Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

[No.1]

[Sall]

Great!

[draken35]

Stunning...

[Second Air Force]

I haven't totally ignored the Fortress project--all the other stuff on my bench pushed it into the background. I had the vacuform machine heated up for another item so I pulled several more blisters for later use.

Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

Other than making these I've been scratching my head on how exactly I'll build the assemblies.

[Sall]

Wow...What a work!

[samuraj77]

Looks really great.
I have never seen other than home built Vacuforme machine

[Second Air Force]

My machine is a Mattel Vacuform that I found in an antique shop. It had been used very, very little and still has all the accessories and molds that came with it when it was new in the early 1960s. I bought it for less than $50 U.S., and that turned out to be a bargain as they are collectors items now. The big drawback with the Mattel is that the sheets are only 3x4 inches so you can only form relatively small parts such as canopies.

Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

[samuraj77]

Thanks for sharing, canopies are usually what needs to be done on that way.
Very good acquisition

[Second Air Force]

I've done very little on this project lately. It looked sad sitting there gathering dust at the back of the workbench, so I decided to do something to it tonight. I glued the right wing halves together--the first large section to be permanently assembled. I slid the flap into place and taped the cowlings on for show, and you can just make out the aluminum color of the wheelwell. Also the two small vents for the oil coolers can be seen as bright silver squares on the nacelles. Making those little exhaust vents was problematic, and it took a trip to the model car spares boxes to find the proper grilles to make the louvers from.

Boeing Y1B-17 Project--1/48th Scale

Perhaps I will get the other wing assembled soon and move back to the fuselage, where there is still MUCH work to be done........

[No.1]

This project can not be done fast at all so this is fine progress from my point of view

[Second Air Force]

Yes, but it looked so lonely sitting back in the background! Now it feels "wanted" again.....!

[No.1]

Right

[Sall]

This wing looks great!

[Letipapa]

This is extraordinary and already legendary and gigantic enterprise for me, so Scott,  "I proclaim you the the big knight of vac-u-forming and great guru of Boeing bomber modeling, Amundsen of patience and durability, and Livingstone and Doc Holiday of modern modeling investigation."

This incredible work make my day sunny although in Belgrade is a gray, rainy morning, thank you

[Second Air Force]

Letipapa, you neglected my true title--the tortoise of model building! I'm so slow on this project that I may not finish for another year. Or two. Or......? Seriously, THANK YOU for the enthusiasm though I'm not worthy of such comments.

It's gray and rainy here in Oklahoma this morning, too. Good modeling weather for me! Perhaps some more progress today after I drink my coffee and finish up some other work.