Beginnings of a very visible B-17G - new pics 1/19

That's a whopper project Fred I have one I want to build also, but I'll wait for a bit.

Looking good though. Keep on it and let us know how it goes.

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Gigatron wrote: Thanks, everyone .  I have a feeling this kit is going to take a long time to finish.  Besides the AM parts, the scratchbuilding is taking me forever.  There's so many electrical lines running the length of the fuselage.  I know I won't be able to reproduce them all, but even getting some of them adds a lot of time to the build.  Then there's artistic license - do I sacrifice authenticity or scale?  For instance, there's a raised walkway that runs around the ball turret; but the kit doesn't give enough room to add the floor in the proper size at the correct location.  So, do I omit the floor or make it way out of scale? I'd scratch-build it, m'self...

Does anyone know if that half-walkway going around the ball turret is an ACTUAL walkway that was standard from the factory on war-time B-17s or is it one of those add-ons that was built into a B-17 that's on the current air-show circuits for paying customers would have someplace to step/walk?

Eric

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Huxy wrote: And I ask a very basic question.. scale? Revellogram, 1/48, the only Visible B-17..

Thanks, Roy and Drew

After I resolved the issue of the misaligned halves (for the most part), I did some more detailing.  The radio room, minus the gun, is done, as is 99% of the waist section.  The toilet's in place, but I can't seem to find reference for toilet paper.  Also, I'm looking for a good cross-section of the area between the 7th bulkhead and the tailgunner.  I know the tailwheel retracts up into there, but I'm looking to jazz up the kit.

I also ended gluing the ball turret into place because the kit's mount is so weak, it's annoying.  The turret wobbles and flops around, so it was just easier to glue it so it doesn't rotate.  I've also sprayed the clear half with Future and I'm waiting for that to cure so I can do the other side.

I'll temp-mount the radio room into place and snap a pic so there's an idea of where I'm at.

-Fred

Well, made some progress - the waist is finished as is the tail gunner.  Still trying to figure out what is between the tailwheel and the tail gunner.  Maybe nothing's there and that's why I can't find decent info.

Anyway, on to the pics

overall pic

waist and radio room

tail section

Enjoy the continuing madness

-Fred

Still trying to figure out what is between the tailwheel and the tail gunner.

There's another bulkhead similar to the front one, aft of the tail wheel, and also a bunch of "stuff" that's part of the elevator bell-cranks, stabilizer cross-members, rudder cable pulley system and such...  You'd be better off to "suggest it" rather than duplicate it though... It was a tight fit for a gunner in flightgear to get back into the fuselage through there...

Well, it's been a while and I've made some progress.  I know there are people who have built entire kits in the time it has taken me to get this far, but I'm hoping this will be the "be all, end all" of visible B-17Gs.

So, on to the pics;

First up, an overall of the fuselage as she stands today

Now, on to the bombadier's and navigator's station.  For the navigator, I added a map, a clipboard and even a compass (the drawing kind, not the navigator kind).  I'm thinking of adding a ruler as well, I just haven't gotten to it, yet.

Next, the cockpit.  Not much scratchbuildinggoing on here, as Eduard gives you more than you could possibly ever want.

More pics of the radio room

The waist section of the 17.  The scratchbuilt parts include the ball turret walk-around and the center floor.  I've also added some wiring along the wall.

And the tail wheel.  I couldn't find any pictures of what goes on in there, so I added what I could see - the oleo strut and a brace.  The box is scratchbuilt to kinda fudge the connection point since I can't find details of the real deal.  I also added the last bulkhead and the aileron control shaft.

I'm working on installing the seatbelts on the pilot's seats, so those will be next.  I'm also halfway through building the cockpit's rear bulkhead.  After that, it's on to the bom bay

Enjoy.

-Fred

A very beautiful WIP. I can not wait to see more! I've had my B-17 for twenty years now and you are giving me the itch to finally blow the dust off the box and start building it.

Great job and good luck.

Charlie

Thats a great looking build, I love detailed planes and don't know how I missed this thread. I've done 2 'clear' planes and if I may make a suggestion regarding the warp problem. Have you thought about making it a cut-away model instead. I did that with a Hasegawa kit since the clear kits gives you so much detail, its a shame to obsure it.  I know it's clear, but the plastic still obsure the inside.

What I did was to cut large swaths of the one side out - irregular cuts are fine - so I can clearly show the innards with no obstruction. This will also solve your problem with the fuselage easily, as you can cut it and the paint and putty will hide the seam. People are much more taken by my cutaway than my clear model.

This was exactly what I wanted to do when I saw Revell reissuing the B-17 clear edition. Just a suggestion.

That is sme seriously quality progress being made there. Great photos as well. Keep it coming.

...Guy

Thanks, guys

I've been putting all my spare time into this bird because I'm afraid I'll get tired of looking at it .  Today, I installed the pilot's seats and did the detail on co-pilot's side controls.  The one nice thing about doing a visible bird is that you only have to add half as much detail.

Waikong, I've been thinking about how I was going to make the best of the display.  I sprayed the clear half with Future and it seems to have really helped with the optical clarity.  When I finally get to that point, I'll try to post some pics with the clear half on (but not glued) to see how it looks.

-Fred

Fred-

I cannot believe how much detail you are putting into this bird!  Looking very good indeed, keep at it, your fans are hungry for more pics!

 BOMBS AWAY!!

Hey gang,

Time for another update.  I have thebomb rack assembled and painted and the cockpit is finally done.

Here is a mockup of the assembled fuselage (minus some guns).  The stations are just placed in, not permanently attached, yet.

Close-up of the office

And a close-up of the bomb rack.  The bomb stripes are all painted on.  I made the bay spotlights, but I'll attach those once the stations are permanently attached.

Enjoy,

Fred

Uhh... the Black Jack chewing gum under the radio operators seat isn't accurate. The USO didn't ship Black Jack gum to the U.K. until late April 1945...

I'm pretty sure U.S.A.A.F. crews only got Wrigleys Spearmint... HAAAAAA! He, he, he...

 LOVE ALL THAT DETAIL, Friend. That's one heck've a job you've done! WONDERFUL STUFF!

Thanks again, guys

I've been adding some wiring to the engines, then it's on to exterior detail.  Painting will have to wait until the weather warms up a bit.  My paintbooth is indoors, but vents out a window, and I'd rather not sit in front of an open window in a new york winter

-Fred

Just AWESOME Gigatron !!! Can't wait to see more of the build. I will be keeping a close eye on this thread.

Wow, Fred, you're doing a fantastic job!  And it's always nice to see someone build this kit, it is such a great kit, even with the little things here and there that may need correcting.  But I love your details!

Just one thing-have you painted the crew, and could we have a preview of them?  I like Monogram's figures as much as the machines.

Regards,

Brad

Fred,

Your build gives me the urge to shake the dust off my old visible B-17 I started back in the 80's.  I scratch built the bomb bay with new roof and side panels to cover the wing root divot.  Also put in the life raft compartment over the bomb bay.  I was going to scalop paint the visible side to leave the most detail areas visible and that way be able to fill, sand and paint the fuselage seams. I was going to build it as a late "F" with chin turrent and open radio compartment and open waist windows.  I got to crawl in the Collin's Foundation B-17 "909" last week.  I took as many pictures as I could.  I should invest in more of Eduard's detail sets.  I have the Color Zoom instrument panel.  Keep up the good work!  The problem with your ammo cans for the ball turrent is that they should be centered over the ball turrent and not to the rear.  The single strut support on each side should be a inverted "V" closer to the turrent.  I'll try and dig out mine and take some pictures next week when I get back home.  I may have some pic's somewhere of one that was at the Lone Star Flight Museum.  You can see this in the excellent picture Hans and Jeaton posted on the first page.

Great work. You're putting a lot of detail into it. But.... about the walkway around the ball turret.

On B-17's through some of the 'G' production, those B-17's with the waist windows directly opposite each other as the Monogram kit has them, the walkway was as depicted in the kit, that is, on the right side of the aircraft (looking forward). The walkway was moved to the left side of the aircraft, as you show it, when the windows were staggered, and the right one moved forward. The walkway was moved to the left side of the turret to allow the right waist gunner more room to manuver.

The length and shape of the walkway was pretty much as depicted in the kit, on either side.

Joe

Thanks, guys

Brad, I don't know if I'm going to do the figures.  They never come out the way I hope, plus I'd have nowhere to put half of them.

Mel, I say break out the kit and finish her off.  See, I'm purposefully not scalloping the paint job, just so I don't have to sand the seams .  As for the ammo cans, I just went with where Eduard says they should be.  Reason being, that there weren't any pictures showing otherwise.  I have the same exact reference material that eduard uses ( a japanese released book on the B-17G).  And from the pictures shown in that book, it looks like the ammo cans mount to the rear face of the vertical strut, meaning they'd be over the rear of the turret and not centered over it.  Had I had other refence that showed otherwise at the time, things may have been constructed differently - oh well....  I was thinking of adding the life rafts and the extra O2 bottles under the cockpit, there just isn't enough physical room.  Had I left out the entrance ramp from the cockpit to the nose section, I most likely would have gotten them to fit.

Hey Joe, the thing with the walkway is pretty much the same with the ball turret ammo cans - the reference didn't really show much.  Especially not in relation to the staggered windows.  I found pictures that showed the walkway on either side of the ball turret and went with the side that was easier to construct.  As far as the kit's concerned, they don't show any walkway.  All they have is the sidewall steps and that's on both sides.

-Fred

  I'd be willing to say its the Cheyenne. 

  See that off color panel underneath the rudder? I'm pretty sure there's supposed to be a window there if it was the older one.

On Monograms part 22 (the radio room floor), just outside the aft radio room bulkhead, are two projections on either side of the piece. They hold the crosspiece the turret snaps into. The projection to sides of the aircraft are  representations of the actual walkarounds.  Still a good build.

Joe

trexx wrote:

I'm pretty sure U.S.A.A.F. crews only got Wrigleys Spearmint... HAAAAAA! He, he, he...

They got plenty of Beeman's..

I dug out my old B-17 and took a few pictures with the wife's digital camera.  The best piece of work was the bomb bay.  Most of it scratch except for the front and rear bulkheads from the kit.  I hadn't installed the center main brace and bomb racks.

In this shot you can see the extra panels I added in front of and behind the bomb bay to hid the indention of the main wing root.  I had to cut back on the tab that locks the wing in position to have clearance for the new bomb bay.  The panel with the lightning holes on top is the compartment for the life rafts.  The birds nest of lines is heavy duty nylon thread to replicate a few of the control lines to the rudder and elevators.