B-17 Mk II - Revell, now with added Academy kit

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

So are the holidays over 'up there'?

 

I am back at work but if I was a saner person I would take all of January off to enjoy the summer. Though we are in a bit of a high 30s heat wave at the moment so the office air con is a respite.

[Robert Stuart]

11 hours ago, DaveyGair said:

Yeah, notice the other black 'aerial' under the two rear most front side windows (would be interesting to know if this was on both sides). Also in all three photo's what looks like a reverse blade type aerial as well, unless a B-17 expert can identify it?  

 

Here's a link which shows a page from the book on CC Fortresses, the middle photo is of a 251 Sqn Hudson and Fortress, no upper or lower turret.  When clicking on the photo asks to log into site though.  Also, I can't find out how I got to see some other pages of the book!

 

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/415034921884974469/?lp=true

 

 

Davey.

 

Thanks Davey, looking at the black 'aerial', there a consistent, rectangular stain around that aerial. 

It was repeated on the other side (at least, for some Fortresses) - https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205368986

 

The reverse blade? Do you mean the thing directly below the pitot?  I stand to be corrected, but ... I think it's an earlier location for the RDF antenna that, in the photos, is on the starboard side, roughly in line with the door.

 

Official photograph. © IWM (MH 34038) IWM Non Commercial License

 

{edit}The things I'm callin pitots are probably are aerials{/edit}

Edited January 4, 2019 by Robert Stuart
Deleted unneeded text, added edit

[Robert Stuart]

7 hours ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

So are the holidays over 'up there'?

 

I am back at work but if I was a saner person I would take all of January off to enjoy the summer. Though we are in a bit of a high 30s heat wave at the moment so the office air con is a respite.

Hello Ray

I'm getting back into things - clearing out a new work-space.

Cooler here than in Australia (much), but still worryingly warm with not enough frosts.

[DaveyGair]

6 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

 

The reverse blade? Do you mean the thing directly below the pitot?  I stand to be corrected, but ... I think it's an earlier location for the RDF antenna that, in the photos, is on the starboard side, roughly in line with the door.

 

Official photograph. © IWM (MH 34038) IWM Non Commercial License

Well, there you go, that's what it is! So another modification to look at. 

Enough waffle and on with the modelling!

 

Davey.

[Robert Stuart]

I've started painting !!

One barrier to persuing this was finding a colour that claimed to match US interior bronze green, a colour that was used on B17s.

It took some looking, then I found two or three makers offering the colour - the one I settled for is by AK Interactive, mainly because a) it was acrylic, not laquer, and b) somebody actually had it in stock.

 

 

This strikes me as a bit dark, but then I'm used to interior green.  When it first went on (over the silver), the green seemed to be beading - but, once dry, it had levelled out, and will be fine for these (all bar invisible) interiors.

 

The silver at the rear of the fuselage is Halfords aluminium which is likely to get a lot of use in undercarriage bays and around the engine bays.

[Robert Stuart]

Last week (Tuesday if I recall correctly) I was in a local model shop.  Not my nearest, but, perhaps the best in my area?

 

On the shelf, above eye-level but not out of reach was .... an Academy Minicraft Boeing B-17E, RAF Coastal Command Fortress II

So now I have two B-17s to build.

 

Despite the box lid (check the nose), there is no ASW radar included with the kit.  Searching around I have not been able to find reliable diagrams of the aerials used.

It is unlikely, therefore, that I will build the model as suggested by the one option in the box.

 

Obligatory box images ...

 

 

The kit has a choice of waist windows

 

And the window chosen (together with damp patches from washing the - somewhat greasy - plastic)

 

And a start on the cockpit and bomb-bay

 

 

[DaveyGair]

The Academy kit goes together OK, but the wing Dihedral is WAY HUGE!  You can check how I solved the problem with my 'Hettie' build over on the B-17 STGB, although I didn't add as many photo's as I thought 🙄

 

Davey.

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

I used this kit for my B-17E in the B-17 GB (built as a USAAC aircraft though).

 

Make sure you use the correct interior pieces. Mine had 2 sets of bulkheads, props and horizontal stabs. I did not pay attention to the part numbers resulting in a lot of filing of bulkhead parts to get the fuselage to go together properly (I had already painted everything before I realised!)

[Robert Stuart]

50 minutes ago, DaveyGair said:

The Academy kit goes together OK, but the wing Dihedral is WAY HUGE!  You can check how I solved the problem with my 'Hettie' build over on the B-17 STGB, although I didn't add as many photo's as I thought 🙄

 

Davey.

Thanks Davey, I saw how you attached the lower wing first - I'll think about that option when I get there.  I have plenty of plastic card - or at least enough of that thickness - to try something similar.

 

4 minutes ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

I used this kit for my B-17E in the B-17 GB (built as a USAAC aircraft though).

 

Make sure you use the correct interior pieces. Mine had 2 sets of bulkheads, props and horizontal stabs. I did not pay attention to the part numbers resulting in a lot of filing of bulkhead parts to get the fuselage to go together properly (I had already painted everything before I realised!)

Thanks Ray, mine is similar.  With luck and a tail wind, I'll avoid the pitfalls you warn against.

The bulk-head ... I've made that commitment already.  The tailplane is (I hope) fairly obvious, with a very low aspect ratio for the earlier  set ... and one blade on the early props is bent (recoverable if I had wanted to use it, but still, bent).

[dogsbody]

Are these of any use?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris