Ol' Scrapiron Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 4 hours ago, vppelt68 said: isn't that just the regular early waist hatch The window obviously opened all three panels as the wind deflector is well forward of the clear plexi panel. If the early Forts had solid left and right panels I guess I never noticed. Maybe it is just the stark difference in white vs. the dark interior, and it isn't as noticeable on an OD fuselage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I'll try and remember to dig out my Fortress in Coastal Command Service book when I get in and see if there's more info on that Fort, VP. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 16 hours ago, Ol' Scrapiron said: The window obviously opened all three panels as the wind deflector is well forward of the clear plexi panel. If the early Forts had solid left and right panels I guess I never noticed. Maybe it is just the stark difference in white vs. the dark interior, and it isn't as noticeable on an OD fuselage. It looks like it has been there from the very first E models, see here https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/41-2393/41-2393-photo/ (many other E models in that block seem to display that too) 2 hours ago, 81-er said: I'll try and remember to dig out my Fortress in Coastal Command Service book when I get in and see if there's more info on that Fort, VP. James That would be just awesome, thanks! V-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ol' Scrapiron Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 4 hours ago, vppelt68 said: It looks like it has been there from the very first E models, see here https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/41-2393/41-2393-photo/ I just had not noticed that on the early models. Good to know. Also of note in the photo at that link: The info states the first flight was with "Eddie Alan" -- they of course mean Eddie Allen -- a good friend of mine is married to Eddie's granddaughter and their son was in school and scouts with my son. On one of our early campouts, he mentioned that he was interested in the large vinyl B-17 tails on my car. I told him I was pretty into B-17s (LOL) and he said their family liked B-17s as well, but they were particularly proud of the B-29. It wasn't until later that he revealed his connection to Eddie Allen. Pretty awesome. A few years ago I quietly did a digital painting of a B-29 and put it in the markings of 42-24579 that wore nose art as a tribute to Eddie Allen, and then surprised them with two 10x40" prints -- one for their home (although he may have displayed it at his office at Boeing) and one to present to his mother-in-law (Eddie's daughter) Of course, Eddie was Boeing's test pilot for many of their aircraft going back to the bi-plane days (including the B-17), but his heroics during the tragedy with the Superfortress have forever linked that plane with his history. Just for context, here's one of the 10x40 prints before framing 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snafu35 Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Good evening all, I'm much (too) late getting back to my message about the forthcoming Master of the Air series. Old scrapiron reacted by thinking that I was talking about "frying pans", which are quite close to each other. It is obvious that in order to fill the screen, to mass and multiply the visual details, the film director(s) will concentrate the action. The same applies when we see a group of soldiers advancing compactly across the screen. I remember what I used to say in training: Keep your distance! But reproducing reality would only show a few men, which would not represent what the director wanted to show. I don't mind the proximity of the dispersal zones, and what's interesting is the diagram VP has shared. Incidentally, I'd already found this one on the Britmodeller forum (before I signed up, in fact), and used the measurements to build one as the basis for a diorama: What caught my eye about this photo?: it was the markings on the planes that intrigued me. Let me explain: The round roundel without ear was used from 6 May 1942 to 28 June 1943. The legs (or ears) edged in red were used from 28 June 1943 to 31 July 1943. Blue replaced red from 31 July 1943. In May 1943, the 8th Air Force was reorganised, and geometric codes with a letter were assigned to the 6 Bombardment Groups. These signs of recognition were introduced in June 1943. Old Scrapiron's reaction made me say: me and my big mouth, I've said something stupid again! So rather than go ahead with my model project, I did some research. I've found profiles with this kind of decoration, like this one: 42-3082/ Double Trouble was assigned to 94 BG on 10 June 1943 and destroyed on 4 October 1943. I wonder if this B17 only wore the star without a limb during its short life, which nevertheless took it over Schweinfurt... . In Osprey issue 18 devoted to the B17, a profile of 41-24490 Jack The Ripper shows this B17 with a roundel without ears, and with the 91BG insignia on the tail fin, while a photo in Squadron Pride Of Seattle page 47 shows it with legs surrounded by a deep blue (for me this is not a red border). I recognise that there have been B17s with these markings, like this one: 42-30157 Hells Bells, assigned to 323BS/91BG on 10/06/1943, crashed on landing at Bassingbourn on 30 July 1943. I therefore believe that there were very few B17s with these markings, although this choice was certainly dictated by the visual impact to be created for the viewer. I'm sorry if I've wasted your time reading this. By the way, Old Scrap', you certainly have a talent for drawing! 👍 Finally, because the subject revolves around the airfields that hosted B17s, I'm also trying to reproduce scenes of life on these bases. I took inspiration from photos for these subjects: and so on... Regards, Eric-Snafu35 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 You are very good at both building and displaying your models, Eric About the changes in national insignia, well, I believe those are the official dates of the changes. Maybe the B-V-D production line painters followed them closely, but the front line units, well, they all didn't. It looks very much like there were several B-17:s that hopped from the round star directly to blue and white bars, missing the red lined phase completely. Then there were planes with red lined insignia months after the colour was changed to blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ol' Scrapiron Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 OK, I drifted off on the shape of the hardstand. But you caused me to look harder at the planes and now I see something I overlooked. The adjacent hardstands have planes from different squadrons: XR for the 349th BS and LN for the 350th. Makes me wonder if the other sides have codes EP and LD for the other two squadrons or if the show will focus on the two squadrons. I'm actually surprised they aren't from a single squadron and they could just swap out AC letters to depict different planes. We'll see in a few months I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 On 10/9/2023 at 10:54 AM, vppelt68 said: I have B-17 kits planned to be built in both Airfix and Frog Classic GB:s next year. The Frog kit depicts an E model. Although I have a certain 8th AF B-17E I'd like to model, one day, it was a plane with the later cheek window layout whereas the Frog kit comes with the earlier, triple small windows. A perfect kit to be decorated as RAF Coastal Command Fortress Mk.IIA! So I went looking for and found among them FK186 (see here her pic: https://www.memorialflightclub.com/blog/raf-coastal-command-versus-u-boats-–-february-1943). It was apparently never equipped with those ASV antenna thingys (see mention here: https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/?s=fk186). I just need to sample the decals - serial number, large grey S and a smaller red one. Yes . V-P Sorry for the late reply, VP, but having looked through the book all I can add that's not already on the information on the second link is that she wasn't fitted with an astrodome (although you can see that from the photo). I can confirm that she wasn't fitted with the ASV antenna James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 I heard a rumour that we'd might be granted an extension, now wouldn't it be good? Yes, my entire youth took place in the eighties 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 5 hours ago, vppelt68 said: I heard a rumour that we'd might be granted an extension, now wouldn't it be good? Yes, my entire youth took place in the eighties If true, you'll feel that you can step back in time. Aww, come on... I'm only a year out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 6 minutes ago, Enzo the Magnificent said: If true, you'll feel that you can step back in time. Aww, come on... I'm only a year out. I should be so lucky to imagine Kylie been stepped back in time when the B-17:s covered the skies. I'm sure her pretty little @ $ $ would've been painted to adore one of those aircraft! Although her best assets weren't yet uncovered in that video, she looked like a girl from Neighbours But that nose art wouldn't have looked at all like Judy's little equivalent! https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/?s=Judy's+little+bottom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 It's official! The Magnificent SAD (meaning just Strategic Air Depot, nothing else) has field modified this GB with extended range, so called "Two Weeks Over Tokyo". Wait, I'm mixing something now... anyway, we have a two week extension and the new end date is now 19th November. Thanks! To wrap up the warp in time that took us from the WW2 to the Eighties, here's all of that in one single package: "Neil Tennant" rapping over the ubiquitous, copious and neverending Stock-Aitken-Waterman beat with "Depeche Mode" on the video. The KLF, an art project worth a million pounds! Now let's finally get back to modelling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Unlikely to be enough to get mine done but least its given me some motivation to crack on 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snafu35 Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Good evening Vp This is a great news! Building a four-engined aircraft takes longer than building any other model, especially if we don't have any holidays today to build it. It's really motivating and I hope to finish at least one model by this new deadline. Many thanks to you, Enzo and Vp!🥰 Regards, Eric-Snafu35 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 1 hour ago, vppelt68 said: The KLF, an art project worth a million pounds! Okay everybody, lie down on the floor and keep calm. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperService Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 I'm truly thankful for the two weeks extra. The wings on my project are still fighting tooth and nail... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted November 19, 2023 Author Share Posted November 19, 2023 Dear friends of the mighty B-17, the group build is closing. Congratulations to all you who have managed to or will manage to finish your builds in time I'm sorry I couldn't push my builds fast enough towards the 🏁 even I'm the host . Somehow the mini-kits called a B-17 wing in these Revell kits got the best of me. Less time spent in GB Bunfight Chat etc on the forum might have helped, though . The Inspiration Gallery will remain open and I hope all of us late finishers add an entry there when finish our builds. Thanks again Enzo for setting this up for us 👍. V-P 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted November 20, 2023 Author Share Posted November 20, 2023 The POLL is open, go and VOTE! V-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted November 22, 2023 Author Share Posted November 22, 2023 Oh come on gentlemen, the poll has gained just eight votes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted November 27, 2023 Author Share Posted November 27, 2023 We have the winner! In the end nine members voted for their favorite B-17 build. The third spot was split between three builds by @CliffB, @theplasticsurgeon and @LorenSharp. Congratulations! The silver went to our very own @Enzo the Magnificent, congratulations and a big Thank You again for setting this up and running the group build section for us! The victory was clear, though. @Dunny built a masterpiece and got a whopping 44,4% of the votes . Congratulations, Roger! Thank you all for participating this group build! Let's not forget this GB thread, I hope all of us (me and my co-host @reini (kiitos!) included) who finish our B-17 builds late will add pics to the Inspiration gallery. V-P 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunny Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 2 minutes ago, vppelt68 said: We have the winner! In the end nine members voted for their favorite B-17 build. The third spot was split between three builds by @CliffB, @theplasticsurgeon and @LorenSharp. Congratulations! The silver went to our very own @Enzo the Magnificent, congratulations and a big Thank You again for setting this up and running the group build section for us! The victory was clear, though. @Dunny built a masterpiece and got a whopping 44,4% of the votes . Congratulations, Roger! Thank you all for participating this group build! Let's not forget this GB thread, I hope all of us (me and my co-host @reini (kiitos!) included) who finish our B-17 builds late will add pics to the Inspiration gallery. V-P Wow - thank you very much for that, and many thanks to both of you (and Enzo) for hosting a great GB! Cheers, Roger 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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