Biggles87 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 That nose looks fantastic to me, zoom in a little and take it in B&W and it would look like the real thing ( except for the missing pencil). John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gremlin56 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Fantastic build Peter. Really amazing detailing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Erm, You forgot a pencil for the Nav. Maybe the carpet monster got it? Excellent build. I Love B 17's. He's got it stuck behind his ear and has nipped off for a crafty smoke! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Midweek modelling update... don't tell anyone... Made a start on some of the associated bits and bobs... I've read quite a few comments concerning the perceived lack of detail on the engines, and whilst it's true that we are not talking Trumpeter Avenger of Tamiya Zero here, they are not really all that bad in my opinion. One could add the wiring loom without too much effort and no doubt the AM stuff would enhance things greatly, but I think I'll be leaving mine as they are. On the plus side the cylinder fins are really, really finely done, and the rods match up exactly with no gaps or overage anywhere. Given a base of black, then drybrushed aluminium followed by a healthy dose of Vallejo dark grey wash. The grey bits are Barley Grey washed with Flory Dark Dirt. The pic makes it all look a bit shiny, it's better on the bench, honest!! Built up the undercarriage bays, they go together really nicely, with enough detail to keep me happy. The oil tank is Model Air 02 Yellow which has a darker, almost greeny cast to it which is less stark and more worn to my eye than the equivalent from Tamiya. I plumped for a heavily weathered interior green for the bays themselves, having looked at more pictures than I care to remember! The aircraft I'm modelling was in service from early 1944 all the way through to the end of the war so I feel I can give myself a bit of leeway on some aspects! So green, then the sponge with a 2:1 mix of aluminium and light grey, then Flory wash wiped down and finished with Vallejo grey wash (again). Don't know which version of this I prefer... And all built up... Then I went ahead and broke out the wings... and d'you know what? The go together like an absolute dream... Just got to be a bit careful with removing from the sprues. After that all I had to do was a tiny bit off fettling with supports near the roots and all was well. Dry fitted the wheel wells and ran into fit problems. nothing seemed to line up, but luckily there is a great build on Scale Modelling Now which pointed me in the direction of the culprit which tuned out to be this guide ridge for the rear bay mounting: Having removed that and thinned out the engine mounts (parts J19) it was all gravy... here are the bays dry fitted: It'll all have to come apart so that I can paint and weather the bits of the wing moulding which actually comprise the wheel wells, but overall I'm pretty happy with it so far. Next time I'll introduce you to the aircraft and one of her crews, and also get pics of the finished fuselage. Thanks for looking, Regards, Peter 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spookytooth Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Looking great Peter, we a wait more sir. Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 (edited) Hi Peter, This is really starting to come together now, I particularly like the undercarriage bays. Will you be building an extension to put it in when completed? Cheers John Edited February 12, 2015 by Biggles87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Looking great Peter, we a wait more sir. Simon. Many thanks Simon, this kit is just such great fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Hi Peter, This is really starting to come together now, I particularly like the undercarriage bays. Will you be building an extension to put it in when completed? Cheers John Hi John, Have already been in negotiations about this... I suggested the dining room table, which seemed perfectly reasonable, and was met with a raised eyebrow... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Hanging over the table with landing lights on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logical Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Every time I look in on this build it makes me want one. I just wish I had room and money :-( Stunning work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Every time I look in on this build it makes me want one. I just wish I had room and money :-( Stunning work. I never had the room and now I don't have the money any more either! Many thanks for all the kind words and encouragement from everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.P. Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Eeeeegads, this is stunning!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungo1974 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Caught up with this WIP again,awesome job so far..... Had it been me i'd have to have done something with those pesky IM pin marks in the fuselage,hopefully they aren't too prominent now you've closed the big girl up. Also surprised HK didn't put the sighting windows in the rear of the chin turret,they are quite visible in many period images as the turret is normal turned to the left or right when the sight in the nose is in the stowed position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Caught up with this WIP again,awesome job so far..... Had it been me i'd have to have done something with those pesky IM pin marks in the fuselage,hopefully they aren't too prominent now you've closed the big girl up. Also surprised HK didn't put the sighting windows in the rear of the chin turret,they are quite visible in many period images as the turret is normal turned to the left or right when the sight in the nose is in the stowed position. Sighting Windows?!?!?!!!! Doh... Just goes to show that the more you learn, the more you realise you didn't know. Think I'll have the turret facing firmly forward! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 Right, where was I...? Oh yes, trying to build a model aircraft. A combination couple of very hectic months of travelling and rather too much of something called 'work' has conspired rather successfully to keep me away from the B-17, but I've managed to grab a few hours over the past week so I thought I'd bring things up to date. Firstly, the aircraft now has a name, I'll be finishing her as 'Idaliza' of the 360th Bomber Squadron of the 303rd Bomb Group, based at Molesworth. And here's one of the crews, led by 1st Lt Merrill M. Stiver (back row, far right): Idaliza came on strength with the 303rd in the middle of March 1944 and carried out either 105 or 106 missions (depending on sources). She made it through to the end of the war and was scrapped in the USA on December 1, 1945. So, here's where we are up to: I've go the fuselage done and most of the masking is finished: I know I shouldn't be surprised, but it really is turning out rather large. Looks pretty menacing too: I got the wings together and primed them, good old Halford's grey. And why is it that you can dry fit and test fit as many times as you like, and everything lines up seamlessly (literally) and yet the moment you get a drop of glue near anything it simply refuses to line up? Needed a bit of filler on the cowling joins, nothing too awful but enough to make me irritated with myself. I am still of the opinion that all the kits I build are perfect when they leave the factory and that it's only my own ham-fistedness which leads me in to trouble. I still don't know what I'm going to do with it when I finally finish: I've just filled a minor seam which opened whilst I was handling the fuselage, and then it'll be more primer tomorrow (I hope). I think I'll join the wings before slapping on the grey as there was clearly a weakness in the Force whilst I was glueing the fuselage and if it happens again whilst putting the wings on I might as well fix it before applying the paint. Oh yes... the paint... I'm still dithering about this, and to that effect have ordered a couple of cans of Tamiya TS12 aluminium, as well as another four shades of Alclad II, so I still really don't know where I'm going with this yet. I think what might finally happen is an all over coat from the rattle can and then various areas and panels picked out in Alclad, or I might just bite the bullet and go for it all the good stuff... see, I still don't know even as I'm typing this. I'll let you know how I get on, must go and watch The Last Leg now. Thanks for looking, Regards, Peter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Looking really good Peter. I have not used Tamiya T S12 (although I do have a can) but I find AS12 really useful. It is quite shiny at first but weathers down quite quickly to give the appearance of 'old' aluminium. I am a big fan of NMF and eagerly await the finished item. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 Hi John, Many thanks, almost at the painting stage, which on this one is a combination of excitement and terror, that's a lot of kit to mess up! I think I'll go with the Alclad in the end, I just love the shade variations on panels. The Tamiya is great though and I would thoroughly recommend it, I've used it on three of my last five NMF builds and the results have been consistently good, plus it's just so easy and clean to use. There's only one other thing bothering me, and that's the nose art... it's on the starboard side... Isn't there some sort of law that states that all model aircraft must be positioned facing forward with the port side on display? Or is it just me with that particular issue... Regards, Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 You are right, the same seems to apply to full size aircraft.I have a couple of books on nose art and the photos are almost without exception taken from the port side which is usually where the nose art is. Perhaps this particular crew just wanted to be different. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 Evening, So I got the majority of the painting done over the last week, interrupted only by a brief trip to Berlin, which is, incidentally, an absolutely stunning city. Didn't hold me up too much as I had to wait for more Alclad to arrive anyway. An all over coating of Aluminium was followed by panels picked out with different undercoats and topped off with mixtures of Dark Aluminium and Duraluminium. The control surfaces (not in these shots) have been finished in Dull Aluminium which should add another bit of contrast when they are added. So here is where we are up to: As you can see I've had to take the major works down to the shed... clearly the sterile and dust-free environment which is perfect for Alclad... The de-icing boots were masked and sprayed, as were the wing walkways, I never seem to have much luck with those long thin transfers. The fronts of the nacelles are neat Dark Aluminium, they're a bit stark at the moment but should tone down with a bit of weathering, this is what I was aiming for: Anti-glare panel came out nicely, (it's not that green without the flash, honest...): And one of the tail... And the starboard side... Am still a bit conflicted about the markings, the national insignia and group markings are, as you can imagine, huge. I'm unsure whether to use them or to have a stab at making some masks. I just get the feeling that the transfers will stick out like a sore thumb on something so big. And finally a few shots of the main gear legs, just because I like them... Thanks for looking, Regards, Peter 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grayson Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 Great build, really enjoying following your work. I've got the HKM B-25 to do after my FAMO/88 combo is completed and I hope I can do it as much justice as you've done this B-17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 So in the end I decided to make some masks for the unit markings and national insignia. I mean where better to try something for the very first time than after six months work on the most expensive kit I could find? What could possibly go wrong... Well surprisingly, not too much it seems. I photocopied the transfer sheets and measured the copies against the originals to check the sizes, under the copy I then put a piece of tracedown paper (like carbon paper) and beneath that a sheet of Tamiya masking tape which is printed like graph paper. Starting with the letters and triangles (nice straight edges) using a metal ruler and very sharp pencil I traced the outline on the photocopy which then gave a perfect impression through the tracedown paper on to the tape. This could then be cut out in to the required masks. The group markings were a bit more complex, requiring the outer mask to be applied and a coat of white laid down, then the 'C' was put back in place and the black sprayed on. Prior to the painting I had dabbed a bit of maskol on with a sponge for the paint chipping. I found it useful to keep the insert whole before re-applying it to ensure that I got things lined up correctly, see below with the stars and stripes: The separate parts are just held together by the tiniest threads of tape and can be taken apart easily once fixed in place back in the hole: You can see that I've actually masked over the final edges, this will be removed after I put on the white paint, it just ensures that even if the insert does not go back in precisely, that there will be no white visible outside the blue. To be honest I'm pretty happy with how it's going so far: Tomorrow will see the painting of the stars and stripes... this could go either way... stay tuned. Oh, and BTW making these masks and putting them on has taken absolutely AGES... Thanks for looking, Regards, Peter 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 That's looking great. And I thought the 1/48 one was a bit big! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Just stumbled across this, a quite amazing build. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suddensky Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Many thanks indeed Martin, its been a huge build in every sense of the word, but the finishing line is in sight... a couple more masks to do, then it's transfers, wheels, weathering and sticky-out left over bits, and I'll be able to call it done. Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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