"The Dam Busters" - Movie aircraft. Finished pics & back story (at last!) pg 18.

[jcf]

The Doolittle Raid, where the RAF supply Mosquitoes, piloted by various hand-picked crews from the Commonwealth, to fly off HMS Ark Royal to bomb Japan, on behalf of the US, as payback for the attack on Pearl Harbour.





[Only, being combat veterans, they do a better job of it.   ]

The Doolittle Raid was 18 April 1942, the Mosquito B.Mk.IV entered service in May 1942.
Ark Royal sank 14 November 1941.

[Rheged]

USN did borrow a carrier from RN  in world war 2.   https://www.armouredcarriers.com/uss-robin-hms-victorious.       https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1943/beyond-guadalcanal/uss-robin.html

This might provide a degree of entertainment for fellow whiffers

[Old Wombat]

The Doolittle Raid, where the RAF supply Mosquitoes, piloted by various hand-picked crews from the Commonwealth, to fly off HMS Ark Royal to bomb Japan, on behalf of the US, as payback for the attack on Pearl Harbour.





[Only, being combat veterans, they do a better job of it.   ]

The Doolittle Raid was 18 April 1942, the Mosquito B.Mk.IV entered service in May 1942.
Ark Royal sank 14 November 1941.

We're talking Hollywood/Elstree here, Jon, since when have little things like "facts" ever stopped them?  

[jcf]

The Doolittle Raid, where the RAF supply Mosquitoes, piloted by various hand-picked crews from the Commonwealth, to fly off HMS Ark Royal to bomb Japan, on behalf of the US, as payback for the attack on Pearl Harbour.





 [Only, being combat veterans, they do a better job of it.   ]

The Doolittle Raid was 18 April 1942, the Mosquito B.Mk.IV entered service in May 1942.
Ark Royal sank 14 November 1941.

We're talking Hollywood/Elstree here, Jon, since when have little things like "facts" ever stopped them?  

In that case it best be B.35s flying off of an Essex-class dressed up as the Ark.

[zenrat]

Something to bear in mind with the B-17 is that the keel and the centreline bomb racks are part of the
aircraft structure and bear structural loads, so modifications would need to be approached very carefully.

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Thanks for those Jon.  The movie studio technical department would have told you that Boeing Z'ed the keels of the B17E Specials, raising the section running through the bomb bay so as to allow the (cylindrical) upkeeps to be partially recessed in the bomb bay.  This was required so they could be loaded from the same trolleys used by the RAF.
The centreline bomb rails were retained but shortened.

The script had the USAAF missions in daylight for "plot reasons".

[PR19_Kit]

Thanks for those Jon.  The movie studio technical department would have told you that Boeing Z'ed the keels of the B17E Specials, raising the section running through the bomb bay so as to allow the (cylindrical) upkeeps to be partially recessed in the bomb bay.  This was required so they could be loaded from the same trolleys used by the RAF.
The centreline bomb rails were retained but shortened.

The script had the USAAF missions in daylight for "plot reasons".

      

[zenrat]

I'm sure the "plot reasons" will become clear to me when I write a brief synopsis for the back story.

[Old Wombat]

I'm sure the "plot reasons" will become clear to me when I write a brief synopsis for the back story.

Because romance happens at night & war happens during the day!

[NARSES2]

USN did borrow a carrier from RN  in world war 2.   https://www.armouredcarriers.com/uss-robin-hms-victorious.       https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1943/beyond-guadalcanal/uss-robin.html

This might provide a degree of entertainment for fellow whiffers

Dad was serving on one of her escorts when she sailed to Bermuda 

[jcf]

If it was an American International Pictures Samuel Z. Arkoff production directed by Roger Corman they
would probably have stuck with spherical bombs.
Each B-17E special carrying two, mounted abreast behind partial hemispherical fairings. 

The film would have to be titled Operation Radish. 

[zenrat]

Airfix bomb is cylindrical so i'm sticking with that shape.  It is immediately recognisable for what it is which is a good thing if I take the completed build to Model Expo in June.   

However, spheroid bombs are tempting on something else later.  A Highball Beaufighter maybe.

[Weaver]

The later Ford Zephyrs and Zodiacs, the ones with the V6 engines, had MASSIVE engine compartments, so large the spare wheel was in there too! They use the spares to direct the air flow from the radiator. I could step inside the engine space in those too.

In the industry we called them 'aircraft carriers' as the bonnet (hood....) was SO huge.

Yamaha XS1100SG air filter box. This is a plastic "shoe box" that sticks far enough out of the sides of the bike that it needs chrome end caps to look decent. So the access to change the filter is obvious right? Take the end caps off, right? Right?

Wrong. The airbox is split horizontally, so you have to drop the bottom half of the box down into the 2" gap between it and the gearbox, which helpfully has a 1" tall, non-removable breather on top of it. The bottom half of the box is held on to the top half by two 4" long screws, which go into blind holes, from the bottom, so you have to extract them into that 2" space. Then, once you'd spent a couple of hours getting the screws out by dismanting half the rest of the bike to get an extra 1/2" of clearance and bending plastic far enough that you're praying it won't snap, your next job is to extract the air filter. Which is sitting on top of the lower box-half. And is 4" tall...  

Good, game, good game...    


My dad's old Skoda 120 Estelle had loads of room around the rear-mounted engine. He used to carry a substantial tool kit in the rear wings.

[loupgarou]

If it was an American International Pictures Samuel Z. Arkoff production directed by Roger Corman they
would probably have stuck with spherical bombs.
Each B-17E special carrying two, mounted abreast behind partial hemispherical fairings.

The film would have to be titled Operation Radish.

I see nobody else dared evoke an ancient glory of this forum....  

[perttime]

As it is a movie aircraft, perhaps you should mount some period correct film cameras on it.

[NARSES2]

If it was an American International Pictures Samuel Z. Arkoff production directed by Roger Corman they
would probably have stuck with spherical bombs.
Each B-17E special carrying two, mounted abreast behind partial hemispherical fairings.

The film would have to be titled Operation Radish.

I see nobody else dared evoke an ancient glory of this forum....  

And he's still going strong