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

Hans...Glad to have in our little build here, I cant to see what you do with that kit.

Summit.....Great idea building wulf hound, I want to do one of those but just cant bring myself to putting swastikas on one myself, even though I do have 2 captured mustangs lined up after the 17's are done. Then it's right back into another B-17!! I'm looking forward to seeing how your comes along. What decals are you using?

Summit again.......I did my O2 tanks by using 1/4" solid styrene rod cut to lenght then chucking them in the drill like tiny said. I used a metal file to round the ends, went much faster then a sanding stick, man, there was shaved styrene alll over the place, good thing I decided early on to go do it in the garage. I ended up making 18 of them, 4 smaller ones from kit sprue.It took forever but I think it was worth it. I actually started the 1 G model about a year ago, been working on it and the F model on and off since. I was only planning on just doing very basic painting on the interior then just slap it together. Then I got on these forums and stopped working the G for a bit reading all these tips cheats and tricks here and got to thinking. THEN, someone on arc was talking about converting a G to an F, I decided I wanted to try it, started working on the idea of how and got carried away. Then the F model got to about the same point of construction as the G was so I just started building them side by side. Wow! I talk alot, sorry about that. 

Freddie.....I'd love to see your work, you say it's a late G, I assume cheyenne tail?

FM Model and Greg......welcome aboard, the more the merrier, the people to learn things from.

Tiny....love the new avatar, where'd ya find that? I'd love to have that for a desktop background.

Man, this thing is really taking off here, we actually be able to do an actual group build here. I've never done one myself so I dont know all the rules.......ah screw it, No rules! Except one very important rule......HAVE FUN!!

EDIT: Almost forgot, the straps for the o2 tanks were made by cutting a piece of masking tape to rough lenght that would wrap around the tanks, stick said tape on to my cutting mat and painting it silver. The hard part is using a ruler and cutting the tape into very thin strips then peeling them off, one by one, 2 per tank.

Hey guys...The weather here in Windsor has been terrible this weekend, so I've had plenty of time to work on the Fort.  I added some scratch built oxygen tanks to the forward cockpit and to the rear gunners compartment.

As mentioned before, i opened up the cockpit door and I've pretty much done all I can do with the fuselage half untill I get the bomb racks in the mail (Thanks again). 

I wouldn't mind adding some ammunition belts from the boxes to the guns...any suggestions on how to do that guys?  Please let me know, I think it would look awsome!

I found the Avtar pic on google...click on images and you'll find hundreds of pics of this bird. 

I just remembered I had pics of a B-17 from the Barksdale AFB in Shreveport Louisiana.  I was down there working for a few months and went to the museum at the base...check her out!

If anyone would like to see some more pics of various planes that were at the museum, let me know...i got pics of a B-29, B-52, P51 Mustang, SR-71 Black Bird...etc.

Tiny - That is some Sweet Progress, such a shame to close it up. I plan on building one of my "G -models" with the transparent fuse just to show off everything.

B17-Guy - For the Isng.# I will be robbing the numbers from two "Memphis Belle" kits (124485) the Wulf Hound as you know (124585) . Since I mostly build German Aircraft I have a healthy supply of Hakenkreuz and Balkenkreuz decals. For the faded out B and the DLXC I will stencil them out on frisket paper and paint them on.

I got the "Ball Turrent" plug fabbed out and bent to match the fuse bottom this afternoon, now I am mating up the wing halves. Yesterday I dipped cleaned and dipped all the "Glass" in Future. Nothing picture worthy but time consuming.

Tiny - for ammo belts maybe you could use some masking tape or perhaps scribe some .010" styrene ? Or better yet roll out some Millput and scribe it with a Razor saw to replicate the ammo belts

Yah, I know it'll be a crime to cover up the details, but I just want to make a realistic looking aircraft...perhaps I'll build another some day with the clear half. 

I think it will be okay as long as its well photographed and documented.  In case I decide to put it in any shows or competitions.

that ship is looking good tiny, I'm bout as close as you are to getting the fuse closed up for paint. I want to get some pics with everything installed before I do that though, .......still waiting for the wife to clear the camera........

I'm probably gonna start on the gun turrets tommorrow for both aircraft. I'm still debating which top turret the F is going to get, the shorter one or the taller one.....hhmmm. I'll probably go shorter, all the G's will have the taller one.

Hey Guys,

I wish to join in this build.  I have a monogram, B-17G that's been languishing in the "Finish it someday" pile, that I can get busy with.  I have a lot of it done, but I also have a long way to go.  Thanks for giving me the boot in the kiester I needed to get back on track.  The markings I will use, will be a B-17G flown by my uncle, Lt Orten H Symer, 349th BS, 100th BG(H) during the summer of 1944.  He completed thirty three missions over Germany.  Again I wish to say thank the crew here and have a reat build,OORAH!

Regards,

Freddie from LI

 He Folks,

I have some detail shots of a B-17 that visited a museum I volunteer at this pasy Labor Day.  Here are a few shots of the engine areas and landing gear, for those who wish to add detail... 

I hope these prove to be useful to everyone.  Have a great day and get busy, OORAH!!

Regards,

Freddie from LI

-Tiny- wrote:

I wouldn't mind adding some ammunition belts from the boxes to the guns...any suggestions on how to do that guys?  Please let me know, I think it would look awsome!

I recently noticed that nylon wire ties look a lot like flexible metal ammo feed chutes, in miniature.  I haven't tried this yet, but if sections of these ties can be heated to hold curved shapes after cooling, a piece shaped accordingly could then be glued between the ammo box and the gun.  The little "teeth" strip would go up, painted brass, the rest painted dull silver.  They come in many different sizes, too. 

Too bad you didn't get a chance at the Pro Modeler B17, Tiny.. It comes with photo-etched ammo chutes, plus a panel, belts, ring sights for the waist, cheek, and radio guns, wiring harnesses, etc..

I ordered the Eduard 1/48 Photo Etch Set B17G Flying Fortress kit from Tower Hobbies.com, so I'm hoping some of these items comes with it...although I think it's mostly exterior parts...window framing, vents and coweling...etc.  If not, I'm gonna try the wire tie trick...I think that will look very close.

RobbieD wrote:

Good luck, and please let us know if it works.  Your build, and the others, are looking incredibly good so far; inspiring work, all.

Thanks Robbie!

-Tiny- wrote:

I ordered the Eduard 1/48 Photo Etch Set B17G Flying Fortress kit from Tower Hobbies.com, so I'm hoping some of these items comes with it...although I think it's mostly exterior parts...window framing, vents and coweling...etc.  If not, I'm gonna try the wire tie trick...I think that will look very close.

Betcha they don't look like these ammo chutes, lol..

So I've hit a small snag with my F model. The major interior piece for the nose compartment is just a bit too short for the nose I'm gonna put on, the front of the floor where the bomb sight sits is too far back from the edge of the nose exterior where the plexi nose cone will mount. But I think I can fix that fairly easily, if I cut the floor in under the navigator's table in the middle so there is flat floor on either side of the cut. I can use a piece of polystyrene sheet cut to fit, then glue that to the bottom of each side of the cut with some space in there to extend it out just a bit, I think I'll be ok. But that F nose is not going to be fun to put together!

I dont have pics but I dry fitted the wings to my taped closed fuselage on the G, plus all landing gear in place unglued, work's pretty good. Not much else. 

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Can you cut the floor aft of the bombardier's seat and scab in a piece of styrene decking to extend it?

That's what I'm doing below the navigators desk so that it will not be seen when finnished, I just gotta figure out the measurement.

Freddie - Thanks for the pics, now if I can just replicate those Turbos with Paint...

While the rest of you Fort Pilots have been out on the town with grabbing the attention of the pretty girls, Ground Maintenance has been working away.

The wings on the "F" have been challenging to say the least. The Starboard wing had a few quirks. If you lined up one nacelle the other was about 1mm short on the outside from mating up. I used a piece of .010" styrene shim for filler to blend it in.

The leading edge's got a little help from some stretched sprue.

Plus plenty of filing, sanding and some squadron Green helped fill in the valleys.

The Port side wing will only need a little Squadron Green and it will be good to go!

Well Guys,

Here she is, as she sits before I get back to work.  Looking pretty bad huh?  I have to touch this up.  I'll give it a bath, and clean up the dirt on the wings and tail.  Don't yell at me to much.

Here is some of the work done on the details.  Ball and top turret, landing gear legs with the brake plumbing, waist and radio defensive MG's and to answer one of the posts I received, this is the Pro Modeler kit with the Cheyanne tail turret.

Regards,

Freddie from LI

Summit - Hmm, my favorite thing to do in the whole wide world...putty and sanding.  As you can probaby tell...I'm kidding.  I hate doing that crap...but the more time one is willing to put into it makes the finnished product look that much better. 

Have fun with her...she's lookin' good so far...Keep it up bud.

Freddie - A little dusty eh?  Just kidding bud...she's gonna look sweet.  I can tell you're nutts about detail.  Brake plumbing eh?...not such a bad idea.  Any chance you could take some closer more detailed pics of that?  Where do the other end of the lines go? 

Dusty?  You're to kind to say the least.  I started her back in June of 2004, planned on giving her to my uncle Sy.  Lt. Orten H Symer who was a pilot in the 349th FS, 100th BG (H).  On Veterans Day, 2004 my uncle passed away and that, took the wind out of the sails for this project.  I've puttered about with it here and there but never got a lot done.  Just what you see in the pics.  Now, after seeing this GB, it's like my uncle tellling me to "poop or get off the pot".  I think it's time to finish "his" ship and honor him and the crew that flew with him.  He took his B-17 over Germany thirty three times and brought it, and his crew home each time.  Thanks for helping get the lead out!

Freddie

PS  I'll post a few more pics of the LG asemblies from a few different angles so you can see what I did.

I can see why that would put the build on hold.  your grandfather would be proud of what you're doing...I know we are. 

I dont think she's looking too bad freddie, considering how long she's been sitting. Where's the chin turret and astrome? Is the nose cone glued on? I'm trying to figure out how your gonna get the chin turret and astro dome put in. The LG's and guns look great.

Keep up the good work summit.

Hey tiny, I forgot to ask, what tail are you planning to put on your fort? The stinger or cheyenne? Just curious.

I'll get some new pics up in the next few days he to update. I just closed up the G model's fuselage, she's ready for sand and paint. I'm trying to work on the F's nose problem, we'll see how that goes. Wish me luck.