Fozzy

Hi all! Another few weeks have passed and time for another post!....done quite a bit so it will be a big post! I have finished both waist guns except for the ammunition belt which I will have to think about as it won't be easy! First off I had to make the swivel mechanism that holds the gun in the perspex....so this first photo shows the wooden stick I will use!....just thought you might like to see the stick!!!! After sawing a piece off and drilling a hole and sanding....this is how it looked.... Next photo shows the 2 plates that the swivel mechanisms are bolted to... here we have if glued to one of the window frames.... The next photo shows a dry run of the fitting of the MG....and looking at it I must remember to take the sight post off the end of the barrel as that's for the MGs without the compensating sights on! I rummaged through my collection of clear plastic packaging and found a suitable piece to make the perspex for both windows apertures. I already half built the guns a few weeks back and now it was time to finish them off.... ....and here they are completed .... I had to do a little research on the K-13 Sperry Compensating sights that I wanted to add to these guns....so after searching the internet and gathering the photos together I started out on the sights... The sights took me a week to make as they are tiny and quite complicated but got there in the end....here are both the guns with the sights attached and all painted and ready to fit into the fuselage...... I glued both guns onto their mounts through the perspex and added a little more detail ..like the control cables (that I haven't a clue what they actually operate.....something to do with.... adjusting ...something!!) .... Any how here they are in the fuselage...... Going to have to rack my brains now for a solution on how to make the ammunition belts bend and twist from the ammo boxes to the guns.....so see you next year! All the best and thanks for looking in! Fozzy

Thanks guys!😃

Hi to all! I have been busy in the last week or so trying to get this project moving on to completion...even though I have had a few distractions like mowing oceans of grass in my garden and keeping the Tax man off me! However I did manage to start on what will be the very last of the interior detail of this fuselage.....and that is the waist gunners positions. I haven't done a lot but every little helps to get me closer to the end!...as I believe Mr Tesco's would say!...although it has got absolutely nothing to do with him! I started by cutting all the pieces of wire to represent the rounds that will go into the ammunition boxes (you can see the top layer in the box if you're wondering why I would do that!😉) The boxes were made out of plastic card and the rounds were placed in the top..... After painting them this is what they look like.... After looking at a few hundred photos I checked to see what equipment was needed for both gunners . ...oxygen bottles....oxygen regulators and their indicators...flying suit heater units ...intercom boxes...bail out alarm bell and a matchstick!!!😆 The bottles were made from Milliput...which I always find difficult to use for some reason!...the rest was made from plastic and wire.....just to let you know I didn't scratch build the matchstick! The last 4 photos show the equipment in place.... That's all folks! Next up will be plexiglass and guns! Thanks for taking a peek Cheers Fozzy

Cheers!....and what a great idea!...I love the Hawker Hart!....would look great in a larger scale....looking forward to seeing it!😃

Oh dear!....I must be tired!....I am tired!...TAIL PLANES....HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS.......School boy error!🤨.....will edit it right away Pete!....how embarrassing! All corrected Pete!

.........And another bit done! I have to say I am flagging a bit!...finding it difficult to continue with this project. I guess I have been slogging at it for years now and really can't wait until it's all done! I am trying to get it complete before October comes as I am off to the UK and would like to try and take it with me on that trip....I don't know...we shall see!.....talking to myself here!🤨 OK ...so I managed to get the Tail plane connection area complete...difficult shapes as the fuselage is round of course!....but I also added a bit of detailing as you can see in this first photo...... So I made the simple cartridge shoot for the Cheyenne turret and cut a slice of Coca Cola can for where the barrels go into the turret. Now onto the Tail plane connection. This was all scratch built with plastic card. If the tail plane was off the fuselage this is what it would look like. The protruding sort of 4 bars you see would be connected to the horizontal stabilizer and in the D shape there was a cog that operated the elevators........... After it all was painted and weathered a tad this is the end result!....I made little canvas bags out of tissue paper to go over the D shape....this was to protect dust and dirt from entering the fuselage ...and saved me making connection cogs!😉 ....and here is the tail section so far!....... Right then.......the next part is actually the last internal detail that I will ever have to do on this project!....HOORAY!!! But that's the next post... Thanks for taking a look Cheers Fozzy

Thanks guys😉

Hi everyone Here then is the Cheyenne turret finished to the best of my abilities! The canopy for the turret wasn't as simple as I thought it might have been! A few months back I had made the canopy to fit over the turret detail but when I looked at it more closely I noticed that the small window apertures behind the main front perspex were way to small!....and so started the re designing of the frame....after a few attempts of dry fitting to the fuselage I think I cracked it! So the first 2 photos we have the modified canopy frame............ To make the perspex (glass) I raided my box of used food packaging and found a nice little piece that once covered a shaving stick package!.....it wasn't too thick luckily as I had to bend a piece around the front!....I cut them to the correct shape and then super glued the front wrap around piece first. DISASTER!.....when the glue set I noticed it warped the frame!...aaaggghh!.....the plastic was too thick after all and so I had to take it off and find some thinner plastic that would do the job!....this time the thinner plastic worked and I placed the remaining pieces on the frame. I then glued the entire frame over the turret and on to the fuselage. When it was set I placed a few of the aluminum pieces on parts of the frames as you can see in these next photos..... All I had to do now ...(which normally takes a couple of days)... place the rest of the Aluminum around the frame. Of course I have to do the entire rear fuselage section but I have to wait until the top and bottom halves are on! This now completes the Cheyenne turret at long last! This is what she looks like at the blunt end of the fuselage!!! I think my next task is to do the elevator connection detail....so that will be my next post! I can now definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel ...after 10 long years!...you must all be sick of the the sight of it!! ...I know I'm beginning to!.. ha ha! Thanks once again for looking in... Cheers Fozzy

Ha ha ...no problem!

Cheers and go for it Richie!....you don't need all that expensive after market stuff....you are a modeller!😉

I wish it could be a little easier at times Simon!

Hi there..........Speeding along now! Here is the last of the internal detail of the Cheyenne Turret ...which involved making the gun sight.... So stage 1 was to make the sight platform....... Next up was the bullet proof glass shield .....I have to say I still wouldn't want to sit behind that!..... It was then attached to the frame work ...... Now came the real tricky bit! The N-8a Reflector gun sight is only 6 inches long in real life which relates to approx 8mm x 6mm in my B17.......so...teeny weeny! I have to say a few swear words were echoing from my office as I tried several attempts at getting it looking OK ish! I then painted the safety glass frame and added a pulley and cables...... The gun sight was then painted...... This was then seated onto the frame and photographed. I have to say that it's not exactly what it should look like but its a rough version of this real one!! Here's my attempt at the gun sight....... As I was photographing I took these shots from below looking up into the turret as if I was the gunner!.....I thought it might show the cramped conditions the gunner would have to endure for 12 hours in freezing conditions ....I must be going mad!🙄 OK.....so next on the agenda for the next post is placing the canopy frame on top of the turret! Until then happy modelling guys! Cheers Fozzy

Yep ...that I can understand Pete.You can find an abundance of information on the B17 right up to you get to just before the tail wheel. Then it's a no go zone!...of course I do have reference photos I use but that area isn't covered very well! Thanks for your thoughts mate....interesting!

Mmmmm...interesting hyphothesis Pete!.....but still don't understand!...even if one starts to freeze ....more oxygen won't help but extra heating might!....or am I being thick? (probably!!)

Well this is true Brian!....but the effort and patience needed to connect the belts up to the guns was a step too far!!😉 Hi there every one Here is the next post on this 10 year post!.......nearly there now...he says! This post is all about adding more detail to the Cheyenne turret......so here we go....... These first 4 photos show pieces of wire I have added in and around the turret which is supposed to represent air ducts for de misting purposes....well at least that is what I am led to believe!...and I can't believe it took me all afternoon just to cut the wire into correct lengths and super glue them on...the glue just wouldn't set for some reason...mind you it is Bulgarian super glue! Once the glue was set I then painted them....the second photo shows the excess wire sticking up that will eventually be set against the frame of the perspex enclosure.... Next up was to scratch all the equipment that will go in the turret. I love doing this sort of thing!...... If someone can enlighten me on why the turret had 2 oxygen regulators I would be very pleased!...no end of research will tell me this reason!....oxygen outlets on either side of the gunner?....who knows!....I bet it's obvious and I just can't see it! Any how...the next 6 photos show all the equipment placed into the turret. .....the gunner really didn't have a lot of room in there! So I then replicated a portable oxygen bottle out of Milliput and plastic...made a little bracket for it and placed it in the turret for the gunner to bang his head on!🙄 So that's it for this post. Next up will be trying to make the sight and then placing the "canopy" on the top of it all!....which will then free me up to do the last bit of detailing which is the waist gun positions....and then..........well lets not get ahead of ourselves Fozzy! Until the next time ... Thanks for looking in Fozzy

Cheers chaps!😀

Hi Ian The ammunition belt twists towards the both breaches as shown in this photo....... Luckily I didn't need to attempt that as you can't see the breaches on my 50 cals! Cheers!

Hi guys! Time for another up date!...still battling on with the Cheyenne turret and this post is all about Ammo boxes ,rounds and seats! So this first photo is of the two ammunition boxes I made from plastic card. I should point out at this stage that when I mounted them onto the Turret side walls I realized that they were far too long and had to cut them down to size!...1 step forward 2 steps back!..... So here they are attached to the side walls.... It was time to put some music on and settle down for the afternoon to make the ammunition belts!....Of course I have done this for all the other guns on this project so far and knew it would be a rather a laborious task! The belts are paper (so they can be flexible when placing them on the guns etc) and the rounds are hundreds of 4mm cut lengths of wire. ....more paper detail and by the end of the afternoon I had finished! Time to put some paint on them!.... I then placed them onto the ammunition boxes.... I then turned my attention to the outside of the turret. Most of the combat B17G Cheyenne turrets had the apertures where the barrels go through open...but the Warbirds have them closed off with zipped canvas as on "Fuddy Duddy" ....so this was replicated with the use of thin plastic. Both the 50 cals were then glued to the internal frame minus the barrels which I will place on when the turret is complete.... ....and the top plate was then glued into position over the guns..... It was at this stage that I shortened the ammo boxes....what a drag!....my own fault ...I should have studied the reference photos more carefully! It was now time to have a go at the old bicycle seat that the gunner sits on for hours on end!...I shaped a small block of balsa wood and covered it with thin plastic card and I also made the knee pads to go on either side of the seat..... ....and painted.... Looks bloody uncomfortable to say the least! With the gunners seat in place ...the last 6 photos are what the turret looks like so far! See you on the next post.. Thanks for taking a look! Cheers Fozzy

OK guys....reference the wings...... 1. I started this B17G approx 10 years ago. 2. I have aged even faster due to this project! 3. It would take me at least another 10 years to do the wings. 4. I just haven't the time left in this world! 5. I would love to have a go at another project.....before I get too old! 6. I hate wings! There I think that just about covers it!😉 😀

Ha ha😆....what you like Bill!

Thanks a lot guys!🙂

Yep!...next to the pier!😆

Cheers Brian...it's always good to be back at the bench! Thanks Pete!....it's never cold in Eastbourne mate!😉 Thanks bar side!....just to let you know that I never use evergreen products and use Sprue all the time!

Good afternoon guys! I do hope that you are all keeping well and safe since the last time I posted. I just can't believe its been 5 months since I last posted on here!......and 5 months away from my B17G! I went to UK at the beginning of last December for Xmas and was due to return to Bulgaria mid February but of course Covid put an end to that plan! So as we were all in lock down I decided to wait in UK to have both my vaccinations and I am pleased to say that I have now had both! Whilst I was there I decided to get a few modelling supplies to tie me over and I made a couple of small models...one of them I put on this post! But now it's time to get on with this B17G..........so where were we?...oh yes!.... working on the tail section. I completed the detail in the tail section right up to the Cheyenne rear turret ...so I guess it's time to have a crack at that! First things first.....I made the support post and platform for the MGs...as you can see in this photo.... A plate made from plastic card was then built which will eventually sit in position above the guns.... I then painted the gun support..... I decided that the best way to get the detail done in this Cheyenne turret was to get the 50 cals completed and placed on the support and then build all the other detail around them. So .... because I have still got to do another two MGs for the waist guns later , I decided to build those along with the two that will go in the tail.....I cut some plastic pieces into blocks that will be the basic MG minus the barrels! ....and with the use of photos added the detail onto the blocks...... Plastic sprue came in handy now for the barrels.....luckily I had just the right size! Pieces were cut to length and the barrel shroud was simulated by drilling holes along the length of the barrel..... I placed flash suppressors, made from wire insulators onto the end of the barrels and then glued them onto the MGs ...and then painted them in Gun metal.... At this point I decided to place some detail onto the front end of the turret....I had done it months before but the detail somehow fell off!.....this time super glue was used!! Adapter- gun mounts were made from plastic and wire and attached to the MGs.....fiddly as hell!! That was then all painted. The next 5 photos show the MGs all finished.... In the next post I will install the MGs onto the support frame but first I have to think about it as I somehow have to get the ammunition link to the guns! It certainly is great to be back at the bench and tackling this monster of a build!.....So far it's taken me nearly 10 years to get this far....time flies when you're having fun!! Until the next post....take care and thanks for looking in! Fozzy

Thanks guys As I mentioned it was a real pleasure to build a kit!...not having to worry about accuracy like when I'm scratch building (not sure how accurate this kit is.....but it looks the part!) Stay safe everyone Fozzy