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Wow, it's been 11 months since I have been on guys, but I'm finally back! Anyway I have been SUPER busy with all kinds of crap here and there, admittedly 95% was Warhammer 40K Black Templar Space Marines. Anyway I have been working on the 1/48 Revell B-17G, and I can't find anything anywhere about what I want to do. Ready for it? I want to display it in flight! Can you believe it? I'm going against the majority and actually doing something different with this model other than paint schemes! Here is the problem....the grear is not retractable. Can't find any AM great either does retract. Anybody done this mod on this kit? Any helpful illustrations or hell, anything at all about being able to accomplish this would be helpful. I'll post some pics of what I have done so far with the rest of the model soon.
Kick the tires and light the fires!
Anyone? Anyone at all? Bueller........Bueller........?
I can't think of any aftermarket bits to allow you to do this. Just remember try to find photos that show what the underside of the wing looks like with the gear up. That's probably your best bet.
DDonSS3 I can't think of any aftermarket bits to allow you to do this. Just remember try to find photos that show what the underside of the wing looks like with the gear up. That's probably your best bet.
That's what I was thinking too. I keep coming up with the same AM gear set on every website when I search. Looks like I'm gonna have to put the kit gear under the knife and hope for the best.
So far this is the best example that shows what I need to do in order to accomplish what I want. Let's just hope I don't screw it up!
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/resources/aircraft/b17/b17-gear.jpg
Almost every AM item for aircraft are created for showing whichever particular aircraft on the ground with haches, cowlings, panels, canopies, etc. OPEN. Think the bulged tires from True Details. Only those prop blur things and some seated pilot figures are geared towards in flight displays. The trend for model companies since the 80s is to not even offer a gear retracted build option, and seated pilot figures are extremely rare on new mold kits nowadays.
You are definitely going to have to modify your build yourself to show it retracted. But, at least on the B-17, that is a fairly simple proposition.
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LSM
You can simply leave off the extension arms, the small parts of the gear leg, and tuck the main gear leg and wheel into the well. The tire sticks out the bottom of the nacelle with just a small bit of the wheel rim showing.
Have you flown a Ford lately?
Ashley You can simply leave off the extension arms, the small parts of the gear leg, and tuck the main gear leg and wheel into the well. The tire sticks out the bottom of the nacelle with just a small bit of the wheel rim showing.
Yeah I figured as much. Only thing is I will have to check how it looks. Don't want it to look too sparse because too much of the struts are missing. I will need to do this very carefully........
Here it is down if that helps. Surely it can be built both ways. They also fly gear down with some added drag. LOL.
Max
Looks pretty basic from below. You may need some styrene rod to lengthen the leg to unladen dimensions.
I think you can leave off the retraction links and just glue the wheels in the retracted position. A little digging on the internet found the picture below. It appears pretty simplistic and not a lot vissible when the wheels are up.
Hope that helps.
John
Thanks for all the great pics everyone. Haven't had a chance to sit down at the bench yet, so I haven't even started the mod. But your pics help me a lot with referencing how it should look. One last thing though, in some photos I've noticed the main gear up but the tail wheel is down, and in others, all the wheels are up. I assumed that the tailwheel went up with the main gear, but was that not always the case?
The B-17 main gear retracted electrically rather then hydraulically, which is why it takes so long (ditto the bomb bay doors). An electric motor on a screw jack extended or retracted that support strut by folding it in the middle (When the crew spun that crank on the rear of the bomb bay bulkhead to extend the gear in an emergency, they are putting revs on that screw jack). When retracted all you see is a portion of the wheel and one side of the main strut. As mentioned, you may have to lengthen that strut to an unloaded position or to allow for the kit engineering. The tail wheel simply tucked up as well, but the retraction circuit could be disconnected either intentionally or it could be damaged, most would have it retracted, but you might find some not.
Post war USAF B-17's had the tail wheels locked down just like the P-51's had their tail wheels locked down.
WIP: Monogram 1/72 B-26 (Snaptite) as 73rd BS B-26, 40-1408, torpedo bomber attempt on Ryujo
Monogram 1/72 B-26 (Snaptite) as 22nd BG B-26, 7-Mile Drome, New Guinea
Minicraft 1/72 B-24D as LB-30, AL-613, "Tough Boy", 28th Composite Group
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