Mike H Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Does anyone know what the grey thing is in the second image above? I've highlighted it here Simon, Not sure what this item is for certain but the nearest positioned piece of equipment that I can find in the pilot's flight manual is the navigator's heater. These were made by Stewart-Warner and fuelled with aviation gasoline piped from one of the engines. Mike PS Superb work so far. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 This is brilliant... it's hard to believe it's in 1/72nd scale! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 There was a comment above about the Liberator being draughty. Apparently this was the case in Liberators fitted with nose turrets, something that was referred to in Martin Streetly's "Aircraft of 100 Group". The Liberators employed by 214 and 223 Squadrons had a fabric shroud over the turret which was doped over the forward fuselage. Sadly Coastal Command didn't employ that mod, so Simon's still going to have to amaze us with his skills there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) I'm not sure the 159 Sqn Liberators in the Far East had any sort of mod for the turret's draught problem - there doesn't appear to be anything in the photos I've found. I've been meaning to take a look at the nose artwork, and finally got myself motivated. There's a slightly blurry photo here: http://www.rquirk.com/159files/Carty/Lady%20X.jpg But luckily there's a much better black and white photo in the Air Britain RAF Liberators book, so a quick scan, some Photoshop jiggery-pokery, and this is what I've come up with: Â Colours are guesswork, but look reasonable. It needs a bit of fine-tuning, and of course I've got to figure out how to make a decal of it! Simon Edited July 5, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 (edited) Another quick update for today (cor blimey guv'nor, you wait ages for one, and then two come along together...) The Hasegawa Emerson nose turret is complete, with a couple of extra bits added that Hasegawa missed off: Â Â So, will it fit in the Minicraft fuselage? Will it 'eckers like - it's a combination of the base being a bit too wide and the aperture in the fuselage being a lot too narrow. The solution (or my solution, anyway), was to firstly shave the sides off the turret base, which sits inside the fuselage aperture: Â Fortunately I hadn't glued it together! and secondly enlarge the turret aperture in the fuselage: Â There's quite a lot to take off - the fuselage walls were about 1mm thick, and the sides are now wafer-thin in parts, but at least it now fits. Phew! More soon Simon Edited July 5, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skids Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 simply a work of art I can't believe its only 72nd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 Thank you Skids. I'm partly wishing I'd done it at 1/48, it would have been much easier on my eyesight! Cheers Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 This gets better and better. Let us into the secret of turning pictures into decals when you've worked it out please. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 (edited) So, I think I've sorted out the nose art decal. I've had custom decals printed in the past by Draw Decal in the US, run by Greg Drawbaugh. His decals are printed using what is described as 'digital silk' printing, which is basically full colour plus white. The only proviso is that the colours need to be spot (solid) colours, so no gradients. Luckily, unlike traditional screen printing, you can run as many spot colours as you like. So, I took the Photshop image into Adobe Illustrator, which has a nifty little function call Live Trace, which converts photos into vector images (i. e. solid colours), and this is the result: Â It ended up being made up of about 20 spot colours, and at the size it will be used at it should look okay. I could have had literally dozens of colours, but it wouldn't have really been necessary. I also did the white 'Lady X' text, the serial number and a couple of odds and ends for KH408, as well as a couple of other items for other aircraft done on the same sheet. Cheers Simon Edited July 5, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 I'm now moving on to the wings while I wait for a few bits for the fuselage to arrive. The rear of the engine nacelles on the kit are solid, but after an image search on Google, they need to be hollowed out. One image I found of the outer nacelles shows a strange bit poking out of the back - it looks like an upside down tray: http://svsm.org/gallery/b24j/P1470429 What on earth is that? It looks like it's meant to be there, as it's held in place with brackets, but it looks a bit odd Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Looking closely at the picture in question, I am not so sure that the object is attached to those brackets. To me at least it looks more like a drip tray that has been stored there. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 (edited) That's what I'd thought, but it's an odd place to put one, bearing in mind how far off the ground it is! There's another photo and it looks like it's definitely attached to the bracket: http://www.dad.incomingwormhole.com/B-24/B24%20Supercharger%20Detail.jpg Another view here which shows something slightly different http://data6.primeportal.net/hangar/bill_spidle/b-24j_44-44272/images/b-24j_44-44272_05_of_36.jpg you can just make it out, but here's a cropped an lightened version: Â Â Looks like a radiator...cooler for the supercharger maybe? Simon Edited July 5, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I'm fairly sure it's an oil cooler and should most definitely be there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Thanks Tom - in that case, in it goes... Cheers Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Here we are Simon - an extract from Granger's plans... and they're definitely oil coolers. There's one also present in the inboard nacelles - it's just further inside and is parallel to the fuselage; it's just visible in the plans: Cheers, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Brilliant Tom, thank you for posting the image. Cheers, Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Hi Simon, here is a shot of the inboard nacelle and oil cooler from a B-24M: http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/mark_hayward/b-24m_liberator/images/b-24m_liberator_01_of_84.jpg Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Thanks Bill, that's very useful. Cheers Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Boyd Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Thanks Tom - in that case, in it goes... Cheers Simon Hi Simon, Great work, you are an artiste!!! Vis-a-vis the cooler issue, Quickboost makes a set designed for the Has kit, but which might make your job a bit easier: http://www.quickboost.net/Obrazky/72290.jpg Also, they make a set of turbocharges as directly for the Minicraft kit, that I can confirm are worlds better than the originals: http://www.quickboost.net/Obrazky/72307.jpg In fact, Eduard includes a set in their two B-24 specials.... HTH Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) Thanks Byron. I've got the Quickboost superchargers, but hadn't seen the radiators. I'd already made a start on the oil coolers whilst I've been working on the wings, so here's some photos of the progress... Wheels wells with the Eduard etch added. I thickened them up by super gluing them to some 10 thou plastic card: Â rears of the engine nacelles hollowed out: Â and boxed in: Â Progress so far on the oil coolers and mounts: Â I think these will probably suffice instead of the Quickboost ones once they're tarted up a bit. I've also made a start on the nosewheel leg. Here are the main components so far: Â I've got some resin replacement wheels and tyres on their way, so there will be more progress on the undercarriage once they arrive. Cheers Simon Edited July 5, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) This is simply amazing, even more so considering it's 1/72! Would you care to share your references for the interior details? Edited July 29, 2014 by Space Ranger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Thanks! The best reference I've found so far is on this page - it's a great resource: http://i-ota.net/B-24Witchcraft/ It has 360º views of various sections of the interior - I've just panned the camera round and taken loads of screen grabs, then loaded them onto my laptop. The laptop sits on my work table so I can use the screen grabs as and when I need them. The also have a B-17 here: http://i-ota.net/B-17Nine-O-Nine/ Cheers Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacificmustang Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Unbelievable modellling Simon. Would you care to share your technique for getting properly contoured bulkheads? I have been using a contour gauge, but its really a bit clunky, wondered if you had a better way Cheers Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) Hi Bruce Yes, I use a contour gauge too. Like you said, it's a bit clunky, but it gives a rough idea. I take a contour, then use that to make a master cross section of one half of a fuselage, then use this to make the actual bulkhead - do one side, then flip it and make the other. Needs a bit of fine tuning, but seems to work okay. Cheers Simon Edited July 30, 2014 by Simon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Snotting heck, this is unbelieveably good. I've book marked this & will be happy to use as a reference source but can't see me ever soaring to these heights. steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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