Revell B 17 'Memphis Belle' - 1:72 by Popeye the Sailor - finished

[Canute]

Some of our old kits were forgotten about by the canopy masking designers.  Your job looks pretty good, Denis.

 

That doohickey next to the penny, might be the gunner's sighting system for the ball turret.  That's was one job I'd never been qualified for, thanks to being too tall.

[popeye the sailor]

yes Ken....it's the gun mount for the top turret.   the other part I spoke of is for the tail......an area that will never see the light of day.   it looks to be the only part that was badly flashed.  I found a couple other places that the set doesn't cover......this kit may be too 'new' for the set...the other way 'round      did a bit more masking,  but not much further.   I notice that the kit omits a window just below the cockpit on the left side........of course I have nothing to fill it in with.....  just as well......I'd be afraid to mar the plane up anyway.   it's enough that,  if I want the dive brakes,  I need to cut them off of the lower wing halves.   here goes nothing..........

[Fright]

Good to see the progress on your B-17 is coming along nicely. Are you staying with the basic parts or will you be adding any PE? It's good to see they have a masking kit for the windows and turrets!

[popeye the sailor]

hello Robert..thanks for the good word     there is no PE for her...the defense fund is somewhat limited.........I ran a covert act to get the mask set.........the magistrate was very lenient though {only KP with partial time served  }.  the mask set is somewhat limited.....a bit more than I originally assessed.  the update to come will outline the shortcomings.

 

thanks all for look'in in and the likes  

[lmagna]

35 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

{only KP with partial time served  }. 

Could have been worse. Latrine duty. WITH A TOOTHBRUSH!

Edited April 10, 2020 by lmagna

[Old Collingwood]

3 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Could have been worse. Latrine duty. WITH A TOOTHBRUSH!

Cleaning the carpet/rugs with tweezers🙁

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

more progress on the Memphis belle.   to cut.....or not to cut......that is the question.  unlike the bomb bay doors,  there are no indent lines in which to guide the razor knife,  in order to cut the flaps from the bottom wing halves.  I'm around 50% concerning doing this........some good....some not so good.  I opted not to have them operational on the Nine o Nine due to lack of detail parts {the kit could have been more detailed due to it's scale}.   I didn't do it to the Wulfe Hound either for the same reason........and that it was an early Revell kit with few parts.   given the opportunity and the parts to flesh them out......I did it.   minor shortcomings,  but for the most part,  with them open,  the defects might not be readily noticed.

  

the separator bar between the flap and the ailerons could have been a lot more rectangular.  I cleaned them up some........they look better than they do here.   there is more to be done with the bottom halves,  particularly with the narcelles.  painting was the next order of business.  I painted the interior assembly first..........then the interior of the fuselage halves........and then the top wing halves,  after changing the color to Olive Drab.

they are still a bit on the wet side.......a second coat is needed.   here are the fuselage halves....

I thought I would see areas that I missed on the interior assembly,  but after close inspection,  I see that the only places that are scant,  are on the underside of the assembly in places that might not be seen.   there is a round area at the nose that will need to be painted gray

  

I did a light coat of the chromate on some of the clear parts.  I wish I noticed the lifting of the masks...not sure if it was caused by the paint,  or was like that before I painted them.  I hope it was caused by the paint.

ah....hmmmmm....these were the ones I was talking about.......now I am concerned 

I had to do some mix 'n match on the top turret ........the ball turret halves are scant on the masking.  there wasn't enough there to do them completely.  I did some mods with them......they will have to do.  I'll find out wiah type of clean up that will need to be done when the masking comes off.

[Fright]

Do you mind if I ask what masking set you used for your kit?

 

[Old Collingwood]

Looking good denis  - I know what you mean about the masks  "Have I pushed it down well enough to stop leaking from the paint"     trouble lifting them agian after a few coats of paint.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

harsh.........very harsh........I'm glad I have a merciful admiral  

 

the fun continued.........on with the bottom wing halves!  I thought I was going nutz....  this one certain part.......the rear bulkhead for the inboard engines would not fit.   the landing gear connects to these parts,  so they have to sit flush.   looking the parts over,  I did notice,  what looked like flash on the elongated part that covers the rear section of the landing gear opening.  no.........it looks too thick to be flash.........but a small curved bulge was evident at the base of the elongation.

rear bulkhead and side manifold parts cemented in place

this elongated part in the back of the bulkhead was the problem

check fitting again made me decide to cut the extra plastic off and expose the small curved area.   that did the trick!  the part fit in place perfectly!  the outer bulkheads were fitted in the outboard engine narcelles.  the inboard has them too,  but there are a couple more parts to add.  there are these two tanks that needed to be added.......until the rear bulkheads were in place,  I was baffled how they fit.

  

I had a couple of pictures with the outer bulkheads added,  but they were too blurry,  so I dumped them.   with the two side panels dry,  they were cemented to the openings in the fuselage.  they will be painted Olive Drab along with the outer surface of the fuselage.  I need to mask them so to keep over spray out and off of the interior

I wasn't impressed how these fit....

the bomb bay area of the interior assembly received it's inner hood.

still more to go........more painting to be done with the interior.    still plenty of parts too!

[popeye the sailor]

sure Robert........the mask set is made by KV models.  I ordered it from scalemates.com so I thought........the darn thing came from the Ukraine.  I think that it was made for the older kits.

 

I'm checking them out now OC.......

[popeye the sailor]

I've been making progress on the M.B.  I've run into a bit of a glitch though.   I sprayed all the clear parts after putting on the masking set.   some I did the Chromate green first,  and the rest I didn't........at this scale,  it won't be noticeable anyways.  I read the instructions for the mask set......and right away I smelt trouble brewing.  it says not to use thinners or mineral spirits.........so I'm guessing that enamels are a no no?  I took the masking off a few of the clear parts to find that the adhesive had stayed on the parts......not only that,  there was a lot of bleed!    so I need to clean up the parts......I do have some duplicates of these parts {almost a second set},  but they might not look like what the M.B. was outfitted with.  I'm still working on that problem.   in between all this,  I did some small stints of paint.

   I had earlier fleshed out the narcelles....the inboards housed the landing gears.   I painted the internals and added the final parts before the painting of the outer surface.

the instrument panel is fitted with a decal.   the entire interior is assembled......putting the panel in place was very tight.

here is a picture of some of the glass........I need to get after the rest of it

the flaps have inserts that are fitted on the underside of the upper wing half.  they were fitted and painted

a lot more painting was done on other parts.....prepping to start putt'in her together.  I started to do some detail paint to the interior.

I did a lot more,  but these are all the pictures I took.......should have more tomorrow.   I've been going back and fourth planking a hull frame along with this project,  so I've been satisfying my wood 'jones' as well  

[Old Collingwood]

I so get you bro  with head aches these kits can cause  - its not us   we do our best   - kit manu  companies  please learn  - you are dealing with grown ups not children - get your  stuff sorted please.

 

OC.

Edited April 26, 2020 by Old Collingwood

[popeye the sailor]

it's OK OC........I've dealt with problems before     I'll be sure to try a different brand next time...I'm sure that's where the issue lies.  I did remove the cockpit masking......that looks pretty good.  the navigator's glass looks good too.  however.........I seem to have run into a bigger problem.  I'm usually pretty good about losing parts.......either I can locate them reasonably fast,  or can remedy them.   the tire assembly is made up of four parts:  the tire halves and hub halves.   the hub halves are cemented together and then sandwiched inside the tire halves.  I was about to assemble them when the outer hub part flew out of my hand.   so far,  I have not been able to find it.   I totally scoured the computer room floor....in and behind every nook and cranny I can think of.  I even went through my small trash can,  thinking it might have landed in there........I found my fine tip paint brush in there {must have fell off my desk}.  it's been a day now since I lost it.....another feeble search yielded the same results.  I've even though that someone could have stepped on it and it stuck to the bottom of their shoe.....I've expanded my search to include other rooms.   there's also the thought that Gibbs might have stumbled onto it and swallowed it........don't really want to go that route.

   this part is a critical part.......the landing gear only assembles in the extended position.  without this part........yes,  the inner hub can be cemented to the inner part of the tire......but without the mating hub,  that tire will be vulnerable to breakage and collapse over time.   I could build another stand....I could look into aftermarket tire assemblies........I have another set of tires,  but they don't match the diameter.  I'm looking at other ideas,  as I keep my eyes open.  there's more to go before I get to that step......the build is by no means over.  should have another update soon  

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, popeye the sailor said:

it's OK OC........I've dealt with problems before     I'll be sure to try a different brand next time...I'm sure that's where the issue lies.  I did remove the cockpit masking......that looks pretty good.  the navigator's glass looks good too.  however.........I seem to have run into a bigger problem.  I'm usually pretty good about losing parts.......either I can locate them reasonably fast,  or can remedy them.   the tire assembly is made up of four parts:  the tire halves and hub halves.   the hub halves are cemented together and then sandwiched inside the tire halves.  I was about to assemble them when the outer hub part flew out of my hand.   so far,  I have not been able to find it.   I totally scoured the computer room floor....in and behind every nook and cranny I can think of.  I even went through my small trash can,  thinking it might have landed in there........I found my fine tip paint brush in there {must have fell off my desk}.  it's been a day now since I lost it.....another feeble search yielded the same results.  I've even though that someone could have stepped on it and it stuck to the bottom of their shoe.....I've expanded my search to include other rooms.   there's also the thought that Gibbs might have stumbled onto it and swallowed it........don't really want to go that route.

   this part is a critical part.......the landing gear only assembles in the extended position.  without this part........yes,  the inner hub can be cemented to the inner part of the tire......but without the mating hub,  that tire will be vulnerable to breakage and collapse over time.   I could build another stand....I could look into aftermarket tire assemblies........I have another set of tires,  but they don't match the diameter.  I'm looking at other ideas,  as I keep my eyes open.  there's more to go before I get to that step......the build is by no means over.  should have another update soon  

My flying parts usually wind up down in the heater register on the floor, seems like it is positioned perfectly to catch such things as model parts.... It's gotten so when it happens it's the first place I look....

[marktiedens]

What I do when I drop a small part is turn the lights out,lay on the floor,& shine a flashlight across the floor.  I usually find my part (along with reminding my I need to sweep a little more often).  Doesn`t work well,though,if you have carpet.

 

Mark

[lmagna]

Hope you find it OK Denis.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks all for your suggestions and comments.  a flashlight is standard equipment at my desk     per our conversation Lou,  I gave it some thought.....while I was doing that,  I was browsing through ScaleHobbist,  when I saw a set of wheels.   I figured the heck with it,  so I ordered them.   I can't understand where the part is........rectifying that problem,  I suffered a second problem.....you got it,  another part.   I was painting the part for the top turret......the part that I had to trim the bejeezus out of,  when it went flying off into the same abyss that the wheel hub went through.   I am convinced that there is a black hole directly in front of me!

  my desk was totally torn down.......a chance to clean my computer out,  as well as my printer...been a couple of years since I last did it.   the bass guitar no longer sits in the corner either........it has been cleaned and put back in it's git bag,  and my amp was put in the spare room.  the part in question,  has so far,  not been located.......I have absolutely no idea where it could have gone.   the computer room has been searched......neither part has turned up.

 

I stand corrected 

 

I just picked up a piece of paper towel to wipe a cap out {to prevent frozen cap syndrome},  and I felt a lump.........it was the turret part!   belay that last lament........we're back to square 1,  which has been remedied    I'm not sure if that paper towel was here when I lost it...interesting that during the search,  it wasn't thrown away.   I guess I can be glad that I didn't.  I do have a few assembly pictures.....but most are of painted parts,  just to show you that I have still been dabbling with the model.

I didn't bother to paint the stripe on the bombs......just glued them in place.  it can be seen that I removed the paint off of the circular part under the nose platform.   I did some assembling of the engines....just the parts that the same on all engines.......there are parts that will denote inboard and outboard engines.

the top turret bucket is pictures above.....I was in the process of assembling it when I lost the part.  the cockpit and navigator's glass turned out well.....better than the other turret glass.

the tail wheel was painted and cemented onto the tail gear.....so aside from minor touch up,  it's done.    the dome was added to the circular piece under the nose platform,  since it won't be in the way.

the props and the turbos were painted earlier.......I finished the painting and added the green centers in the turbos.

  

ammo boxes for the top turret.......there is a pair for the waste gunner's positions that were painted too.

the bombsight got it's initial paint color.....there more to do on it.  other parts were painted.......the ailerons and rudder were painted with bomber tan.   the circular parts are for the cowl...they are done in aluminum and the manifolds for the turbos were done in bomber tan.

still up in the air if I'm gonna use the waste gunner's windows...there was no masking for them.   I've seen some models with the guns sticking out of them,  the F model didn't have them like that......they were removable.

[Old Collingwood]

Lots of nice progress there Denis   carpet monsters do exsist  - they move around our site  at free will  so we never see them,  they have a cumming disguise   and  blend in well to carpets/rugs  even hard flooring, just dont tread on one  "have  heard you could loose a leg"

 

Did I hear you say  "Bass Guitar"     I used to own this bad boy  a good few years back.

 

OC.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Old Collingwood

[popeye the sailor]

yep......I own three of them......and they all have their unique sound    I favor flatwound strings....very quiet on the changes    that looks like an Ibanez......never had the pleasure to play one.   you would not imagine the dust that was on that bass.......it's a no name brand that the admiral bought me when I was taking lessons.  haven't played for a good couple of years now..........should get back into it    glad I was able to find that other part.   now all I need to do is wait for the wheels to come in.......still can't believe I can't find that hub part.......I've torn everything apart around my desk.   my computer is a lot happier for it   

[Old Collingwood]

5 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

yep......I own three of them......and they all have their unique sound    I favor flatwound strings....very quiet on the changes    that looks like an Ibanez......never had the pleasure to play one.   you would not imagine the dust that was on that bass.......it's a no name brand that the admiral bought me when I was taking lessons.  haven't played for a good couple of years now..........should get back into it    glad I was able to find that other part.   now all I need to do is wait for the wheels to come in.......still can't believe I can't find that hub part.......I've torn everything apart around my desk.   my computer is a lot happier for it   

Yep  was an Ibby  SR300.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

I've always wanted a Hoffner.......a hollow body bass would be cool.   there is a story about Paul McCarthy and his Hoffner basses......part of it is that most of the Beatles music was done with a Fender Jazz bass and a Rickenbacker.......he was given a Hoffner bass,  but he didn't like it,  so it stayed in the closet.   Hoffner was disappointed that he wasn't play'in it,  so they made him another.  very nice with gold hardware.   he sent it to a luthier and had it totally stripped,  blonde finish with standard hardware.   meanwhile,  the bass that was in the closet,  mysteriously disappeared!  it was gone for some time....a friend of Paul's was watching an auction in japan,  when he caught sight of it.   he immediately called Paul and told him about it.    the bass now sits in a London museum.   I have the article somewhere......I have another article about a fellow that collects hollow body basses......kinda interesting too     I got to play a fretless bass one time........sounds almost like a stand up.

[Old Collingwood]

9 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

I've always wanted a Hoffner.......a hollow body bass would be cool.   there is a story about Paul McCarthy and his Hoffner basses......part of it is that most of the Beatles music was done with a Fender Jazz bass and a Rickenbacker.......he was given a Hoffner bass,  but he didn't like it,  so it stayed in the closet.   Hoffner was disappointed that he wasn't play'in it,  so they made him another.  very nice with gold hardware.   he sent it to a luthier and had it totally stripped,  blonde finish with standard hardware.   meanwhile,  the bass that was in the closet,  mysteriously disappeared!  it was gone for some time....a friend of Paul's was watching an auction in japan,  when he caught sight of it.   he immediately called Paul and told him about it.    the bass now sits in a London museum.   I have the article somewhere......I have another article about a fellow that collects hollow body basses......kinda interesting too     I got to play a fretless bass one time........sounds almost like a stand up.

I still record stuff  but not by bass    that went a long time ago,   my main musical interest is Digital  recording Synths  VST,   I have a bout 4 on my laptop,  I record  amd mix  sections in a  laptop device called  Wavepad   its quite good   you can save as Mp3  or  WAV  files,   I have some of my stuff  that I have done on my own  and some with a  few musician  friends    stored in Bandcamp.

I have to be in the mood though  as a lot of the time im to dry to get my head round making music  and other times it just flows.

 

One of my VST's  - 

 

OC.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Old Collingwood

[Fright]

Hey - not only is it good to see this B-17 in progress but good to see other musicians as well! My main instrument is Bass but I dabble with guitar as well. My favorite of my basses are a Fender Tele and an Ibanez. Here's a pic with my Ibanez.

[Old Collingwood]

9 minutes ago, Fright said:

Hey - not only is it good to see this B-17 in progress but good to see other musicians as well! My main instrument is Bass but I dabble with guitar as well. My favorite of my basses are a Fender Tele and an Ibanez. Here's a pic with my Ibanez.

Thats why I love this forum   so much  of different talents  that  come together   "Priceless"

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

now that's a rocker photo Robert  ...kind of a Billy Idol vibe.   I think I look like a dork when I play  ....the admiral sometimes tried to distract me while in my concentration mode.   I never got into keyboard,  but I have a number of players I enjoy listening to.  my favorite band is the Moody Blues,  but Sabbath is my all time fave in metal.   Tony Iommi has quite a story......almost quit guitar.........Geezer Butler is the only member that still enjoys good health.  ....and Ozzie........well,  everyone knows about Ozzie...crazy bas....*  we got time.......a slight lull as I get ready to paint the fuselage......keey now to going further with this build.

 

I posted them before......but here they are:

Epiphone Les Paul

the admiral and my son Brandon bought me this on one of my birthdays.  I could get any bass in the store.......it was a close call between a Warlock and this one.  with flat wounds it's got a killer sound.  I didn't notice till I got her home,  but the serial number bears my initials.........DW    one thing about this bass is that I need to use strap locks...the fretboard bears my fingernail marks.   the body style makes her unstable and will unhook during play.  for this reason,  I'd be afraid to own a Gibson.

the Fender Squire

I bought her at the store I was taking lessons.  she can be gruff,  as well as petite.   I really wanted a Genuine Fender,  but for how much I play,  this was close enough.  a set of flat wounds smooths her out.  she helped me buy my Trace Elliot Boxer 30 amp......the store just got them in.....brand new Item.   I sat down in the store and started to play a blues progression......the guy was stand'in right there.........he didn't stop me   as I played,  the cymbals that were on the wall started to vibrate in time with me.  I got into it and I turned up the volume so they would vibrate more.........it sounded so cool!    needless to say,  he had a deal!

the no name bass

don't know the manufacturer......only the words 'Lady Luck' on the head stock.  it's not your average bass......they usually stand around 34 inches tall.  this one is shorter.......I tend to think this is a student bass.  but,  being shorter makes her register sound a bit lower,  and she plays really sweet.  I have flats on her as well,  which gives her a smooth bottom.   the admiral got her for me when I started taking lessons.......never took her to practice though...Mike had a bird when he saw it....made me play one of his for the evening.  I took a fancy towards tick'in him off........we'd be stand'in there deciding what to play next.........and I'd start play'in 'leaving Las Vegas' by Sheryl Crow.   what ticked him off more was when the drummer would join in    there was one night he introduced us to his new girlfriend........she wanted to sing a song with us.  the song was called 'Black Velvet' by Alannah Myles.  it took a bit of time to get into those squiggly bass fills,  but towards the end {since the bass is tight with the singer} it got better.  we went past coda.......she kept on........I kept on..........the drummer confused,  started back up again..........Mike wanted no part of it.   what can I say........she was really good   {cute too......but don't tell mike}.

 

I have another bass in the closet,  that I call Frankenstein........the body is the first bass I ever bought.......from a friend and it had a warped fretboard.  I was looking for a 22 fret board,  but I stumbled onto a 24 fret board,  and the rest is history.  it stands about 38 inches tall,  towering over all the others........which does have its shortcomings.  it can be a beast to play.  I haven't messed with it for quite a while now....still some adjustments to make.   so that the gang gents........the only one I haven't mentioned is the Harmony flying V guitar.  never did much with it........but I did have one shining moment with it.  got drunk with my brother one day at his house. 

    I was 'in between' marriages and we were just kick'in back.  a Cars song came on the radio,  and I couldn't help myself.  once I got it nailed down........I was a rock star.......although his wife could have killed me!    

 

more painting going on.........hope to break the manotany soon 

 

[Fright]

Killer! I love Epiphones - guitars or bass. Currently, I own a Fender P bass, Tele Bass, Ibanez SR300E and a Lakland Skyline Hollowbody bass. My very 1st bass was a Vox V272 Sidewinder IV bass, which I kick myself for letting it go! We all have plenty of those "why". LOL  Started off in Soul music but quickly jumped into the English wave scene. Hard rock, vintage country, rockabilly and Psychobilly. Here's a tune with me on bass:

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

detected a strong Brian Selzer  in there..........good tune    no recordings of me I'm afraid......probably for the best   

 

 

more painting and trying to finish planking that monstrosity of a second hull........it had better be worth it..............

[Old Collingwood]

My music background is   - Have you heard of the the Band  Duran Duran?   the band I was in in the mid 80s  my best mate and bass player was the cousin of John Taylor from DD,   I played a Korg Synth  in our band.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Nice sound Robert