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B-17G 42-31582 Ol Scrapiron --- FINISHED!!!


Ol' Scrapiron

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Stuff is about to get breakable...

 

Actually, there already have been a number of things break off that have been repaired along the way, but it's about to get real delicate!

 

My task for today was the extendable trailing antenna located on the left side of the fuselage between the ball turret and the waist windows.

 

Here's what it looks like as seen on B-17F 42-29782 Boeing Bee in Seattle...

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... and on B-17G 44-85784 Sally B in England

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and you can just make it out beneath the fuselage star in this shot of B-17G 42-32076 Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby

B-17-Shoo-Shoo-Shoo-Baby-NMoUSAF-Restora

 

 

 

 

So on to the project...

I started out by stretching some sprue -- a slow pull so I'd be leaving it pretty thick. I let that cool for a minute and then nipped it about an inch from the sprue stub it came from. Carefully I applied indirect heat from a match at the very end so it would start working back on itself leaving a thicker blob at the end. It took a few tries but I got one I liked.

 

B-17-1-48-01-29-19-9420-extended-antenna

 

 

Before this build I never would have attempted this, but since it worked for the gun barrels I carefully drilled out the stem of the sprue so I could feed a tiny bit of wire into it.

 

B-17-1-48-01-29-19-9421-extended-antenna

 

Painted it up...

 

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... and installed through a hole drilled in the fuselage.

 

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Looks a bit like one of the German handgrenades to me, but as long as I don't break it off it will be one of the cool little extras. I also drilled out holes where the aerial antenna will feed into the Radio room.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Ol' Scrapiron
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Since I haven't really sliced myself yet, I thought it about time to make this project really dangerous by adding a couple lines of 34-guage brass wire for the main antenna.

 

I started out by raiding the wife's sewing kit and pilfering 4 needles (all told it would take 6 by the time I was done.)

 

Using the pin vise, I drilled small holes at the top of the vertical stabilizer, the base of the mast on the dorsal fillet and each side of the Radio room.


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The needles had to be snipped to a reasonable (short) length which is when one of them "PING" went rocketing across the room to parts unknown. One of the kids will probably find it with their bare feet.

Some cyano gel locked the needled into the fuselage with enough strength to withstand some tension.

 

Then I fed the very thin brass wire through the needle on the right Radio room location and a few tight twists to make it secure and a drop of cyano to make it permanent. I threaded that through the dorsal mast needle, which had been left long enough to represent the insulator. Up through the needle at the top of the tail and pulled taut with a few twists to keep it from moving. That will get covered in some white glue to represent and insulator at that location. Back down to the left side of the Radio room and secured/trimmed.

 

B-17-1-48-01-31-19-9435-aerial-antenna.j

 

 

I tried to apply some metallic gray paint, but the brass wire keeps showing through. I'll try a second coat later to see if the first coat will act as a primer to provide some grip.

 

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With all these delicate, pokey, breakable additions it is starting to get difficult to pick it up.

Need to just finish -- without lopping a finger off on the piano wire!!!.

 

 

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She's done!

 

I started this on October 31 and put the final touches on just a few minutes after midnight Jan. 31 (then took time to snap a few pics!!!)


In just a few minutes I will post some pics of the last step and a few of the finished plane.

 

And tomorrow I will snap some glamour shots in the sunlight and then post in the STGB Gallery.

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Last steps before completion...

 

A quick look at the antenna under the rear fuselage.

For the aerial up top I used brass wire because I did not want it to break every time I pick up the model... but for the lower antenna I used stretched sprue. The posts are short lengths of .5mm wire set into drilled holes and then trimmed to height. I wanted to be able to heat the stretched sprue and have it 'snap' to straight, but there is a slight bow to it if you look at the right angle. I think I painted it first and that stopped the flexibility of the sprue. I'm not going to try and fix it because odds are greater I would screw it up and it looks passable as-is.

 

B-17-1-48-01-31-19-9475-lower-antenna.jp

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Note: the hole beneath the stabilizer is for the jack that powers the lights inside. There may be a gray plug in that before I take the pics for the Gallery.

 

 

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The FINAL step (been putting it off to the VERY end) was finishing the cowl flaps.

 

First I had to replace several that had broken off along the way. Orange and grape soda cans to the rescue.

 

B-17-1-48-01-31-19-9476-final-cowl-fix.j

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B-17-1-48-01-31-19-9478-final-cowl-fix.j

 

 

Then I made a pile of tiny (TINY) squares of kitchen foil to add between the flaps. I opted for white glue for this because I knew if I used cyano glue I would wind up pulling off cowl flaps or gluing myself to the model. You have to look hard to see them but it will be a bonus for those that spot them. I used the kitchen foil because it is already (by definition) NMF so I wouldn't need to try and paint the little slivers that are visible between the flaps.

 

Here are engines #1 done and #2 halfway done.

 

B-17-1-48-01-31-19-9479-final-cowl-fix.j

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B-17-1-48-01-31-19-9482-final-cowl-fix.j

 

and all the way around.

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Again, very subtle, but it's there.

 

 

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A few teaser shots of the complete plane. I will set up the tripod and try to get some nice shots for the Gallery tomorrow.

 

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Wow, has it been a lifetime since I made that headset for the Radio room...

 

B-17-1-48-02-01-19-9512-finished.jpg

 

One last pic for tonight -- lights on!!!

B-17-1-48-02-01-19-9515-finished.jpg

 

 

 

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Sometimes I think the Britmodeller forum is seriously short of options at the react-button. So I have to try contemplate that by writing!

I´ve found out there is sometimes a "core" build or builder within a Group Build, which keeps the section busy with his/hers constant and interesting updates. I believe many of the regular visitors of this GB consider the Ol´ Scrapiron as such a "core build", or should I say "signature build"? It´s been a pleasure and a priviledge to follow your build Steve, and oh boy haven´t I learned a lot of the Fortress along the way :thanks:. V-P

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Outdoor pics...

Yesterday was all rainstorm (no complaints, most of the country is in life-threatening deep freeze) and today has been off-and-on light showers. I took advantage of a brief break in the "liquid sunshine" to shoot a few pics out on the back deck. The overcast probably helped diffuse the lighting anyway.

 

So here she is...

 

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And a few on the wet hood of my son's car...

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B-17-1-48-02-02-19-9584-Final-outside.jp

 

 

 

By the way, you'll notice I have taken measures so that I'll never mistake my car in the parking lot...

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B-17-1-48-02-02-19-9591-Final-outside.jp

 

 

 

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  • Ol' Scrapiron changed the title to B-17G 42-31582 Ol Scrapiron --- FINISHED!!!

I took Ol' Scrapiron to the Northwest Model Builders Society (club name may be incorrect) that has their meetings at the Museum of Flight (Seattle) in the actual "Red Barn" -- talk about a great place to ponder all things Boeing!!!

 

There were some serious jewel-like builds on the show/tell table so my clunky Fortress was a bit rough in comparison. Of course I forgot to bring the battery pack so I was not able to light it up. Sigh. Also lost one machine gun barrel (which may turn up, who knows?) but I did get to meet some other builders from this area. As a bonus I figured out a way to take the kit on a road trip safely by notching the box to make cradles for wings, nose and tail. It's some crude craftsmanship but does the job... sort of like this build has been.

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Hooray for taking her out and showing around, and to such a place in Boeing history... wow!

 

Ok since the GB is officially over and the ever vigilant host is looking in another direction, I use the opportunity to write something very off-topic :rofl2:. I have some history in model railroading, the US way too, and the first Model Railroader Magazine I ever bought was the January 1995 issue. It had a (huge in european standards) track plan for a 1960´s era layout called Puget Sound Southern, containing some Burlington Northern predecessors and the ill-fated Milwaukee Road pacific extension. The theme was located around the harbour of Tacoma and had Puyallup River (or Creek?) crossed a few times with rr bridges. I donated all my MR and Trains magazines to our local model railroad club some ten years ago, so I can´t access it easily. I haven´t been active in the club for nearly ten years now. It was a very impressive plan because I can still remember it quite well.

 

V-P

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I think that is the layout that is housed at Freighthouse Square in Tacoma by the Northwest Railroad Society (name might be wrong) -- they have a huge layout based on modules built by club members. They used to bring it to display at the Washington State Fair (was the Puyallup Fair back then) until the buildings got remodeled and there was no open space large enough to accommodate the layout.

 

There also is an incredible layout on permanent display in the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma that is actually inside the historic Grand Central Station. That layout is built to depict all the major regions and rail cities in the state. Absolutely captivating. I've spent hours there with my son when he was younger.

 

Both of those layouts are within 15 minutes of my house but I never visit now that my son has grown out of his train fascination. I still run my healthy Lionel layout in the attic, but when the kids lost that spark it became less of a priority.

:sad:

 

 

I'll see if I have some pics somewhere -- might even have video of them in action.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here's a digital artwork of Ol' Scrapiron (without any nose art at all.)

 

border-fb-12x18-B-17-Ol-Scrapiron.jpg

 

Darn, just realized the cowls aren't blue... guess there's still more work to be done.

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