B-29 assembly line diorama

[retroaviation]

Thanks for bringing this thread back to life. What an impressive job on that diorama!

Gary

[the330thbg]

amazing isn't it!!!!

[p51]

Great work but I thought this photo was odd:

The turrets wouldn't have guns put in them until well after the plane was delivered and under Army control.
Sorry to nit pick, but it's something I notice all the time, guns mounted on models in situations you wouldn't likely see them.

[retroaviation]

Hmmm, interesting find there...although there are no guns in the tail turret yet. And what is the yellow coloring on the gunner's blisters? Is that to duplicate a protective coating?

No matter what, it's still pretty amazing workmanship.

Gary

[the330thbg]

well, the nitpicking is well intended. The idea behind most dioramas are that they shall be researched and historically accurate. Any photos of B-29 on assembly lines would certainly indicate there were no 50 cals involved.

Last edited by the330thbg on Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

[the330thbg]

the protective coating..,yah, looks like that was the intention!

[the330thbg]

Great work but I thought this photo was odd:

The turrets wouldn't have guns put in them until well after the plane was delivered and under Army control.
Sorry to nit pick, but it's something I notice all the time, guns mounted on models in situations you wouldn't likely see them.

http://public.fotki.com/Kos/members_pho ... _slideshow

Page 116

So are these 'fake' 50 cals in place until the Army takes delivery?

Last edited by the330thbg on Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:43 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Brad]

I loaned Michael my father's maintenance manuals for the B-29 to assist in his engine building. I fedexed them all the way to Spain and the guy sent them back almost 18 months to the day.. along with fresh copies of all the magazines his diorama made it into.

You're lucky, I loaned my Sea Fury and R-3350 manuals to Steve Patterson in 2004 and STILL haven't gotten them back!

[the330thbg]

ahhh.., did you say 'please'?

[Nathan]

Wow!

[Falcon50EX]

Wow.

Words fail me. Truly realistic and well executed!!

david

[mustangdriver]

That is one beautiful piece of work.

[rwdfresno]

Great work but I thought this photo was odd:

The turrets wouldn't have guns put in them until well after the plane was delivered and under Army control.
Sorry to nit pick, but it's something I notice all the time, guns mounted on models in situations you wouldn't likely see them.

The aircraft below is only a couple of hundred serial numbers off of the example in the diorama. It appears to have armament or something resembling place in the photo. Interestingly enough this aircraft still exists and is at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, CA.

[Mgawa]

I know this work, Lozares send me this material couple years ago. Where is he now?

[The Inspector]

That picture is Renton's 4-20 and 4-21 buildings (also known as the 'saw tooth' buildings) originally where the Navy was going to build the Boeing patrol seaplane (SEA RANGER)that became redundant about the time the USAAF needed a place to build B-29's, the entire facility was sold to Boeing in the early 60's for a symbolic $1.00. Lake Washington is out the right side of the photo which would be North. The two lines on the far side is where the 707/KC-135's were built (and the dash 80 was roled out of in 1955) the two closest lines eventually became the 727 Join/install area where (I worked there as a QC) the fuselage and wings were joined, the gear put under the airframe, and the engines hung, the 727 then would go outside to another building for final assembly.
In the far upper right behind the C-97 @ the door (NW corner of the building) while working as an AWACS Quality Control Inspector in the early 80's, I found several small rusty steel squares buried in the floor, I grabbed a piece of red SCOTCHBRITE and some alcohol and used my shoe to scrub away @ one and found it to be indexing co-ordinates for the GE fire control system sights to be certain the guns were pointing where the sights wanted them to point. I showed them to the General Superintendent for the shop, he contacted Boeing Historical, and they came over and dug them out of the floor before they got paved over or broken up for new tooling.
The far left edge is 'the balcony' also known in the factory as 'pots and pans' where small pieces were joined to make bigger pieces that eventually became fair sized sub assemblies (witness the 46/48 aft fuselage sections waiting their turn to come over the rail). Pots and pans was also known as the 'retirement home' because it was mostly populated with older women who have the extreme patience to do small, repetitive tasks. The columns in the middle were used as support structures later on (no idea now as it's been nearly 30 years since I was in the building) for offices and other things. Out the top of the photo is West and the Cedar River and Renton Municipal. This is now all pretty much vacant, and I would guess dark. The last aircraft done in here was probably 'Swage' Richardsons B-17F the 'Boeing Bee' now in Plant 2.
Just over the upper turrett in the middle foreground you will see the 'rotobins' that held commonly needed fasteners (screws, rivets, nuts, etc.) sub assembly dollies with canvas covers to keep weather out in transport, and either a Supevisors or Engineering work station with a couple of desks and 2X4 mechanics tool box storage shelving. You can also get a 'feel' for what sort of scaffolding and work ramps were used in final, and you never can have enough ladders!!