Gun Turret projects

And a further film of the turret elevation and depression now being powered via compressed air delivered, for now, via a pair of syringes. The results are fairly pleasing, as the method of raising and lowering the gun-cradle without visible or audible servos has been a major headache for some 2 years.

Today I painted the 160 or so clips which will in time bolt the curved Perspex window panels to the internal stanchions and bars of the cupola, as per the original. I’ve also been assembling the various hydraulic lines, made from 3d printed curved pipes, and brass tube of equal diameter for the straight sections. Painting and fitting same should commence in a day or two. When complete the only thing left to do is to make the mould from a plug, to cast a positive, over which the hot Perspex can be drawn to fabricate the complex curvatures of the windows.

Hi all,

Since I last posted back in July I’ve made a lot of progress on the turrets, building and fitting the pneumatic rams which stand in for the hydraulic ones of the full-sized turret. The SMC rams are double acting, and are clad in 3d printed parts to make them more closely resemble the originals. Also I’ve now built both cupolas, including all the acid-etched brass straps with lugs, which bolted the window panes (curved perpsex) to the frame of the cupola. The wiring has also been done, with JST connectors painted black and concealed and or camouflaged to resemble other non-functioning electrical services.

Other successes have been home-made “transfers” to achieve the micro-printed placards and cautions, and the markings in the “Pyrene” fire extinguishers.

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The remaining jobs are to make the very complex curved window panels for which accurate moulds and castings have to be made for them to be hot-pulled, devising the traversing motor, painting the strapwork, weathering and distressing the whole paint-scheme, fitting the plethora of non-functioning hydraulic lines, fitting and disguising the PVC hose which drives the rams, testing same.

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The latest film may be found at

Other new films are up too

Hi All, it’s been many months since I last posted, and much progress had been made lately, chiefly on the cupolas for the FN5’s, but also a pair of new and much improved MK III reflector gunsights, and the turret-doors (which feature working internal and external latches, bolts, and concealed screw to prevent doors opening in flight.

Finally I think I’ve slain the problem of the elevation rams for the gun-cradle having, as the army says “used all available cover” to get there! I built an electric ram which worked, rather gratifyingly, but hadn’t enough power to move the cradle from the fully elevated position. Hydraulics were considered next, but were rapidly discounted owing to the spectre of a leak within the model turret. Pneumatics was about the only possible solution if the original design brief of “no visible servos or arms thereof”, was to be addressed. So I’ve now 4 rams on the way with the added benefits that each pair of rams will exert the same force at the same time – which I couldn’t achieve with the electric rams.

Next week the final acid-etched brass parts should arrive, which after fitting should allow the final work on the turrets to begin, namely wiring services to looms, making the foam plug from which an eventual mould can be made to generate the complex-curved Perspex “window panels” in the cupola before finally some bloody fiddly work bolting the cupola structure and windows together. Then the air-frame work begins!

I post a couple of screenshots, and refer you to my you-tube channel – searching YT for “Fidd88” without quotes will find me. Films covering lots of aspects of the builds are there if anyone is interested.

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Just in case people are interested, I also have a little “You-tube” channel where I’ve documented some of the builds, and problems and solutions. I fear I’m no “David Lean”, and YouTube is all a bit new to me. FWIW:

Fantastic workmanship!

This is an old shot of the “pipper”. Since then the 3d-printing layers on the arms have been got rid of, and painted; and the angled glass is now optically clear. Damn silly, but enormous fun to make. If it’s appropriate here, and people want to see more, I’ll post some more pictures.The whole unit from bottom of box to top of the shroud is just under 35mm,

Thankyou to all of you who have posted shots of these turrets under restoration, it’s been hugely useful for me, as I’m currently building a pair of “working” model FN5’s at 1:4.5 scale, which have motorised traverse and elevation, a gun-sight that remains parallel to the guns, and the world’s smallest (?) operating reflector gun-sight, which stands about as high as a 2p coin! This is my first post here, so I’ll try and post a few pictures. Searching youtube for “FN5 turret” usually finds my channel, with a few films as the build has taken shape. There are a few known errors, but it’s as close as I’ve been able to get to a “copy”. The chordal braces house microswitches, and a cam arrangement impinges on these shortly before the elevation and depression limits of the FN5, which will interrupt power to home-made servos concealed completely within one of the rams – the “hydraulic” hose being the escape-route for the wiring to the ram’s motor. Some 3 years research went into this, and so far I’ve spent two years building ’em!

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FYI turret mid upper:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/east-bristol-auctions/catalogue-id-sreas10200/lot-dee5d150-623f-4bad-adba-a71400f19dd8

Just wondering if anyone knows if there are any parts or drawings surviving, for the Bristol front and rear turrets as fitted to the Bristol Bombay ?.

Bob T.

Fantastic project Alan, I always loved the FN5, At the old museum at Soesterberg they used to have a complete original turret from a Wellington.
Cees

What a beauty Alan!! I’ve got to ask, if you’re keen to free up some space in the garage then I know a place that would be very grateful for an opportunity to purchase it and finish off the restoration.

It’s been a while since this topic was updated so here’s a few pics of my FN5 Lancaster front turret project, soaking up the sun for the first time in many years.

What you see here is the basic structure at the point I stopped actively restoring it. When I obtained the cupola, I had no option but to attach it to the turret ring as there was simply no other room for it in my garage. Sorry it spoils the interior views somewhat.

Many of the parts you don’t see here are restored and ready to bolt back on, including electric panel, gun cradles, control handles, sight support frame, cartridge ejection chutes, etc. From memory, the main tasks remaining are: hydraulic pipes, control linkages, manufacture of a couple more ammunition boxes and lids, gun firing system, electrical wiring and oh yes, a bit of new perspex for the cupola!

Still a lot to do but the result will be a very original Lancaster front turret.

I’ll photograph some of the other bits in due course.

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What a Great JU 188 looking project…

Hi I’m still trying to locate where this panel is from..(The Gun selector dimmer) photo 2 appears in a few turrets that i have seen, but not on this particular panel with call light. and would anyone have any idea what the sliding type mechanism would be in photos 3 and 4.

I’m still thinking gun turret. (and a bomber, ref has a call light) any help as always would be very much appreciated.

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JU 188

Soon ready With the canopy parts from a JU 188 to attach the HDL A2 Turret !! Any parts is welcomed!!!!

Hi,

I wonder if anyone could help me, I am currently building a 1/10th scale R/C ‘Dambusters’ BIII Lancaster, the main airframe is complete and she has flown and I am now moving on to detailing

My target it is to have reasonably detailed (not scale) partially operating turrets front and rear, I have drawn and had printed the FN5 front turret and completed its cupola and am most of the way through drawing the rear turret.

I am one important detail missing though, where is the ammunition stowed? where does it come from? I have collected many pictures of the FN20 but none show clearly the floor area immediately below the ammunition belt drops.

Does anyone have a picture of this area? I have tried everywhere including writing to Duxford so any help would be appreciated

You can see my build thread here – http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1918147

Maiden here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRtrgGncIcU

Animated FN5 here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMLPb3RFJUY

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I believe this is a Wellington version which simply has the ammo boxes attached to the floor –
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My 3D printed FN5 model –
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With Cupola fitted
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Ammunition comes up through guides and up over curved fences but where does it come from?
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Super impressive! What mfg tech today can do! (3D printing).
Who did the CAD art??

What would really be awesome is find a museum where the model can be hung and operated to show how it was.

Is there enough here to kick-start another project?

These are the mortal remains of a Fraser Nash FN150 Lancaster mid-upper turret. It is one of several recovered from a quarry in Gloucestershire in the 1990s, so it is battered, bent, corroded and incomplete. Worse still, it has been spares recovered to help other turret restorations, including the FN5 Warwick nose turret at Elvington, to which it donated its ring.

The good news is that most of the alloy parts clean up quite well, and while the mild steel parts are very rusty and battered, thay can at least act as patterns. Better still, I probably have enough spare parts to help reconfigure it as an FN5 front turret from a Wellington if anyone needs one? There’s also an assortment of odd spares which could be thrown in, including a hydraulic pump, gun elevation ram, chordal stiffener, etc.

When this one moves on, and the more complete one which is going to CockpitFest this weekend, I’ll be left with just the FN5 front turret from a Lancaster. I’m undecided whether to part with it or finish off its restoration.

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Apologies for the grey on grey canvas!

some of my new project, Sperry A-1
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I don’t seem to have a photo of these handy.

There was a removable triangular shin/leg guard each side that shielded the belt somewhat.

Mike that’s brilliant thank you getting there now, the views below are what I had got up to last week with the ammunition feeding up through the floor, but I had second thoughts about the bare ammunition just feeding up to the guides. That said there does appear to be some form of guard next to where the gunners legs would be.

Do you think there would be any form of guide/channel for the ammunition to feed up through or would it be something like I have drawn

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