tomprobert

I spent a great day yesterday at RIAT at RAF Fairford, and one of the star exhibits in the static display (at least for me) was this fine specimen of USAF heavy metal: IMG_1319 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr As well as taking lots of reference shots for the current aerial fit and other various lumps and bumps, what really struck me was the state of the thing. I'm used to seeing pictures of the current BUFF fleet in reasonably good condition in terms of paint finish, but this one was really heavily weathered and was showing lots of zinc-chromate primer. It looks like it had flown through a heavy hail storm or the like, as it almost has sand-blasted effect on the leading edges. It was a mess! IMG_1325 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1309 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1311 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1305 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr It looks like I can get creative with my paint job when the time comes, and although heavily-weathered finishes are not my thing, it'd certainly add some interest to an otherwise rather bland all over grey if I go down that route. Now - back to the bench... Tom

Cheers, gents. I’ve got the stabilisers sanded, sparred and on the model, as well as the wing tanks. I’m currently in the process of making the joints good - a picture update soon. All the best, Tom

I know, I know... I’ve been sidetracked by my 1/48th B-52 project, and at the moment that is having to take priority due to the fact I’ve got a deadline to meet for a book. When the Buff is complete, the Sunderland will be back on the bench. Tom

The BUFF has had some more work done on the engines - I've sanded and shaped the home-made upper, over-wing parts of the pylons and all look good under some primer: DSC_0186 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0187 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0190 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Shaping the pylons on the underside was a lot more tricky as they are all molded identical, but of course the inner pylons have a very different shape due to the change in shape as you travel down the length of the wing: DSC_0201 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've also finished detailing the rear of the bypass sections: DSC_0195 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0199 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr It was a bit of a faff opening these up but worth the effort. And we now have something really taking on the form of the venerable BUFF: DSC_0205 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0192 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr As you can see, however, the tail feathers are conspicuous by their absence... better get sanding! Until next time, Tom

Hi Michael, I feel very pleased with my recent progress and having some extended time at the bench means I’m really getting stuck into this model. I have definitely broken the back of it now with the majority of the main construction done - just the wing tanks and stabs to do which, all being well, shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. There’s still many hours of graft ahead though - the flightdeck and cockpit being the main obstacle. But then there’s the landing gear, aerial fit, vortex generators, final scribing and then the paint job. I have a deadline of January to get this done which I’m confident of achieving, but that’s conditional on the mojo... I have got a couple of other run of the mill projects on the go to give me a break from this when needed - I’m currently fondling Monogram’s classic B-36 for a change of scenery this evening!

@marauderdriver those pics are epic! Ghost Rider sure would make an interesting model if I was to paint it as in your pictures - would certainly bring a bit of life to an otherwise rather drab all-grey scheme... I also see the ‘bump’ on the top of the nose radome immediately in front of the windscreen is absent on current Buffs - at least that’ll save me some scratch work if I go for a post-2018 airframe. Thanks for sharing.

Indeed it was. Lots of careful trimming of the pylons and test fit, test fit, test fit. It’s also hard to get a decent perspective as the model is so damn huge you have to step back a good few feet to get the overall picture - and the kitchen isn’t big enough to do that!

Here's a few quick phone pictures of the engines now they've been installed: IMG_1247 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm in the process of making the upper part of the pylons that extend over the wing as these are not provided in the kit - plastic card and Millput is the order of the day. These are yet to be sanded to their final shape: IMG_1248 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Larger working area needed: IMG_1246 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm in the process of preparing the wing fuel tanks at the moment so hopefully another update soon. Tom

Wow - I’d somehow missed this. Knowing BroPlan kits and what you started with, this is an impressive display of modelling talent! Tom

I know! I originally was cursing Sanger as I thought the angle was totally out - turns out he'd done his research! I've still had to do a lot of trimming and fling to get a decent join with the wing surfaces, but I've got the angle about right I think - I'll post some more pictures soon

Thanks, Shawn. I'm not a stickler for accuracy, but even I couldn't live with the kit's tail turret - it was awful! Indeed. You can work for hours and hours on a kit like this and barely tell where you've been. Eventually, it all starts to come together and suddenly you have a model resembling the real thing... Speaking of which, I've been having a play with the engines today. I didn't realise that the engines on the real H-models have such a 'nose-up' attitude on the wing: (pictures used for illustrative purposes only) IMG_1236 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr IMG_1237 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr So I've been doing some careful trimming of the kit-supplied pylons in order to get both a decent fit to the wing as well as replicating the angle at which they sit: IMG_E1234 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr So far, so good... IMG_1233 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Sanger have also molded the four pylons as identical pieces - in fact on the real aircraft the inboard/outboard pylons have a different shape due to the change in profile of the wing as you move towards the tip so I've been doing quite a bit of head-scratching today. I'll have some more pictures of my progress soon. Until next time, Tom

You may be getting confused with the abolishing of the interior padding in the nose and radio room - no B-17s were painted internally according to Boeing specs from the prototypes to the last G-models. Apart from the few Douglas batches that is.

The school holidays are upon us now so the BUFF has been seeing a little action... I've not been happy with the rear turret set up, and I feel the kit's parts don't accurately resemble the real aircraft. Please excuse the terrible photo here (quick snap with the phone camera that I didn't realise was so out of focus) but as you can see... IMG_1127 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr ... it's not even close to the real deal... Tail Turret by Thomas Probert, on Flickr (Used for illustrative purposes only) So, it was out with the hacksaw, and I removed the kit-supplied turret and began by building up the basic underlying structure with some scrap plastic card and some brass tubing for the gun housing: IMG_1135 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr This was then all blended with filler, and sanded to shape. I then added the radar domes from some scrap 500lb bomb noses as the kit parts were too small: DSC_0172 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Pretty happy with that - we'll see what it looks like under some primer in due course. As I explained in my earlier update, the kit panel lines are rather inconsistent and they've all been filled and an initial coat of primer applied. I've now begun to scribe my own panel detail onto the model - here's the nose: DSC_0179 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0160 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Undersides: DSC_0168 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0177 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The mid-section join has disappeared which is a bonus: DSC_0181 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've begun working on the spoilers - vanes still to be added: DSC_0174 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr She's looking a bit of a mess at the moment, but I can assure to that progress is being made: DSC_0158 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Until next time, Tom

Sadly, yes. The usual error of painting the interior in US Interior Green throughout was made. B-17s were unpainted internally - only exposed metal on the flightdeck was painted bronze green. There is some evidence emerging that Douglas-built Forts had their radio rooms and some section of rear fuselage painted, but there's no definitive information as to what shades of green and also what batches. However, your best bet, if you're concerned about accuracy, is to paint a WWII-era B-17 aluminium inside. Tom

Lovely metal work - it certainly does add some finesse in this scale. Just don't go and plaster interior green all over it And @Avenger2614 is absolutely correct - no wartime B-17s were fitted with the external ammunition cans. They're often seen on warbirds, but WWII-era Forts had all ammo stored inside the turret itself. Looking forward to more! Tom