thepureness Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Hi guys I'm looking for options in order to build a coastal command B-17 MKII in 1/72 scale I know Academy produced one from the box, but it is a little rare to find, plus I heard it have big issues with the wings. Next stage is if I can use any of the Revell or Airfix recent kits to build one or any other alternative. Any tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturmovik Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Italeri produced a Fortress Mk.I, can you use that kit and convert it into a Mk.II? It even has decals for a Coastal Command Fortress Mk.I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 18 minutes ago, Sturmovik said: Italeri produced a Fortress Mk.I, can you use that kit and convert it into a Mk.II? It even has decals for a Coastal Command Fortress Mk.I. No! The Fortress II is a B-17F. Major differences such entire fuselage changes. Seek out. B-17F kit. Revell, Academy, and Hasegawa have all done it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturmovik Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 16 minutes ago, Chuck1945 said: No! The Fortress II is a B-17F. Major differences such entire fuselage changes. Seek out. B-17F kit. Revell, Academy, and Hasegawa have all done it. Revell would be the cheapest of the bunch, and of excellent quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 The Academy one isn't bad, if you can find it. The issue with the wings is simply too much dihedral, which can be cured by inserting a 10 thou shim in the upper joint during assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Be sure you want to do a Fortress II (B-17F) or a Fortress IIA (B-17E) My personal opinion would be to go with the Academy or Hasegawa kits if you are wanting a Fortress II. If you want a Fortress IIA, then the Academy kit would be my preference. The new-tool Revell kits, the B-17F and B-17G, while very nicely detailed, have wings that are grossly too thick in cross section, with noses that are pinched in. The wing dihedral issue on the Academy kit is very easily fixed, as Puff has stated. The Hasegawa kit has raised panel lines and the Academy kit is scribed, if that means anything. I recall some discussion regarding the shape of the windscreen on the Hasegawa kit, but I'm not sure what the consensus was- have to pull both company's kits out and see what the fuss was about. You might also want to do an internet search for kit reviews to see if that helps you make a decision, but it's hard to find a review these days that is well-researched and doesn't fall into the "Looks good in the box" category. @Chuck1945 can most likely tell you more, as he's pretty much up on Flying Forts. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 If interior detail is important, the Revell kit has the most extensive. When their G was about to be released it was touted as the most accurate 1/72 B-17 yet released. Not sure if that was true then, definitely not true today. The F is the same vintage as the G. I can’t comment on the nose being pinched or not but the molded nose area panels more closely resemble barrel staves than fuselage skinning. The top turret also stands way too high if assembled per instructions. If engraved panel lines are important, my suggestion would be to use the Academy kit. The basic shape is good, the wing dihedral is easily fixed, and dealers choice regarding the oil cooler(?) intakes on the wing leading edge. I don’t have the kit in front of me and I don’t remember if they are open and need to be boxed in or molded just as a recess and should be opened and boxed in or ignored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Chuck1945 said: If interior detail is important, the Revell kit has the most extensive. When their G was about to be released it was touted as the most accurate 1/72 B-17 yet released. Not sure if that was true then, definitely not true today. The F is the same vintage as the G. I can’t comment on the nose being pinched or not but the molded nose area panels more closely resemble barrel staves than fuselage skinning. The top turret also stands way too high if assembled per instructions. If engraved panel lines are important, my suggestion would be to use the Academy kit. The basic shape is good, the wing dihedral is easily fixed, and dealers choice regarding the oil cooler(?) intakes on the wing leading edge. I don’t have the kit in front of me and I don’t remember if they are open and need to be boxed in or molded just as a recess and should be opened and boxed in or ignored. They need to be opened and boxed in, Chuck. If the new Airfix did some basic mold engineering, they could give us a much-needed state of the art B-17E/F/early G. Keeping my fingers crossed, but not holding my breath! I was halfway hoping when Hasegawa started releasing their highly detailed B-24's, B-25's, and B-26's, they would follow up with A-20's, A-26's, and B-17's, but that was not to be, I guess. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 9 hours ago, thepureness said: Hi guys. I'm looking for options in order to build a coastal command B-17 MKII in 1/72 scale. I know Academy produced one from the box, but it is a little rare to find, plus I heard it have big issues with the wings. Next stage is if I can use any of the Revell or Airfix recent kits to build one or any other alternative. Any tips? Hi Jon, almost anything you need to know about your Fortress modelling choices can be found here. The Academy wing issue appears to be minor and easily dealt with. Revell kit might have another kind of wing issue, but I can´t tell that from the builds I´ve seen. The new tool Airfix kit is nice for a late production G ~Fortress III but requires nasty backdating to make it look like a Fortress II. V-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e8n2 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 8 hours ago, 72modeler said: I recall some discussion regarding the shape of the windscreen on the Hasegawa kit, but I'm not sure what the consensus was The problem with the Hasegawa windshield is that the lines for the front windows are parallel to each other instead of the top line of the front window being in line with the side windows, which means that the center part of the front windows should be narrower than the outside part of the window. Take a close look at the windshields on Dreambaby which Finn is using as his signature for the Group Build, Hopefully I haven't muddied up the waters too much with this explanation. Later, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Dave, Gotcha! Will go back to my kits- I see what you are talking about, and I never really noticed it before- thanks! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e8n2 Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 12 hours ago, 72modeler said: Dave, Gotcha! Will go back to my kits- I see what you are talking about, and I never really noticed it before- thanks! Mike You're welcome Mike! That was D&S's main problem with the Hasegawa kits. On the Hasegawa G the glass for the Cheyenne turret it also much too shallow. I plan on using the wings from a Hasegawa G on an Academy G so that it will have the fuel vents for the Tokyo Tanks as we discussed on another thread. Later, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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