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CONTINUATION OF MY 1:20 SCALE SCRATCH BUILT B17G (RADIO ROOM)


Fozzy

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7 hours ago, limeypilot said:

I'm sure there was many a ball gunner with a very similar expression on his face when getting in! 

 Great update!

 

Ian

 Too true Ian!.....kind of same expression I have on my face at the moment...its day 2 and I am still trying different experiments out on how to do this turret! :think:

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5 hours ago, perdu said:

Large glass marble?

Of the type we used to call a 'glarnie' round here in the fifties and sixties

 

What size is the ball to be Fozzy?

There is obviously lots of glazing framing to use too

 

I remember them Bill!......too small I fear!...65 mm is the circumference....and glazing?...yep...a real challenge!

4 hours ago, brianthemodeller said:

What diameter do you need (allowing for glazing/framing etc)?

 Hi Brian...as I said to Bill ...65 mm.

 

This ball turret  is by far the toughest scratch build I have ever done...But.....you know what?....I might have cracked it using that kids ball I purchased. I thought that it might be useless when it came to vac forming because its pretty soft ... but after the 3-4th attempt I got something I think I can use.

 

I won't be posting anything until I'm sure I can pull it off !...so I better get to it!;)

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How the heck did I miss the first parts of this? Fozzy doing what he does best! So compo and green maggot laid in for the journey.

 

As for that cryptic reference to yoghurt pots??? I think I understand...

 

On-On,

 

Christian, exiled to africa, (we have yoghurt pots!) and off to find the preceding parts.

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6 hours ago, Stephan said:

I found this thing here ...

100_5717r.jpg

 

maybe you can use the bowl itself it is about 0.5 - 1mm thick.

 

Cheers, Stephan

 

Cheers Stephan!....but I think I might have it covered now....besides I wouldn't want to break up the little girls home!!;)

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Hi chaps

 

Here is a quick up date on the problem that shall be named......."The bl#@$y Sperry Ball Turret" :angry:

 

I wasn't going to start this part yet because I knew that I would have problems with it!....just kept putting it on the back burner!....I thought that if I cant manage to scratch build the ball turret then the whole B17G project would come to a grinding halt!...so I started trying to think of ways how I can replicate it with the least amount of fuss and specialized tools...that I don't own!!

 

That little yellow kids ball kept staring at me!...taunting me!...because it knew that it would be useless if I tried to use it for a mold for vac forming....not solid you see....rubbery little thing....but I just had to give it a go!

 

I made a do it your self vac forming kit a few years back and I dusted it down ready for a trial run on the yellow ball.

 

image.jpg

 

The Henry hoover was got out of storage....(I hate hoovering!!;))...and was put to good use for once!!....all connected up and ready for the off....

 

D_1.jpg

 

I started on the first attempt to use some plastic food packaging......it was pinned to the frame and popped into the oven for a few seconds....hoover on for suction and.....................failure!...the little ball stood up to having very hot plastic wrapped around it but I reckon the plastic was too thick. So next attempt I used a sheet of plastic card.......no.....too thin!.....so in the end I tried a sheet of 0.5mm and hey presto a result!..........

 

D_2.jpg

 

Then I thought that the plastic would get stuck to the soft ball ,but I didn't have any problems extracting the ball!....so I re loaded another 0.5 mm sheet of plastic on the frame and popped it in the oven (making me feel hungry all this talk of ovens!:rolleyes:)...

 

So now I had the two halves ready for a trim up......but I decided that I needed to cut the ball horizontally as it would be easier for me to do all the detail inside the ball.....

 

D_3.jpg

 

The next 2 photos show the two halves together......roughly!!

 

D_4.jpg

 

D_5.jpg

 

So....so far I think so good.....the test will be later when I try to marry up the two halves......but first its down to a load of detailing...starting with the lower half of the ball....blue ink marks the spot!

 

D_6.jpg

 

I am going to start trying to cut out all the glazing first....then on with all the detail....so I will be back when I have managed to do that!

 

Cheers for looking in

 

Fozzy

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Do you get clear plastic eggboxes in Bulgaria Fozzy?

 

We get ours in supermarket boxes of fifteen which are made of PETg and can be reheated and remoulded

 

Some of that might solve the ball-ey problem, or reshaping the bottoms of water or pop bottles

 

Or getting someone back here to pop into an artists suppliers to buy some 0.06mm acetate for just over a fiver

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A promising start! I too wondered if it would not be easier to vacform the ball in clear and add the frames, but I've no doubt you've given it a lot more thought than I!

 

Ian

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5 hours ago, Bigdave22014 said:

I thought you were making a model of BB-8 from Star Wars for a moment..

 

Would you not be better off with a clear ball, and then adding the glazing and "bits" afterwards?

Thought about it Dave ...tried a couple of clear plastic sheets but they weren't up to being molded...probably too thick and wrong type of plastic added to the fact that I had run out of sheets!

 

4 hours ago, perdu said:

Do you get clear plastic eggboxes in Bulgaria Fozzy?

 

We get ours in supermarket boxes of fifteen which are made of PETg and can be reheated and remoulded

 

Some of that might solve the ball-ey problem, or reshaping the bottoms of water or pop bottles

 

Or getting someone back here to pop into an artists suppliers to buy some 0.06mm acetate for just over a fiver

Yes we do have plastic egg boxes here Bill.....some great advice there mate!.....as for going to the shops....that's far too easy!!;)...getting more supplies on my next trip to UK

 

4 hours ago, limeypilot said:

A promising start! I too wondered if it would not be easier to vacform the ball in clear and add the frames, but I've no doubt you've given it a lot more thought than I!

 

Ian

 

Hi Ian....My thinking was that it was just as easy to vac form in a white sheet and cut out a few holes...which ever way you do it ...its a lot of work!....but a great challenge which I do enjoy!

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Hi guys

 

Time for an up date on this Ball turret!

 

So after a lot of cursing the designers of this turret...namely Mr Sperry!:wtf:...I finally managed to complete the outer parts of the bottom half of the turret..... leaving me to start next on the dreaded interior!

 

The hardest part was trying to replicate where the 50 cals go into the turret....I tried all sorts of ideas but in the end decided to use wire insulation. Very fiddly I have to say and a few attempts had to be made before I was kind of satisfied that it looked the part.

 

Here's a photo of me in the process of making them..............

 

image.jpg

 

I have done this method many times before but this time it seemed harder due to the circular shape they had to be attached to!...Each piece of insulation was 1 cm in length and had to be opened up and cut to shape.....and a small piece of plastic with a hole drilled out that will take the barrels later on........

 

Here you have it......

 

E_1.jpg

 

Next up was also pretty dam difficult and that was cutting out all the glazing positions.....but finally the bottom half of the turret was ready for glazing.............

 

E_2.jpg

 

After the glazing was done using cut pieces of an old food clear packaging plastic...I then placed all the framing around the glass.

 

Here it is then ready to start the detailing of the interior........

 

E_3.jpg

 

E_4.jpg

 

E_5.jpg

 

E_6.jpg

 

E_7.jpg

 

....and with the top on to give some sort of reference that it is.... in fact... supposed to be a ball turret!!!;)

 

E_8.jpg

 

E_9.jpg

 

I have to say I am glad that that hurdle is over with.....although the top half will be awkward at least it wont have all that glazing!

 

When I started this project back in the dark ages I really wasn't going to do the entire B17G....it was just supposed to be the nose section......one of the reasons why I shied away from it is the fact that I would have to do this turret....but I guess that's what scratch building is all about....pushing your self to the limit...and this ball turret has pushed me right to the edge!! ha ha!:mental:

 

so......I am now going to have a go at the bottom half of the interior...so I better start looking at the 1652 photos I have as reference!!

 

I shall be back...and thanks for looking in!

 

Fozzy

 

 

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That has turned out incredibly well. I was wondering how you would get the glazing done, but it looks better than I had thought would be possible. Stunning as always Fozzy!

 Don't look down!

 

Ian

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6 minutes ago, Bigdave22014 said:

Outstanding work as always Fozzy.

Why am I thinking of Star Wars right now? 

Ahead of their time weren't they Dave? 

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