Messages

4846

Ground Forces / Re: M-5 Bomb Trailer

« on: January 30, 2011, 05:08:28 PM »

The plan for paint is a simple olive drab scheme with Second Air Force (heavy bombardment training in the continental U.S.) markings from McCook Army Air Field in western Nebraska. The full sized trailer that we're restoring will eventually become part of the small McCook AAF museum that we're members of.

4847

Ground Forces / Re: M-5 Bomb Trailer

« on: January 30, 2011, 07:16:27 AM »

The front axle support was the next project on the little trailer. This was made from pieces of a B-29 main landing gear scissor link, aluminum tubing, and brass wire for the coil springs. After it was assembled the entire trailer was mocked-up on the desk in order to check for the correct attitude, and it came out just about as it should. Measuring the 1/1 trailer paid dividends when I laid out the parts on the model. After the front suspension was constructed I finished the hitch assembly with more parts from the spares drawer and some .020 safety wire for bracing on the hitch tube.

4848

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

« on: January 30, 2011, 03:56:37 AM »

Here is a quick sample of a nose piece with the ball installed. Someone wondered if it would be hard to cut the opening in the clear nose cone so I did this prototype. I didn't clean up any edges since it was just a test-shot, but the process went about as I'd expected.

4849

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Bell P-39 Airacobra

« on: January 30, 2011, 03:53:33 AM »

 

4850

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

« on: January 27, 2011, 08:14:23 PM »

So join progress is next?

I wish it were, No.1! I need to add all the structure inside the aft fuselage next. The gun emplacement details also have to be built and then fitted to the fuselage halves. I am thinking about adding the waist blisters to the side of the fuselage halves prior to glueing the halves together so that I can get the details inside more easily. The upper and lower blisters will have to be built-up and installed to the fuselage after joining, especially the lower one since it sits on both the center section and aft fuselage.

Another consideration  is the right-hand crew entry door. The opening is right on the joint between the Koster and Monogram fuselage halves. I will have to be careful to build the opening without weakening the seam between the two parts of the right fuselage section.

All of the headaches   are not yet over, but at least the transparency problem is substantially conquered.

Scott

4851

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

« on: January 27, 2011, 07:24:57 PM »

I finally purchased some clear plastic that is pliable enough to vacuform the nose cone. Everything I'd tried earlier didn't pull down to the mold tightly at the bottom. Here is a first attempt at the nose and radio room blister just after molding them:

4852

Combat Warplanes / Re: Douglas SBD Dauntless

« on: January 25, 2011, 08:17:41 AM »

I'd like to build the RNZAF machine in that first set of photos. There are so many possible SBD/A-24 subjects to build models of!

4853

Ground Forces / Re: M-5 Bomb Trailer

« on: January 25, 2011, 08:09:46 AM »

I hacked together the leaf springs for the rear axle late last night.

This is proving to be fun to build. It's the first model I've built that I could walk outside to see the 1/1 version for reference!

4854

Ground Forces / Re: M-5 Bomb Trailer

« on: January 24, 2011, 08:18:18 AM »

Even better than the bomb trailer in the B-17 kit is the Cletrac aircraft tug in the B-24! The Cletrac is actually pretty nicely detailed but still needs some detailing. I may rob one of those out of a Liberator kit and add it to this thread later.

Scott

4855

Ground Forces / M-5 Bomb Trailer

« on: January 24, 2011, 04:10:14 AM »

I started a project today that I've wanted to work on for many years. As many of you know, Monogram/Revell include a bomb trailer in each 1/48 B-17 kit. The parts are a good starting point to work from, but much can be done to make the trailer more accurate. Here's a photo of a pair of trailers servicing Develish Snooks in India:

It so happens that I have one of these trailers at my home that we're restoring. Here is a photo of our trailer. We are missing some parts such as the fuse/fin box that goes on the front and the rails that held the bombs on the trailer, but it is otherwise just as it was issued in WWII. I've got a restoration thread here if you're interested: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=25585&hilit=bomb+trailer

In this photo you can see the principal parts of the 1/48 trailer. I've removed the rail moldings on the deck, the hitch and front suspension support, the rear axle pieces and the fuse box. The new rear axle, hitch, front suspension mount and box are in white or aluminum color. The rear wheels are pretty accurate right out of the box and the front wheels can be used with some work. I did open up the holes on the rear wheels so you can see the brake drums through them as on the real thing:

And a view of the scratchbuilt box and hitch/suspension, including the new leaf spring made from styrene strips, with the "stock" trailer for comparison.

This is a nice break from working on the Y1B-17 model, and it doesn't take up nearly as much room on the desk!

Scott

4856

Ground Forces / Re: My 1/72 JPK90 project

« on: January 23, 2011, 10:07:26 PM »

Yes, very impressive so far. Will repositioning the road wheels mean moving all of the suspension points on the hull sides?

Scott

4857

Ground Forces / Re: My 1/72 JPK90 project

« on: January 23, 2011, 04:48:32 PM »

Wonderful scratchbuilding! Thanks for the background information on the machine, too. I await your next entry.

Scott

4858

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

« on: January 23, 2011, 06:30:03 AM »

The plan for the nose glazing is complete. We went to a local craft store today and found some necklace beads that were the correct diameter to vacuform the gunner's ball with. I also reshaped the nosecone master and vacuformed some practice parts in order to fit them up to the fuselage:

Next step will be to make the final clear parts and build the gun swivel mechanism that goes into the ball. This was one of the sub-projects I'd been somewhat concerned about when I started this model. Next will be to fine tune the waist blisters and the hardest parts of the build will be behind me.

I'm working on the oil cooler vent louvers for the engine nacelles right now, but it's not really worth showing photos of......

Scott

4859

Aircraft Modeling / Re: SBD/A-24 Group Build

« on: January 22, 2011, 11:03:28 PM »

That isn't a problem, we can certainly wait and do this sometime in the future.

Scott

4860

Aircraft Modeling / Re: SBD/A-24 Group Build

« on: January 22, 2011, 08:14:00 AM »

Just checking in to see if there is still interest in a group build starting in February.

Profa, that is a great shot of the Royal Navy machine. I noticed it has the sea-search Yagi antenna under the port wing.