rigor Posted August 9, 2019 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Wow bravo. Nice to see a b-17 in natural metel. Green getting a little boring maybe a replacement outer wing ? And thanks for sharing the Photes Dennis7423 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis7423 Posted August 16, 2019 Author Share Posted August 16, 2019 Small update today: The landing gear are a known problem in this kit, as they have a rather improper stance. The stance as kitted is accurate for a bird in the process of lifting off or about to land, as they are essentially in full extension. They should be shorted by approximately 3mm to obtain an accurate height for a loaded, sitting bird. I cut my gear legs at the top of the oleos, and shorted the retraction strut appropriately. I then pinned them with a brass rod, and reattached them with epoxy. It provided a strong bond that will hold the weight of the kit. As I had changed the stance of the kit legs, it required replacement of the kit molded brake lines. I used some of the kit fixtures, and ran my own lines using fine solder. The attachment loops were created with fine strips of Tamiya tape: 68755791_10103040539895892_4160851122501713920_o by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr Once they were fully built out, they were painted with Tamiya sprays, the fine details (brake lines and retraction strut portions) were hand painted, and a wash was applied. Viola! Completed struts, that are an accurate height. This will really help the stance of the completed model. The kit tires, which good in size, are a little bulbous and the diamond tread is a tad pronounced. I used Eduard's Brassin wheels, even though they are documented as being a tad on the small side. I wish I had more options, for accuracy's sake, as my Grandfather's bird had one diamond tread, and one block tread tire. Who knows, maybe some day I can switch one of them out. For painting the tires, I used Tamiya spray matte black, followed by a dry brushing of a darker grey. Snetterton Heath, where she was based, had a concrete/blacktop runway, with paved taxi lanes and concrete parking circles for the bombers. Their activity on dirt and grass was at a minimum, so I kept the tires relatively clean in that regard. Tamiya weathering pastels were applied heavily to the tires, then wiped away so that the deposits were only in the crevices of the tire. While the photo doesn't show it all too terribly well (thanks, cell phone), I am quite pleased with the result: 68248663_10103041067698172_8610831029529214976_o by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr That's all for today folks! I'm in the process of painting the wings in AK Metal, and once those are complete, the rest should fly right by. When she gets displayed at the show at the end of September, I plan on bringing my fancy work camera (I am a CSI), and taking some more professional photographs of her in some better lighting. And, why not another photo from my Grandfather's collection? Who said you couldn't travel in style in Europe? Here, 96th BG/337th BS B-17G 43-38919 (AW-L) sits in her parking circle preparing to be turned down after a mission. Her crew has applied white walls to the tires, making her pretty unique (wouldn't she make a lovely model?): 0554.D.024 by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr As always, comments and critiques are welcome! TAG, CODY, daveculp and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncarina Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Dennis, Beautiful work! You are making some fantastic progress. Thank you for sharing your photos, though I am sorry for your loss. I am sure your Grandfather would be very proud of you bringing his history to life in such a manner. Sincerely, Tom D.B. Andrus and Dennis7423 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brahman104 Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 The gear legs look spot on! Well done on lowering them. Craig Dennis7423 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ringleheim Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 This is fantastic! Next time you take and post some photos, please stick your camera into that display cabinet of yours and show us what's in there! I'd love to see your other pieces. Keep it going! Dennis7423 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis7423 Posted August 27, 2019 Author Share Posted August 27, 2019 Another small update! The starboard side wing has received its base coat of matte aluminum, and after a few sessions of polishing, cursing, respraying, polishing, cursing some more, and then spraying some more, I finally had a nice base coat. I then applied AK Extreme Metals aluminum paint to a few panels and panel lines, and applied Dark Aluminum to the "hot zones" around the exhausts and turbos. 69267344_10103054298348842_6393572283436236800_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr 69257240_10103054298308922_324606507175903232_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr 69160428_10103054298578382_2641277309331439616_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr After the metals were complete and were allowed to dry for a little while, I applied the anti-glare panels per Eduard's excellent instructions for 1/48 and 1/72 B-17 anti-glare (This being a Douglas bird it was a little different than Vega and Boeing), and after that, her tell-tale red wing stripes. 69785250_10103054298378782_2874053043442155520_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr 69356529_10103054298543452_7908832695310876672_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr After completing painting, I just couldn't help but throw the wing onto the fuselage, lay the soon-to-be-applied wing square-C decal on top, and snap a few photos with the engines and props set in place. She's really starting to look the part! 69184403_1124115021119314_6288490140398518272_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr 68976969_488375801977678_5497539133649715200_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr As usual, all comments and critiques are welcome! Now, where did I leave that other wing... - Dennis S. Thornton, CO USA TAG, Fvdm, Trak-Tor and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brahman104 Posted August 27, 2019 Share Posted August 27, 2019 Nothing to say except fantastic work! Craig Dennis7423 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmayhew Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 looks wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 That's a beauty. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Great stuff!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Very nice. Regards. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 No critiques possible. Well done on the NMF, sounds like it was a lot of work! She looks spectacular. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis7423 Posted September 2, 2019 Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 Another small update today! I am nearing completion on the starboard wing. When I left you last, I was getting ready to apply decals. The decals have been applied, a matte coat applied overall (my photos show she wasn't particularly shiny at the end of the war), and I began the weathering process. I like to use an acrylic-based panel line wash, that I make up myself. I use a little acrylic artist's midnight black (black with a hint of blue) paint, about the size of a fingernail, mixed with about two tablespoons of warm/hot water and a few drops of dish soat. I slather it onto the kit, allow it to mostly dry, and the wipe the excess away using cotton pads soaked in warm water. It's really hard to tell in these photos, but I love the subtle look it gives on natural metal, plus the blue gives the metal that perfect hue of exposed aluminum. After that's applied and dried, I began exhaust streaks and heat staining around the hot zones using Tamiya weathering compounds. A mix of soot, mud, and snow gives the desired effect for exhaust staining. I didn't go too crazy on top of the wings and out of the backs of the cowlings, as she was a relatively new bird when she began her service with the 96th BG in January of 1945. The exhaust staining underneath the wings was typically heavier inboard on B-17's; they often used their inboard engines while taxiing around the air bases, especially after landing. I tried to reflect this with my exhaust staining. 70365787_10103061028586392_6385456491758878720_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr 69581124_10103061028406752_2774024839961247744_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr 69503594_10103061028466632_5897643215904833536_n by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr What's great about the Tamiya weathering compounds is that if you don't like what you've done, you can simply wipe it off with a damp cloth and start over. The wings will get a little bit more weathering once I have the entire air frame together and get a better sense of balancing all of the weathering on her. And, once she's complete, I will bring her to work and take some proper photos. I am a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI), so I can be pretty good with a camera when I want to be! These are just quick cell-phone snaps in some pretty poor lighting, but I don't have a photo booth set up at home and that's what I usually have handy. Hopefully within the month I will have better photos of her, if everything stays on schedule for her to be completed for a show on the 28th of this month. As usual, all comments and critiques are welcome! Thanks for stopping by! - Dennis S. Thornton, CO USA CODY, curiouslysophie, LSP_Kevin and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 The weathering looks awesome Dennis. Looking forward to more picture when you can. What a beautiful looking B-17. Troy Dennis7423 and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis7423 Posted September 17, 2019 Author Share Posted September 17, 2019 Well folks. the end is dangerously close! This will likely be my last work in progress photo before she's complete. One wing is done, and the other will go under matte coat today. Weathering, little bits, and it'll be complete! She's looking like she'll be done for the IPMS Great Plains show on Saturday, Sept. 28th in Loveland, Colorado, USA. I'm looking forward to showing her off! If I am able to get her done this week, I will try to sneak into work next Monday to take some more professional photographs in our photography lab. 70887941_10103079334765662_8044854618812841984_o by Dennis SAuter, on Flickr Stay tuned! - Dennis S. Thornton, CO USA zerosystem, R Palimaka, Uncarina and 11 others 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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