1/48 B-17 Group Build...ALL INVITED TO JOIN!

Had some nice weather over the weekend.  Got some exhaust stains and a sealer on.  Now its raining, so I guess I'll have to wait to put on the semi-gloss coat to make it look used.

Exhaust Stains Left and right:

Since radials are dirty engines, had to do some on the top as well

After the semi-gloss, just need to add some small bits and pieces and I can call her done.  After a couple of years she's 95% done.  Hope this gets ya'll motivated to finish yours as well.

Nicely done so far ,please post the finish.

The staining looks nice, I like it heavier myself. I'm thinking you could ad some more at the end of the exhausts on the lower wings after the turbo charger, I dont see any exhaust coming from there.

That's not the kit tailwheel is it? Lokk's better than kit. What is it?

Looking realy good. I hope mine turns out half as good as what you got here

B-17 Guy

That's not the kit tailwheel is it? Lokk's better than kit. What is it?

Yep, not the kit tailwheel.  Its one of the many (and I do mean many) updates I added to the kit.  The tailwheel, as well as the main gear, minus the main wheel tires, came from the Verlinden B-17 Update set.  The main wheel tires are the True Details resin set.  The actual tire for the tailwheel was part of the Verlinden set.  It looks a whole lot better than the kit supplied one.  I was thinking of trying the SAC wheel set for another one of my B-17s, though I haven't bought one of those sets yet.

Oh and the stains on the bottom are darker than they appear in the pics.  The pic of the top turned out good, but the ones of the bottom picked up more light the way I was holding it.

Haven't been here in a good minute ....

You guys are doing some great work here!!! And yes .... I'm very motivated to get mine finished up! ... but its not going to happen very soon. Maybe this coming fall/ winter ...

... I think that's what I say every year!?!?!

Got some work done on the 17. Got all the clear pieces installed and the ball turret. Just need the rest of the guns, bombbay and doors, and well of course the props.

The ball turret installed

Got the lower antenna wire installed as well

And finally the nose clear piece was the last of the clear pieces to be installed, had to add the Norden bomb sight first.

Hopefully have her done by the weekend!  After two years, I can finally say she is done!

Nice work pilot, I like the nose art.

How you gonna get the cheek guns in?

Nice! Looking forward to an o/a shot.

B-17 Guy

How you gonna get the cheek guns in?

Thanks!  The breech  to the cheek and waist guns are already installed, just need to add the barrels.  Left all of them off so I won't break them off while painting.

FINALLY!  She's finished. That's right I got my B-17 done, and it only took well, let's just say longer than expected.

The bombbay has been installed, along with the doors.

The finished B-17

I also submitted a couple of photos to the reader's gallery, so maybe they will publish it.

Hope ya'll like!  Now onto my B-17D!

Outstanding job.  I hope mine comes out half as nice.

Oh My Goodness, that is one more great job.

Thanks for sharing this one

Tony Lee

Very well done Jeremy.I cant wait until next year to get on mine.Very nice weathering as well ,not too overdone. thanks for posting the pix.

Thanks, but I think you're confusing me with B-17 Guy.  I'm not Jeremy.

Well done, Pilot!!!  Nice job!!

I've ogt some other things on my plate at the moment, but I'm thinking about bringing mine down from the shelf this weekend for a little work. Maybe ... JUUUUST maybe .... if I finish a little piece here and there I can be done w/ mine by the end of the year.

Oops my apologies ...........

Hey guys, I was wondering if this build was still going on.  I got a B-17G diorama I've been working on  on and off for almost 3 years, and plan on finishing it this summer.

I think this one has been on for a while .I wont have mine till oct '11.Lets see a pic of your dio.

Yeah its a never ending build.  Feel free to join.  Post lots of pics!  Can't wait to see your dio!

to the build and forums!

Well I'm at college right now so I won't be able to post some pics or start work again for about a month yet.  I will say though that it aint pretty right now.  I'm in the porcess of stripping the paint and now decided to detach the wings after watching a video on how to properly do it with virtually no seam. 

I guess I'll say right now on some of the improvements I'm putting into this build.  All machine guns are either replaced or modified with resin pieces from Verlinden and Quickboost, along with ammo belts and sights.  All hatches are opened and replaced with Paragon doors and dropped flaps are from Paragon too.  Then I'm also adding main wheels from True Details.  Various other details throughout the plane are scratchbuilt too.

With the markings I'm using some kit decals but also purchased an Eagle Strike/Aeromaster sheet to model "Man O War II" from the 322nd BS 91st BG.  Using the 91st bomb group web site I was able to find daily mission listings from 1944; this bird was commissioned in february of 1944.  So I found a particular mission where Man O War received major damage ( i had previously planned on building another bird and had already made damage), and I narrowed it down to an April 11th 1944 mission over Gotthem, Germany to attack a Focke Wulf plant.  This was the plane's 16th mission and my diorama will be right after it returned to Bassingbourn.

I should also say that I dont really have a diorama set out yet, but I do have all the figures and a jeep from Tamiya.  There is however a build on the internet that I got alot of inspiration from and my diorama should look somewhat the same.

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Fea1/301-400/Fea395_B-17_Perry/00a.shtm

redraider56

I guess I'll say right now on some of the improvements I'm putting into this build.  All machine guns are either replaced or modified with resin pieces from Verlinden and Quickboost, along with ammo belts and sights.  All hatches are opened and replaced with Paragon doors and dropped flaps are from Paragon too.  Then I'm also adding main wheels from True Details.  Various other details throughout the plane are scratchbuilt too.

Sounds like you're doing what I did.  I put a lot of extra details in mine.  Replaced the flaps, doors, guns, and a couple of the glass pieces.  Over the summer I hope to get back to my D version and finish her up.

Hey, redraider, welcome to the party pal! This a never ending group build, so feel free to post pics of your work when you can, looking forward to seeing what you do.

Pilot.....you've got a D model going? 48th scale right, koster conversion I assume? Got pics yet? I'd love to see that build, especially the conversion work. I plan on starting that build this summer (hopefully) I'm not looking forward to some of it, but we'll see.

Yea, I was only going to replace the guns, but the more research I did and the more builds I looked at, I just kept adding detail anywhere and then I just kept adding and adding and couldn't stop so I'm hoping it will turn out to be good.

Guy, I got two of the Koster conversions that have not been started as well.  The D I am currently working on I got from ebay, which is also a Koster conversion (which means I have three total).  It was started and then broke apart (bought it that way), so I figured I would get some experience with the conversion set by fixing the D before I started one of the other unfinished kits.  I have glued it back to together, as it split close to where the new tail section attaches.  I got a replacement set of glass pieces from Koster as the ones installed are all painted over with bits of dried glue on them.  Hopefully I'll gain some knowlodege while fixing this one that will help me with the other two conversions.

Here is where she is at right now.

As you can see, just past the wing root is where she broke in two.  It can't be seen in this photo, but a piece of lower fuselodge broke off and I'll have to replace it.  I'll be removing the cockpit window and nose cone and replace them with new ones.  I'll also have to see if the tape covering the small window openings let paint through.  But this is basically how I got her, except that she was in two pieces.  Oh the original builder started the conversion from a G kit.

I'll take more pics when I start working on her again.

Looks like that D has a bit of work to be done on it, but  I'm sure it'll look awesome when its done

Yeah, the more I look it over the more things I noticed need to be done on her to fix her up.

I feel the same about my G.  Everytime I think I'm ready to get the paint out I keep finding things to fix.  I didn't thin the plastic like I'm supposed to make the damage, so I'm gonna try covering the damaged panels with bare metal foil and then poking through holes since the metal is thin.  Other than that I just have to take off the wings, which is gonna suck, reattach them  properly and then fix up the damage.