Nigel:

I have really enjoyed this thread and the recent photos of the base are a great addition. Thanks for the unique perspective. I cant wait to se the polka dotted B17.

Thanks Taylor.
I cant wait to start working on the paint job either!
Unfortunately, at the moment its just sanding seams,,,seams,,,and more seams,,,,,
I'll post photos when I get past this stage.
I like to add an historical perspective to my builds, and Im fortunate to live within travelling distance of all the Bomber Command and USAAF bases of WW2 in the UK. I think it brings something to the build being able to see, (and also to show via the forums), some of the background behind them.
Oh well,,,back to sanding those seams
Nige

Almost there with the main seam sanding.
Im still waiting for the canopy masks to be delivered, but its going to be a day or more before this starts to hold the build up.
The horizontal stabilisers are a good fit, but the lower wing roots are going to need some work. Theres a gap but by glueing in some plasticard when I attach the wings this will keep filling to a minimum.
And then it'll be time to get painting those dots!

Nige

Ugh.My least favorite part of any model. It's necessary sometimes though. Just have to get it over with and move on to the fun stuff. Like masking. She looks really good all done up in primer. Such a handsome bird. I wonder if Hasegawa will make a new tool B-17 soon? After all they have released a new B-25, Lancaster and even a B-24. Keep going you're making great progress.

-Matt

After looking at the first picture you posted of "spotted cow" I have a question. It looks like she still has her guns installed. Would a formation ship still go on missions painted like that?

-Matt

Hi Matt.
Good question!
The assembly ships were "war weary" combat veterans and didnt fly "missions" as such. They would be the first plane to take off and the planes flying the actual mission would use the formation ship as a marker to enable easy identification of their own particular Bomb Group, in this case the 384th.
Most of the individual bomb groups had assembly ships and the paint schemes were extremely bright and distinctive. The skies over East Anglia would get extremely crowded and any help in getting the bomb group in formation and on its way quickly would reap benefits in fuel savings etc. It also lessened the ever present risk of collisions.Once the bomb group was in formation the assembly ship would return to base.
In the photo it certainly looks as though the Spotted Cow has guns fitted to the upper turret, and i'll add the kit ones when the time comes. The other turrets, waist and nose positions are missing the guns in my reference pictures.
A friend of mine who lived close to an 8th Air Force base when he was a kid told me that as soon as they saw the brightly painted assembly ship take off and start to circle the airfield he and his school friends knew there was a mission starting and would rush down to their favourite viewing point and watch the bombers take off.
Im not doing too badly with the build, thanks for the encouragement Matt,and Ive managed to get the wings on today. Still some seam sanding and masking to do yet though.

Looking like a B17 now!
Dont get excited by the white paint, its only primer!.
Nige

Wow Nige. This is looking good, but, um... you do know that you're, um, how to say this...crazy!

You always do such cool stuff!! Excited to watch.
Allen

Hi Nige,

Great thread, I'm glad the build progresses apace, I can't wait to see it done. What is the kit like in general, I am a huge fan f the B-17 and would like to do one soon, but have horrible memories of the Airfix offering and am scarred by the the Revell, as you probably are!

I was considering the Revell/Monogram 1/48th B-17G, but having just (almost) finished a B-24 in 1/48 I am rapidly running out of room, so 1/72 is the way to go. That's the problem with being a bomber man, always looking for room to put the things!


BTW, Have you read First of the many buy Tex McCrary and David Scherman? A great book, full of excellent photos too. Written in 1944 as a bit of a 'flag waver', it captures the mood of the time pretty well. Another inspiration to get a B-17 done.

Steve

Looks good, Nige. This will be an interesting build to follow. It will surely be a striking aircraft to see finished.

Looking forward to see more

Thanks for the comments guys.
Yeah,,I know Im a bit nuts,,
So far the kit in general is pretty good. Of course, it suffers from the usual dreaded Academy Decals. I was able to use the instrument panel one but this gave me loads of issues. Academy decals = AM decals!
The interior detail isnt Tamigawa standards, but theres a few bits and pieces in there and enough to keep it interesting. The instructions direct you to fit the main undercarriage legs before joining the wings, but I taped them together and was still able to fit the legs on a dry run, so I'll add them later. A lot easier for masking and removes the risk of breaking them while handling the model
A couple of fit issues have come to light so far.
Firstly, the main canopy windows/roof part.
Theres a step between that and the fusalage roof forward of the top turret.
A small shim of plasticard on top of the clear part brings that flush. I'll try and remember to take a couple of pics when I get to that stage.
Wing roots,,,everybodys favourite.
Getting the correct dihedral gives a good fit on the top side but leaves a big gap on the underside. I glued plasticard into the gap and trimmed it. This has taken care of 90% of the gap and I'll fill the rest.
Taking full advantage of some time off from touring Im progressing quite quickly with this. Mals Miracle Masks are waiting to show me what they can do, and hopefully my canopy masks will be here very soon.

Steve,,I havent read First Of The Many.
For definitive accounts of raids I dont think you can beat the Martin Middlebrook books, both 8th Air Force and Bomber Command. One B17 related book that I can highly recommend though is Combat Crew by John Comer.

More seam work today

Nige

Frustrated modeller pulls B17 apart with bare hands
While looking head on checking the alignment of horizontal stabilisers I thought to myself,,that wing dihedral looks a bit steep?
Id checked it against plans on a dry run but well,,no excuses,,A real " Oh FFS" moment!
So naturally after thinking about it rationally for an hour or so and wondering if I could live with it,,I took firm hold of the kit and pulled the wings off.
Luckily, I got out of the habit of completely covering the surfaces to be joined with glue a long time back, and after a bit of persuasion they came away.
No harm done, just added a couple of days to the build while I clean up the wing root joining edges and reglue,,hopefully with something approaching the correct dihedral angle.
And now............

Nige

PS,,,Im calm,,,,,honest

Oh yeah,,the fusalage split in half while I was pulling the wings off but no problems getting that back together.

Nigel:

I feel your your pain. You are better at keeping your cool than I am

ha, this is where the [insert mad adjective here] model toss comes into play for me! well, ok, not really. I do applaud you for sticking with it. That probably would have kicked my modeling ADD in and I would have started another project.... then came back much later!

Hi Nige,

I must agree with you on the Martin Middlebrook books, they are very good. I like all his Bomber Command work, especially The Battle for Hamburg. Not only is a superb historical account, it also has a moving, human side to it. I have also read Combat Crew several times, it is an excellent account of the emotion and terror those guys went through. My point with First of the Many is it is contemparary with the time and has that different angle of the bomber crews. By the way, there also a fairly large section dealing the Thunderbolt crews and Hub Zemke in particular.

Steve

How could I possibly chuck it when everyones waiting to see those dots
Its all back together now, and settling in for an overnight drying session.
Those wings look ( to my eyes anyway), so much better.
If I hadnt changed them they would have bugged me everytime I was even in the same room as the model for years to come.
I suppose I have got more patience than I had when I was younger, but its more about wanting to get it right I think.
Anyway,,just so you can see that its not currently residing in the bin...


Steve.
Looks like I'll have to seek out a copy of First Of The Many.
The attention to detail in all the Middlebrook books is amazing. Combat Crew Ive found I can pick up and open anywhere and enjoy reading. I'll soon need a room as a library as well as one for modelling

Nige

Nige - So glad to see you calmed down and saved it. Sorry but to me the dihedral still looks a little steep, but I'm no expert.

Hi Nige

I'm afraid I'm tempted to agree. I've got some (maybe different) B-17 plans I can scan for you if they'd help...

All the best

Rowan

Hi Chuck
The dihedrals ok. I checked it against the plan drawings Ive got. (Although I also did that the first time )
Its certainly close enough to not worry about now.
If this paint job works out ok the dihedral angle will be the last thing on peoples minds when they see it
Nige

Nige - Like I said I'm no expert. I've been quietly watching your progress, eager to see to polka dot B-17.

Just an old story, came to me. Years ago I was related a story (maybe a fairy tale) of a "formation ship" continuing with it's group on a raid into France, and took some time to turn and head for home. Must have been a very tired or over zealous pilot at the controls.

Hi guys.
Ive heard of "spare" planes carrying on ( and pilots getting into a lot of trouble for this), but never an assembly ship
Ok,,close as I can get to a decent photo to compare to a plan.



Wingtip about level with the top of the cockpit windows.
Nige

looks good to me nige.

POLKA DOTS POLKA DOTS POLKA DOTS POLKA DOTS!!!!!!!!

Hi Nige,

Dihedrals look ok to me, I have seen several photos of B-17's from front on that almost make them look swept wing!!

If you can't find a copy of First, I am more than happy to let you have a read of mine. IMHO, its worth it for the photos alone..

Steve

Patience preceeds polkadots
Steve,Ive just ordered a copy of First Of The Many from Amazon.
I promise not to start reading it until Ive got some polka dots on the B17 ( said with fingers crossed behind my back )
Nige

Well Nige when your done with the polka dots you can try this



It's what they did to the Planes of Fame B-17 this past Christmas. TERRIBLE.

Oh dear.
That is just WRONG on so many levels.
Nige