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Memphis Belle: The 25th Mission
A Fantasy Cyberama
By Bill Underwood
I have seen many impressive dioramas, but if I could do any diorama I wanted - and money was no object - I would do an "action" diorama. Unlike static dioramas, action dioramas involve moving pieces.
Apart from being unique, this sort of diorama is in keeping with my philosophy that Joes are meant to be played with, not merely displayed on shelves.
The name for my ultimate action diorama would be "Memphis Belle: The 25th Mission" - a re-creation of the Memphis Belle's final mission, a bombing run over Kiel, Germany on May 19, 1943.
I got my inspiration for this diorama from a visit to the Memphis Belle in 1996, and also from James Marianetti's superb B-17 pilot and waist gunner uniforms sold through the G.I. Joe Collector's Club.
The centerpiece of this diorama will be a perfect 1/6 scale radio-controlled model of the Belle herself - a World War II era B-17F heavy bomber. This model will be much more detailed than the average radio controlled plane. The only thing I can compare it to are the highly detailed scale models of WWII battleships I once saw during a tour of Paramount Studios' prop department in Hollywood. The models had been used to re-create a sea battle for the mini-series, "The Winds of War."
A full-sized B-17F has a wing span of 103-feet 9-inches, and measures 74-feet 8.9-inches from nose to tail. Consequently, our 1/6 scale model will have a wing span of 17-feet and will be more than 12-feet long. Once assembled and equipped with four large engines, this will be one of the largest and most highly detailed radio controlled airplanes ever constructed.
The plane will be large enough to accommodate a full 10 man crew of Joes, including a pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, navigator, flight engineer, radio operator, tail gunner, left and right waist gunners and ball turret gunner. Thanks to Mr. Marianetti, each of these Joes will be attired in WWII era uniforms, complete with the Memphis Belle logo emblazoned across the backs of their leather jackets.
I should note that the plane will have one additional feature. Built into the elaborate interior design will be four miniature video cameras attached to a transmitter. The cameras will be positioned in various locations throughout the plane's interior to give different angles on the action.
The on-board video system will be rigged to transmit live video images back to the ground. The ground pilot (myself) will control the cameras with the help of a specially modified radio control device. Not only will this radio operate the plane's throttle, ailerons and flaps, it also will serve as a miniature television studio.
If all this video technology sounds exotic, it's not. Radio controlled airplanes equipped with video cameras and transmitters are used today by both the U.S. Army and Marines to provide aerial reconnaissance over combat zones. Some of these planes are as small as birds.
The diorama will make its first appearance at a G.I. Joe convention. On the peak day of the convention, a big screen TV will be wheeled onto the convention floor.
From an outside location - preferably an abandoned airfield - myself and a group of other convention-goers will launch the Belle for her bombing run. With the help of a satellite dish, the live images picked up during the mission will be beamed back to the convention hall, so attendees can view them on the large TV screen.
Once all the Joes have been firmly secured in their combat positions, the Belle will take to the skies. An additional camera placed on the runway will provide an exterior view of the takeoff.
Once aloft, I will cut to various images of the interior. Convention-goers will see the full crew in position, including the two waist gunners with hands firmly gripping their 1/6 scale .50 caliber machine guns. Similarly, the pilot's hands will be holding onto the steering mechanism.
To add additional life to this scene, tiny servos will be attached to the guns, the steering mechanism and the top and ball gun turrets. These servos will be pre-programmed from the radio to move in random patterns throughout the flight. So, when we cut to an image of a waist gunner, he will be moving his .50 cal gun around - scanning the sky for enemy aircraft. Likewise, the pilot will be gently moving his steering mechanism left and right and up and down - adjusting here and there for wind conditions and altitude.
The model will fly around for about 15 minutes, with cameras cutting back and forth giving interior images of the gunners, the pilots and the navigator adjusting his Norden bomb sight. A second radio controlled plane - a 1/6 scale Mustang equipped with wing cameras - will fly alongside the Belle, providing exterior shots of the B-17 in flight. This "fighter escort" will be operated by my partner on the ground.
After about 10 minutes, the Mustang peels off, leaving the B-17 alone. Five minutes later, the Belle nears her target - an elaborately detailed model of a German munitions plant, complete with working smokestacks, German lettering on the outside and - the pièce de résistance - fireworks inside to simulate real ammunition.
A second ground camera will be trained on the munitions plant to capture the actual bomb run.
If you've been wondering to yourself, "Will this plane come equipped with real bombs?" the answer is "Yes!"
The original Belle was equipped to carry eight 1,000-pound bombs, or any combination up to twenty-four 100-pound bombs.
For this mission, we will use the heaviest ordnance, eight bombs perfectly scaled after 1,000 pounders - rigged to go off on impact. Once the plane has neared its target, I will cut to the camera located immediately above the bomb bay doors. The next image we will see are the bomb bay doors opening. Far below, the munitions plant is just coming into view.
"Bombs Away!"
As thrilled convention-goers look on, all eight bombs drop - one at a time. Cut to a ground shot of the munitions plant. Once bomb falls - off target. The second, third and fourth bombs impact, just short of the objective. Then bombs five, six and seven hit - right in the pickle barrel! Three separate explosions whoosh into the sky. The eighth bomb overshoots the target by three feet, exploding on impact.
Flames shoot up as the Belle banks around for a low pass over the now burning factory. Halfway through its bank, a large secondary explosion erupts, followed a moment later by a second, then a third and a fourth. Within seconds the entire factory explodes, shooting bright, hot streamers high into the sky. But as high as the flames reach, they are not high enough to hurt the Belle as she makes her final pass.
Just as the bomber reaches the factory, I cut again to the bomb bay door camera, which provides a magnificent view of the devastation below.
After her pass, the Belle pulls into a steep climb for the 15 minute journey home. The cameras, both inside and outside the Belle, record her triumphant return - a perfect landing. She taxies to a standstill and the show is over - for today.
The next day of the convention will see the static phase of my action diorama. This is when the model and her crew are placed on display at the convention. The plane will be hung from wires about eight feet off the ground. Convention-goers will be invited to ascend a small catwalk wrapping around the entire length of the plane.
This will give everyone a chance to get a close up look at the model. To facilitate viewing of the gunners, one side of the plane's fuselage will be removed - a feature built into the plane's original design. The pilots, bombardier and navigator will be viewable through the cockpit windows and the Belle's glass nose.
As people pass by the model, they will get a splendid view of the intricate detail, as well as Marianetti's custom made uniforms. Convention-goers also will have the opportunity of purchasing video tapes of the bomb run, reasonably priced at $10 apiece.
At the end of the convention, the plane's wings will be removed and it will be returned to its home - a 1/6 scale re-creation of the main bomber hanger at Bassingbourn, England, circa 1943 - located on my 10 acre property (another fantasy). There it will remain until next year's convention, when the plane's bomb run will be enhanced by yet another feature - air combat with a Messerschmidt 109.
This dogfight will require a third radio operator with a 1/6 scale model of the German fighter. To prepare for this exchange, the 109's guns and the Belle's guns will be rigged to "light up" whenever fired - not unlike the rifle that came with the Duke Hall of Fame figure. Like Duke's gun, they also will emit a firing noise - although much louder and more realistic sounding.
I suppose the guns could be rigged to fire BB's or tiny caliber rounds, but I don't want to destroy the model or my Joes. If possible, I would also like to figure out a non-lethal way of simulating anti-aircraft flak bursts. Imagine the sight of that big model flying through a sea of flak as she nears her target.
Of course, many collectors reading this may be asking themselves, "How could he put his Joes (in those expensive uniforms) at risk by flying them up in a radio controlled plane? What if the engines failed or the plane encountered wind shear and crashed on landing? Thousands of dollars would go up in smoke."
In answer to these questions I can only say that Joe is a fighting man. And, as such, he should be placed in combat situations.
My Joes mean a lot to me, but ultimately, I am their commander. And one of the burdens of command is that - from time to time - you must put your men at risk. As risky as this bomb run might be, I think if my Joes could speak, they would say to me:
"Thanks. It was a real thrill."
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June 19, 1999
