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

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, 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

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

Hans von Hammer wrote:

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

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

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.

Hey guys,

The kit I have is the re-release from earlier this year.  Maybe that's where the difference lies.

I just measured both halves and the solid half measures 44.8cm and the clear half measures 45.2cm.  But, I found that if I tape the tail section together and flex the solid half, I can get the two halves to line up.  It would appear as though my solid half has some warpage to it .

But, it's an easy, albeit, annoying fix.  I'll have to glue it together in sections.  Glue the tail, tape it, let it dry.  Glue the midsection tape it, let it dry, etc. all the way to the end.  But beats the hell out of cutting.

As for the tail gunner, the kit appears to have both styles, but calls for the older style to be used.  It definitely has the older stlyle mount, but it has the glass for the older style and the cheyenne style tails.  The Eduard PE set has details for the older style, so that's what I'm using.  They probably know better than I do.

-Fred

jeaton01 wrote:

In looking at the kit I see another question that will need answering.  The decal diagrams show Cheyenne tail turret installations in both examples, but the instructions and the box art show the earlier tail gun set up.  I found a photo of the tail of Scorchy II but I can't really tell which turret it had in the photo.  Maybe you can, here it is.

Looks like "Scorchy II" had the old tail from what I could find... Here's a screenshot profile.

jeaton01 wrote:

Fred, I opened up my kit and the fit of the clear half to the other is perfect.  I don't understand how that can be unless they have more than one mold, but perhaps you can get a good replacement from Revell USA.  The fuselage moldings are 45 centimeters overall in length.  Perhaps that measurement will help you decide which part is at fault.

I checked all 4 "G's"  that I have, Even the old one that came without a see~through alligned up perfect.

Now I know for a fact the "F" model has a 5mm difference but you would know that half as there is not squat for interior detail moulded in.

Fred, I opened up my kit and the fit of the clear half to the other is perfect.  I don't understand how that can be unless they have more than one mold, but perhaps you can get a good replacement from Revell USA.  The fuselage moldings are 45 centimeters overall in length.  Perhaps that measurement will help you decide which part is at fault.

In looking at the kit I see another question that will need answering.  The decal diagrams show Cheyenne tail turret installations in both examples, but the instructions and the box art show the earlier tail gun set up.  I found a photo of the tail of Scorchy II but I can't really tell which turret it had in the photo.  Maybe you can, here it is.

What if you shortened the clear side, and painted sections of it, leaving just clear sections so you could see the detail? That would also help hide the seam  running down the spine and belly.

Well, this project may have just come to a grinding halt .

Here's a question to the braintrust and Revell - do you jackaninnies measure anything?  Just to test fit, I decided to see how it looked with the clear half on.  Well, lo and behold, from the radio room foward, the clear half is a full 1/4" longer than the other side .

I mean, really, how the do they even manage to pull that off?  The clear side doesn't require anything new.  99% of the master already exists.  All they have to do is reproduce the left hand side in clear.  A monkey can do that.  Maybe Revell needs to hire some monkies.

So now I have 4, completely ridiculous, unnecessary options;

1) Cut 1/4" strip out of the clear side and have to deal with a hideous seam

2) Cut the right side, add 1/4" strip and try to match the contour and detail

3) Somehow, leave the clear side off altogether, creating a problem with mounting the wing

4) leave the clear side off, mounting a piece of plexi in it's place, but still creating a problem with mounting the wing (but at least I won't have to dust the interior.

Option 1 is probably my best bet, but how do I minimize the seam?  I have a JLC razor saw, crystal epoxy and pro-weld and Future.

Any suggestions?

-Fred

Thanks again, guys.

I took everyone's suggestion and just went ahead and scratchbuilt it to the best of my abilities.  It's not 100% dead-on to the real deal, but I think it's definitely close enough.

John, the PE ammo boxes are much closer to correct scale, so I'll be using those.

As soon as I finish up some more detail in the fuselage, I'll post more pics.

The hardest part is matching the PE instructions to the kit instructions.  Some PE parts in one set go on kit parts that you don't get to, much later on.  You end up jumping back and forth, never really getting anywhere.

-Fred

dirtball wrote:

Fred, all I can say is..........WOW!!

is right! Incredible detailing! Especially at the radio niche. Very nice touch there

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?

Fred, I think the ammo boxes are too low and too large in the kit.  Perhaps if they are moved upward and inward a convincing walkway will fit on the left side.  Or, make some smaller boxes.  

dmk wrote:

I'd add it in the proper location even if it was out of scale. It would probably be more apparent if it was missing, than if it was slightly undersize or out of shape. Besides, something else must already be out of scale there anyway if it won't fit right.

I concur.................doctor. I agree exactly.

Gigatron wrote:

...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 add it in the proper location even if it was out of scale. It would probably be more apparent if it was missing, than if it was slightly undersize or out of shape. Besides, something else must already be out of scale there anyway if it won't fit right.

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...

Screaminhelo wrote:

Moon Puppy wrote:  Bioya wrote: In the upper left of the pictures, in the background there appears to be machine gun barrels. One has a 15 degree bend in it. How does the bullet make the turn? Fold in the instruction sheet. But I did see on TV the other day that the Russians made a AK with a bent barrel to sweep the tanks of invaders. I also believe that the Germans built a variant of the Sturmgewehr with a curved barrell.

It was actually a barrel attachment.

Moon Puppy wrote:

Bioya wrote: In the upper left of the pictures, in the background there appears to be machine gun barrels. One has a 15 degree bend in it. How does the bullet make the turn? Fold in the instruction sheet. But I did see on TV the other day that the Russians made a AK with a bent barrel to sweep the tanks of invaders.

I also believe that the Germans built a variant of the Sturmgewehr with a curved barrell.

Bioya wrote:

In the upper left of the pictures, in the background there appears to be machine gun barrels. One has a 15 degree bend in it. How does the bullet make the turn?

Fold in the instruction sheet. But I did see on TV the other day that the Russians made a AK with a bent barrel to sweep the tanks of invaders.

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?

Hans is correct on both counts, 400 rounds and 1/48.

Bioya, the bullets just follow the curve of the barrel - like in the show I saw on trick-shooters on the History Channel, where the guy shoots down a curved pipe to pop a balloon around a corner...or it could just be a crease in the instruction sheet

-Fred