Comments

No words… — 25 Comments

  1. I wonder how fast it is. The original could hit almost 300 mph and cruised at 150 mph.

  2. This is absolutely beautiful!

    Thanks for posting this one, Old NFO.

    Now I’m wondering if the machine guns are operational, and what the payload is – you know, bomb-wise.

  3. There obsession and then there is obsession. I guess it gets to a point where you have to finish or else have a huge dust catcher in the hanger. Eighteen years… wow. But the finished product is amazing.

  4. So: 1/3 scale. That would make .50 caliber guns, what? .17 HMR? This is JUST the ticket for clearing a nest of grats and abats! (sorry, I’m re-reading the Aldenata series.)
    I think the earlier version had .30 caliber guns; fortunate that they changed to .50s, because there aren’t any .10 caliber available.
    My son has my dad’s USAAF Aerial Gunner Badge, awarded during WWII to enlisted crewmen on the guns of the (full-size) B-17.

  5. It is amazing what silly models can do. The whole live steam/gas/electric rideable scale trains thingy is also quite wicked. People using them for fun and for logging and gardening and such.

    Still, a 1/3rd scale B-17? You could ride in it.

    • Hi Beans, it is indeed a single seat aircraft. (BTW, Mr. Bally passed away last summer.)

        • Hi Ed, as far as I know this is the only 4 engine homebuilt extant.
          But, per the FAA if you can imagine it you can build it as long as it’s airworthy.

  6. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING THIS. I was a missile launch officer in two wings that had been B-17 Groups in WW2, the 351st (Triangle J) and the 390th (Square J) (not in that order).

  7. I’m glad such people have the *money* to make things such as this exist. I have some expensive hobbies, but nothing on that scale.

    It really is a thing of beauty.

  8. All- Thanks for the comments, and yes, it IS something special! Building a model is one thing, but as JetCal alluded to, there ARE others out there doing similar things. 🙂

  9. To Old NFO,I’ve had a 5/8ths scale Do335 floating around on some drawings for a decades along with a Kawasaki Hayabusa based 8 liter five bank 20 cylinder engine. I’m only limited by time and money.

  10. Reminded of the fictional model builder in “Flight of the Phoenix”.
    I too am amazed at what some of these fanatics build. Most amazing to me are the guys that build tiny engines that actually run.
    Genius.

  11. Ohio- You’re welcome!

    Jet- I’ve got a set of plans floating around here too… sigh

    GB- Oh yes. Sadly that one killed Paul Mantz.

  12. FANTASTIC! Reminds me of how some 1/2-scale models were used to film the dogfight scenes in ‘Dunkirk.’ They used an pilot/actor in a full-size plane, an aircraft-mounted camera or chase plane filming, and the 1/2-scale models flying half the distance to depict the enemy planes.

    Maybe someone could recreate the “Charlie Brown / Franz Stigler” incident with a scale model bf109G following/escorting.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brown_and_Franz_Stigler_incident

    An animated depiction and reaction from a living daughter and grandson of the incident:

  13. Wow. Just wow. Not just the determination, but the faith in his own handiwork to get in and fly it. I don’t think I’d trust my handiwork enough to do that.

  14. Balley has/had a complete video output of the B-17 build. It stops after it is finished and running. It took a few years to get it airworthy. I suspect there were some mods done to satisfy the test pilot(s). There didn’t seem to be anything posted to cover this effort/time when I last checked a couple years ago.
    Shame he had to de-rate the engines for size to keep it looking correct.