Bill Vanek, Oak Lawn, Illinois
“I am fascinated by large guns mounted in forts and coastal installations,” Bill says. The 28cm naval guns at Austrått Fort in Norway certainly qualifies: They’re the C turret from the German battleship Gneisenau, salvaged after the ship was damaged in a British bombing raid in 1942. “I just had to build it,” Bill says, fulfilling his ambition in 1/35 scale using styrene stock; MDF board; scrap wood; brass, steel, and PVC tubing; Styrofoam; plaster-cast cloth; Elmer’s wood filler; Bondo glazing putty; Grandt Line and Tichy Train Group nuts, bolts, and rivets; and 506 hand-punched bolts. Bill took 420 hours over three months to complete the build.