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The Boeing B-17 STGB2 Chat


vppelt68

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EDIT: We have a slot in the Provisional Group Build Calendar! This should be running from Saturday, 5 August to Sunday, 5 November 1923; that is 5.8.-5.11.2023.

 

In a month it'll be three years since the beginning (20.10.2018) of the first B-17 single type group build. I asked the distinguished gentlemen (or the previously convicted, usual suspects?) who participated in the first one, would it be appropriate to try and get a second one? We got the first ten quickly (see the conversation here). Here's a brief reminder of what this will be all about: Anything, but only, the numerous variants and conversions of The Flying Fortress, like all the XB-, YB-, FB-, RB-, SB- and “plain” B-17:s, YB-38, YB-40:s, C-108:s, F-9:s, BQ-7:s, PB-1:s… and the Boeing 307 and C-75 airliner/cargo planes too. Scale and material are of your own choice. Welcome along!

 

  1. vppelt68 (host)
  2. TonyW
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  5. Jabba
  6. JOCKNEY
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  9. Romeo Alpha Yankee
  10. Ol' Scrapiron
  11. TEMPESTMK5
  12. SleeperService
  13. zebra
  14. RJ-WobblyHands
  15. neil5208
  16. Arniec
  17. LorenSharp:pilot:
  18. TonyOD
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  34. ...

 

I think the Flying Fortress STGB got a Flying Start for the second one :thumbsup:. V-P

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2 minutes ago, TEMPESTMK5 said:

Good morning VP 

 Please add my name to the list ..

Cheers 

Patrice  

 

If this Gb pass the bunfight I will have to buy a kit because as incredible as it can be I don't have any B17 kit in my stash so far ...

Patrice 

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8 minutes ago, TEMPESTMK5 said:

 

If this Gb pass the bunfight I will have to buy a kit because as incredible as it can be I don't have any B17 kit in my stash so far ...

Patrice 

That's easily corrected!

 

2021-01-22_10-30-34

 

...and I have two of the most recent Airfix kit boxing pre-ordered and on their way :winkgrin:. V-P

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Hi VP 

I see you are very confident about the future of this Gb 🤩..

I had built  the 1st airfix kit and the Matchbox kit in the late 70's and a Hasegawa kit a few years later ...

I guess that the newer Airfix , Academy and Revell are better detailed ?..

Best regards 

Patrice 

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Hi All

 

I have just about finished assembling the items for a Coastal Command B-17 in 1/48 so will sign up for this one. Resin2Detail has/had an interesting range of B-17 parts and more planned. Perhaps writing to him to promote the GB and express interest may be good. There was an XB-36 planned in 48th (undoubtedly the most beautiful version) which I'd love to see built.

Almost forgot: For those with older decal sheets Kitsworld do some very nice national markings & Stencil sheets to make any B-17 pop. 

Edited by SleeperService
I need more coffee.
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I've got an Airfix B-17 in the stash so count me in. Deciding what to do with it will be the difficult bit - I have various plans in mind, including firebombers, engine testbeds and the one with the Fulton Skyhook that was used at the end of a Bond film.

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1 hour ago, TEMPESTMK5 said:

Hi VP 

I see you are very confident about the future of this Gb 🤩..

I had built  the 1st airfix kit and the Matchbox kit in the late 70's and a Hasegawa kit a few years later ...

I guess that the newer Airfix , Academy and Revell are better detailed ?..

Best regards 

Patrice 

Take a look at the previous B-17 STGB, it's a treasure trove of prototype information, kit/decal references and real modeler's build threads of practically every 1:72 Fortress kit in the market back then!

 

28 minutes ago, SleeperService said:

Hi All

 

I have just about finished assembling the items for a Coastal Command B-17 in 1/48 so will sign up for this one. Resin2Detail has/had an interesting range of B-17 parts and more planned. Perhaps writing to him to promote the GB and express interest may be good. There was an XB-36 planned in 48th (undoubtedly the most beautiful version) which I'd love to see built.

Almost forgot: For those with older decal sheets Kitsworld do some very nice national markings & Stencil sheets to make any B-17 pop. 

Thanks, I may just do that! There's actually need to get some very visible detail parts that both the Airfix and Revell kits for God's sake I don't know why miss - pitot tube, antennas etc. Really!

 

23 minutes ago, zebra said:

I've got an Airfix B-17 in the stash so count me in. Deciding what to do with it will be the difficult bit - I have various plans in mind, including firebombers, engine testbeds and the one with the Fulton Skyhook that was used at the end of a Bond film.

Ever since seeing that scene for the first time I have wondered how they planned to land that plane, with two people hanging from the nose?

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1 hour ago, vppelt68 said:

Ever since seeing that scene for the first time I have wondered how they planned to land that plane, with two people hanging from the nose?

Luckily the dangling people get winched inside!

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2 hours ago, RJ-WobblyHands said:

Count me in - I have the Revell 'Memphis Belle' kit in the stash but she will be built as a plane from the 381st based at RAF Ridgewell :)

Welcome! I bet you like my signature too. Are you planning to do the Sweet'n'Lovely? V-P

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8 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

I thought so too, but never got to finding out how they do that!

There was a door (or even just a hole!) where the rear turret used to be. Must have been a pretty small door - not sure I'd have wanted to be squeezed through it! If anyone knows of a good photo of the tail end of N809Z in this configuration, I'd love to see it - I've found decent photos of pretty much everything else. I've been thinking about this one for a while!

 

Aside from the Bond film, it was used for real at least once in CIA Project COLDFEET in 1962 - two people were parachuted into an abandoned Soviet arctic ice station to extract equipment and information. Apparently it required three extractions using the Fulton Skyhook system, one for the Soviet equipment and one each for the men (unlike the end of Thunderball they apparently didn't have two people use it at once!). There's a bit more info on it here.

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7 minutes ago, RJ-WobblyHands said:

 

Yes 99% certain she will be Sweet'n'Lovely :)

A nice one, with a daunting modification required to reverse the cheek gun staggering order (left in the middle window, right in the forward window) from the latter G models! 🍿will be required. V-P

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A bit more on the B-17 that was fitted with the Fulton Skyhook system (N809Z), which I'm a little bit obsessed with: It has a pretty interesting postwar history - used by the CIA for clandestine missions over China in the '50s, then acquired by Intermountain Aviation (a CIA front company) in 1962 and fitted with the Skyhook system, as used in project COLDFEET. Converted to an air tanker and used for firefighting from 1969, then acquired by Evergreen International Aviation (or Evergreen Helicopters as it was named at the time, also said to have been linked to the CIA) in 1975, re-registered as N207EV, and used in firefighting until 1985. It was later restored to its original B-17G configuration and flown as a warbird carrying its original USAAF serial 44-83785. It's still airworthy and has recently been purchased by the Collings Foundation to replace their B-17 Nine-O-Nine which was tragically lost in a fatal accident in 2019.

 

A fascinating aeroplane that I really need to build a model of!

 

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13 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

 

Oooooh, so shiny. Really shows off the yellow and green.

In the text, they mention a couple crews that flew her. Given a little time I can come up with all crews (and crew members) that flew her on each specific mission if anyone really wants to get technical with a build of that Century Ship from the 447th. There were several planes from Rattlesden that hit the 100-mission mark. A bunch of heroes there and all over England at the time!

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I am interested as well. I thought I had two in the stash, but then I thought about the Matchbox version as well. So I have two in 1/72 and one in 1/48. 

 

Cheers, 

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On 17/09/2021 at 23:45, RJ-WobblyHands said:

 

Yes 99% certain she will be Sweet'n'Lovely :)

I have tried to keep my hands off F models and concentrate on G models - there's enough of variety within the series to last a lifetime - but 42-30721 just looks to desirable to pass by, with a dedicated set of decals and all. With a twist, of course, meaning I'd go for her regular bomber-duty look she wore before being re-assigned to those stripy radio relay operations. I've tried to find out if the F-115-BO block was one of those with red lined national insignia. Can you help me with that? V-P

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Goodness knows where I'm going to put a 3rd B-17 V-P, I can't believe you talked me into this so easily :shrug:

 

Now to try and swap a Hasegawa late B-17 "Bit of Lace" for the "Memphis Belle", it's just plain wrong to not have this one in a collection isn't it :like:

 

Cheers Pat 

 

 

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