CLOSING THE BALL
It has been a while, but I hope it will be worth the wait. HG finally reached the point where he was ready to close the ball.
And here you see it being glued together and held by a clamp.
Check out the gears installed on the left side of the ball for elevation!
HG had a OMG moment when I pointed this out to him, but he was equal to the task!!
Honestly, I can’t imagine how he managed it.
Here you see what HG calls the early turret “earmuffs.”
These are a combination of his work and parts pirated (by me) from the HK Models B-17G model.
Here is a view of the inside, but with much better to come.
Be prepared to be amazed. Magician at work.
And the view, especially of the interior, just keeps getting better and better.
See what I mean? Let me add that the paint work is far from complete. HG tells me that, as is obvious, this is still somewhat rough and will be completed to perfection as the work progresses.
Here is an equally cool shot looking through the ball from the circular front window.
Again, this is not final but getting there. Also, the earmuffs are not fully attached. The gaps will be eliminated between their edges and the side of the ball before it is completed.
I close with two more pictures of pure eye candy for the modeler.
And the final view, at rest, awaiting additional work.
I am betting that this is the most detailed ball turret on a B-17 model in any scale, and that it will be a sight to behold when completely cleaned up, and installed in the finished model, at an angle from the centerline of the fuselage,
More to follow, of course!