Army_Air_Force Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 I guess we should all start moving in here with our builds. So here's mine. It's not a model of any particular aircraft, more of a typical scene at the back of any Technical Site on an 8th Air Force airbase. Lack of spares became a big problem for the 8th AF as the intensity of raids increased, and Bill Carleton (the Squadron Engineering officer from the 351st Sq, 100th BG ), told me that to change the paperwork to increase the allocated spares, would have taken longer than the war was going to last. They got around the problem by 'Midnight Requisitioning' and canibalising damaged and war weary aircraft. This diorama will be one such canibalised aircraft. The basic plan is shown below, although this may change slightly once the build is under way. The build will be based on several original photos of 'Hangar Queens' I have found during my research. The kit I am using is the Airfix 1/72 ( reboxed Academy ) kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 This is going to be a lot of fun to watch - I'm doing up LMM you're doing the Hangar Queen... I think we'll be tossing a lot of... ideas... back and forth at each other! Hahahaha! Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted December 28, 2010 Author Share Posted December 28, 2010 I'll know where to find all my missing parts, they'll be in your rear fuselage!!! :lol: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Hahahaha... so true. I should have just sent you the shopping list. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 Here's the kit. I didn't want to spend a huge amount on the build, and I've never bought after market parts, just scratch built. So when I spotted this kit on ebay for £5.00, it sounded about the right price. There were no instructions or decals, but all the plastic parts were still bagged. I found the instructions on the net, bought some star decals from an ARC member, and by the time paint is factored in, the whole build will probably be under £10.00. The model will be finished in OD/Grey. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Wow! You're one heck of a thrifty shopper, well done Sir! I'm looking forward to seeing it. What are you planning on doing for a hangar? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 This will probably be an outdoor airframe, lying with wreckage of other aircraft parts. The airframe dump was usually just behind the hangar, so I may make the exterior of one hangar wall as a backdrop to the diorama. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Sounds like a great layout. Too bad we're both not doing the same scale though... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 I do have a RoG 1/48 visible B-17, but I wanted to do that as a full cutaway, so there's no way I'd get it done in the 6 months build. I've also been commissioned to build a huge N scale model railway, approximately 30ft x 11ft, so that's going to take up a fair bit of my time. There is however, part of an American bomber airfield on it, which will of course have B-17's! So depending on how long it takes me to get around to that section, there may be some 1/144 scale B-17's in the GB too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Now that would be pretty cool indeed. I've got a soft spot for model railroads, and seeing a 1/144 American bomber field on it would be cool indeed. If I were to do that though, I could definitely see how it would turn out... a 30 x 20 table in the garage, one big complete airfield with a number of bombers and fighter escorts in the air, and about a 6 inch section of track at the far corner of it so the rail road wouldn't get in the way of anything... train/cars optional. You're a busy-busy man Stephen, needless to say, I hope some day that my job will involve only showing up, flying, going home to a house with no kid because he's now old enough to kick out (really - once he can burn water and mess up Kraft Dinner, he's set, and moving out)... and then retire to the basement and build things... I'm afraid though that with my luck, that wont be for another 27 or 35 years... especially since I got my hands on a 1/12 Sea King (the Century 54" Sea King fuselage), and I plan on making an electrically powered, 5 bladed flying model of my beloved CH-124 Sea King... but, I digress... Great plan! I really wish I was already at home so I could start tinkering around with everything. Until then, I'm living vicareously through you all! Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 (edited) As a few others have done, I've done a little chopping of the kit prior to the build starting. I can safely say that it's less than 25% built! I'm planning a little damage here and there, numerous panels removed, along with oil coolers, elevators, the remaining aileron. The life raft hatches will probably be open, wheels missing and the aircraft standing on it's legs on piles of wood ( based on a wartime photo ). Glazing will be mostly missing, possibly one of the cheek gun pressings removed, top turret possibly there but without glazing. Ball turret undecided as yet. Edited December 30, 2010 by Army_Air_Force Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Ohhhh it's going to look good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 I was also thinking of perhaps removing a large section of rear fuselage skin that has been removed to patch another aircraft. This would open up a viewing hole to see the waist and ball turret suspension frame. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I was also thinking of perhaps removing a large section of rear fuselage skin that has been removed to patch another aircraft. This would open up a viewing hole to see the waist and ball turret suspension frame. That seems really interesting. One of the reasons I opted to have the front half, mid section, as well as the tail stinger to show the guts inside. It's easy enough to see everything up front, what with the big ole nose, cockpit canopy and other large viewing holes, but ya, it's fairly hard in the tail end. Boy, it's only 3 days till we can "officially start"... hahahaha, that date is starting to be more and more of a blur... Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 June may seem a long way off right now, but I can see a number of projects, including your own, that could go all the way to the last day! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 June may seem a long way off right now, but I can see a number of projects, including your own, that could go all the way to the last day! All I can say is... Yup! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 I figure that by now, it is January 2nd somewhere on the planet, so I started chopping plastic! Port wing has the oil tank hatch opened, ram air intakes opened up, battery box lid removed, several hatches removed ahead of the aileron. The oil coolers were cut out, but it turned out the moulded panel line was too far back, so I had to glue a piece of styrene back into the opening. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 The starboard wing is the short one. Nacelles have been cut back to the firewall, oil coolers removed, battery box lids removed, fuel tank filler cap lids removed..... and so far, one of the main fuel tanks removed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 On the fuselage so far, I've removed the panels over the side of the cockpit, opened up the rear of the waist windows and removed the rear entry door. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Did a little more trimming yesterday, but no pics at present as I've had a clean up before going back to work tomorrow. I've cut out most of the right side of the nose, much like the picture of B-17 '8 Ball' in the Mighty Eighth War Diary book. A section from B-17 'Sweet Pea' ( a wrecked Fort ) was cut out and grafted onto '8 Ball'. So my hangar queen now has a big hole where it has donated its right nose windows to repair another aircraft. This will give a better view into the gutted nose. The inside of the nose has all been sanded to thin the wall thickness and remove the jigging tabs that hold the formers and cockpit floor in place. The cockpit floor has had the crawl through hole opened up that leads to the nose compartment, and the original seat jigging holes filled. The seats will be missing on my model, but the angled reinforcing either side of the crawl tunnel that the seats fasten to have been made and added. The former at the rear of the nose compartment has had the access hole opened. The small panel at the start of the curve on the fin strake was also removed, and with the fin removed, the fairing at the base of the fin/fuselage joint has been cut away. The top of the fuselage with have to be made to fill in the gap. A hole has been cut in the right side of the waist for battle damage. The skin will be thinned to almost nothing and the torn skin simulated by aluminium foil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 OOOHhhhhhhhhh!!!! I like what I see! Can't wait to see the aluminum foil battle damage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Here's some of the pics from the other day. Here's the modified cockpit floor and the navigators position. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Here's the area which will receive the battle damage. At present it's just a fairly tidy hole, but the edges will adjusted when it comes time to add the damaged skin and stringers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 These two pictures show the panel in the fin strake removed and the fairing at the base of the fin trimmed down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Lookin really good Stephen! Really good. I can't wait to see the battle damage. Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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