Pastor Rich Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Another "classic" brought back! Now I don't feel so alone. I can't believe it's been that long Fozzy! My how time flies but I surely remember your 17!! Looking forward to following your progress...again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthemodeller Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 10 hours ago, Fozzy said: Hi Guys.... thanks a lot for all your comments!.....except the ones that are trying to encourage me to tackle the wings....and engines !!......Brian!🤨 It's also great to see that some familiar faces are re joining this wagon!.....it's gonna be a big ride!😉 I'll be back soon! Who? me?? Would I do a thing like that??? 😇 That said, I did read a really interesting article about how to scratch build radial engines... I’ll try and dig it out for you because it might be useful later... Really good to see this epic build back on the bench and I looking forward to following its progress. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 22 hours ago, Fozzy said: Just to let you all know that I will not be building the wings and the 4 engines that go with it!😉 Fozzy So he says now...😁 AS before, she is still looking fantastic! In awe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthemodeller Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Considering he liked my post about scratch building engines I reckon this is all bluff - the wings and engines will be following later in the decade... just watch this space! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddyf Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 This has been a build I have followed since I can’t remember! Fantastic attention to detail and to echo @AdrianMF, the photos are easy to mistake for a walkthrough of a 1:1 airframe! I am looking forward to the rest of this build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 6, 2020 Author Share Posted May 6, 2020 Cheers guys for your input!😃 6 hours ago, brianthemodeller said: Considering he liked my post about scratch building engines I reckon this is all bluff - the wings and engines will be following later in the decade... just watch this space! Brian ....you will never let it lie ...will you?...but to my defense....When this model is finally complete it is being donated to the The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum ....in Calsbad near L.A in California and they are not expecting wings!🤪 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 12 minutes ago, Fozzy said: and they are not expecting wings! And I guess you will do them some way, sometime and somehow Just for them! Cheers Benedikt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 I do hope popcorn supplies haven't been impacted by the virus as I'm going to need lots, so glad to see this back on the go again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthemodeller Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, Fozzy said: Cheers guys for your input!😃 Brian ....you will never let it lie ...will you?...but to my defense....When this model is finally complete it is being donated to the The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum ....in Calsbad near L.A in California and they are not expecting wings!🤪 But just think what a nice surprise it will be when they arrive... Just picture all those happy, smiling curators... Warms the very cockles of your heart just thinking about it! And just think to the future... will YOU ever be content knowing that you this model was never really finished?? Edited May 7, 2020 by brianthemodeller More coercing... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagey Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 Yes!!!! Your large b-17is back. More exciting than a new series of your favourite tv show 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) Hi there everyone I hope everyone is safe and healthy and coping with this lock down business! Time for an update! So I have made some progress on the tail unit but before showing you the photos I thought I would share the other problem that I have with this project!....always problems! ....serves me right for starting this journey! If you didn't know ...I live in S.E Bulgaria and I will eventually need to transport this finished B17 across to UK first and then eventually ship it across to California in the States where I am pleased to say that I have had interest from the The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad (not far from L.A) and have decided to donate it to them. This in turn will of course cause a few headaches! This is a very large and extremely delicate B17G I am building and it will need careful consideration on how to ship it.I used to do commissions for people and have shipped models to Europe by shipping companies...I would pack the model and hand it over to them and they would charge the earth with no guarantees that it would arrive safely!.... So this time I am going to try another way of shipping. I am going to try and put it on a flight with me and because it is too big to go as hand luggage , I had to think of it going in the hold in a large suitcase!....which then set the alarm bells going off as I imagined the baggage handlers tossing the case all over the shop!.....and so I did an experiment. I took the front section which as you know is complete and measured the length and height and chose a large enough suit case to use. I then built a MDF box and suspended the model in the box using polystyrene ...screwed the lid on and placed the box inside the suitcase. I then took it out in my garden and threw the case all over the lawn....kicked it and dropped it from a height as if I was a baggage handler! .............let me tell you that after 7 years of building the front section it was a very difficult thing to do! I eventually opened the box ( with a hang mans noose at the ready ) to see what damaged was caused!........absolutely no damage at all!....phew! what a relief! ......I will be trying that experiment again at a later date ...this time being even more brutal! Here is the box with the front section packed in....with the lid off of course....... If the model arrives safely in the UK then I will be happy for the next trip to USA a little later! So on with the progress I have made with the tail section.....here is part of the tail..... ....and the next part added up to the rudder position.... So this tail section will have to be designed so that it can be taken on and off as it will be far too big to fit into the built box for the suitcase.....so to that end here is a photo of the location holes I have designed for some pegs that will slot into them to hold the tail in place...... ...and here are the pegs on the tail unit that will slot in..... and here I am slotting the unit in place. Once again I have joined the two halves together to see if all looks ok........ I have to say that I am finding this tail unit very challenging and it's coming together at a snails pace! Next up will be the Rudder construction.... so until then ..look after yourselves and happy modelling! Cheers Fozzy Edited May 13, 2020 by Fozzy 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spookytooth Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Oh the woes of transporting things around the world Fozzy. It`s a task that I would not envy. She is coming along nicely. Enjoy the sunshine. Stay safe. Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthemodeller Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Wow - you are braver than me! I can't wait to read all of the details of your 'experiment' when you finally publish the book to accompany the build... Out of interest, will the model be on show anywhere in the UK before it jets off to LA? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 6 minutes ago, brianthemodeller said: Wow - you are braver than me! I can't wait to read all of the details of your 'experiment' when you finally publish the book to accompany the build... Out of interest, will the model be on show anywhere in the UK before it jets off to LA? Hi Brian....it might be a possibility...Telford is a stones throw away from my Mothers home!....all depends on when I fly to the States again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Excuse and ignore this irrelevant post ....it's just a test as I am having problems with my photo host.......😉 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 An engine! I got all excited there. Just for a minute. You need Pratt & Whitney. Not some old Junker. Anyway. I would have loved to find out what your neighbours thought when they saw your suitcase experiment. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairystick Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Hi Fozzy. With regard to your packing for shipping... I was involved with a yacht designer who would take our models around the world for displays at boat shows and the concern was the same - airline damage... We would make a sturdy case out of fibreboard - but we would put a clear acrylic panel in the top so that people could actually see what was inside. The logic was that the "baggage manglers" would take more care. We only had a minimal amount of repair work over a decade of this sort of thing. Adding heaps of "FRAGILE!" stickers also helpd. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Rich Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Hey Fozzy! I feel you pain on shipping as I've been through it too. I'm with @hairystick above -- put a clear plex panel in it and cover it with that good old Italian saying, "FRAGILE!" Your Fort looks right at home in your photos! What a great place to live and build! Beautiful from what I can see. (I really need to do something about my workspace!) We're well here and hope the same for you and yours! PR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ2016 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Hi mate, great work, I 'm pretty sure with a couple of wings and propulsion, it would be able to fly itself to the US !! Cheers JJ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 Thanks guys for your tips on packing!...I will take it all on board when it comes to the time!....I used to work at Gatwick Airport as a Honey Cart driver many moons ago and used to see the baggage handlers in action and I have to say the idea of putting fragile stickers over the case would be like a red flag to a bull!😉 4 hours ago, JJ2016 said: Hi mate, great work, I 'm pretty sure with a couple of wings and propulsion, it would be able to fly itself to the US !! Cheers JJ Love it JJ!😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 4 hours ago, Pastor Rich said: Hey Fozzy! I feel you pain on shipping as I've been through it too. I'm with @hairystick above -- put a clear plex panel in it and cover it with that good old Italian saying, "FRAGILE!" Your Fort looks right at home in your photos! What a great place to live and build! Beautiful from what I can see. (I really need to do something about my workspace!) We're well here and hope the same for you and yours! PR yes all good here PR thanks......Yes it is really nice and peaceful here in Bulgaria with a population smaller than London UK!.....there are draw backs however ...like having to travel a 2 hour round trip to get to the supermarkets....and as for getting modelling supplies?.....no such a thing as a modelling hobby here!.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Great to see this, and you, back Fozzy. You are a VERY brave man to throw the model around - my worry would be more that something inside would come unstuck! For travelling to Telford with my biplanes I bought one of these. Not really practical for your usage, but if anyone else is looking for ideas I can recommend them. The foam inside is sectioned and can be removed as needed to fit boxes inside. I fitted the models into the boxes using the foam I'd removed, then slotted the boxes into the gaps. It worked beautifully all the way from Ubu Dhabi to Telford and back. Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 1 hour ago, limeypilot said: Great to see this, and you, back Fozzy. You are a VERY brave man to throw the model around - my worry would be more that something inside would come unstuck! For travelling to Telford with my biplanes I bought one of these. Not really practical for your usage, but if anyone else is looking for ideas I can recommend them. The foam inside is sectioned and can be removed as needed to fit boxes inside. I fitted the models into the boxes using the foam I'd removed, then slotted the boxes into the gaps. It worked beautifully all the way from Ubu Dhabi to Telford and back. Ian Cheers Ian.....I am either brave or stupid!....but I thought it best to do the test before traveling!....so far all is good, touch wood!...at the end of the day it will be in the lap of the Gods! I wouldn't worry as much if it was a small model! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Man, the brass marbles needed to test the shipping box like that (with the model inside!) are a match for the drive to build that lovely beast! As always, looking great and my jaw is once more scraping the carpet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Posted May 30, 2020 Author Share Posted May 30, 2020 Hi everyone I'm still battling away with the construction of the tail section of this B17G..... long old slow process but I have made some good progress! I was about half way through constructing the tail out of balsa wood in my last post ....so here are some photos of where I am at the moment. Here you can see that I have filled with scrap balsa in between the longerons on the section I built in the last post... The next 3 photos show that I have built the rudder and temporarily attached it the the tail assembly...... After giving it some thought I decided that the rudder would eventually look better if I skinned it with tissue. So after sanding down the rudder as smooth as I could get it , I applied the tissue with a couple of coats of shrinking dope....time to get as high as a coot!!... The trim tab I left as solid balsa wood..... The fun really started then as whilst looking at the scale plans I am using I realized that the tail gun position was of the old "stinger" configuration!...as shown in this next photo.... I needed the up dated Cheyenne turret...as in this next photo..... Well this caused me all sorts of worries as I would have to some how build the Cheyenne turret with out any scaled plans. I down loaded and printed off a drawing of the turret using Foxit reader and tried to get it to the same scale as my existing plans...I got it as close as I could but it was really just a guide of sorts! I then basically had to take a look at photos and transfer what I saw into some sort of balsa construction! So it was a bit of a challenge to say the least! So first up .....I placed the built fuselage onto the drawings and literally drew in the shape that I needed to get the width of the turret ...trying to remember that the drawings were slightly out of scale and then looked at photos of the side of the turret to get as close as I could the height and shape dimensions!....crazy way of doing it but this was all I could do. Here is that process on the go...... I then filled in between the stringers with balsa and literally whittled the shape of the turret!...getting the aperture shape for the ball was a nightmare but managed to do it in the end... To make the ball that fits into the hole....for want of a better description!!....I thought best to make a plug in the correct shape out of balsa and do a plug and mold procedure! I placed the mold into the hole!....to check out what it looked like....I thought ...so far so good! I got the mold ready to push onto the frame where I attached a piece of food packaging plastic ready to be heated... ...and fired up my old Bulgarian grill machine!...perfect for the job! Placed the prepared frame under the grill.....waited for the melt!....and boom!....managed to get it right first time...something that doesn't always happen for me! After cutting out the slots for the machine gun barrels, I cut the mold out and super glued it to the turret.... ....and finally here it is attached to the fuselage with pegs!! The fun and games doesn't stop there for this Cheyenne turret as I have to somehow get the perspex enclosure built....again this will be done by staring at photos all day!! Thanks as always for taking a look guys and see you next time round! Cheers Fozzy 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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