B-17

Just a quick update... I have been holding off on posting to keep from clogging up the forums for everyone else's good work. I intended to not post until I had pictures of progress, but I have run into an issue that I am hoping to get guidance on. I was airbrushing the wheels with AK real color paints and decided to airbrush some of AK's landing gear dust wash, which I later realized was an enamel based product. It began to gum up in my airbrush and the AK high compatibility thinner did not clean it up. I now have some gummed up enamel based paint in my airbrush and some enamel based paint on the wheels that will not dry. The bottle recommended thinning with white spirits. Could I use white spirits to clean the airbrush and strip the enamel paint from the wheels? Juggernut, thanks again for your interest and all of your information. You are exactly right, and I appreciate the details you are providing BEFORE I have paint on the model. brahman, I was a bit surprised myself when it went through! Dennis, that is an excellent suggestion. I was really close to getting exactly the set you are talking about. I ultimately decided to go with the HGW set of fabric seat belts because it also came with separate seat cushions. I hope to do them justice!

That is an outstanding build! Excellent job.

I actually purchased those for the serial numbers of Incendiary Blonde. That set only leaves a "1" unaccounted for. It seems like a safer bet than masking them myself. That would be very helpful - thank you. I think I will have to mask and paint those myself. The triangle "A" on the Kit's World LMM sheet is too stubby compared to my photo. Like you, I love the big red tail and wingtips. I also wanted to stray slightly from all the LMM builds. I purchased all my alclad and paint for the build before I started, so now I'm committed for better or worse. This build will be an attempt to find a healthy balance between accuracy and having fun while completing the project. I think the work done by you (and many others) in the constant pursuit of improvement is part of what has propelled the hobby so far in my absence. I'd love to see you pull that thing out of the closet and build it. I'm sure you would do a fantastic job. My solution to the display problem is hanging from the wall. It's not my first choice, but it is just too big to put anywhere else. It will also negate the landing gear length issue by having them retracted. Thanks again for following along. I don't want to be a burden or get lazy on my own research, but I'd be very appreciative of any info you could spare. I have some very fond memories of the Revellogram B-17's from my childhood. That is the main reason I'm jumping back in with the HK kit. I'm looking forward to whichever project you start first.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. No progress worth showing as of yet. The magnitude of ejector pin markings on the fuselage, nose, and tail turret halves is staggering. I have slowly been sanding/filling those in. I'm a little worried about my choice of a natural metal plane because the external surface details are a bit faded in areas. Oh well, the paint has been purchased. Iain, watching your projects has been a huge source of inspiration - thank you. D.B. Andrus, thanks for the welcome. That 109 in your profile is beautiful. mozart, you're absolutely right. I have been out for about 15 years and the advancements in my absence have been staggering. Out2gtcha, thanks for the welcome. You have some beautiful builds in your profile. Juggernut, thanks for taking an interest in my build. It seems like you are THE B-17 expert. Any suggestions or knowledge would be greatly appreciated. I would have preferred to do a nose art equipped 91st BG aircraft, but could not find any decals. My skill level just isn't high enough to take on creating my own nose art.

Hello everyone, My name is Jeff and I am returning to the hobby after building kits as a child/teen. As I grew older, I lurked forums and bought kits hopeful of the day that I would make my return. I feel like that day has finally come to roll up my sleeves and get back to work on a project. I will be working on a HK B-17G that I tentatively plan on building as a B-17G-55-DL from the 91st BG prior to nose art application. Here is the obligatory box shot: ...and here is the aftermarket I will be using. I tried to keep it within reason, so I don't get in over my head getting back into things. I'm happy to be here and looking forward to learning from everyone!