Motorizing Revell/Monogram B-17G engines

I think it's been done.  I recall seeing a post somewhere on the Web, maybe not here, but somewhere, where someone motorized the engines on the Monogram B-17 kit.

I used to have a link to a website from a Brazilian IPMS page, too, featuring a build of the Monogram PBY kit.  The builder included motorizing the engines on that, too.  I recall that he made battery containers out of small plastic pill containers, and stacked NiCad batteries (eg, hearing aid batteries) for his power source.  If I can find either of those posts, I'll share them back here.

Thansk for the pass along.

I do remember seeing a Youtube video of a B-17 model that had lights, motor action, and sound.  I think this one was it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5DDIb58udo

Someone on FB has done a very nice job in 1/48th of a B17 with motors & LED's.

I'm doing likewise, with a Revell issue B17F, (just because I like to make things interesting ), but my modelling room is in transit, so not much progress at the moment. 

I used approx 1cm diameter motors I already had, which fit snugly in the back of the engine plate, (with a corresponding hole drilled in the firewall). They just cleared the undercarriage plate on the inboard nacelles.

These will be  glued to the engine cowls, which will be glued to the wings with PVA/Elmers, so that they can be replaced if necessary.

I would recommend getting 1.2 or 1.5mm dia longer shafted electric motors, just to make fitting the props easier, wired to a rheostat speed controller connected to 3x AA batteries at 4.5V.

The LED's will be wired to a separate 2x AA 3.0V batterypack with resistors when I workout how to get the different colours & sizes needed evenly illuminating.

I will post pics if I get time.

Those tiny electric motors are widely available at surplus electronics outlets.  They were originally used as the motors that create vibrations in cell phones.

Also, if you have any experience with cheap microcontrollers like the Raspberry Pi or Arduino, you might consider using that for speed control.  You could program in the starting sequence and run each starting engine intermittently at slow speed for a few seconds and then ramp it up to desired running rpm.

That would be really cool don.  Add sound as well.

Here is the link to the first page of the PBY build I was talking about:

http://ipmsdeutschland.de/Flugzeuge/Gaeste/Wolf_Catalina.html

The modeler is from Brazil, but the site is IMPS-Germany.  It is a fantastic build!  

In Part 3, he goes into detail about how he motorized his model.

IIRC, the Star Trek guys have sites that make up the light and soundboards for their models. It might be worth the time to check out their section of the forums.

Hope that this helps.

Jim    

Here's a little inspiration. 

It doesn't look as though they have a kit for the 1/48 B-17 though.

website here: https://www.magicscalemodeling.com/