Beyond The Sprues

Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: Sentinel Chicken on May 22, 2012, 10:27:29 AM

Title: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 22, 2012, 10:27:29 AM
About 2 years ago at Scalefest Tony Morgan (RotorheadTX) had taken the 1/200 Spruce Goose kit and did it up in RAF Coastal Command colors but out of box as a prototype and unarmed. It was beautifully executed and this past weekend at Scalefest I was kicking around ideas for my take on a patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Scoot then hands me an old 1/200 Spruce Goose kit from the orphan kit table and says "Take it. Do it." Free of charge. So who am I to turn down a challenge when he throws down the gauntlet with a free kit?

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120520a.jpg)

It's one of the many boxings of the Entex kit, I think. I was going to build it as a 1/200 armed Spruce Goose but a look over the kit the engines looked like they'd need work and I wasn't up to reworking eight engines. Not to mention the atrocious fit of the fuselage halves. But I had two ideas rattling around in my head- a US Navy patrol bomber in the WW2 Atlantic scheme of gray over white or a USN bird in the three-color Pacific scheme of two blues and white undersides. Then it donned on me as a examined the sprues.

SCALE-O-RAMA!

Cut off the engines and build it as a 1/144 aircraft that would go with the rest of my builds. My original plan was to use the Minicraft B-29 Superfortress kit for the engines and turrets. But even scale-o-rama'd to 1/144, the Spruce Goose is still a big ass bird. It had eight Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major engines. Well what else has Wasp Majors? The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser/KC-97. Some quick calculations ensued- a 1/200 Spruce Goose built as a 1/144 means that if it were done in real life, what I had planned would be about 70% the size of the real Hughes HK-1. So I'd need roughly three-quarters the engine power that the real HK-1 one had and that comes out to about six engines.

So the four-engined idea is out the door, I still may make use of the B-29 kit for other parts. Like the tail gunner's position. I have a Boeing 377 Strat in the stash along with a KC-97, so the plan now is to take the engines from those two kits and build this as a 1/144 six-engined patrol bomber. It's not too out the realm of possible. After all, the Luftwaffe flew the six engined Blohm und Voss BV 222 flying boat- 13 were built during the Second World War.

With Dremel rotary tool I made short work of the kit nacelles and then did some putty slinging with Squadron White into the gaps. I put a bit of scrap sprue into the openings first to give the putty something to hold to and give it some strength during the sanding as the wings do flex a bit with modest pressure during sanding:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120520b.jpg)

Each wing has an upper and lower half and they fit about as well as a porcupine in a jock strap. Holy smokes. I can't imagine how they fit together if the nacelles were left on as they were molded into the wings' upper and lower halves. The left and right wings then fit together to form the upper part of the mid-fuselage. This is a big assembly. Probably the biggest I've even undertaken in 1/144. I feel like I'm building the wings to a 1/32 fighter or something:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120520c.jpg)

This was where things stood yesterday. I used some Testors Armor Sand on the leading halves of the wings to help visualize where more putty-foo is needed.

So now I'm thinking of what the wartime designation would be. The idea is that a 70% scaled-down Spruce Goose is built in very small numbers as a very long range patrol bomber for anti-shipping/ASW/minelaying in the war. Maybe the war in the Atlantic or Pacific drags out a bit more before the Axis surrenders and this is the sort of thing the Navy could use to close the air gap in the Atlantic against the U-boat wolfpacks or prosecute the maritime blockage of Japan in the Pacific. A review of Navy manufacturer codes shows that Kaiser did have the letter "K" assigned and Kaiser was an original partner in the Spruce Goose development. That would make my what-if a "PBK". Hughes never had a Navy manufacturer code assigned it seems. So I thought I could get away with a code that fell into disuse and came across "Z". It was assigned to Wilford-Pennsylvania Aircraft in the 1930s and they only built one aircraft for the Navy, an experimental observation autogyro called the XOZ which was based on a Consolidated biplane design. So PBK or PBZ. Guess I got time to mull that one over while I sling some putty.......
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: elmayerle on May 22, 2012, 10:57:13 AM
Damn, I missed some of the good stuff at Scalefest.  I'm looking forward to seeing the build-up of this PBK.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 23, 2012, 03:00:51 AM
Just thinking ahead a bit, does the new Minicraft PB4Y-1 Privateer 1/144 kit have the big round nose turret or is it just the standard B-24J nose turret? The box art suggests a B-24J turret.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on May 23, 2012, 03:27:32 AM
Wow what a fantastic project, Mr Chicken!

It seems we sort of think alike. I've got one of these in my stash (Minicraft?) and have plans to cross-kit it with a DC-8. Scale-o-rama, of course.

I'll be watching with great interest! Going with six engines is a stroke of genius!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: ChrisF on May 23, 2012, 03:35:53 AM
Always enough your builds fella and this one looks like a great one !
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on May 23, 2012, 01:11:50 PM
Spruce Goose vibes must be in cosmos.
I have similar Spruce Goose in work right now.
Bill
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: GTX_Admin on May 23, 2012, 07:08:05 PM
I would love to see the real bird one day...
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: kitnut617 on May 24, 2012, 01:30:15 AM
I would love to see the real bird one day...

It's only a couple of hours south of Seattle Greg, at McMinville.  I'm going there to see it when we do our trip to Seattle this summer.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: kitnut617 on May 24, 2012, 01:31:47 AM
You need to do it in 1/72 scale SC  -----  :-*
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 24, 2012, 01:54:51 AM
You need to do it in 1/72 scale SC  -----  :-*
Heheheh, I need a new scale to start working in like I need another hole in the head. I've seen the glorious aftermarket things you can add to a stock 1/72 kit and I'd suffer from the world's worst case of mission creep. Thankfully for my wallet the scope of aftermarket 1/144 things is much more limited.

Not to mention the size of a 1/72 Spruce Goose. I'd feel like I was building a homebuilt in my garage.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 24, 2012, 01:55:21 AM
Spruce Goose vibes must be in cosmos.
I have similar Spruce Goose in work right now.
Bill
Any ideas on what you have planned for yours?
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on May 24, 2012, 03:05:01 AM
Spruce Goose vibes must be in cosmos.
I have similar Spruce Goose in work right now.
Bill
Any ideas on what you have planned for yours?

Building as 1/72 (all my builds are).  Have B-17 upper fuselage cockpit, turret, thru upper back window worked into-onto Spruce Goose.  Making it 1/72.  Still playing with engine ideas.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: GTX_Admin on May 24, 2012, 04:17:06 AM
You need to do it in 1/72 scale SC  -----  :-*

Stop thinking small...1/24!!!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: GTX_Admin on May 24, 2012, 04:17:44 AM
I would love to see the real bird one day...

It's only a couple of hours south of Seattle Greg, at McMinville.  I'm going there to see it when we do our trip to Seattle this summer.

Hmmm...maybe...
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: kitnut617 on May 24, 2012, 06:45:46 AM
You need to do it in 1/72 scale SC  -----  :-*

Stop thinking small...1/24!!!

In 1/72 scale the wingspan is 54" [1372mm], in 1/24 it would be 162" [4115mm]  -- yah! I don't think 1/72 is big enough LOL!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 24, 2012, 10:51:50 AM
Spruce Goose vibes must be in cosmos.
I have similar Spruce Goose in work right now.
Bill
Any ideas on what you have planned for yours?

Building as 1/72 (all my builds are).  Have B-17 upper fuselage cockpit, turret, thru upper back window worked into-onto Spruce Goose.  Making it 1/72.  Still playing with engine ideas.

Ah! You're doing the Scale-O-Rama thing as well. I look forward to seeing it!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on May 24, 2012, 12:42:47 PM
As of now have two likely 1/72 engine schemes.
1 > six B-24 engines
2 > four B-24 engines and two jets

Being Spring am spending more time on cars and yard.  Less on models.  Though like to finish P-38 and Spruce Goose based kit-bashes.
P-38 about 80% done.  Spruce Goose about 40% done.
Bill
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 25, 2012, 10:40:31 AM
Latest progress shots:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120524a.jpg)

I now have four of the six engine nacelles attached to the wing. The inboard nacelles are the inboards from the Minicraft KC-97/Stratocruiser kit and the outboard nacelles will be the middle and outermost engines on this six-engined beast. The innermost nacelles will have a hump-backed appearance on the top surface of the wing while the outer pairs will fair into the wing more smoothly. Why? Because when I did the first nacelle I made a bit of a mistake in cutting up the nacelles from the wing they were molded in.[MasterThespian]IMPROVISATION![/MasterThespian]

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120524b.jpg)

Underside shot. I've never built the Minicraft Boeing Stratocruiser/KC-97 kits, but from these nacelles, I'm not terribly impressed and not too broken up that two of these kits are parts donors for this build. Third nacelle from the left is putty-fooed and sanded. The other three have been subject to putty slinging and just waiting for the Squadron White to dry. The last two engine nacelles will go directly between the inner and outermost nacelles.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120524c.jpg)

Close up of one of the innermost nacelle. The bottom half behind the engine itself is molded in two halves, then the engine cowl along with the lower intake is a third piece. The top part of the nacelle I had to cut away from the upper wing part and then whittle away at until I got the shape I wanted. The landing gear doors fit like crap into the nacelle should you want to build the KC-97/377 kit out of the box with the wheels up.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120524d.jpg)

Completed innermost nacelle on the other wing. It may need some touch up sanding, but I'll wait until I do some primer for that. I'll probably add some little extra greeblies like intakes on the nacelle to camouflage some of my ham-fisted sanding work.

Contemplating ditching using the armament from the Minicraft B-29 kit. I'm leaning towards doing this build in the USN three-color Pacific scheme and to use B-29 remote turrets in my mind would call for the all over dark blue scheme. I wish I knew where the hell my old Cobra Company PB4Y Privateer conversion set was, I could use the Erco bow turret on the nose and the those wacky teardrop waist blisters for side gun positions. I may take the waist positions from a Minicraft Catalina kit I have in the stash as an alternative.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on May 25, 2012, 11:02:13 AM
Idea - the inner engine landing gear doors could be open with a couple bombs or depth charges in each.

Think you have the power right with six 4360 engines when building as 1/144.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: taiidantomcat on May 25, 2012, 10:39:14 PM
Wow!! That is some nice work  :)
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on May 26, 2012, 05:54:33 AM
Mr Chicken, may the Putty-Foo be with you.

Actually, it looks like it already is!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Daryl J. on May 26, 2012, 10:42:40 AM
 :)
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 26, 2012, 11:52:50 PM
Latest progress shots on my What-If Hughes/Kaiser PBK-1 Tarpon:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120526a.jpg)

Nacelles pretty much completed, this will probably be the most labor intensive part of this build. Lots of putty-sand-repeat-putty-sand-repeat. Never had to do this much PSR on a 1/144 build before. One of the outboard nacelles is out of alignment and I didn't notice it until I shot these pictures. Oh well. It'll look good enough at arm's length. I rattle-bombed it with some dark gray to make it easier on my Mark one eyeballs where some touch up putty-sand-repeat is needed.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120526b.jpg)

Top side view of the wings. I toed out each nacelle slightly figuring this would help with any asymmetric engine conditions.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120526c.jpg)

With the props in place it's looking better. The props came from the Minicraft Pan American Boeing 377 Stratocruiser kit and the Minicraft KC-97 kit. The prop discs believe it or not don't overlap. It was a tight squeeze but the prop discs are also staggered slightly. Were I to do this over again, I'd have put the outermost engine nacelles a bit further out. It was "fun" sanding around the base of the nacelles and not ding the flap actuator fairings which are moulded into the lower wings. Hello, needle files.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120526d.jpg)

Top side view with the props in place, you can better see which engine nacelle is out of alignment. I'm sorta sick of putty-sand-repeat so I'll live with it.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120526e.jpg)

Started work now on the fuselage. Wow, this thing fits like hell. I'll have an easier time fitting a pair of sea urchins into a Speedo. The easiest way is to work from the tail forward in increments and sling Squadron White at any gaps. I may need to use some internal shims to get the forward fuselage to match up. I can assure you that when the time comes to put the wing assembly on, there's gonna be gaps fore and aft of the wings. Some dry fitting out of curiosity tells me I may also need to use some styrene shims to get the wing to sit right on the fuselage.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on May 27, 2012, 12:07:44 AM
"I'll have an easier time fitting a pair of sea urchins into a Speedo."

I nominate this for the line of the week!

I know what you mean about noticing things aren't lined up, Mr Chicken. This seems to happen without fail to me. Still, you managed to camoflage it nicely, I totally understand having one's fill of PSR.

Regardless of any flaws, this project is way impressive!

Go Mr Chicken, go!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on May 27, 2012, 02:09:10 AM
"I'll have an easier time fitting a pair of sea urchins into a Speedo."

I nominate this for the line of the week!

I have to second that motion. 

Never imagined that I would see the day where describing a difficult task would involve sea urchins or speedos. 


As for the model, well you seem to have that under control or at least under clamps :)
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: kitnut617 on May 27, 2012, 02:52:31 AM
Started work now on the fuselage. Wow, this thing fits like hell. I'll have an easier time fitting a pair of sea urchins into a Speedo. The easiest way is to work from the tail forward in increments and sling Squadron White at any gaps. I may need to use some internal shims to get the forward fuselage to match up. I can assure you that when the time comes to put the wing assembly on, there's gonna be gaps fore and aft of the wings. Some dry fitting out of curiosity tells me I may also need to use some styrene shims to get the wing to sit right on the fuselage.

I don't remember having all that problem with the HK-1 I built a few years ago SC, and I painted mine all silver too  ---
Mind you, it was the Minicraft kit that I had
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on May 27, 2012, 03:29:19 AM
Dang nice.  What a wing with those engines.  Right on !
I agree, fuselage is not so "precise" fitting shall we say.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: raafif on May 27, 2012, 05:21:09 AM
(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120526c.jpg)

         fit this assembly this side up & props to the rear !!  (B-36 style :) )  Perhaps a bit late for this model ..... but maybe the next ? .......
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 28, 2012, 12:39:13 PM
Today's progress:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120527a.jpg)

Got the fuselage finally all buttoned up as best as I could. I found that as I fixed one seam/joint and re-aligned another, it cracked open the seam I just fixed. That's right. Sea urchins in a Speedo. The main problem area topside was above the flight deck. What I did here was to use clamps to hold in position as best possible and then glue a thin sheet of styrene over the area and then slinged putty at it to try and contour it into the fuselage lines as best as possible. When I paint this beast, that's still going to be visible but I sized it so it at least looks like it belongs there. Once it was dried, then I removed the clamps and the area held up nicely.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120527b.jpg)

The second area that was pissing me off was just aft of the step on the underside. Same technique here, I cut a sheet of styrene to fit the area, glued it over the seam and then faired it in with putty as best as could be done. Since this is the underside, I wasn't looking for that styrene sheet to match the whole area, I just needed it to look plausible enough since no one's really going to be looking under there who doesn't want to get kicked in the junk.

No, just kidding about that last part. I haven't had to assault a JMN since my last restraining order at a show, wink-wink.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120527c.jpg)

As you can see from the first two shots there's some work being done on the nose. I found my Cobra Company 1/144 Privateer conversion set- picked this one up back in the 1990s at a place in Maryland called "Nostalgic Plastic" that I think's long closed. I'd used some of the parts years ago on a half-finished conversion of the Minicraft Liberator into a Privateer before I gave up on it. So those teardrop blisters are a lost cause thanks to me being more ham-fisted back years ago but the ERCO nose turret was untouched. I cut away a section of the nose and then filled it in with strips of styrene built up in layers that I'll sand down to recontour the nose to fit the nose turret.

The flight deck transparency fits like hell into the the space in the fuselage. I'll have to do a bris or something to that part of the fuselage to get the transparency to fit, let alone sit right.

I'm thinking of taking the waist blisters from the Minicraft 1/144 Catalina kit to use as waist gun positions on this build in addition to other gun positions.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on May 28, 2012, 09:54:41 PM
That's coming along very nicely, Mr Chicken! With six engines, the waist blisters and nose turret, this baby's gonna be a real head-turner!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Litvyak on May 28, 2012, 10:43:31 PM
Pair of sea urchins in a speedo... that makes me cringe so hard...

The build itself looks ... challenging, but I get the impression the finished product is going to look great!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: taiidantomcat on May 28, 2012, 11:13:18 PM
The nose turret will make a fine addition!  :)
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on May 29, 2012, 01:00:44 AM
I am amazed by your abilities to build in such a tiny scale.  No matter what the outcome of this project, you sir, have a gift for tarting up the tiny stuff. 
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: ChrisF on May 29, 2012, 02:58:12 AM
What Jeffery said !!   :D
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on May 30, 2012, 12:57:34 AM
Progress shots from yesterday:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120528a.jpg)

The 1/144 Cobra Company resin ERCO nose ball turret in place. When the transparency is in place, you won't be able to see much of the opening behind it. Not sure where the gun barrels are from the original conversion kit, but those are easy crafted from styrene rod. You can see the flight deck is gonna need some work.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120528b.jpg)

Side view of the ERCO turret. I may need to some touch up sanding work to improve the way the sidewalls fair into the rest of the fuselage. If I still have the motivation, I may add a spray guard below the nose turret.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120528c.jpg)

Dry fit of all the major assemblies. It's always great to get this point in a build when you can start to flesh out what you've had visualized in your head. I may decide to stick with the tall single tail as opposed to kitbashing a twin tail assembly. While the Consolidated PB2Y Coronado had twin tails, the even larger Martin PB2M/JRM Mars had a single tail. I may go with some of the features of the Mars like adding smaller cantilevered struts off the floats. There'll be a radar in a "doghouse" fairing above the flight deck which should help camouflage the seam work I needed to do there. The Catalina waist blisters will go behind the wing (obviously) but now jugging what to do about the rest of the defensive armament. I was going to add the B-29's tail gun position under the vertical fin plus a dorsal turret from the Minicraft B-24 kit. The PB4Y Privateer in its later variants had two dorsal turrets, I thought about doing that as well.

I thought about adding a gun turret just aft of each inboard nacelle on the tops of the wing, but that may require more slinging of putty than I want to do as I'll need to a lot of work on the wing/fuselage junctions and possibly the tail gun position depending upon what I did there.

I was reading that the waist turrets on the Privateer when depressed fully downward converged on a point 30 feet below the aircraft which meant that the ventral ball turret could be dispensed with. I'll need to position the Catalina blisters to try and replicate the same effect.

Also now thinking about options for the weapons bay. I was originally going to build bomb bays into the wings, but then I thought with as large as the PBK-1 Tarpon is, I could do it Sunderland style with doors on the sides of the fuselage that open up to rails under the wings that torpedoes, bombs, and mines could be rolled out onto for dropping. I'll need to figure something out before I attach the wing assembly for good.

I loves me the holiday weekends, I can get lots of building done.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on May 30, 2012, 03:08:48 AM
So interesting to see how this coming together.  Much like I have in work converting Spruce Goose to 1/72.
Am doing same with a Lancaster turret mounted in nose and Catalina side blisters.
Been busy with Spring outdoor stuff.  Inspiring me to get back to building.
Bill
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on May 30, 2012, 03:27:13 AM
Wow that nose turret looks great! Detail like that in 1/144 is amazing! Love the "money shot" of it all together too!

You've got me looking very much forward to your next installment, Mr Chicken!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: GTX_Admin on May 30, 2012, 04:57:20 AM
Wing turrets would be natural for this...perhaps a couple of the B-29 remote turrets?
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on May 30, 2012, 05:44:41 AM
The 1/144 Cobra Company resin ERCO nose ball turret in place. When the transparency is in place, you won't be able to see much of the opening behind it. Not sure where the gun barrels are from the original conversion kit, but those are easy crafted from styrene rod. You can see the flight deck is gonna need some work.

Amazing amount of detail in that Cobra Company ERCO ball turret. 


Wing turrets would be natural for this...perhaps a couple of the B-29 remote turrets?

Mounted on top and underside of wing would be absolutely wicked in providing a strafing option with anywhere where from *eight to sixteen guns firing forward to service targets of opportunity. 

*If the aircraft is armed with two turrets on each wing containing four-machine guns or two-machine guns would give you eight to sixteen machine guns firing forward plus nose gun turret with two machine guns provides ten or eighteen machine guns.  With all weapons aimed at the same spot it would certainly shred anything in a matter of seconds. 
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Frank3k on May 30, 2012, 06:00:06 AM
This is looking great! I wonder if the Minicraft kit is the same as this one. While not impossible, I find it unlikely that two companies would come up with a model of the same unusual aircraft in the same non-standard scale.

The step on the flight deck canopy is going to be fun! Fill in the gap or cut down the step? I guess it depends on which way the transparency fits best. Nice job on fairing in the nose turret!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on May 30, 2012, 10:43:51 AM
This is looking great! I wonder if the Minicraft kit is the same as this one. While not impossible, I find it unlikely that two companies would come up with a model of the same unusual aircraft in the same non-standard scale.

The step on the flight deck canopy is going to be fun! Fill in the gap or cut down the step? I guess it depends on which way the transparency fits best. Nice job on fairing in the nose turret!

Minicraft is same.  Same step on the flight deck canopy.  Every thing I see any where in pictures is identical.
Only construction techniques here are cleaner and more refined than mine.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: elmayerle on May 31, 2012, 11:51:18 AM
Wing turrets would be natural for this...perhaps a couple of the B-29 remote turrets?
I'll second this suggestion, much like the remote-control ones on the Piaggio P.108 which worked well (the engines, well, that's another story).
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on June 03, 2012, 05:15:26 AM
(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120602a.jpg)

Time to work on the tail gun position. This is the first weekend of the summer for the kids, so after breakfast they all stampeded upstairs to play Xbox, leaving me a bit of undisturbed time to do some work on this kitbash. I used the tail gunner's position from the Minicraft B-29A kit. That kit's vertical fin sucks, so I'd never build the kit as a B-29 anyway so it's now a what-if parts donor as well. I cut away the aft fuselage and removed the vertical fin with a good old fashioned Dremel attack. I found that in 1/144 scale this part of the B-29's fuselage did fit quite nicely as a replacement for the Spruce Goose's tail cone. Fortunately I got the cuts right on the money which should help minimize the amount of putty-sand-repeat-putty-sand-repeat.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on June 03, 2012, 07:07:22 AM
Using a B-29 tailgun is absolutely inspired, Mr Chicken! It looks like it belongs there and those cuts are indeed excellent!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on June 03, 2012, 12:21:00 PM
(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120602b.jpg)

Got a bit more time after the kids all went to bed to try and finish up the tail gunner's position on my kitbash. In this shot I've dry fitted the tail gunner's transparencies as well as the guns and gun fairing. What passes off as the twin guns in the Minicraft B-29A kit is a joke and a half, I'll probably just make some out of styrene rod which will look better. Sprayed the assembly with a light coat of gray to help visualize any spots that might need more putty-sand-repeat. I think I'm about done here, though.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: taiidantomcat on June 03, 2012, 09:21:01 PM
^ That came out great!!  :D
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Litvyak on June 03, 2012, 09:25:58 PM
Agree with TT. Looks like it belongs there, too!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: kitnut617 on June 03, 2012, 09:43:52 PM
Nice bit of kit bashing all around SC'
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on June 05, 2012, 03:28:52 AM
Am following your postings and the agree with the above comments.
This build in 1/144 is soooo much what I have started in 1/72.  Like we read page out of same book.
Six engines, nose and tail guns.  Quite similar kit bashing.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on June 26, 2012, 03:20:21 AM
Working on one of the wing weapons bays:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120625-1.jpg)

Had I thought further ahead, it would have been easier to cut out the hole and build this weapons bay before I put the wing halves together, but oh well. I drilled out some pilot holes in the wing where I wanted the weapons bay to be located and then used a razor saw (with Dremel back up) to cut open a rectangular opening just a shade larger then I needed. I was going to do external rails and doors on the fuselage so that bombs and torpedoes could be rolled out under the wings just like the Short Sunderland, but had my fill of working on the ill-fitting fuselage and didn't want to hack more openings into than I already have. So for this what-if PBK-1 Tarpon, there are weapons bays under each inner wing and bombs, depth charges, and torpedoes are rolled into them from fuselage racks.

The weapons bay is just a simple styrene box. I like to use the tiled styrene sheet as it makes it easy to get the rectangular piece for what I'm trying to make- sort of prescored sheet, if you will. I have some other styrene rod and strip pieces for the interior (like the rails) and then I'll more details once I have the weapons bay fitted into the wing. I put in a piece of scrap sprue so the weapons bay has something to support it and it doesn't fall further into the wing.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120625-2.jpg)

Weapons bay now in place. I made it just a bit taller than needed so I can sand it down to match the profile of the wing undersurface. Squadron White will be putty-fooed into the gaps and sanded down. I've scratch built undercarriage bays this way, so I know it should work out just fine. On the opposite side I'll have some scratchbuilt doors in the closed position to indicated where that wing's bay is located.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Dr. YoKai on June 26, 2012, 04:18:33 AM
 Coming along nicely!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of..
Post by: apophenia on June 26, 2012, 10:46:57 AM
Indeed!   :)
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Caveman on June 27, 2012, 02:31:05 AM
The weapons could still by "rolled out" but instead of on the sunderland where the opening is on the side of the fuselage, that wing is deep enough that reloads could be railed out within the wing to be dropped through the wing opening. Just a thought.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on June 27, 2012, 03:22:46 AM
That's some first class detailing!

Go, Mr Chicken, go!

Brian da Basher
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on June 27, 2012, 10:23:01 AM
The weapons could still by "rolled out" but instead of on the sunderland where the opening is on the side of the fuselage, that wing is deep enough that reloads could be railed out within the wing to be dropped through the wing opening. Just a thought.


Precisely what I have planned! See below........

Latest progress shots:

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120626-1.jpg)

The weapons bay is now fully integrated into the wing and several coats of Tamiya White Primer sprayed on between sandings helped smooth things out. And holy crap looks like I have a few minor "sins" to fix on the surfaces of the nacelles as well. Some of those I'll cover up Watergate-style with some greeblies like air scoops and the like. Added the final bit of detailing, the structural ribs on the side of the weapons bay. The original plan was to drill small holes in them to give the impression of a lightened structure. Maybe if I'd made this thing bigger and my eyeballs were ten years younger.

(http://www.airlinebuzz.com/chickenworks/Buzz/Build04_120626-2.jpg)

This view shows the other side of the weapons bay. There are two doors here that lead to the reloads/bomb/torpedo racks inside the fuselage, Sunderland style. One door would open if it's a 250 lb or 500 lb bomb being rolled out, maybe a string of depth charges. But for a torpedo, both doors would open and the longer stores would use both rails inside the weapons bay. Or if a long string of depth charges, bombs, or mines needed to be dropped, I suppose. The other side shows a closed weapons bay- just some simple styrene sheet there, nothin' fancy.

I plan to paint the inside of the weapons bay green zinc chromate, the standard interior metal protectant of the day.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: GTX_Admin on June 27, 2012, 04:25:00 PM
Very well done
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: finsrin on June 27, 2012, 04:44:43 PM
The weapons could still by "rolled out" but instead of on the sunderland where the opening is on the side of the fuselage, that wing is deep enough that reloads could be railed out within the wing to be dropped through the wing opening. Just a thought.

Reloads - splendid feature.
And splendid building quality (envy).
Bill
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: taiidantomcat on June 27, 2012, 10:26:54 PM
Very well done

No kidding! Wonderfully integrated!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Jeffry Fontaine on August 19, 2013, 05:58:37 AM
You know it has been over a year since we have seen any WIP images of this very fine what if from Sentinel Chicken.  Wassupwiddat?
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Old Wombat on August 19, 2013, 10:12:32 AM
You know it has been over a year since we have seen any WIP images of this very fine what if from Sentinel Chicken.  Wassupwiddat?

Maybe de Scooterman he shuddup? ???

Scooterman, you bedda be startin' de whingin' at de Guardian Poultry, soonest!!! >:D >:D >:D C:-)

:)

Guy
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on September 20, 2013, 09:18:27 PM
 The Dead Collector: Bring out yer dead.

[a man puts a body on the cart]

Large Man with Dead Body: Here's one.

The Dead Collector: That'll be ninepence.

The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead.

The Dead Collector: What?

Large Man with Dead Body: Nothing. There's your ninepence.

The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not dead.

The Dead Collector: 'Ere, he says he's not dead.

Large Man with Dead Body: Yes he is.

The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm not.

The Dead Collector: He isn't.

Large Man with Dead Body: Well, he will be soon, he's very ill.

The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I'm getting better.

Large Man with Dead Body: No you're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment.

The Dead Collector: Well, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.

The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I don't want to go on the cart.

Large Man with Dead Body: Oh, don't be such a baby.

The Dead Collector: I can't take him.

The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: I feel fine.

Large Man with Dead Body: Oh, do me a favor.

The Dead Collector: I can't.

Large Man with Dead Body: Well, can you hang around for a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Old Wombat on September 20, 2013, 10:52:44 PM
Hmm? I'm hoping this means it will be done & dusted very soon :D & not gone to meet the Great WhIffer! :o

:)

Guy
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on September 20, 2013, 11:21:59 PM
My modeling room became a staging ground for some home renovations and then work just got balls to the wall busy. I was hoping to have this done for the Fort Worth IPMS show last weekend but couldn't make the show and didn't have squat done anyway. Had I made the show, I probably would have just gave Scooterman shit all day. Oh wait, I did that at past shows, too.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Volkodav on September 20, 2013, 11:25:37 PM
My modeling room became a staging ground for some home renovations and then work just got balls to the wall busy. I was hoping to have this done for the Fort Worth IPMS show last weekend but couldn't make the show and didn't have squat done anyway. Had I made the show, I probably would have just gave Scooterman shit all day. Oh wait, I did that at past shows, too.

I feel for you, work has a nasty habit of putting me on courses or sending me interstate to support projects every time I think I may finally get something finished for a group build.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Sentinel Chicken on September 21, 2013, 03:21:44 AM
Not so much an update but will have to post pics as I've been getting back in the saddle again.

The PBK-1 Tarpon now has a doghouse fairing above the flight deck for the radar (dorsal radome from the Minicraft WV-2 Warning Star kit which is another great Minicraft dog log of a kit I'll never build after trying to build the TWA Super Connie) and have added remote control gun turrets on the upper and lower outboard wings just beyond the outermost nacelle. Not sure if I'll keep them there, though.
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Scooterman on September 21, 2013, 09:40:34 AM
Had I made the show, I probably would have just gave Scooterman shit all day. Oh wait, I did that at past shows, too.

Jokes on you, dude.  I wasn't there either!   :icon_ninja:

Nice to see you back, however!
Title: Re: This build is to shut Scooterman up! A patrol bomber Spruce Goose. Sort of.....
Post by: Brian da Basher on September 23, 2013, 04:35:17 AM
I can totally relate to work getting in the way of the important stuff, Mr Chicken.

I can't wait to see what happens when you get back to the bench!

Brian da Basher