Way Too Many Props GB April 18, 2011 - Extended to July 28, 2012

Bish: You can build a B,C, or D model with the Italeri kit. The D model requires some extra work because some of the bits are missing. You have to scratch build the astro dome behind the cockpit, the windows on the sides just behind the cockpit are only correct for the B and early C models. On my kit one of the exhaust fairings is missing... you need 14 I only have 13. From what I read about the two kits, I thought the Revel would be the most difficult but so far it is hands down the Italeri. Very poor fit around the cowlings and the cowling to nacelle attachment.

Plenty of choice with that kit then, but sounds like alot of effort needed.

Great progress on the B-25s, J.  I heard the Italeri kit is a repop of the AM kit, if that's the case, sorry to hear about the fit issues.  I've built two of the AM B-25Bs (did both as two different Doolittle Raiders), and the only issues I had, was on one of them, the ball turrett plug didn't fit all that well.

Len the Betty is looking sharp nice cammo job!

Bish great work on the office

jbrady looks like you worked out the fit issues,having some of the same on my current build. What filler do you use?

Gentlemen,

Some wip pix on my humble Lanc...

First attempt at painting with masking tape. I used just a simple adhesive tape from a stationary store. Worked wel,l but I am curious what you guys are using.

On this one, the pilot's instruments is obviously a decal, radio operator's instruments I tryed drybrushing. It will not be visible anyway.

Thanks TREY. Got started on the PE bomb bay last week, should have some more pics next weekend.

Castel, looking good, nice job on the masking. I use Tamiya tape for all my kits. Tried standard marsking tape, the DIY stuff, but found it to tacky for models.

Castel - nice paint job so far! Like Bish, I use Tamiya tape for masking. Once I get the line I want I cover the rest of the area behind the line with blue painter's tape from 3M.

I use either eduard's mask set, if I can find 'em for the kit, or I use the Tamiya tape for masking canopies.

The Eduard mask sets are very good, especially for multi panel canopies as you get on most bombers.

Time for another update. This has been dragging on for 2 months now due to one thing and another. But finally getting close to being able to put some paint on.

The inside is almost all Eduard PE. Most of it i fitted into nthe right side of the fuselage before putting that together.

Most of it went into the front office. The yellow Oxygen tanks are quickboost resin items.

The radio room was non existant in the kit, this is all PE

I also wanted to build the mount for the ball turret. This was scratched from Styrene rob.

Then finally able to put this together.

Luckly the inside is still visiable.

Now got 3 weeks off so won't be getting back to this for a while. But hopeing to get finished by the end of the month.

Thanks for looking.

WOW Bish!  Really great work!  Hard to believe this is 1/72! Love it!

Been distracted on other projects, so I haven't really done much to my A-20.  I have masked off the canopy and installed it.  All the seams are taken care of, and yes the turret barrels are still attached.

Great looking detail Bish,I'm with Pilot hard to believe that its 1/72!

Gentlemen,

I thought to resurect this tread from the bottom of the second page. Here are some wip pix...

Bish, great work. Just wandering, what are those yellow canisters?

Cheers...

Thanks alot guys. Those yellow tanks are oxygen tanks. I haven't added all that the aircrfat would carry, stikpusher was really helpful with some pics and a layout of the complete oxygen system. But i just added the ones that might be seen once closed up.

Really nice Lanc. I have the hase kit and plan on doing a Dio of it being loaded with a similar bomb load to what you have.

Great looking Lanc!

It`s been a while but I`m still plugging away at the Betty. Here`s a few pics...

Trying to finish her up but getting a little side tracked with being evacuated from Irene...heading right at us. Batten down the hatches!

Len hope the best for you dealing with Irene ,the Betty is looking great

The Betty looks great. Fingures crossed for you guys.

Got an update on the B-17. This weeks i got the masking done, engines finished and added. Then finally got some paint on the underside. Doesn't look much different from my last update, but i am now seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Should have the OD started on Mon, that will take a couple of days. But here she is at the moment.

Thanks for looking, and comments welcome.

And to all you guys affected by Irene, stay safe.

Thanks Trey and Bish for the kind words and for wishing us well with the hurricane. The eye is supposed to be around 25-50 miles off the coast from us around 7 am Sunday morning. I live on a lagoon system and my area is still under a voluntary evac. I`m keeping a close eye on this storm and have a friend that`s inland from us who has invited us to stay with them. We`re all packed up and ready to run!

Hunker down Len looks like a direct hit,at least it lost some energy first will keep you in our thoughts!

Bish the 17 is looking grea,t nice mask work ca'nt wait to see some paint go down!

Thanks TREY. The masks are the Eduard ones, so pretty easy to do.  The underside has been painted in the pic, but it is hard to tell from the grey plastic.

TREYZX10R

Hunker down Len looks like a direct hit,at least it lost some energy first will keep you in our thoughts!

Len - stay safe and dry, hopefully Irene won't cause too much damage.  Stay safe

Bish - The Fort is looking good.  Got to love those eduard masks, sure helps with the frames, especially in 72 scale!

Finishing up a 350 CVN65 Enterprise for a friend and then its full speed ahead on the A-20 (just have to do the flight deck aircraft, but they're so small and a lot of them).  She is ready for paint just as soon as i stuff the gear wells and engines with paper.  Oh and btw the rear turret barrels are still attached.

Thanks B17. Ye, those masks are nice. Mine came with a Big Ed set. I wouldn't buy them on there own for simple fighter type canopies, but for the multi panelled ones i deffinatly would.

Time for another update now the OD is on.

Monday night i applied straight OD, useing the Xtracolor enamel WW II OD.

Then tonight i added several layers of faded OD. Each one light in in both shade and application than the last.

Then finally a last coat of faded OD with a few drops of white, lightly misted onto the top of the wings, fuselage and on the rudder.

The next thing will be to use some faded OD with white oil paint dry brushed onto the rudder.

Thanks for looking.

Bish nicely done fade ,will be great to see it all come together with the other colors

Nice fade job, Bish!

Bish

The next thing will be to use some faded OD with white oil paint dry brushed onto the rudder.

Don't forget about the elevators, and ailerons

B17Pilot

Nice fade job, Bish!

Bish:

The next thing will be to use some faded OD with white oil paint dry brushed onto the rudder.

 

Don't forget about the elevators, and ailerons

Do those fade the same as the rudder. The only things i could find were colour plates of side on views showing faded rudders. I did think about the elevators and ailerons but wasn't sure if they would be the same. But its not to late to do those.

Bish

Do those fade the same as the rudder.

Yep, the rudder, elevators and ailerons are all fabric covered, so they will fade faster than the metal skin.  I would match the fading of the rudder on the elevators and ailerons, or go a little lighter since those faced the sun more than the rudder.

Thanks. I have done the rudder and i am likeing it. The kit rudder doesn't have the rib detail so it loses some of the effect. I was thinking the other control services would be lighter as they faced the sun.

Now i have another question that i hope you can help me with. The decals for my kit are from a Czech company called MPD. The only thing i understand in the small instructions is the unit and date. But i found one thing strange, theres no nose art on this aircrfat. And i can't find any pics of 8th AAF B-17's without it. Then something else caught my attention. The decals have 2 letters on the fuselage, the Squadron code i believe, and a single letter on the rudder, the individual aircrfat letter. But other aircraft of this period seem to repeat the aircrfat letter on the fuselage. Something else that did concern me was that theres only 5 numbers in the aircrfat serial numebr on the tail, where as most seem to have 6. But looking through my referances, i ahve found a few others that have 5 numbers, all this have the letters DL in their designation, i believe this refers to the factory that built the aircraft.

The 96th BG site doesn't list the airaft that flew with it, unlike some of the other BG websites. I can find no bomber version of the little friends website. And when i put the aircrafts serial into goggle, all i get is the decals i bought.

Do you where i might be able to find this aircraft. It would just be nice to know this is a real plane and not a subject of a decal companies imagination. The decal instructions list the crew, and a few of the names appear to be Eastern European, possably why this company did decals for this aircraft.

Any help would be great.I will get some pics of the rudder up at the weekend.

I would search for B-17 serial numbers, instead of the just that one serial.  You might find it in a group of serials, i.e. 4183869 - 4184958.  I've used this and found several sites listing all the serial numbers used on B-17s. If the aircraft is fake, might as well add a colorful nose art to it, and at least get the BG/BS marking right.  I did that on my last B-17.  I created a fake serial number and nost art/name, but made the squadron markings from a real BG/BS.

How many numbers of the serial number displayed on the tail depended on the individual BG/BS.  The serial numbers where assigned by the government so wheather is was built by Boeing (BO), Vega (VE), or Douglas (DL) didn't matter.  Most BG left off the first 4 in the serial (serials started with a 4, follwed by 1, 2, 3, or 4 depending on what year the funds for the aircraft was approved.  So lets take the serial number of the Memphis Belle, 41-24485.  41 indicates that the funds for the aircraft where approved in 1941, even though the aircraft it self wasn't delivered to the USAAF till 1942.  24485 was a number inside a block of numbers for the number of B-17s approved for that budget, i.e. 10 B-17s where assigned so 41-24480 to 41-24490 was given to Boeing for 10 B-17s, while 41-24491 to whatever could be assigned to B-25s.

Same thing goes to the squadron codes and aircraft letter.  Most BGs put the squadron and aircraft code on the fuselodge, with the aircraft code repeated on the tail (late in the war, when the high visibilty markings where mandated).  In the early part of the war, squadron and aircraft codes where just on the fuselodge). Some BG used strips of color to identify squadron, with the aircraft code only on the tail.  Again, it depended on the on the BG.

Not all B-17s had nose art.  They where few and far between, but there where some with no nose art, especially late in the war when no particular aircraft was assigned to a crew. I.E. aircraft with serial number 42-89765 was assigned to crew A on Monday, crew B on Tuesday,, Crew C flew in her on Thursday, with crew A flying a mission in her on Saturday.

Speaking of the 96th BG, the following is a picture from the book "Battle Colors, Volume 1"  Sorry don't have a scanner, so I took a picture of the page with the markings.  Replace the red you see in the pic with the right color for the BD you're portraying.  The 337th BS used red, 338th used yellow, and 339th used blue.  the 413 BS was a pathfinder unit, so no color was used.  In this BG, the aircraft code was repeated on the tail.

Hope this helps.