Joel_W Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 Fozzy, The turret is a detailed model all unto itself. The decision to leave it open will add quite a bit to the build's presentation. Hoping that all goes well with your wife's illness, and you'll be back at the bench sooner then later. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 (edited) 7 hours ago, Joel_W said: Fozzy, The turret is a detailed model all unto itself. The decision to leave it open will add quite a bit to the build's presentation. Hoping that all goes well with your wife's illness, and you'll be back at the bench sooner then later. Joel Cheers Joel Yes I have been looking at my 10,000 photos I have!!....to see how and where I can open the turret up for viewing! I'm planning to come back mid April if all is ok..which I'm sure it will be!..... Edited March 11, 2018 by Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 (edited) Hi there Lads and Lasses! I am off to the UK tomorrow but was able to do a quick update before I set off. I haven't done much but its a start to complete the ball turret part of this build. Looking at photos convinced me that the next best thing to scratch build should be the ammo cans that are inside the ball!....they sit just above (and I mean just above) the gunners thighs!....I can see why the ball turret gunners had to be small...there is just no room to move an inch!...no wonder they got cramp!.....lying there in that draughty enclosed space ...dangling under the belly of the B17 with the deafening thunder of the 50 cals a few inches from their ears!....... great respect for them! Scratch building the ammunition cans was a huge task in it self and I hope that they look something like them....I built them from a small block of balsa wood and then covered it with some yogurt pot plastic....just to save some of my plastic card! The rounds were made by cutting teeny pieces of telephone wire and gluing them on a strip of paper. Here is a photo of the can's and some of the ammunition that will be seen before painting..... The rounds were then glued into position and the whole thing was painted...... Then the real tricky part started!......fixing the whole lot into the small ball. I decided a few days ago that the whole idea of this B17G project was mainly to show off all the interior detail....and so I thought that the top of the ball should be open so that when its in the fuselage you can look straight down into the turret as well as looking through the gunners hatch which will be on the outside of the fuselage.....so to that end I cut part of the top off the ball as you will see in the next photos. It took a lot of dry runs to make the cans fit in the ball with the top half on....but managed to do it in the end. Here we have the ammunition cans in the turret minus the top half.... ....and here is what it looks like with the top of the ball temporarily attached... You might notice that only one side of the ammunition cans are painted....this is because a lot of detail will be attached to the unpainted side later. So now I am off to UK for a few weeks and will be back to continue this mid April. Thanks as always for looking in and taking a peek! Later's Fozzy Edited April 27, 2018 by Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
janman Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 A very interesting project! Wonderful details. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 On 3/15/2018 at 10:48 AM, Fozzy said: Hi there Lads and Lasses! I am off to the UK tomorrow but was able to do a quick update before I set off. I haven't done much but its a start to complete the ball turret part of this build. Looking at photos convinced me that the next best thing to scratch build should be the ammo cans that are inside the ball!....they sit just above (and I mean just above) the gunners thighs!....I can see why the ball turret gunners had to be small...there is just no room to move an inch!...no wonder they got cramp!.....lying there in that draughty enclosed space ...dangling under the belly of the B17 with the deafening thunder of the 50 cals a few inches from their ears!....... great respect for them! Scratch building the ammunition cans was a huge task in it self and I hope that they look something like them....I built them from a small block of balsa wood and then covered it with some yogurt pot plastic....just to save some of my plastic card! The rounds were made by cutting teeny pieces of telephone wire and gluing them on a strip of paper. Here is a photo of the can's and some of the ammunition that will be seen before painting..... The rounds were then glued into position and the whole thing was painted...... Then the real tricky part started!......fixing the whole lot into the small ball. I decided a few days ago that the whole idea of this B17G project was mainly to show off all the interior detail....and so I thought that the top of the ball should be open so that when its in the fuselage you can look straight down into the turret as well as looking through the gunners hatch which will be on the outside of the fuselage.....so to that end I cut part of the top off the ball as you will see in the next photos. It took a lot of dry runs to make the cans fit in the ball with the top half on....but managed to do it in the end. Here we have the ammunition cans in the turret minus the top half.... ....and here is what it looks like with the top of the ball temporarily attached... You might notice that only one side of the ammunition cans are painted....this is because a lot of detail will be attached to the unpainted side later. So now I am off to UK for a few weeks and will be back to continue this mid April. Thanks as always for looking in and taking a peek! Later's Fozzy Fozzy, Every update just gets better and better. The detail in the lower half of the ball turret is amazing to say the least. And that ammo can, is done to perfection. Looking forward to your next update by mid April or so. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted April 20, 2018 Author Share Posted April 20, 2018 Afternoon guys! I have just returned from UK and I am now back in my office and can get to my bench!....the last time I posted was 15 March and of course not being able to do any modelling this post is going to be a small update. So its the continuation of the Ball turret that seems to get more and more complicated the more I look at the photos. I have many photos of different angles of the interior of the turret that I have collected over the months and its a real slow process of interpreting what I see!....not to mention that some of the equipment I have scratch built will be able to be seen but only if you look carefully in all the nooks and crannies!.....as in the real turret there isn't a spare scrap of space! So I continued with building an electrical control box that sits on the front of the ammo cans.....here it is..... I painted the said object and before placing into the turret I built the manual elevation shaft control that the gunner would use if there was no power to the controls....this sits somehow on the front of the electrical control box!....... The last 3 photos show the progress I have made by looking at the white un painted parts....... So as you can see....real slow progress for such a small part in this B17G project! When I have made a bit more progress I will post again....so until then... Thanks for taking a look Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 Fozzy, Those so called little sized details are amazing each on their own, and certainly ad to the overall complexity of the turret. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DrGlueblob Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 Good scratchbuilds make ARC my favorite modeling site, and this one is wonderful. FWIW, I believe that it's good ppractice to make your audience "work for it" a little.. I hide some things to get folks to look through hatches, portholes.. Move around the model on the display table. My 02, Chip Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 4, 2018 Author Share Posted May 4, 2018 Hi there chaps Been a while since I last posted due to the fact that Spring is here and every year I have to fix house problems tend to the garden etc etc also add to the mix that this turret build is pretty complicated!😕 I have a method in scratch building this turret now and that is to build it in layers!...from the top of the ammo cans to the next piece of equipment and then the next layer would be another part of the system to the next part and so forth. ....because of the amount of stuff that's packed into the ball its the only way I seem to be able to do it! So here is the next layer!😉..... As you can see all the white parts are the detail that I have added since my last post....... This shot is looking in through the gunners hatch......... So with a bit of paint added here is what it looks like so far........ So now I have to put another layer of detail on....probably the last bit hopefully!...then I can get on with the Radio room! Thanks for looking in Cheers Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 Fozzy, Every layer of detail just adds to the illusion that it's the real thing. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share Posted May 13, 2018 Hi everyone Just when you thought that it was impossible to cram any more equipment into the turret Mr Sperry thought it was best to install the K4 gun sight!....and it isn't a small piece of equipment either!...it sat just above the gunners rib cage!😲 I made the gun sight by shaping a small piece of balsa wood and then covering it with some plastic card....then all the bits and bobs were simply glued on! Here it is before being painted...... ....and here are some different angles of the K 4 gun sight before being placed into the turret..... So here are some photos of the gun sight squeezed into the turret.......poor gunner! Looking through the gunners hatch....... Here is a shot through the front glass on the ball turret showing the (blue) sight glass....... Its a slow old process but I think I am getting there! Next up is....yep you guessed it .....more equipment!! Till then thanks for taking a look...always appreciated😉 Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainObvious Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Really impressive work Fozzy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 (edited) Cheers Captain! Edited May 14, 2018 by Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Fozzy, I can't believe the amount of detailing you're doing within the Ball Turret. Simply amazing. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 21 minutes ago, Joel_W said: Fozzy, I can't believe the amount of detailing you're doing within the Ball Turret. Simply amazing. Joel Thanks Joel!....still haven't finished....more to come! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 This is such OUT-STAND-ING modelling ... the old fashioned way, not 3D enhanced ... and ... I ... just ... shake ... my ... head in amazement. How you work so small fascinates me. And to me, the handbuilt aspect is the fun of this hobby! I do hope you post elsewhere ... as well as submit pix to magazines ........ thanx for posting here! 👍 Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 3 hours ago, K2Pete said: This is such OUT-STAND-ING modelling ... the old fashioned way, not 3D enhanced ... and ... I ... just ... shake ... my ... head in amazement. How you work so small fascinates me. And to me, the handbuilt aspect is the fun of this hobby! I do hope you post elsewhere ... as well as submit pix to magazines ........ thanx for posting here! 👍 Pete Thanks Pete!....I do in fact post to other forums and recently this build was featured in a the 447th BG news letter. Also I agree Pete...building without the aid of 3D cad drawings etc gives me great pleasure and have always modeled this way since I was a lad back in the 60s!.....cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 25, 2018 Author Share Posted May 25, 2018 Good afternoon chaps May I just say before I start on this post....... Has anyone else noticed that some of the photos are coming back on the posts from Photobucket?...really odd as there was no warning....all the photos from some of my old posts from other models I have made years ago are returning!...please let me know if you are experiencing the same thing....not complaining but don't trust the beggers and I won't be returning to them!😠 Any how..onto the old ball turret! I have added yet another layer of equipment that is found in the turret!....this time its the control pack for the gunner to move the turret from left to right and up and down and also the firing buttons for the 50 cals! The control box was difficult as I really didn't have many photos of different angles of it , so some of it was guess work I am afraid!....twice I got the scale wrong because of lack of photos but got there in the end and I think it looks reasonably accurate! I also built a chain gear box for the movement of the ball which I will show you first....... Here it is completely made from plastic scrap...... ....and here is the difficult to build control unit!....... The next set of photos show the two parts built placed in their position in the turret.......... So here we have the parts painted ................... Now.....your be pleased to know that were on the last push for finishing the internal construction...I know I will be!!!....just a box and cable here and there and then it will be the time to try and fit the top of the turret on and to start building the external detail. I will be back with the last bit of detail soon.....till then...thanks a lot for looking in guys ☺️ Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 Fozzy, As usual, your scratch built details are simply amazing. the turret is turning into it's own model at this point. As for PB, yes, I've heard the same from several posts on a few sites. Seems that the CEO was canned who came up with this cost saving plan that just about bankrupted them as millions just signed up with better sites. Now it's the long road back for them, but odds are it will never be the same as it once was. I left nearly 3 years ago for Image Shack, and have been thrilled with their service from day one. The days of free are surely over for 3rd party hosting, but the question now is will the remaining members and the few returnees be enough to make them profitable once again? Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 On 5/27/2018 at 4:34 PM, Joel_W said: Fozzy, As usual, your scratch built details are simply amazing. the turret is turning into it's own model at this point. As for PB, yes, I've heard the same from several posts on a few sites. Seems that the CEO was canned who came up with this cost saving plan that just about bankrupted them as millions just signed up with better sites. Now it's the long road back for them, but odds are it will never be the same as it once was. I left nearly 3 years ago for Image Shack, and have been thrilled with their service from day one. The days of free are surely over for 3rd party hosting, but the question now is will the remaining members and the few returnees be enough to make them profitable once again? Joel Cheers Joel!......no matter what Photobucket do or come up with I shall never return to them!...but pleased that some of our photos have returned,...and rightly so! ...anyway.................. Hi to all! I am pleased to announce that the ball turret construction has come to an end! leaving me with just the detail above the ball that will be shown inside the fuselage. I have to say that although it was a challenge.... I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the B17G build!......I didn't realize from the offset how much equipment there was inside the turret😮 and I have learn' t a lot about the operation of the turret along the way. Since my last post I finished off by placing an electrical box and cable on top of all the other detail!...and had to make the gunners hatch door that I will show you first......... the next photo shows the inside of the door..... I have temporarily blue tacked the gunners door in its place on the turret for these next set of photos..... So here is the completed turret at different angles placed on a medicine dispenser I found that held it steady whilst photographing!!....took me ages to scratch build this so no apologies for the amount of photos!!😉 Here it is turned upside down so you can see the detail!..... Here is the turret temporarily placed in the fuselage to get some idea of what it might look like when finished!.... Well done for sticking around to look at all the photos!😀 So now its back to the Radio room section of the fuselage which will incorporate this ball turret. I will start by skinning the interior of the bottom section half and will post again when I have made some progress. Thanks a lot for looking in Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DrGlueblob Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 ...Looking at that I couldn't help to imagine two huge solar panels on both sides and a mini-me Darth Vader figure inside.. Fozzy, did you use anything like a lathe/mill to make any parts? Chip Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Nice job on the turret. Luv the detail. What's next on the build? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 3 hours ago, DrGlueblob said: ...Looking at that I couldn't help to imagine two huge solar panels on both sides and a mini-me Darth Vader figure inside.. Fozzy, did you use anything like a lathe/mill to make any parts? Chip Cheers Chip!.....I don't own a lathe.....all parts were copied from photographs and were made with using a ruler ,marker and knife out of the appropriate material......the old school way! 20 minutes ago, JohnS said: Nice job on the turret. Luv the detail. What's next on the build? Thanks JohnS.......next up will be constructing the fuselage to house the radio room and ball turret...once that's completed I will carry on down the fuselage until I reach the tail! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Fozzy, I speechless once again. I've been following the turret build pretty darn closely, so I should have been prepared for what it now looks like finished and temp installed in the radio compartment. But the finished turret is actually better then the parts. I'm truly impressed. It's just an amazing piece of hand engineering. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 Thanks Joel for your kind words! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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