HK Early B-17G?

[BloorwestSiR]

Great, now I want a HK B-17G too!

 

Nice sleuthing there Tom.

 

Carl

[Juggernut]

As promised, pictorial evidence of Little Miss Mischief with the Cheyenne turret...

 

Here's the 401st's Bomb Squadron 'Anxious Angel' returning from an operation and just about to pass over Dover's famous white cliffs on the south coast. Below her rear fuselage you'll see a flight of B-17s, and one of them, coded DF-F is Little Miss Mischief with her shiny Cheyenne tail turret in full view:

 

 

And zoomed in - sorry the quality isn't great but again the later turret is clearly visible:

 

 

The difference is clear when you compare DF-D above it which has the earlier 'stinger' tail gun installation.

 

All the best,

 

Tom

 

Perfect!  I have this image someplace and never noticed it.  Thanks!

 

You'll also notice that her vertical tail is not black where the deicer boot would have been, it's red, just as it should be in the absence of the boot.  I have no idea why decal manufacturer's insist on doing their artwork of LMM with a black stripe where the deice boot (actually part thereof) would have been.

[Uncarina]

Tom,

 

This outstanding! Thanks for sharing these.

 

Cheers, Tom

[Juggernut]

My kit is in storage so I can't check

 

Are you sure parts are in there for a ‘late F' with the astrodome?

 

All the kit options show no astrodome

 

Or do you just mean the nose parts from the G are included, which doesn't really help unless you want to do a lot of scratch building

 

[edit]: i know see what you mean having seen pics in a review, so thank you for your help!

 

I'm glad you found out.  For anyone else interested, I've posted snips of a representative section of the B17E/F nose assembly and the parts layout from the instruction booklet showing what needs to be done in order to use the astrodome.  I did not confirm that these are the actual parts by looking at the sprues, I just went on "they look like the representative parts".  If someone could confirm the parts are correct, I'd appreciate it; my kit is in storage too.  There's really no need for instructional steps without having the option included in the kit.  This is a little "uncommunicated" bonus by the looks of it to provide us, the modeler, with a little more flexibility in the kit.  When I was told that the astrodome was in there, I was very happy and opened my kit to confirm that what I was told was in fact the case...and it is.  It isn't a leftover from the 17G either as the sprue numbers are new and the astrodome structure comes as part of the nose halves in the 17G kit.  I'll say "Thank you" to the folks at Hong Kong Models for including this in the kit and I'm really, really hoping you plan to provide us with an early/mid B-17G.  If I can be of any assistance toward that goal, I will gladly throw my hat in the ring.

 

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by Juggernut

[BloorwestSiR]

Since my kit is right behind where I sit, I opened it up and hopefully here are the relevant pics.

 

Edit: mine is the E/F version.

 

 

 

 

 

Carl

Edited May 5, 2018 by BloorwestSiR

[Juggernut]

That's two of the three... just need the fairing.

[aircommando130]

The fairing looks to be the piece circled in red on the right. 

[nmayhew]

perhaps for another thread, but i wonder what existing decal options this 'discovery' opens up?

[Juggernut]

perhaps for another thread, but i wonder what existing decal options this 'discovery' opens up?

 

Many... but beware, as you may know, all B-17F's are not exactly the same regarding nose armaments.  Cheek guns are pretty standard as in the kit but there are also B-17F's with B-17G style cheek gun installations (but reversed left to right).  I haven't discovered which aircraft those are peculiar to but they do exist.  The problem comes in when you have an aircraft that has the astrodome, cheek guns as portrayed in the kit for the F but totally different nose gun installations.  You're left wanting a conversion of the nose guns to whatever installation your subject had.  So the constraining factor (as far as accuracy is concerned) is the nose armament installation.  I haven't heard a peep from anyone about any sort of clear resin (or vacumform for that matter) nose blister that offers variation of nose gun installations.  That would be a niche market indeed but I for one would love a clear resin B-17F style nose without any gun ports in it for adding to the B-17G.

 

 

 

 

 

One style of B-17G nose blister from one of the BVD factories (probably Boeing):

 

 

And the "F" style nose on the B-17G

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by Juggernut

[Juggernut]

The subject of B-17F nose gun installations could be an entire doctoral dissertation.  I know of at least six distinctly different versions, and there are undoubtedly more.  And that's just the nose cone.  Cheek guns is another whole subject matter.

 

So what exactly is your point?  I confess that I'm lost in the context of the conversation. 

Edited May 6, 2018 by Juggernut

[BloorwestSiR]

That's two of the three... just need the fairing.

Just saw this, here you go

 

 

Carl

[Uncarina]

Now, if we could just buy these sprues individually! Or have someone master and sell parts like an upgraded topturret interior and tailturret conversion on Shapeways.

 

Cheers, Tom

[petrov27]

That "Our Gal Sal" looks like a good subject - if I understand the discussion above, it could be made from the HK G model but would need just the nose transparency to be accurate? Or the waist windows also would need to change?

[Juggernut]

I disagree... there are a few differing installations but many are standard mods and there's basically three types of cheek gun installations that will cover approximately 95% of all B-17F's.

[Juggernut]

Just saw this, here you go

 

 

Carl

 

Thanks Carl.  Now we know it's correct.