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

Len and Bish - Awesome progress ya'll!

Finally, an update on my B-17. Despite starting nearly 6 weeks ago, due to a few things happening, progress has not been that great. But its picking up now so hopefully i will get moving along at a better pace.

So far i have glued very little plastic, its mostly been Eduard PE. Most of this is in the cockpit and radio room, there's only a little in the waist gun area.

The radio room. I am using Xtraclolour interior green for the insides. I then added pro modeller weathering wash in the recess and tamiya powered for the worn areas.

This has not been fitted into the right side of the fuselage, but the left side is still off so i can add the seats.

The cockpit. The IP has been added. The pro modeller needs toning down a bit in the recessed areas.

The right and left side of the forward fuselage area.

For those who saw my B-17 help thread, you can see the holders for the Oxygen tanks. I have ordered the quickboost set, and they should be there by the time i get back to work on Wednesday. And stikpusher really helped with a layout of the whole oxygen system.

And this is all my progress so far.

I finally get my caste off on Wednesday , so i will have full use of the hand again. Thats handy as i will be starting on the PE bomb bay.

Thanks for looking.

Betty update,

Got the wings on and painted. The underside is IJN ligh grey, XF-12 ,cammo is XF-11 IJN green and XF-64 red brown. They`re the colors called for in the painting directions...looks a little dark to me.

Here`s a couple bad pics...after I get a littl more done I will take some better ones....

Castelnuovo - you're most certainly welcome to join.  Got you Lancaster on the list. to the GB!

Yes the B-17 on the badge is real.  Pratt and Whitney purchased surplus Forts after the war and converted them to engine test beds to test their new trurboprop engines.  The image is not photoshopped (other than the words being added). In fact BomberBoy is planning on modeling one in 1/72 scale for this GB.

B17Pilot, any chance I join with Avro Lancaster Mk I/III by Rewell? My wife grandfather was flying them, thought to build it for her. It will be my first WWII airplane in many, many years.

BTW, that B-17 on the badge, the nose prop, is it real or photoshoped?

Cheers...

No problem RedRaider, still looking forward to the B-25D

Pilot-  I'm gonna have to drop the B-25J from this build.  I've been committing too many builds to group builds and I don't have the time, so I'm cutting back a little.  I do still plan on building the B-25D though

B17Pilot

Put weight in the nose and attached it to the fuselodge, and guess how many times I brushed those dang barrels? Yep, that's right every time I picked the thing up.  Thankfully they're still attached.

Put weight in the nose and attached it to the fuselodge, and guess how many times I brushed those dang barrels? Yep, that's right every time I picked the thing up.  Thankfully they're still attached.

looking good @

B17 Pilot nice progress, I hate having to work around barrels and the like, usually break em anyway.

I'm going to try real hard to not break them (watch now that I said that the next time I pick it up, off they go).  So here's to watching what I'm doing and not break those barrels off.

Bish

B17, thats looking good. I will have some pics up this weekend what ever stage i am at. I had hoped i would be finished by the end of this month. But things haven't worked out like that and i don't even have the fuselage halves together yet.

Can't wait!

B-17 pilot and Len- Sorry to hear about the fit issues with the AMT A-20. I've got that kit in my stash, although I kinda expected it would be a fill and sand kit . 

 I'd go ahead and clip the barrels off, drill out the ends of the guns a little to act as a locator. Then reattach the barrels as final assembly fiddly bits before mounting the 'glass dome on the turret. The barrels would be a touch shorter, but not by much, and you wouldn't be feeding the carpet monster a snack.

BTW Len great work on those engines. A lot can be done with most OOB motors. Just takes some old fashioned modeling ingenuity and a bit of work. Got an F6F that I didn't like the magnetos. Molded all the way back between the cylinders and the wrong shape. I carved the old ones out and scratched new ones out of bits of sheet plastic and sprue. Sometimes we have to work at it .

Howard 

B17, thats looking good. I will have some pics up this weekend what ever stage i am at. I had hoped i would be finished by the end of this month. But things haven't worked out like that and i don't even have the fuselage halves together yet.

Yea I think I'm going to break those guns off before I'm done with it.  Keep brushing up againist them and one of these times its going to be to much, and then they'll be gone, fed to the carpet monster.

B-17Pilot,

Looking good. I remember building mine...what a PITA! Most of my sanding was trying to blend the nose into the fuse'.  I broke both barrels off of the dorsal .50`s too..lol. I hope you don`t have those problems but they seem to come in the box with the kit...lol.!

Len

Well some progress.  The life raft is painted and weathered, still needs a flat coat before getting installed, but here it is, its a little shiney without the flat coat on.

While that drys, I got the major assembly done.  Still have to add the nose and some weight, but it does look like a plane now.  Time for the dread filling and sanding part of modeling.

B17Pilot

Those engines look AM, if so what set? Might have to get them for mine, if'n the kits engines aren't all that great.  Still like the wiring job.

troublemaker66

How`d we wind up on page 2? 

Cause everybody's working on theirs and not posting anything

Those engines look AM, if so what set? Might have to get them for mine, if'n the kits engines aren't all that great.  Still like the wiring job.

Thanks Len . I got a lot of sky am decals left for the sparviero, you're welcome to them if you're wanting to build a different scheme from the box. Just let me know or pm your addy and I'll get them in the post to ya! Yea trumps got beefy boxes do'nt they lol

TREYZX10R

Looks great at least you only had to do 2 engines:)

Looks great at least you only had to do 2 engines:)

How`d we wind up on page 2? 

Started work on the "Betty`s" engines....wired them with 32 gauge beading wire. The cylinders had convenient locators for the wiring. I just drilled through them and made holes around the center ring and pulled the wire through. Used CA glue to tack the wire behind the engine. They`re ready for paint now...here`s a few pics...

Need to do a little fudgin` and they`ll be ready for XF-56 and some weathering.

Thanks for looking!

Len

How`d we wind up on page 2? 

Started work on the "Betty`s" engines....wired them with 32 gauge beading wire. The cylinders had convenient locators for the wiring. I just drilled through them and made holes around the center ring and pulled the wire through. Used CA glue to tack the wire behind the engine. They`re ready for paint now...here`s a few pics...

Need to do a little fudgin` and they`ll be ready for XF-56 and some weathering.

Thanks for looking!

Len

Len great looking canopy shade,like the simplicity with real authentic looking results

B17Pilot engines and office came out real nice. I use a similar technique on engines

B17Pilot

The engines are nothing fancy.  This is how I paint radials.  The crankshaft is painted gray first and allowed to dry, followed by the cylinder heads with black.  I then, if needed paint the details on the crankshaft.  Once all is dry, I use silver and drybrush the cylinder heads and the bolts/ring on the crankshaft and any other raised detail.  If I accidently put too much silver on, I'll go back and dry brush a little black to tone down the silver.  I'll then add them to the cowls.  Then if I want the weathered look, I weather the engines inside their cowls, so I know where things leak and such.

Thanks,

Len

The engines are nothing fancy.  This is how I paint radials.  The crankshaft is painted gray first and allowed to dry, followed by the cylinder heads with black.  I then, if needed paint the details on the crankshaft.  Once all is dry, I use silver and drybrush the cylinder heads and the bolts/ring on the crankshaft and any other raised detail.  If I accidently put too much silver on, I'll go back and dry brush a little black to tone down the silver.  I'll then add them to the cowls.  Then if I want the weathered look, I weather the engines inside their cowls, so I know where things leak and such.

B-17,

Wow! the cockpit and engines are very impressive. Can you tell us how you painted the engines? I`m about to do the Betty`s engines and I like how yours look.

Len

Well I got the cockpit all weathered and promptly buttoned up the fuselodge.  Still got to paint, weather and add the AM life raft behind the pilot on the shelf.  Almost forgot about the rear turrett, but it is done and installed.

Cockpit weathered:

While waiting for the cockpit weathering to dry and then the fuselodge to dry, I moved onto the engines.  Still need to weather them, but I think I'll wait till I do the entire aircraft at the end.