1/6 Scale B-17 Fortress Construction, Respray, Crash and Repair Photos

[P71CVPI07AZ]

Beautiful model !

[B61mackman]

at 51 seconds is your plane next to the memphis beele???? those plane are unbelievable

[vultee35]

@B61mackman The full size B-17 seen is the UK based 'Sally B'.

[B61mackman]

@vultee35 you did a wonderfull job on your plane. do you still have it?

[vultee35]

@B61mackman It is currently being stripped out, dummy radial engines added, and it's going into a museum.

[armaholic99]

@vultee35 the model or sally b?

[docspeedshop]

It is awsome you built this plane, even more awseom you rebuilt it after the crash!

[55chh]

Great looking cockpit!

[amandcarter]

Amazing build, terrible heartbreak! Starting my first scratch build of a super sportwin, what is the best adhesive for the bulk of construction?

[vultee35]

@amandcarter I used Cyano for virtually everything.

[n7hmw]

Where does one find plans to build something like that?

[vultee35]

@n7hmw This aircraft was scratch built using measurements from the fullsize aircraft. I didn't draw a full set of plans, just rib and fuselage former shapes. Everything else was measured straight onto the wood.

[Hellfire0220]

well done, very well done, althought the crash is sad, that was probably the best crashes ive seen, not only was teh plane mostly intact, but it looked kinda coo.

[RappedTooTight]

And set to Glenn Miller's St Louis Blues March. Nice!

[Poopingbotham]

Looks much better with 3 blade propellers

[vultee35]

@Poopingbotham The three blade props are just resin cast static props. For flying, it needs the two blade because the model engines aren't geared like the fullsize, and so can't turn scale props. The two bladers however are virtually the correct diameter, so I get nice big yellow prop arcs when they run.

[mauricetomas]

This is amazing! To be a perfectionist = YOU:-) God Bless AMERICA! Thank you for sharing this

[ThirdDegreeWitch]

great work :)

[K2Klash]

Wow thats incredible I love B17 they are amazing!

[dvh065]

Exact match music.

[CaptnDave69u]

Now that is a work of art. !/6 scale WOW.

[Mudcruncher]

The crash pictures actually look pretty scale, which is kind of neat. If my Pup ever goes in, I want it to look that cool when I find it.

Beautiful plane!

[psygn0sis]

Beautiful! I can't believe you built a balsa frame outside... in Britain! Wasn't rain an issue?

[vultee35]

@psygn0sis What do you mean, built it outside?

[psygn0sis]

@vultee35 The pictures of it being built appear to be outside in the backyard or (garden for you Brits)

[vultee35]

@psygn0sis It was assembled outside for a photograph, but you didn't really think it was built on the grass did you? There's no flat building board for a start!

[nolifemerc]

@vultee35 lol i was also thinking the same

[jakicevic]

It is huge and...AWESOME...

[offspringfanman96]

:50 it had a baby!

[armaholic99]

this might sound stupid but is that hard to build like is it phsicly hard to build, and how much did it all cost to build?

[vultee35]

@armaholic99 There were some challenging engineering problems to sort out, particularly the landing gear, and transmitting landing loads into the rest of the airframe. Cost was around £5,000 in materials; engines, receivers, servos, batteries, wood, glue, glass cloth and resin etc.

[armaholic99]

@vultee35 jesus crhist, 5 grand!! what was the most exspensive thing?

[vultee35]

@armaholic99 Probably the four engines which was around £1500. Nothing on a model this big is cheap, with multiple servos, batteries, receivers etc, tooling to make mouldings, castings for the landing gear. Just cyano glue to build with was a small fortune.

[armaholic99]

@vultee35 now i see why people fell so bad when somethings goes wrong and the thing crashes. if i were to build one i have plenty of wood and paint but the landing gear and engines would be hard.

[mozart03uk]

you are a very talented builder ! much respect !

[vultee35]

@mozart03uk Thanks. I build models for a living now; radio controlled, model railways and static desktop models.

[jointwarrior66]

@vultee35 Ditto. This is great work. Very cool. Are the pilot figures shown near the end complete Action Man size figures? 1/6 scale is huge and I can see you actually using the 11 1/2 inch figures for this. Of course, I'm sure weight is something you have to consider. Really very awesome and I'm sure its really quite a site to see it for real.

[jointwarrior66]

@jointwarrior66 That last post should have read "sight" as opposed to "site". It's that danged cold medication.

[vultee35]

@jointwarrior66 The figures are Action Man sized, but are scratch built. The heads are resin, cast in a silicone mould. The body parts are all vac-formings to keep them light. With almost 40 sq feet of wing area, it would have had no trouble carrying a ten man crew of Action Man figures, but I'm too tight to buy stuff I can make!!

[SHORTBUS39]

Love the cockpit

[oceannavagator]

My Dad was a 17 pilot at Kimbolton in 44. The music and the model brought back fond memories of him. Thanks ever so much.

[traveler08a]

Simply AWESOME

[vultee35]

@traveler08a Thanks

[vultee35]

@iamthelegoking That's true, but all built on a 6ft x 3ft building bench!!

[counterclockwise123]

awesome model. awesome music 

[carlosmurphy4u]

Why did it crash in the first place?

[vultee35]

@carlosmurphy4u  It's in the video description.

[roosterinboro]

That's incredible work. Did you hit the scale contest circuit with it? Top Gun, etc..?

[vultee35]

@roosterinboro I don't do competition flying, not interested at all; and it's too heavy for Top Gun in the USA anyway.

[bencantona]

I grew out of it at the age of 17. And yes I remember watching you fly.

Regards.

[vultee35]

@bencantona Out of interest, what are you flying at the shows at present?

[bencantona]

@vultee35 As I said I grew out of toy planes when I was 17. I discovered Women and Guitar...

[bencantona]

Very good. And as expected. Like I said . Excuses never fail to amaze ! . Ps Im a expert. 5 years on Uk show circuit and could teach you all a thing or two! Regards.

[vultee35]

@bencantona A whole five years; novice. You were probably watching me flying at displays while you were still a kid in nappies!

[bencantona]

Rc Pilot excuses for crashes never fail to amaze! Ive heard of thin air.... High patches of ground but Never interferance from your retracts ! Great one. Also known as pilot error.

Regards

[vultee35]

@bencantona You really don't know what you are talking about. The fault ( as a result of faulty suppression capacitors ) was replicated in tests several times after the crash. Think before you type. Just because you have a keyboard doesn't make you an expert.

[vultee35]

@bencantona Oh yes, after take off, I really throttled all the engines to idle and applied full down elevator to cause a crash. Switch your brain out of failsafe.

[JoseKagan]

Thats cool!!! if you don't mind me asking how much is the 1/6 scale B17? I'm just curious

[vultee35]

@JoseKagan In materials, wood, engines, glue, radio, etc etc, around £5000. It used two radios. The pilot had the inner engines and flying controls. The co-pilot had the landing gear, flaps, and the two outer engines on independant throttles, so that in a cross wind, one engine could be advanced more than the other to stop the aircraft weathercocking into wind - just like the fullsize aircraft.

[JoseKagan]

I never said that it was small!! Its the furthest thing from small lol. But what I'm trying to say is that. I didn't know that the engines and the radio gear were so advanced back in the 90's.

[vultee35]

@JoseKagan This was my second B-17. The first one, also scratch built was 1/10 scale, started in 1988. At 10 feet wingspan, that was also a very large model for its day. My first large petrol powered model was an own design in 1990 with a Zenoah 38cc. Before that, 10cc was the largest engine I used. The radio around 1990 was PCM 35MHz, but only just starting to be computerized.

[JoseKagan]

LOL I didn't even know this hobby was so advanced back in 1994. lol

[vultee35]

@JoseKagan The model was pretty big back then, and there weren't many people building that big. Mind you, it still isn't small these days!

[JoseKagan]

WOW!!! w8 a minute aren't 3W engines from germany? I heard those cost like 5-700 Euro's a piece.

[vultee35]

@JoseKagan Yes, German engines, very powerful, but I bought them in 1994, so cheaper back then ( a bit ).

[JoseKagan]

Wingspan models?

[vultee35]

@JoseKagan NO! This model is much older than wingspans B-17. It was scratch built from my own drawings in 1994, flying for the first time 11 months later.

[JoseKagan]

@vultee35 Very impressive!!! does it have a bomb drop and what are the make of the retracts?

[vultee35]

@JoseKagan No bomb drop, and the retracts are also scratch built by myself. The only bought items were the radio, engines ( 3W ), and the main wheels which were trailer home jockey wheels. Everything else was scratch built.

[lonewulf44]

Fantastic!

[vultee35]

@lonewulf44 Thank you. The model will be on static display at Croft Circuit near Darlington, North East England this weekend, if anyone local wants to see it.

[0072philip]

if he's married I bet he's wife or girl frierd played hell with he saying you spend more time with that FFFF plane than you do with me

[vultee35]

@0072philip Actually, you are wrong. My wife helped with the rebuild and detailing.

[StarTux]

@vultee35 I'm stuck building 1/48 scale models, but not bad overall...take up less space. Its awesome your wife helps! Guys, its important not to hide your hobbies like this, the right girl will at least put up with it, and if not then she isn't worth it.

[vultee35]

@StarTux I'm doing some 1/48th building too. Currently finishing a Cutaway version of the P-36 Hawk which is on the Aircraft Resource Centre Forum. I've got a B-17,B-26 and B-29 in the que to build aswell. In a relationship, it's important that the woman also has interests of her own so you can spend time together and apart without her feeling neglected. My wife is a Girl Guides leader so spends quite a bit of time organising activities and camping trips etc., which I've also helped with

[edj66]

@StarTux You just have to make sure she can do the things she wants to as well! :P

[vultee35]

@0072philip She's also built a couple of planes of her own.

[nitrosavy]

Fantastic, one of the best ive seen, good luck

[vetitoe362]

Incredible plane! I wish I had a fraction of your skill and patients!

[vultee35]

@vetitoe362 Thanks

[sweetsongman1]

this sounds like james bond-kinda music

[Alisterwolf66]

A fine RC B17 and Glenn Miller (St. Louis Blues March, if my memory serves). Yep, this vid's getting a thumb-up!

[vultee35]

@Alisterwolf66 Thank you

[jonchall8]

"hang the expense," I like that.

[vultee35]

@jonchall8 'Hang The Expense' was the real name of a 100th Bomb Group B-17 flown by 1st Lt Frank E. Valesh. He and his crew started their tour in November 1943, one of the replacement crews following the Munster losses. They completed their tour in July 1944. Search for 'Hang The Expense' on 100thbg(dot)com for the story.

[Giovanniram22]

Man! I wish you were my neighbour. I was scratch building myself for many years. I was leaving my job for design and build the next model, and the next and the next ........

But Life has deside to put me on land and now I only watch others RDF models.

So, its a pleasure to see somebody commitment at the true meaning of modelling, SCRATCH BUILT.

( However I could not resist to built a small depron semiscale electric Pitts biplane).

[vultee35]

@Giovanniram22 Many thanks. Steve

[othur]

Wish I could have saw it fly it looks awesome.

[stemsr]

Hats off to You Sir!

[Mesdriver]

@stemsr

SIR!

[gernestj]

That is a very impressive piece of work, and to do it twice? Dedication!

[Alisterwolf66]

Glen Miller is the perfect music for this vid.

[JackFlemingFan]

Excellent!!

[Snobbstech777]

I do have to say, rebuilding a plane is the most agonizing thing possible as you are working with so many broken parts while trying to keep what is left there. Rebuilding this plane was a huge undertaking and having pulled through with it earns you respect!

[jamesmarr1995]

i agree. i've had to rebuild large scale planes in the past and it ain't a 5 min cyano job! you gotta realise - before you get too attached to it - that it won't last for ever.

[Centurion3RTR]

Beautiful craftmanship, I take my hat off to you Sir.

[vultee35]

Many thanks, Steve

[Airbornerock]

Can you put a small digital camera inside the cockpit for a in flight video?

[vultee35]

The B-17 hasn't been flown for five years, it's retired for now, but I have considered putting a camera in. Before I would fly it again, I would want to fit all new batteries and 2.4GHz radio, but I don't have the money to spend or desire to do it right now.

[StuffGoesBoom]

Well hey just send it down to me and I'll take care of her! ;)

[pat3r]

what are you flying now?

[vultee35]

Scratch built 1/6 scale P-47N Thunderbolt

[pat3r]

nice looks like a good plane