B-17 Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 (edited) Hi, I originally bought the HK kit with intentions to build it as part of the multi-engine group build, but life and then covid got in the way. I recently got it back out with the intentions of building it as a fellow 490th BG ship '5# with Breakfast'. While searching for the Zotz decal sheet (which is apparently impossible to find), a helpful forum member offered to help me with the markings. One thing led to another and now he is helping me create a set of markings for "Bobby Sox". This is a pretty well known B-17 that had a variety of different markings during its career. I plan to build it as it *probably* looked while serving with the 490th BG. It will involve a "Pathfinder" conversion. Progress will be slow *disclaimer* I figure that the most fitting way to start this build is with the aircraft and wonderful nose art itself. Edited August 23, 2021 by B-17 Changed image host Kagemusha, easixpedro, themongoose and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17 Posted June 18, 2021 Author Share Posted June 18, 2021 (edited) Not much progress to show so far, but in order to actually be a "Work in Progress" here we go... The cockpit will have a bit of scratch building, photo etch, and HGW fabric/resin. The canvas control columns were made from Miliput (inspired someone else's build). Progress so far: A comparison between the Yahu IP (top) and Eduard (bottom). I will likely go with the Yahu panel when the time comes. Rear bulkhead progress so far. The door was opened and will have to be scratch built to pose open. I added some wiring running into the circuit breaker panel. The oxygen bottle holders by Eduard were way too fiddly for me, so I have opted for styrene instead. I'm also considering trying to replicate the canvas sound/(fire?) proofing on the sidewalls, but haven't been able to find definitive evidence that they were on B-17Gs. If anyone else has pictures or knowledge, feel free to chime in. The seat cushions/ flotation devices by HGW: Edited August 23, 2021 by B-17 Changed image host LSP_Kevin, scvrobeson, Kagemusha and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17 Posted June 18, 2021 Author Share Posted June 18, 2021 (edited) I also heard that one of the shortcomings in this kit was a potential "step" caused by assembling the nose and tail turret separately from the main fuselage. This is what the instructions recommend, but I decided to deviate and install them to the corresponding fuselage halves. It was a little disappointing that not all of the kit panel lines lined up. I'm fairly happy with how the port side turned out: The starboard side must have slowly pulled apart after I removed the tape holding it together. It will require a bit of fixing. A similar process was used for the tail turret, which came out fairly well. That's all for now. Edited August 23, 2021 by B-17 Changed image host MDuv, Sepp, Landrotten Highlander and 14 others 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Nice start, really like the nose art. B-17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brahman104 Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 Nice start so far mate. Any B-17 build is a good one in my books! Craig chrish and B-17 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck540z3 Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Great start!- and you have all the "Very Good" check marks to a great WIP build: Very Good modeling Very Good photography Very Good subject and Very Good descriptions! Looking forward to more updates. Cheers, Chuck B-17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Dealing with sectioned fuselages is always a challenge, but it looks like you're off to a great start! Matt B-17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncarina Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Great start! Which adhesive did you use for the fuselage sections? Cheers, Tom B-17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 B-17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Loving this - great to see another big Fortress on the go! Just be careful with the Eduard etch as many of their parts are painted in Interior Green, a colour which was never used on the B-17 - Bonze Green was the order of the day. Looking forward to seeing further progress! Tom Uncarina, scvrobeson and B-17 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17 Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 Kagemusha: Thank you, the nose art was definitely one of the reasons I chose this plane. It is pretty impressive to think that Jay Cowan, the young man who painted it, was 23 years old. brahman104: I couldn't agree more. I honestly do not have words to describe my awe at your B-17 project. chuck540z3: I'm in agreement on 1/4 of your bullet points. Very Good modeling Very Good photography Very Good subject and Very Good descriptions! Thanks for your kind words though. Uncarina: I used "Model Master Liquid Cement for Plastic Models" No.8872. I used this stuff when I first started modeling and has worked pretty well for me when I need something a bit thicker than Tamiya Ultra-Thin cement. tomprobert: I am well aware of Eduard's baffling choice of interior green for their photo-etch. I don't plan on using any of the parts that are interior green. I am hoping to get by with some airscale placards. Additionally, I am getting ready to re-open a can of worms regarding interior colors in a post below. MARU5137: Thanks for the link. Sometimes, I feel like my ratio of modeling to browsing pictures of airplanes on the internet is WAY off. Uncarina and D.B. Andrus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17 Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I spent the day trying to track down a pool noodle, so I could fashion together an assembly/painting box. I couldn't help but do a quick assembly to get a sense of the size. Penny for scale. I also got a book in the mail. I spent half an hour flipping through it and was left pretty happy. My only gripe was the addition of some (maybe 10-15%) photos of restored warbirds mixed in throughout. Edited August 23, 2021 by B-17 Changed image host nmayhew, Paul in Napier, Uncarina and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17 Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) One of the reasons I have been hesitant to start painting the cockpit is because I'd really like to get the colors as accurate as possible. Total color accuracy, however, seems to be an almost impossible task considering the number of different B-17 factories, models, sub-assemblies, modifications, and (frankly) what materials they had available that day. The research that I have done has pointed me to my best guess of cockpit/flight deck colors for a mid-production B-17G: Floor (elevated area) - aluminum Floor (lower area behind pilot seats) - plywood, NO anti-skid coating Crawl space to nose - aluminum Sidewalls - canvas/khaki color w/ dull dark green window frames Ceiling - canvas/khaki color w/ dull dark green window frames Instrument panel glare shield - dull dark green Center console - mainly dull dark green, some black placards Pilot seats - dull dark green seat and frame w/ interior green or olive drab armor plating Top Turret - dull dark green frame, anti-skid foot platform Oxygen tanks - yellow Rear bulkhead - dull dark green Door to bomb bay - plywood I'd like to hear what others think about these conclusions I have come to before I start painting. Thanks in advance, Jeff Edited June 20, 2021 by B-17 Antonio Argudo, Paul in Napier, Uncarina and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonio Argudo Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Hi jeff, nice project this article is quite interesting about cockpit colors, hope it helps, cheers https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ly1fP0q11S90COXzmpmFxmr7EZU0PpUm/view?usp=sharing D.B. Andrus, Paul in Napier, B-17 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17 Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 Antonio, Brilliant article. I was going to take a guess on the soundproofing color, but now have something to try to color match. Thank you so much for linking it. Jeff Antonio Argudo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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