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Italeri Do 217 N1 should I build it?


Walter

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So rare....I got one in 2008 for about $20, then my friend took a $9 bargain last year...However it usually costs over $40.

 

Build it or not? IMHO we can expect ICM scale down it, ITA kit overall is OK, but cockpit and gear bay seems crude now. 

 

Several years ago I tried to convert it to an N-2......I wonder I finish it before ICM release one.:waiting:

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Build the kit OTB, the sooner the better. Of the Italeri's Do 217 kits, N is the one with the least number of faults. I have their whole range (K-1, K-2, J, N-1) in my stash and the rest all have BMW 801 radials, which are noticeably undernourished on all Italeri kits. Do not bother with improvments of the kit, otherwise by modeller's application of Murphy's law a new, wastly improved kit, will appear the moment you finish yours. If you address all the issues of the Italeri kit, I can almost guarantee the new kit will come complete with workable engines and 1/72 android Luftwaffe crew to fly it. Cheers

Jure

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Yo can do the conversion to N2 (without gondola) - at least it will be different from JCM kit. I did this way to enlarge the differences...

Regards

J-W

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6 minutes ago, Walter said:

Yeah I have that itch it's going to get built muuuwahahhhhaa!

Go for it, I have one working it's way through to the 'paint shop' at the moment. All I have done is a re-scribe but other than that it's going to be as Italeri intended.

 

Duncan B

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My understanding is that the fuselage is too narrow by about 1/8 inch.  I started a bash of one years ago, but have yet to finish working out the fit of canopy and turret with the wider fuselage.  The old Airfix Do fuselage is reasonably accurate, but very short on cockpit details, kit bashing those two might be a way to go, but not necessarily an option for the K version's canopy to fit properly.

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Major attention is needed to the rear fuselage, to widen and produce a beefier tail and a more distinct keel to the lower fuselage leading back from the bombbay.  Different people have produced parts to modify this: I had the Zeppelin Guano Works example and also the Airwaves one (which more a remarkable resemblance but was more robust.  Both were intended for conversion to the K-2 with Fritz X, which provided lots of spare parts which are now available in kits, but the core parts would be useful on other Italeri Do.217s.  A German(?) modeller set out to produce a resin conversion, but was lured into producing an entirely new fuselage which was very expensive and only available in small numbers before he died, and the idea died with him.

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Here is a link to the article that Graham referenced. This topic goes into detail regarding shape problems

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/72nd_aircraft/dornier-do-217-enhancements-t9434.html
 

There is at least one more where Popeye went into more detail using the conversion he was developing

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/72nd_aircraft/dornier-do-217-k-2-t9454.html

 

correcting the shape errors will be a major undertaking. I guess it all depends what you seek in the model. If you want something that looks more like Do 217 than anything else, just build the kit. If you are after as much shape accuracy as possible be prepared for a lot of work.

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19 hours ago, Walter said:

Duncan how did you go rescribing did you remove all raised details?

Yes, I sanded them back until I could just make them out in the very dark grey plastic and then used them as guides for re-scribing. I did use some plans for other lines too but that was just me being fussy. I knew about the fuselage being too narrow but didn't do anything about it as it's unlikely it will ever sit beside a new tool Do217N in the display cabinet. 

It's at the primer stage now, I was going to try to fit some of the cockpit detail from an abandoned ICM Do215 into the Italeri kit but won't bother with that now and will just complete it as Italeri intended.

 

Duncan B

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Build it.

BTW AIMS produces resin conversion with decals (3 options) for Do-217N2/R22 with deeper fuselage piece, nose, behind cockpit turret replacement piece and instrument panel. Unfortunatly no parachute tail is included (all 3 of decal options) 

Extratech produced (probably now by Brengun label) detail set for N and a general detail set (flaps, U/C doors).

 

Edited by TISO
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6 hours ago, TISO said:

Build it.

BTW AIMS produces resin conversion with decals (3 options) for Do-217N2/R22 with deeper fuselage piece, nose, behind cockpit turret replacement piece and instrument panel. Unfortunatly no parachute tail is included (all 3 of decal options) 

Extratech produced (probably now by Brengun label) detail set for N and a general detail set (flaps, U/C doors).

 

 

The current AIMS 1/72 Do 217 N2/R22 conversion set now contains the parachute tail which was lacking in the first initial release years ago.  The parachute tail piece is excellent and can be seen on the AIMS website

Edited by franki84
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I've started work on this kit. It's certainly allowing me to practice scribing and riveting. It's lacking in surface detail and what detail is there is in the wrong spot. I'm using the ICM as a guide. Boy does this plane have a lot of service ports.🧐

Edited by Walter
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