christian Boehm

hello Black Knight and Tom , thanks a lot ! Tom , it seems you were crazy invested in this subject even while getting tne orginal Boeing plans ! (the fact many 72nd scel plans of tyhat "beast" are wrong, I know... Let me be quite curious : Do you live in US ? ( I had the chance travelling to USA 15 times ( job or tourism ) in my life , while in Seattle, I visited the Boeing museum) And, as well ,I took pictures including interiors , but reallized many restored planes are wrong painted So your words sound very objectiv and true I was aware of the wood floors and , as well about black ones in cockpit and on the center part of back fuselage floor, under the "gunner's feet ! It seems these black surfaces were perhaps anti -slip carpets , not ? I thought about sticking very smoth black grey abrasive paper... ( easy to find 1000 or less texture just well for 1/72...) The squadron Signal Walk around Nr 16 shows many colours shots, yes but ....many restored planes are wrong painted....!! But sorry to bore you , please : 1° were compartment vertical panels natural aluminium as well ? most models and pictures show any way int green for that sections ... 2° was the front post (bomber & navigator side panels as well unpainted 3° and the bomb bay with its doors ? often showed Int green also...(except bomb racks) I built a Hasegawa B-17F about 20 years ago ; now , I don't like the cam OD painting I did it too dark ...... My "G" will be natural metal (I use alclad) Did you build B-17 models ? A friend of mine built a crazy 1/32 !! If interested I can send you pictures on the forum Thansk 1000 times ! Christian

hello all modollers friends I'm a 72 old french modeler buying 1/72 WW2 ( and part of WW1) since 1963.. As well I belong to a museum WW2 team , specially for WW2 AFV , but there, I'm one of the few air forces fans as I belong to a quite old modelers's club since 1969 Don't miss to see Museum's site here:: (very impressiv ..about 300 AFV !) http://mmpark.fr/ So I have to present next july in this museum a conference about the upset of USAF air force in West Europe between summer 1943 and spring 1944 And, in the same next months, I plan to built a new B-17G (Arfix new) I read several different things about its interior colors and saw as well pictures (some did by me as I was sevreral times in USA museums in my life) What I quick understood is that, on the restored Fortresses, their representations could often be different that on the war time planes ... I heard about: - wood brown floors ,carpet floors , even black floors - as also metall wall's finish , - classical interior green - sometimes it could depend of the fuselage's posts .... - asf..... So could you help me to choose the most probable scheme , please thanks a lot Christian ( Alsace - Eastern France - Border of Germany)

ok Thanks friend ! At least one enigm is clear !

Hello WW2 fans I'm looking for help to identify the exact decoration of a C- 47 of the 90th TCS of the 438th TCG in June 1944 (based: Greenham Common -GB). I have been a WW2 Airwar fan for 60 years and a modeller since 1963. I'm a member of the CMS’s (Club maquettiste de Strasbourg - France ) commitee and I represent our modeler club at a WW2 Museum specialized in AFV, near Strasbourg (F) See : https://www.mmpark.fr/ It has more than 300 WW2 AFVs, as well as hundreds of weapons and uniforms. Of course, aviation is not its specialty, but the museum bought from Italy a C-47 made by Douglas in Italy in 1942, which took part in 1942-43 operations in North Africa and Italy. This aircraft will be displayed on the roof of a building and will be visible from the nearby road. I and other of my club’s colleagues, who are aware airwar, have thought about how to decorate it in a D-Day scheme, as realistically as possible. At present, the aircraft has been painted OD and N. Grey and will receive the D- Day stripes followed by the stars & bars The search for an interesting nose art large enough to be visible led to the "WABBIT EXPWESS" (see pictures) which carries the code Q7 of the 90th TCS of the 438th TCG in June 1944. See pictures : An aircraft of this type has been restored (in the USA ?) but without any markings other than this nose art (which was quite approximately executed). See: What we are missing, at least from our research, are : > the individual letter of the aircraft (on the rudder) > its serial number (probably "(4) 2..... ") Does anyone on the forum have any knowledge of these elements or, when not, can they recommend a special site that could provide us with the solution? Many thanks in advance ! Friendly yours Christian Boehm PS: Does anyone know the meaning of the replacement of the 2 "R" in "Wabbit Expwess"? Probably a joke?

Thanks friend of the naughty corner ! But I told upside I own this Dutch Profiles issue ; I actually ordered it to get more docs ! Anyway the last picture I posted with hatch down is from page 28 About inside pictures , it's most that ones of the pilot's post (pages 7 and 49 : in colours from the restauration plane) About the observer post , quite nothing , thta's why... But another modeller answered through Hyperscale ( same question posted there same day ) and gave me a very more useful link + file with picture of the rear observer post ; its' obvious that there certainly was a floor ( +/- U shaped) with switching down possibility to get the bombing post see: https://kw.jonkerweb.net/index.php/en/aircraft/aircraft-d/708-douglas-db-8a-3n-uk?start=1  christian

Hello modelers friends I am currently building a 1-72 Special Hobby Douglas DB-3A/3N of the Nederland Airforce 1940 Many know that this type was an exportation ( to Netherland) version of a transformed Northrop Douglas BT-1 , itself issued from the A-17 The model is not bad, better than the MPM but one thing is disturbing. On the center wing underside there was an hatch, just aft the central diving brakes, affected to the rear cockpit “observer-gunner-bomber” post This hatch is partially glazed and obviously intended for bombardment aiming. But on the kit the observer’s floor goes through all aft space and this is impossible, with the this existing hatch Nowhere I found how this hatch looked like internally (as a skinned drinving…) I show you 1. The kit 2. the left profile 3. the drawing coming from IPMS Nederland (obviously the observer can switch front and aft to gun, bomb or not …) 4. the notice drawing with (for me) wring floor 5. a photo issued from Dutch Profiles showing this hatch far down, and that suggest that it was included inside the fuselage with possibility to switch down for a bombing use If I am right, the kit‘s floor needs but to be cut off and reconstruction of the internal part of that hatch What do you think, guys? Christian Boehm France

You're totally right J.C. I noted the 2 details you relate and was firs astonished by the "slight pinch between the radome and the fuselage" But it's exactly true , it's such when you study enough good overlooking photos But , as well , a default of the Academy there is, wrongly, a second door on starboard fuselage ! You have to switch it off by pluging and re-engraving the fuselage lines Another special thing is the tail wheel problem : on all photos , while plane's flying , it is retracted , not visible But, on floor , no doors visible; so studying Naval Fighters 86 and logically , it was an automatic doors opening-closing system on the PV-1 Consequently , doors have to be engraved around the tail wheel implantation On Hyperscale a colleague noted the canopy would be 0.5 mm too narrow and adviced to use falcon's one I have it but it's difficult to fit it an the academy (it was for FROG) and I finally kept the kit's canopy; Otherwise the turett clear part , very thick, is to change ; I'm searching the best Vacu to use because the Falcon one , while cutted off, is not the best here Christian

Here the Academy wings (may be I reduced photo too much , sorry) I don't own perfection but I studied plans, but not only plans.... because you know ...; so always photo confirmations ! And I think the aileron’s chord is too narrow of about 3 mm. But fortunately a wrong structure line exists just in front of them So I engraved this one deeper as a new junction between aileron and wing. It’s then quite 1 mm too large but very more close to reality. The early junction was filled with putty You’ll see as well > the resin replacement nacelles ( fitted) and cowlings with the original one > the fitted QB PW engines > the starting work on wheelwells Close to the wing the furnished catastrophic double wheelwell doors ( to cut in 2) ; who can imagine the landing gear could find its place in such a tight space ?! ( Lateral photos of the up-part of wells confirm that) It’s obvious that the width is far too narrow, so I cut the open range about 2 x 2mm larger. ( actually , as here, too much (2 x 3) but afterwards I corrected that with strip) Then I did my best to realize as close as possible the inside accommodations (source / Naval Fighters 86) ; the big oiltank is quite visible ( I remind , the wells of the kit are full plain ! as are the turrett and astrodom holes ) On this photo you see better the new aileron shape Here the wing's nearly final look Now another challenge was new wheelwell doors ! But I have before to take other pictures

Woaw JWM , nice done this pattern and quite discrete weathering I"m not a fan of exaggerated weathering (with , ok, some exceptions , photographically documented) And really congratulations for hand painted octopus ; I minded but thought the spikes will be hard to do Ok as I see many are interested I will send some building shots

As it's an US-brit plane , I asked Hyperscale (many US modelers) as well Interesting answers as well see https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hyperscale/how-does-the-vbp-133-octopus-pv-1-ventura-really-l-t529826.html What is clear is that several planes bear the octopus (thanks to the "known" Modeldad) And thanks to everybody on both forums for these interesting exchanges

Correction : the PAVLA tail parts which look very fine ( as vertical as horizontal parts) are NOT in 72047 It's a different set : Pavla U72-65

Yes Ed you're right and I got these cowlings because Academy's cowlings are very false shapped But I introduced them as well with Quick Boost PW- R2800 engines , because the engines were as bad as the rest And finally I had as well the Ph-Edge Eduard ED-202 plate and the Pavla resin box 72047 About the last, the tail replacement parts and bomb doors are nice and thin but really if you own some docs (specially Naval Fighters 86) you'll realize internal details are 50% imagination-worth (no mention about much will not be seen anyhow on final kit) It's not the 1st time , I discover such things on Pavla interiors.... Finally , I found a big interest to buy 1/48 SBD ( Dauntless) RS resin wheels ; as replacement, they fit perfecly in shape and dimensions with Pv-1's ones and have nice sculpted tyres

thanks Ed I know tony O'Toole well ; he's a very good one we shared interesting advices while buiding Skua & Roc some years ago just a witness I haven't enough time to visit forums I will watch ot with big interest

yes I read the same but anyway the academy version seems quite poor and disappointing let me a few time to post my shots on IMG and I will share

Hello modeler friends I am currently building an PV-1 Venture , Academy Minicraft kit I won’t talk about this kit which brought me considerable disappointment by its mediocrity. It would be too many things to tell and I really think it’s a renewal of the “oldy” FROG…. So OK I did my best, the major error being the catastrophically undersized wheelwells, without talking about the total lack of internal development ( I needed to saw the open range about 3 mm larger !) If somebody likes to see my most important modifications I will post some pictures, no pb. My question is about the decoration The box , notice and decals provided propose a Pacific – Marshal Islands - 1944 stationed PV-1 of VPB-133 with the nice octopus tentacle motif around the top turret. I must admit this is an attractive look. OK the cam seems classic with white undersides and Intermediate & Dark sea blue top ( quite faded) But the plane’s number given is a “3”.... That seems wacky because I found only one (bad quality) picture of that plane (you can see the same on different sources , books & internet asf) But .....I discover the number 895 on fin & nose on this picture ; Just see: What does the community think ? Who knows another picture ? Thanks a lot ! christian