Blackadder's Scratchbuilt Thunderhawk

[Blackadder]

Flogging a Dead Horse:

I'm forging ahead with the original ball turrets in spite of designing a set after the FW version so some of my work is original at least.

[url]http://i.imgur.com/2SfjlVB.jpg[/url]


I don't know if the FW turret guns are elevate-able but mine are so therein lies the difference in appearance.

[Blackadder]

Fuzzy Images

You wouldn't think I have a SOTArt Cannon digital SLR camera judging by these fuzzy images but I still prefer my 20 year old Kodak 290 for some reason.....

[url]http://i.imgur.com/lxMF3kh.jpg[/url]


Anyway the ball turrets are proceeding apace shown here in different stages of completion.

[url]http://i.imgur.com/b7Fgwg7.jpg[/url]


Any questions you have on what I am doing or how I am doing it I'll be glad to answer....

[url]http://i.imgur.com/vrug9og.jpg[/url]


Hmmm, the above image doesn't bear close inspection; left gun sight is a bit cattywampus....

[url]http://i.imgur.com/5FtnXci.jpg[/url]

[Morgrim]

Are these the set built around pingpong balls? If not, how did you make spheres of plasticard?

[Blackadder]

These are the ping pong balls.........

[Blackadder]

What Am I Missing?

For the life of me I cannot figure out how these guns can elevate. With the rectangular view port and mount plate it seems that the gun mount shield (Plate between the guns) when the guns are elevated will interfere with the viewport and vise versa. If the side hemispheres only rotate upward then the viewport is not looking where the guns aim plus the entry hatch miss aligns. Or alternately it's just another FW bollock-up in the design department and it just looks good and can't function.


[url]http://i.imgur.com/KXnF7Eq.jpg[/url]


Anyway here's mine with out detail as yet but fully functional at least regarding movement.

[url]http://i.imgur.com/HayxArK.jpg[/url]


Anyone who has this turret, can you post some images of what the turret looks like in the full elevated and full depressed configuration...

Thx.

[Mud Duck]

I think that your looking at it wrong BA. The whole ball rotates, think the ball turret on a B17, with the 'clamps' on the outside of the ball as the points of rotation (elevation). The clamps are then attached to another C shaped brace in side the ship that gives the mount side to side movement. I'm guess that the belly ball turret on the B17 was the inspiration and they kinda half-arsed the traverse. How the gunner gets into the turret that I'm not sure about, shoehorns and a lot of lube?

[Blackadder]

I think that your looking at it wrong BA. The whole ball rotates, think the ball turret on a B17, with the 'clamps' on the outside of the ball as the points of rotation (elevation). The clamps are then attached to another C shaped brace in side the ship that gives the mount side to side movement. I'm guess that the belly ball turret on the B17 was the inspiration and they kinda half-arsed the traverse. How the gunner gets into the turret that I'm not sure about, shoehorns and a lot of lube?

Thanks for the info, armed with that detailed insightful information and I finally found a decent image of the instructions parts sheet I managed to discern the FW method. It looks pretty flimsy and subject to a high rate of failure according to other replies I've received but it does allow for the full range of required movement. Whether I employ it or not requires I'm able to beef it up considerably.

[bloodangel 83]

I had to magnetized the ball turrets into the fire raptor on the up/down piece of resin to get the turrets to stay inside it.

[Mud Duck]

Glad to be of assistance.

[Blackadder]

Best I Can Do:

Try as I might this is the best range of elevation I can come up with using ping pong balls.

[url]http://i.imgur.com/oHyIRWt.jpg[/url]


[url]http://i.imgur.com/6LhhtNS.jpg[/url]


The front view is satisfactory so now for the detail:

[url]http://i.imgur.com/VBchYxf.jpg[/url]