1/72 Airfix B-17G ‘Mah Ideel’

[rob85]

B-17G ‘Mah Ideel’ 324th BS, 91st BG, 1945.

 

so this is the second part of a double build of two American heavy bombers, the other being a B-24J. This is the newer airfix 1/72 kit and the transfers are from the box after my first choice had the wrong tail turret. It’s a good kit from airfix but over engineered in a few places. 
 

the build is here if you want to have a look.

it was painted using a hairy stick and Revell, citadel and humbrol paints. Weathering was done using tamiya weathering pallet. I think the result is pretty clean, definitely so things I would do differently and it was a great learning process. 
 

so here she is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made the little yellow seat covers.

 

 

 

all help, comments and criticism welcome! 
 

cheers

 

Rob

[snappedbydan]

Incredible job, well done.

[giemme]

This one is amazing too, Rob!    And again, I love the weathering!  

 

Ciao

[Vinnie]

Nice work, Rob. You've done well with the hairy stick.👍

[elger]

fantastic!

[CedB]

Superb result Rob, a stunning model  

[swralph]

Lovely build Rob.😀

[rob85]

11 hours ago, snappedbydan said:

Incredible job, well done.

Thanks so much!

2 hours ago, giemme said:

This one is amazing too, Rob!    And again, I love the weathering!  

 

Ciao

Cheers again G, and for all the tips and ideas you put forward on the WIP and your own build they really help.

1 hour ago, Vinnie said:

Nice work, Rob. You've done well with the hairy stick.👍

Thanks again Vinnie, it’s appreciated 

1 hour ago, elger said:

fantastic!

Cheers!!

1 hour ago, CedB said:

Superb result Rob, a stunning model  

Thanks Ced, always very supportive and great that you like it. Same as Giemme thanks for all your support in the WIP’s and your own builds

14 minutes ago, swralph said:

Lovely build Rob.😀

Cheers mate glad you like it!

 

thanks everyone for your support, it means a lot!

 

Rob

[AdrianMF]

Great finish and I love the view through the cockpit windscreen!

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

[edit - and the nosecone. And the bomb bay...]

[Spitfire 123]

Amazing detail, you have mastered the tamiya weathering pallets. I think I need to buy some more, considering how well you have done with them. All in all, this a beautiful aircraft to be proud of.

Riley

[SAT69]

An excellent build. I'm especially impressed with the way the exhausts streaks look; very convincing. 

[rob85]

10 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Great finish and I love the view through the cockpit windscreen!

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

[edit - and the nosecone. And the bomb bay...]

Ha, cheers Adrian, really glad you like the view I’m pretty proud of my seat covers (they are just very thin plastic card folded and painted yellow, but it still counts as scratch building 😂) 

10 hours ago, Spitfire 123 said:

Amazing detail, you have mastered the tamiya weathering pallets. I think I need to buy some more, considering how well you have done with them. All in all, this a beautiful aircraft to be proud of.

Riley

They are really easy to use, grip better than pastels and wipe off nicely with a bit of thinner. Just don’t bother with the little sponge they give you, use cotton buds. Thanks Riley, I am pretty proud. I wasn’t expecting the level of comments to be honest.

6 hours ago, SAT69 said:

An excellent build. I'm especially impressed with the way the exhausts streaks look; very convincing. 

Thanks! I think they would not have ended up that way if @bentwaters81tfw had not pointed out my first error. Glad you like it! 
 

Rob

[bentwaters81tfw]

That has turned out really well. So much attention to detail. When I think about the first Airfix kit, this is streets ahead.

[Booty003]

Superb, great finish with a hairy stick as well.  Looks fab.

[woody37]

Lovely fort, nice weathering too

 

[burncpt]

Amazing job. Just looks so right. The brush works so well but my favourite parts are actually the red where you can see some unevenness in the finish. Whether intentional or not, I'm almost certain it's a more realistic representation of the quality of paintwork on real aircraft, which varied wildly. But as unit recognition colours were applied by base painters, and frequently changed or hastily re-applied to damaged panels, an airbrush-even finish was pretty rare. There's a great photo in Roger Freeman's "The Mighty Eighth in colour" which no doubt you have already, showing two painters painting clearly different reds on the same B-17 tailfin from opposite ends  

[Jackson Duvalier]

I'm most impressed with the crispness of the window margins, I can't tell if you masked and overpainted or painted around.

[rob85]

11 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

That has turned out really well. So much attention to detail. When I think about the first Airfix kit, this is streets ahead.

Ha, yeah I remember building that when I was a kid! This is definitely streets if not a few cities ahead. Thanks for your help and glad you like it!

11 hours ago, Booty003 said:

Superb, great finish with a hairy stick as well.  Looks fab.

Cheers mate

10 hours ago, woody37 said:

Lovely fort, nice weathering too

 

Considering your builds on heavies I’ll take that as a massive compliment! Cheers woody!

10 hours ago, burncpt said:

Amazing job. Just looks so right. The brush works so well but my favourite parts are actually the red where you can see some unevenness in the finish. Whether intentional or not, I'm almost certain it's a more realistic representation of the quality of paintwork on real aircraft, which varied wildly. But as unit recognition colours were applied by base painters, and frequently changed or hastily re-applied to damaged panels, an airbrush-even finish was pretty rare. There's a great photo in Roger Freeman's "The Mighty Eighth in colour" which no doubt you have already, showing two painters painting clearly different reds on the same B-17 tailfin from opposite ends  

Would you believe that it’s actually intentional! Normally my weathering is 50% intended and 50% an excuse for my poor work/focus. I tend to rush ahead, but on my last few bigger builds I’ve tried to really think about the process and to get it right.

 

when I painted the red it was very red and though the right shade just seemed to stand out too much, so it got a polish which I find also lightens the centre of the panels slightly and then a light little going over with the ‘snow’ from the weathering pallet.

3 hours ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

I'm most impressed with the crispness of the window margins, I can't tell if you masked and overpainted or painted around.

Thanks! Me too which was a surprise as they have been a real pain in the past. I used masking tape that was £1 from hobby craft and then really pushed every bit of it down with a tooth pick. Then cut round with a craft knife, the airfix clear parts are great for this as they sit pretty proud, so it’s easy to find. With the B24 I was cutting by eye or painting then cleaning with a tooth pick.

 

Rob

[F-32]

That's another lovely build, quality work

[rob85]

On 2/2/2021 at 4:46 PM, F-32 said:

That's another lovely build, quality work

Cheers, very kind of you to say!

 

Rob

[Nathan Yech]

One of the best (if not the best) 1/72 B-17 I´ve seen!!! Can´t even imagine what you could achieve if you had an airbrush.

[rob85]

4 hours ago, Nathan Yech said:

One of the best (if not the best) 1/72 B-17 I´ve seen!!! Can´t even imagine what you could achieve if you had an airbrush.

Thanks, I really appreciate the kind comment! I can imagine, it would be a grainy uneven mess. I’ve had a go with airbrushes in the past, not on models but in art and I never really took to them. I find them much more challenging than a paint brush, which I find relaxing and enjoyable. Sure it’s got limits, but pushing those is all part of the fun.

 

Rob

[Cookenbacher]

Amazing build Rob, so realistic and hats off for that brush painted metal finish.

[Gary Brantley]

Bravo!   A fine build of a true flying icon, with a superb finish!  

[rob85]

11 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Amazing build Rob, so realistic and hats off for that brush painted metal finish.

Cheers buddy, I’ve picked up a few tips from watching other great metal finishes 😉

5 hours ago, Gary Brantley said:

Bravo!   A fine build of a true flying icon, with a superb finish!  

Cheers Gary, really glad you like it.

 

Rob