A Group of Gals - Two Revell B-17Gs and a Hasey Friend

[CedB]

When I built the 'Memphis Belle' back in 2015 I swore I'd never build another Revell Fortress.

 

Then Phil ( @HP42 ) kindly gave me another as part of his 'stash reduction'. Thanks Phil, appreciated. It's been in the stash, at the bottom, for some time.

 

Then when 'The Americans' came to visit last November, we went to the 453rd Bomber Group Museum and Old Buckenham. Our visit is documented here (scroll down past Salisbury!). James Clarey (Jim) who owns the museum was extremely kind, finding information on both our guest's relatives and presenting them with keepsakes. Jim told us that he hoped to include, in each of the Museum display cases, a model appropriate to the display. We offered to help if we could and, some time later, he sent me a Revell kit.

 

So, it looks like I'll be building a couple. Gulp.

 

 

Of course the first thing I need to do is throw away those awful end-opening boxes.

Then I need to read my WiP to look for possible issues.

Then I'll do some shots of the part trees.

 

Jim included some extras for his:

 

 

…and has asked me to build 'Sleepy Time Gal':

 

 

I've always wanted a silver and red Fortress and I was very envious when @rob85 built his 'Mah Ideel' but with the Airfix kit (wise man).

So I've chosen 'Little Miss Mischief' from the kit scheme.

It'll take some time to get everything sorted out, but do join in if you enjoy seeing a grown man weep.

Again.

[The Spadgent]

Oh my god. First in. 🤣 I can read it now. 😇

Ok all read. 😃 excellent. So you’re building one for you and one for the museum? Don’t start me thinking thoughts. 😬 looking forward to this one , or should I say two. Mr B.

 

Johnny two times. Two times. 🙌

 

[CedB]

Thanks Johnny

Yes, one for me and one for Jim.

Rob found a picture of 'Sleepy Time Gal' on the American Air Museum website (she's the second one in):

 

(from the Roger Freeman Collection under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Licences)

 

Of course that's now my desktop picture!

[AdrianMF]

Wow, Fortressy goodness. Pass the bottle opener Johnny!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Jackson Duvalier]

6 hours ago, CedB said:

do join in if you enjoy seeing a grown man weep.

 

I eagerly anticipate the briny savour of your bitter tears, Ced; for now I'm off to go catch up on the 2015 effort for a foretaste of the angst to come.

[Hamden]

 

Room for one more, it's a bit crowded with these two four engined beasts in the hanger.

Nice project Ced and as they say forewarned is forearmed!

 

   Stay safe              Roger  

[giemme]

9 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

Don’t start me thinking thoughts. 😬

Those are dangerous thoughts, why did you even mention them??       

 

I'm in, Ced.  

 

Ciao

[Jackson Duvalier]

I'm hoping we get more patisserie this go round.  And plenty of tart cards.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Jackson Duvalier
And aeromodelling, wouldn't be here without it.

[CedB]

9 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Wow, Fortressy goodness. Pass the bottle opener Johnny!

 

Regards,

Adrian

Thanks Adrian  

 

4 hours ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

 

I eagerly anticipate the briny savour of your bitter tears, Ced; for now I'm off to go catch up on the 2015 effort for a foretaste of the angst to come.

Thanks Jackson

Looking at the 'Belle' posts it looks as though Revell changed the plastic on these - hopefully less flash?

 

3 hours ago, Hamden said:

 

Room for one more, it's a bit crowded with these two four engined beasts in the hanger.

Nice project Ced and as they say forewarned is forearmed!

 

   Stay safe              Roger  

Tell me about it Roger!

 

1 hour ago, giemme said:

Those are dangerous thoughts, why did you even mention them??       

 

I'm in, Ced.  

 

Ciao

Good thoughts though Giorgio, good thoughts

 

55 minutes ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

I'm hoping we get more patisserie this go round.  And plenty of tart cards.

'Tart cards'? Oooer.

Reminds me of my attempt at Italian when I was working there some years ago.

I tried to say 'I am going to the market' but my colleagues frowned, then laughed.

Apparently 'marketo' is market and the word I had used meant 'ladies dance card'.

Now commonly used to mean 'prostitute'

 

 

This morning I've spent an inordinate amount of time preparing this:

 

 

Feel free to pinch it.

Hopefully it'll make internal painting / assembly quicker.

 

Now I need to make room on the bench.

And the floor.

And probably some other places…

[Edge]

Great start Ced.

 

I'll follow along if you don't mind?

 

Edge

 

[Marklo]

Off we go again. Should be a nice build.

[dnl42]

Excellant start 

[tomprobert]

Hi Ced,

 

Looking forward to these two coming to life - the B-17 is my all time favourite aircraft and I’ve spent years researching these beauties. 
 

Depending on how accurate you want your models to be, ignore the Revell instructions for painting the interior. Wartime B-17s were unpainted internally and the standard ‘interior green’ that so many B-17 modellers have used in the past was never, at any time, used in B-17 production. There is some limited evidence that some Douglas-built B-17s had the radio room and parts of the rear fuselage painted too - however there is nothing definitive. 
 

The whole fuselage, from nose to tail, was left in natural aluminium. The only painted area was the flight deck and this was bronze green for exposed metal, and an olive drab-ish sound deadening material on the sidewalls. Floors were natural wood with black anti-slip matting. 
 

Up to mid-batch F models there was also sound deadening material added to the nose and radio room, but by the G model this was long gone on the production lines. 
 

Wheel bays and inside the engine cowlings is also natural metal, along with the flaps. 
 

Another thing to remove from the Revell kit are the ammunition cans for the ball turret. Again, wartime Forts never had these fitted as all ammo was carried inside the ball itself. Revell used a modern warbird for references and these often have the external cans fitted - not accurate for a WWII era machine. 
 

I’d be very happy to chip in if you have any questions - as I said I’ve done years of research on the Fortress, and far from being an ‘expert’ I certainly know my way around Boeing’s finest!

 

Tom

[AliGauld]

Not one but two.

Ye Gods, you are a glutton for punishment.

Looking forward to this.

I'm following, if you don't mind.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[perdu]

Lucky Ced, Tom to help all the way.

 

Me at the back saying nowt because I know nowt.

 

Rock on Ceddy!

[Christer A]

Dual Forts? That's like 24 yellow propeller tips and not to mention the 20 .50-cals 

Have fun Ced!

[giemme]

4 hours ago, CedB said:

Reminds me of my attempt at Italian when I was working there some years ago.

I tried to say 'I am going to the market' but my colleagues frowned, then laughed.

Apparently 'marketo' is market and the word I had used meant 'ladies dance card'.

Now commonly used to mean 'prostitute'

I can clear that out for you, Ced - the Italian for market is "mercato", while what you said was probably too similar to "marchetta"(read the "ch" like a K, and the "tt" like a .... double t) , which refers to prostitutes...     

 

Lovely planning job, BTW  I guess it is sort of mandatory, when you want to build two of those big beasts at the same time

 

Ciao

[TheBaron]

Have you girded your loins for this major opus Ced?

 

You mentioned doing so on the Dragonfly build but I can find no mention of it in this instance. A gross oversight indeed that so many kit manufacturers make no mention of a recommended loin to gird ratio on the box and leave it up to the individual to work  out in due course - what did we do before the internet?

 

Ps .Best of luck with this epic-ness!

[CedB]

Welcome Edge, Mark, dnl42, Ali, Bill and Christer. Make yourself comfortable, socially distanced of course  

 

5 hours ago, tomprobert said:

Hi Ced,

 

Looking forward to these two coming to life - the B-17 is my all time favourite aircraft and I’ve spent years researching these beauties. 
 

Depending on how accurate you want your models to be, ignore the Revell instructions for painting the interior. Wartime B-17s were unpainted internally and the standard ‘interior green’ that so many B-17 modellers have used in the past was never, at any time, used in B-17 production. There is some limited evidence that some Douglas-built B-17s had the radio room and parts of the rear fuselage painted too - however there is nothing definitive. 
 

The whole fuselage, from nose to tail, was left in natural aluminium. The only painted area was the flight deck and this was bronze green for exposed metal, and an olive drab-ish sound deadening material on the sidewalls. Floors were natural wood with black anti-slip matting. 
 

Up to mid-batch F models there was also sound deadening material added to the nose and radio room, but by the G model this was long gone on the production lines. 
 

Wheel bays and inside the engine cowlings is also natural metal, along with the flaps. 
 

Another thing to remove from the Revell kit are the ammunition cans for the ball turret. Again, wartime Forts never had these fitted as all ammo was carried inside the ball itself. Revell used a modern warbird for references and these often have the external cans fitted - not accurate for a WWII era machine. 
 

I’d be very happy to chip in if you have any questions - as I said I’ve done years of research on the Fortress, and far from being an ‘expert’ I certainly know my way around Boeing’s finest!

 

Tom

Thanks Tom, brilliant information.

Just in time too, I was about to hit the spray booth.

So:

- The whole fuselage, from nose to tail, was left in natural aluminium except…

- flight deck bronze green for exposed metal and olive drab-ish sound deadening material on the sidewalls

- Floors were natural wood with black anti-slip matting.

- remove ammunition cans for the ball turret

Got it, thanks Tom.

 

1 hour ago, giemme said:

I can clear that out for you, Ced - the Italian for market is "mercato", while what you said was probably too similar to "marchetta"(read the "ch" like a K, and the "tt" like a .... double t) , which refers to prostitutes...     

 

Lovely planning job, BTW  I guess it is sort of mandatory, when you want to build two of those big beasts at the same time

 

Ciao

Thanks Giorgio - see, easy to confuse eh? Especially for a lazy Englishman 

 

4 minutes ago, TheBaron said:

Have you girded your loins for this major opus Ced?

 

You mentioned doing so on the Dragonfly build but I can find no mention of it in this instance. A gross oversight indeed that so many kit manufacturers make no mention of a recommended loin to gird ratio on the box and leave it up to the individual to work  out in due course - what did we do before the internet?

 

Ps .Best of luck with this epic-ness!

Not quite yet Tony, but I do have the kits on the bench:

 

 

Ah, well, that's not going to work is it?

Better get girding…

[CedB]

Shots of the part trees as usual.

 

 

 

Not sure what should be in the gap - probably another variant that gets replaced by this small one:

 

 

Two of these:

 

 

Then:

 

 

 

As mentioned above the plastic seems different to 'Belle' and the detail is really good:

 

 

Finally, the clear parts:

 

 

…which look nice and clear:

 

 

 

Right.

I think I need to chop up one of the boxes, label the trees and have them upright on the floor.

I may be gone some time…

[giemme]

Not the typical Revell amount of flash, judging from your pics - good for you! 👍

 

Ciao

[Brandy]

This looks like fun - for us at least!

Carry on Ced, we're behind you all the way (at the bar, supping beer!)

 

Ian

[alt-92]

Not one, but two heavies!

Don't mind me, just taking notes from the back. 
 

[rob85]

Nice Ced! I really wanted to build ‘sleepy time gal’ but went with ‘mah ideal’ as the airfix kit only supply’s the later rear gun (I mean it’s moulded and added separately they could have just thrown in the early turret!). I’m not familiar with the revell kit? Does it have the correct rear gunner? 
 

the transfers have it shown wrong by the way that’s what got me.

 

really looking forward to you building these! 
 

Rob

[Biggles87]

Two! That should take you at least three weeks. I’ll just sit at the back and try not to fidget or interrupt.

 

John