Fozzy Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 Morning fellow modelers! I have been doing the laborious task of making up the entire interior with all the ribs etc!....this was only achievable by listening to all my favorite bands on my player ...taking the occasional paracetamol when my head started to ache from staring at hundreds of little pieces of plastic!!....and having the time on my hands to get through it!!..........still needs must and all that! I'm so pleased that this phase is over because from now on the build becomes more interesting ....and hopefully for you guys as well!.......so here are the photos of all my effort! First I glued strips of plastic onto the yogurt pot walls representing the vertical ribs ...and then I had to cut hundreds of pieces of plastic representing the horizontal ribs.... so that I could glue them between the vertical ribs .....this sounds as boring as it was! So here we go then!............. .....a week later it was time to spray the base interior green! PHEW!................. I decided to prepare the balsa wood fuselage for skinning with the aluminum sheets ,which I will do at a later stage...(it also strengthens the fuselage)......so to that end I covered the fuselage with tissue glued on with PVC glue and then brushed on shrinking dope. Now its as tough as old boots and I am as high as a kite!😉 This afternoon I will have a go at preparing the riveting on the dorsal fin and then maybe spray it tomorrow! Probably one more post to go for a while as I'm off to see my wife in UK....due to this Pandemic I have been stuck here in Bulgaria and haven't seen her since last March! See you on the next post! Cheers Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) Fantastic work! Hate to say, though, that the interior was most likely bare metal. Do you have photos of your particular aircraft to verify? Of course, your level of desired accuracy may be less than mine. Edited July 6, 2020 by Slartibartfast Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted July 6, 2020 Author Share Posted July 6, 2020 51 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said: Fantastic work! Hate to say, though, that the interior was most likely bare metal. Do you have photos of your particular aircraft to verify? Of course, your level of desired accuracy may be less than mine. Verification coming up.....just for you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmwT8XDU8o0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ol' Scrapiron Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Slartibartfast said: Fantastic work! Hate to say, though, that the interior was most likely bare metal. Do you have photos of your particular aircraft to verify? I think this is being based more on the Lyon Foundation's "Fuddy Duddy" that the 447th BG actual 42-97400 that flew from Rattlesden. Certainly more color reference pics to go by if the intent is depicting the modern warbird. Even in the early stages it was amazing enough to get a little highlight in the 447th BG newsletter. I can't wait to feature it more prominently when it is completed (are they ever really finished?!!) By the way, the current 447th BG association president is the son of Navigator George Hoidra with the Peters crew flying Fuddy Duddy at Rattlesden. Awesome work -- awesome work!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scotthldr Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) Sweet........... Stay safe while here in the UK. Edited July 7, 2020 by scotthldr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Mark Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Holy hell that's impressive! I can honestly say I'll never have the patience for this kind of detail and size of project, hats off to you!! 👍 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 Thanks again guys for your input! 8 hours ago, Ol' Scrapiron said: I think this is being based more on the Lyon Foundation's "Fuddy Duddy" that the 447th BG actual 42-97400 that flew from Rattlesden. Certainly more color reference pics to go by if the intent is depicting the modern warbird. Even in the early stages it was amazing enough to get a little highlight in the 447th BG newsletter. I can't wait to feature it more prominently when it is completed (are they ever really finished?!!) By the way, the current 447th BG association president is the son of Navigator George Hoidra with the Peters crew flying Fuddy Duddy at Rattlesden. Awesome work -- awesome work!!!! Yes you're correct!.....this project is based ...roughly!... on the Lyon Foundation "Fuddy Duddy" and when finished will be displayed permanently in the The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad California...... not a stones throw away from the Lyon Foundation Museum! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted July 13, 2020 Author Share Posted July 13, 2020 Hi guys Well this will definitely be the last post before I return to the UK for a month or so....I will be returning back in September to continue with this project! What I wanted to do was get as much done as possible with the tail /rudder and dorsal fin before my break and so first off I sprayed the tail unit yellow. This was more difficult than I thought as my airbrush decided to give up the ghost!...when I turned the outlet valve on the compressor to send the air flow to the brush the blasted thing kept spraying and I couldn't stop it! the only way was to turn the outlet cock off to stop spraying! I have had the air brush for many years so I am not surprised to be honest. I think the air in let valve is knackered...thought it might be blocked with dried paint but that isn't the case.Any way I will buy a replacement when I'm in the UK. So I manged to cope with the yellow paint being half sprayed on the model and half all over the place!.....here is the tail unit now sprayed! Now came the tricky bit!.....no decals in 1:20 scale so I had to make them all. The base colour of black/white was sprayed in the appropriate place and then I made the markings by cutting out the numbers/letters from some sticky back Teflon....you can see I am in the process of doing this in this next photo........ Once the paint had dried I took off all the masking and here is the end result...... There are two greenish stripes that also have to be sprayed on the tail but need to have the two half's completed and skinned before I can do that. So the tail is now virtually complete (a few more minor details to add later). Of course there is all the interior parts to be scratched yet ,which is what I will look forward to do in September! I needed to take a look at the whole thing to see how she was looking so far!....by doing this you can also see if there are any headaches to sort out down the road. So to that end I got the completed front section out of it's box and temporarily attached it to the rear section and took a few photos.....what do you think so far?.... Its huge!...the model that is!...like a meter in length....don't quote me on that....but it's ...HUGE!! OK....So I will continue with this beast in September and so until then happy modelling and stay safe guys! Cheers Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Wunderbar! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 The lettering on the tail is most excellent! You are one precise modeller! And the whole assembly looks GREAT! I hope your airbrush issue is just a broken seal ... my Paasche is over 40 years old and still works lover-ly! Albeit, with some minor seal replacements! Enjoy your break and we'll all see you when you return to this terrific project! Pete Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 12 minutes ago, K2Pete said: The lettering on the tail is most excellent! You are one precise modeller! And the whole assembly looks GREAT! I hope your airbrush issue is just a broken seal ... my Paasche is over 40 years old and still works lover-ly! Albeit, with some minor seal replacements! Enjoy your break and we'll all see you when you return to this terrific project! Pete Thanks Pete.....when I get back to the UK I am buying a Paasche air brush as it happens! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Fozzy, you've done lost your mind!!! Absolutely mind-blowingly good detail that I could NEVER even try! (I don't like yogurt either!!!) Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thommo Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Wow - you have so much patience! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 Thanks guys Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 (edited) Good morning chaps! How are you all getting along?...still staying safe in this bl##dy pandemic I hope!😷 Long time no modelling!......I'm back from UK now and back in Bulgaria to start once again on this mammoth task I have given my self!.......after a such a long period away from scratch building it seems to have taken me a few weeks to get my act together! That's me trying to get my act together!! How ever.... I decided to start off again with something simple...although I still had problems with super glue not setting (Bulgarian!)...and the white glue hardened in the tub (Bulgarian!) I thought I would get the walkways done. Here is a photo of the main walkway that runs through the rear of the fuselage down to the rear entrance door. I used a thin sheet of balsa wood and covered it with simulated wood courtesy of Mr B+Q (paper wood examples!) and then glued a sheet of wet and dry emery paper to that! Here it is in the base of the bottom half of the rear fuselage...... A crawl way was then placed at the rear to allow the rear gunner to access the rear turret and a another floor was placed near where the tail wheel housing will eventually be...... With the two halves together this is what it all looks like...... OK....so now that I have re started this B17G.....I better buckle down and get as much done before the Xmas break! Thanks for having a look guys 🙂 Cheers Fozzy Edited October 6, 2020 by Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 mmm....problems with posting photos! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 So glad you are back on this amazing project. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 9, 2020 Author Share Posted October 9, 2020 5 hours ago, Slartibartfast said: So glad you are back on this amazing project. Cheers!....lets see if I can get any where the finish line! 😉 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 Hi there guys My mojo has returned! I'm in the middle of scratch building a auxiliary DC generator for the rear section. I have seen photos with the generator in the rear and I'm defo going to put it in mine as it looks fun to build and will make the rear section look more busy! This afternoon I sprayed it with my new airbrush (Paasche H... as my old Badger gave up the ghost before my summer break)...and will post it on my next update! As for now I will give you a quick update on the trailing antenna mechanism that I have made for the rear section. It was a bit fiddly due to the size but here are some photos....... This next photo shows the tube that the line feeds to the outside of the aircraft.....made from a Biro pen... ...and here are the two parts attached... ...and just to show you the scale...... Here is the electrical box that operates how much cable leaves the aircraft.... All finished and all wired up..... OK......that was a short post! So the next post I will show the DC generator! Until then....thanks for looking in!🙂 Cheers Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 15, 2020 Author Share Posted October 15, 2020 Afternoon all! This post is likely to be a bit photo heavy of building the Auxiliary DC generator for my B17! The generator was built by looking at just a few photos I found and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed making it!....I used scrap plastic and wire as materials and I have taken a photo of each stage of the build. First off....this is a photo of a real generator that I am trying to replicate...... So I built it by stages and hope the photos explains how I got it together.....here goes...... OK....so now it's time to paint it ...the best part!.....but not before building the frame that it will sit on in the rear of the fuselage.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 15, 2020 Author Share Posted October 15, 2020 So here it is all finished........ ...and up on it's frame...... As I said ....really had a lot of fun with this generator build!....excuse the amount of photos! Onwards ever onwards!....to getting the tail wheel assembly built......till then Cheers once again for looking in! Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 👏 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 27, 2020 Author Share Posted October 27, 2020 (edited) Good day all! Hope all is good where you all are and that everyone is staying safe from this virus!...2020 has been a terrible year for us all and the sooner it's all over with... the better! Lets hope and pray for a better 2021! So on with the next part of this project!.....the tail wheel section!.....I have been kind of dreading this next part as there is lack of information and photos of this area of the B17. If you look for photos in books or the internet it's always the same.The whole area is covered with tarpaulin blocking out all the parts you want to see! Enthusiasts go for visits to see the B17 armed with their cameras and they can crawl all over the fuselage snapping away but the tail wheel well area is nearly always out of bounds! I believe this is because the area is so confined that visitors would have to get on there belly's to crawl through and for health and safety issues. Well of course this doesn't help us modellers! How ever I did managed to find a few photos of said area after hours of searching...(although only seeing certain angles on most of the photos) which meant I had to use my imagination for the areas that I just cant see!....the usual artistic license had to be got out of the draw! So as you know I am building this fuselage in two halves....top and bottom ...so I have started with the bottom half. I had to make the tail wheel tub that the wheel retracts to and this was molded from plastic food packaging. Here is the balsa wood plug that I made.... After heating up the plastic and using the plug (plug and mold procedure) and ended up with this. You can see that I have added some detail with strips of plastic The wheel well floor was then made from plastic card..... ...and from the underside... The wheel tub was then glued into position... Now for the wheel. I hate making wheels!...I find it difficult!...I usually make them out of balsa wood and this time it was no exception!...it's my own fault as I haven't invested in a mini lathe....but that is all going to change soon....going to look for one!....meanwhile this wheel was whittled to shape by eye! Time to paint the wheel tub area.... Here is the tail wheel strut... Here is the tail wheel assembly fork head attached to the wheel.... The rest of the frame was then made from metal and electrical cables were added from wire... Here you can see that I have placed the tail wheel onto the tail frame..... I then glued the painted tail wheel strut onto the frame..... The tail wheel area was in fact covered with a fitted tarpaulin and I thought about leaving it off because it would cover all the detail and at the end of the day this project is all about showing the workings of the B17G ....so I then I had an idea of making a cover and having it pulled back so a mechanic could get at it to inspect! The tarpaulin was made from a painted sheet of tissue paper....the eyelets made from small cuts from a piece of wire insulation and the tie cord was made from thread from the wife's sewing box and threaded by one of her needles....that took some doing I'll tell you!...I broke off the Wheel strut in the process and had to re set it! Here is the cover...... So that is the lower half of the tail wheel area complete. I have started the upper half of this area and it involves the re tractor motor and gears to bring up the tail wheel....and if I thought that this lower half was difficult I thought wrong!.....but we will leave that till the next post! So until then ...Thanks a lot for looking and following this non stop build! Cheers Fozzy Edited October 27, 2020 by Fozzy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Glad you got your mo back. I love watching this come together. You sure you don't wanna do the wings?????? Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fozzy Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 1 hour ago, hawkwrench said: Glad you got your mo back. I love watching this come together. You sure you don't wanna do the wings?????? Tim Quite sure Tim! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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