fascinates me! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Ah, I am now educated. Thanks. I remember a film where they had to belly land and couldn't get the gunner out of the belly turret. For some reason (Today started at 0400) I mixed up the two bombers, I think. Doh! Bedtime! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 9, 2018 Author Share Posted March 9, 2018 Hi guys I have managed to finish detailing the lower half of the Ball turret. I really had to think carefully how to approach doing this...because A. ..there is a hell of a lot going on in there!! and B....what I scratch build in the lower half will eventually have to marry up with the top half!. Luckily I have of photos of "said subject" but of course no dimensions!....and so this was all done by eye balling the photos and trying to scale it in my head down to 1:20.....how ever I am used to this and this is the part of the build I love doing. I started by building the two 50 cal Browning's. So it was time to get out my favorite box and tin of the only materials I seem to ever use when doing this................ Scrap plastic and bits of wire!....and I think I used a Christmas card some where in bottom half of this turret! So here we have the two Browning's ready for a bit of paint... The guns were placed into the turret ..(that was a nightmare!....took ages!)...and then on with a few more parts to be scratched. Here for example is the air regulator and heated suit unit that are tucked away in front of the armored plate that protects the gunners under cart!..... and here are the Air pressure gauges on their panel.... ...and with a little colour attached.... There was times I built a part and then had to start all over again....mainly a scale issue...but got there in the end! Tomorrow I will take photos of the completed bottom half and post again...its late here in Bulgaria...my bed is calling!! Until tomorrow then.... Fozzy 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairystick Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I didn't know that the guns could be fired both at once OR individually. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJP Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Amazing scratch building on this B17G - very inspiring to see the work going on at the moment of modellers like yourself and Massimo CJP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Truly inspirational work with the ball turret making a stunning cherry on the top Kev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 Afternoon all! First up thanks Hairy Stick for the links to the videos...I have seen one of them before so it was interesting to see the other! OK then.... I took photos of the bottom half of this turret this morning so that I could show you the progress that I have made so far. I have to say that I found researching the Sperry Ball Turret fascinating and it was ...and still is...pretty difficult to put it all together!...If I thought the lower section was hard it will be nothing compared to the upper half!.,..as I said in my last post it was difficult at times to know which part to scratch build first...wires and cables were hidden behind parts so I really had to think it all through!....this is my excuse in case you see any flaws...and believe me there are a few!... But I am happy with the way it turned out....so far! So here are the photos then......I think that the whole thing will look better when the top half is joined.......... ...and just so you can get an idea of the scale....... The next few photos show all the bits and bobs that go into the lower half of the ball.... So ....thinking ahead of the upper half I think I am going to have to think outside the box on this one as so far with this project I have put the emphasis on being able to see the internal workings of the B17G.....EG...the nose section was only skinned up to the cockpit plexiglass...so you could see into the cockpit....same as the last section I built...the bomb bay...although I think I might have to re visit the bomb bay as I don't think you can see into the bay very well....and so to this radio room....and to that end this Ball turret....I think I will design it so that the top of the ball is open enabling you to see down into the ball......its a load of balls really......but I think you know where I'm going with this! Unfortunately My Wife has fallen ill and I have to return to the UK for a few weeks to look after her and so I don't think I will be able to post any more up dates for a while ....might be able to slip a small one in before I go!.....this post is full of double entendre's!! Cheers for looking in chaps Fozzy 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Oh blimey Fozzy I hope she's OK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 34 minutes ago, perdu said: Oh blimey Fozzy I hope she's OK Thanks Bill.....I'm sure the specialists will sort her out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthemodeller Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Hope she’s soon on the mend. If you need anything whilst you’re over here give us a shout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 2 hours ago, brianthemodeller said: Hope she’s soon on the mend. If you need anything whilst you’re over here give us a shout. Thanks a lot Brian....very kind of you to offer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairystick Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Oh dear. I hope your lady recovers quickly. Health and happiness are rather important. Take care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your other half Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 Thanks every body for your well wishes...I'll pass them on to her...I'm sure things will be just fine and she will get sorted and I'll be back at the work bench real soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Hi there Lads and Lasses! I am off to the UK tomorrow but was able to do a quick update before I set off. I haven't done much but its a start to complete the ball turret part of this build. Looking at photos convinced me that the next best thing to scratch build should be the ammo cans that are inside the ball!....they sit just above (and I mean just above) the gunners thighs!....I can see why the ball turret gunners had to be small...there is just no room to move an inch!...no wonder they got cramp!.....lying there in that draughty enclosed space ...dangling under the belly of the B17 with the deafening thunder of the 50 cals a few inches from their ears!....... great respect for them! Scratch building the ammunition cans was a huge task in it self and I hope that they look something like them....I built them from a small block of balsa wood and then covered it with some yogurt pot plastic....just to save some of my plastic card! The rounds were made by cutting teeny pieces of telephone wire and gluing them on a strip of paper. Here is a photo of the can's and some of the ammunition that will be seen before painting..... The rounds were then glued into position and the whole thing was painted...... Then the real tricky part started!......fixing the whole lot into the small ball. I decided a few days ago that the whole idea of this B17G project was mainly to show off all the interior detail....and so I thought that the top of the ball should be open so that when its in the fuselage you can look straight down into the turret as well as looking through the gunners hatch which will be on the outside of the fuselage.....so to that end I cut part of the top off the ball as you will see in the next photos. It took a lot of dry runs to make the cans fit in the ball with the top half on....but managed to do it in the end. Here we have the ammunition cans in the turret minus the top half.... ....and here is what it looks like with the top of the ball temporarily attached... You might notice that only one side of the ammunition cans are painted....this is because a lot of detail will be attached to the un painted side later. So now I am off to UK for a few weeks and will be back to continue this mid April. Thanks as always for looking in and taking a peek! Laters Fozzy 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Good fortune go with you and we will see you later Ill get the beer in when you come back 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Holy crap, I had no idea all that was stuck in there along with the gunner! I hope your good lady makes a full and swift recovery (at least she's in the UK so you won't go bankrupt!) Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 5 hours ago, limeypilot said: Holy crap, I had no idea all that was stuck in there along with the gunner! Ian ....and that's only half of it Ian!...as you will see!...crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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