B-17

My memory is apparently on par with a goldfish. *Hanging my head in shame* LOL

This is going to be a 10/10 build. Has the specific boat been decided upon?

I hope that they do well

Damian, Thanks for sharing those. They are both new ones to me. The second one is particularly helpful because it shows the table in the stowed position. I knew it was hinged, but wasn't sure if it folded up or down. The first one is a little bit of a head scratcher to me. Is that the navigator laying on top of his table from the perspective of the bombardier looking aft? Hope you have been well. It's good to hear from you. Jeff

Hi, I am working on a HB 1/32 B-24D. I have been looking all over the Internet for reference pictures of the nose, specifically the navigators station. My search has yielded a single war-time photo and a couple of Strawberry B in a rather stripped out condition. Does anyone out there have any additional pictures, drawings, or descriptions of equipment? I'd be interested in pretty much anything at this point. Thanks to anyone who might be able to help. Jeff

As previously suggested, I would also love to see Brewery Wagon. A very attractive scheme and Ploesti participant. It also carried a lot of personalized markings in addition to the nose art. https://warbirds.fandom.com/wiki/B-24D_(Brewery_Wagon)_41-24294 https://aircrewremembered.com/palm-john.html

Agghhh. I managed to hold off on the Pacific A-20 sheet, but you got me on this one. Goosie Susie is the one that sold me - well done.

Any updates on this sheet Eli? Glad to see you are back in business.

This is the one you want. I attached pictures from my unboxing. It includes the parts for both the F and G noses, 'Stinger', and 'Cheyenne' tail turrets, and un-staggered waist windows. HK has surprisingly not molded the B-17G 3-pane waist windows in any release, so you'll need to fabricate those.

Damian, It really made my night to read this bit of good news. I'm wishing you a speedy recovery the rest of the way. Jeff

I love seeing these U-boats built.

10/10

I'm looking to buy the Ju-87G, Me-163, He-219, and Bf-110C (future release) sets. Let me know if you plan to stock them. I would prefer to buy them from you. Jeff

I couldn't wait for a review of the HK's re-boxed B-17F, so I ordered one myself. This is boxing 01E029. I just looked it over and figured I'd post a mini review. I'm very excited to report that this boxing includes both B-17F and G parts. It has un-staggered waist fuselage halves. The only thing that appears to be missing for one to build a mid-production B-17G are the waist windows. They will need to be scratch built or.... @Ali62 (Aerocraft Models) B-17 fans rejoice!!!!!

Incredible work Tom. I should send another U-boat your way when this one is done to continue your exhibition of skill and talent. What's your go to adhesive for the photo-etch? Jeff

Tom, That is stunning progress in both speed and quality. I can't wait to see what you can do to the wintergarten. Jeff

My wallet is standing by for at least 2 sets!

Tom, I'm so happy to see a build thread for your project. Excellent work. Jeff

Maru - Thanks for your kind words and support. No need to apologize. My comment above was meant to be kind hearted. Antonio - Excellent picture. My color choices have been heavily influenced by your research. Thank you

Uh-oh, Maru resurrected this post/build before I was ready for the next update. I took a couple pictures to provide an impromptu update and show that I actually was still making (slow) progress. I've been working on the main cockpit, but there have been a couple cases of 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Here is one of them. I wasn't too happy with the hairspray technique I used for the floorboard wear. All 3 cockpit tubs took turns in a Mr. Thinner bath in an Altoids can. I really love Mr. Thinner for paint stripping. Here is where the trio is at the moment. All of the pieces are dry-fitted in the picture. Some of parts are finished and some of them are still in gloss-clear, awaiting a wash. I'm waiting on some wood grain decals for the floor boards and then progress will resume. By the way, there might be a slight change to the planned paint schemes I have picked out. I hope everyone has a great Friday.

Order placed. Any chance of a rear deck / seatbelt combo in the future?

Mike: Thanks for the confirmation about the glass bottle. I went ahead with an off-black because white seemed like it might appear a bit out of place (to me). Jim: I plan on a combination of masks and decals. 1ManArmy had P-51 stencils and masks listed as a future release. If they get produced then I will likely try using those. "Willit Run?" will use the nose art from a Revell Smithsonian kit and Barracudacals checkerboard. I got the Revell decals for cheap on eBay, so I have some extra to test their usability. If they don't work then I'll come up with a plan B. "Daddy's Girl" will use masks and decals sourced from fundekals and/or Draw Decal. Lastly, "Cripes A' Mighty 3rd" will be sourced primarily from the Eagle Editions sheet.

I spent the morning cleaning up the resin figures that will be painted at a later time. One of the mustangs will be in-flight using the display stand. The other two will be on their mains. left: Wings Cockpit Figures USAAF03C center: Ultracast 54017 right: Ultracast 54013

Here are the planned paint schemes (images found via google from flight sim skins):

Thanks for the kind words guys. MikeC: It hasn't been too bad so far. My limited number of paint sticks has actually helped prevent me from having too many loose parts at the same time. It forces me to complete small sub-assemblies before moving on. Regarding the build: I started painting the radio/battery rack this afternoon. I noticed a non-descript cylinder shape on the rack that Tamiya says to paint white. This struck me as a bit odd. I did a little bit of research and found (posted by Juggernut) an illustration of the battery. I am guessing that the item in question is actually a glass jar for the "battery vent outlet sump"? Could anyone with more knowledge help shed light on this?