GrogHeads Forum

So I bought an Academy B-17F Flying Fortress to make after I've completed my Mossie...and here it is.

Looking at the instructions, they look incredibly simple. I've read some mixed reviews about this model...and looking at the kit, there's a reasonable bit of "tidying up" to do. There also seems to be some filling required - something I haven't done before but will possibly attempt this time round.

Well - as seems to be the case, people often "dry make" their models...so here's the Academy B-17F Flying Fortress...one of my all time favourite WWII bombers

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And for scale...
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My 1:72 B-17 with a 1:72 He-111 and 1:72 Spit

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Some updates due I suppose. I've been putting it off because I bought the masking markers for windows and wasn't looking forward to putting them on.

As it is - they weren't great as in some of them didn't "fit" the glass layout (the back section being most noticable.

Anyway - here are pics of the masked windows and the interior. My apologies for the quality - it seems I'm average at photography as I am at modelling!

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It's an Academy 1:72.

The model quality is not great - you can see in the pictures the gaps which will be there...I don't think I'll get an Academy again.

Actually those photos are pretty good.

I'll share a couple of my secrets which may help you gain a bit more confidence.

First, (although the images aren't shaky) it can help to have a tripod.

Second, (although the focus is fine) you can select a setting on your camera usually called "macro." It's specially designed for close-ups.

There are products available to fill in the gaps between the pieces, though it can add a fair amount of time filling them in and then filing them down.

Regardless, I think you've done a fine job. I can't wait to see how it turns out. B-17s are beautiful.

Thanks LB.

I actually have a tripod. I was lazy! :-) And I did use a setting on my camera actually Super Macro. They lookd clearer on the LCD on the camera than they did uploaded. I don't think it's the reduction in quality from saving from camera (I resize the images) as it does look like a focus issue and as I said, they looked pretty clear on the LCD when I took 'em.

As for the B-17 - They are beautiful aircraft and one of my favourite WWII bombers - however I'm a little disappointed with this model. There has been a hell of a lot of filing already required. The masking (although apparently made for the model) didn't seem to "fit" the layout of the windows all the time. There are looking like there are going to be a fair few gaps AND on top of all that, the wings/tail aerolons look like they are going to be a bugger to "sit" right i.e. get the angle of the fit correct as the fitting seems very loose.

I don't think I'm going to fill it. I think I'll make it and be done and maybe in the future replace it with a better quality model....I don't know.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on September 08, 2012, 08:33:51 AM
Thanks LB.

I actually have a tripod. I was lazy! :-) And I did use a setting on my camera actually Super Macro. They lookd clearer on the LCD on the camera than they did uploaded. I don't think it's the reduction in quality from saving from camera (I resize the images) as it does look like a focus issue and as I said, they looked pretty clear on the LCD when I took 'em.

I have seen that. When an image is compressed, sometimes it's clearer. I think cameras these days can take pictures larger than their lenses are capable of rendering in a truly clear fashion. Especially if they're like the $200 cameras that I typically buy.

QuoteAs for the B-17 - They are beautiful aircraft and one of my favourite WWII bombers - however I'm a little disappointed with this model. There has been a hell of a lot of filing already required. The masking (although apparently made for the model) didn't seem to "fit" the layout of the windows all the time. There are looking like there are going to be a fair few gaps AND on top of all that, the wings/tail aerolons look like they are going to be a bugger to "sit" right i.e. get the angle of the fit correct as the fitting seems very loose.

I don't think I'm going to fill it. I think I'll make it and be done and maybe in the future replace it with a better quality model....I don't know.

Bummer. I hate it when I get a crappy kit. Still, it'll be fun to look at when you're done and I doubt most folks who visit will even realize the shortcomings of the model :)

Apparently the masking issues is my bad. I bought the wrong masking kit. Sure - I bought the Eduard B-17 masking kit for the Academy - but apparently that's not a dedicated masking kit for the Academy B-17F.

The model still isn't great. One of my favourite bombers of WWII and it turned out to be an unworthy kit. It really doesn't fit well together. I had to shave a fair bit off the the cockpit window and the top window behind the top gunner to have them fit to any degree - minimising gaps. The wings aren't sitting tight. The less than helpful instructions...it's just been a chore.

But I'll finish it an move on.

These are the latest pics...wings on, gunner turrets in, fuselage glued.

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Its looking good to me.

I love the size. It gives a real sense of how big and bad that baby is.

She is a beautiful machine!

I'm kind of pleased the first coat of paint went on ok. I''m definitely thinking about a sprya gun soon. My paints are "drying" up in the tins. Probably down to not cleaning the tin properly before closing - but I'm almost at the stage of using that as an excuse to move to spray gun and acrylics

A few pics with the bottom painted
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Updates?

She is looking really good...

yeah - sorry about that. I've not done a great deal extra to her - because it's pretty dark at night (I know there's electricity!) but the lights are those gawd awful energy saving bulbs (wife is mad on em!). So I can only do the models at the weekend - and I was out last weekend to a mates wedding.

She's actually looking quite sexy.

But this weekend I'll get some more photos up. She's had a coat of olive drab and looks quite sweet. All hand painted mind! The grey I choose for the underneath is way too dark...but I'm not really going for historical accuracy anyway!

Have a look Saturday morning and Sunday evening. I'll be on a push to finish her this weekend.

Thanks for the update. I'm looking forward to new pics.

Well....she does look better "not so close". The photos actually show loads of little things that you just don't really see just looking.

I do have to touch up some paint where glue has got onto the painted surface. I may use Klear as I did before...that will take away some imperfections, though I'm not a huge fan of the glossy look it gives. Red paint parts need an extra coat or two. The grey underneath is too dark - but I'm not going for authenticity and I used what I had.

Where I used tape for the lines, it seems I may be using too thick a tape. there's quite a ridge there.

That's all quite apart from having the wrong window paper from Eduardo (not their fault) for the top, rear and bottom gunners.

Anyway - trust me - she does look sweet (from a distance) :-)

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I'm quite bad with glue - especially for windows and small parts. My hands seem to noticably shake more doing those parts - hence why I have to touch up later

I love it. Wish I had my own model to play with.

Excellent looking plane JudgeDredd

Thank you.

I had bought a nice shiny tin of aluminium (not aloominum) :p but decided to keep it olive drab - and I really quite like it in that colour.

I really can't wait to get a compressor and a spray gun.

good skills, its come to life with the paint job

the likely lads?

lol - "Whatever happened to..." never seen it and vaguely remember it from my youth - so thought I'd record them - remind myself what things were like way back

Nice work Judge.  To my untrained eye you appear to have taken a model from a substandard vendor and turned it into a beauty. 

Btw, is that "Are you being served?" that you're watching in the background?

Thanks W8taminute.

No - it's a program from the 70's called Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads - a sequel to The Likely Lads from the 60's about 2 Newcastle(?) lads who were "playboys" in the 60's. The follow on picks up after one returns from the Army to find everything changed - including his mate getting married

She's nearly done.

Things left to do
1) Fit bomb bay doors
2) Fit a couple of small antenna pieces
3) Put on insignia
4) Apply weathering solution

I've applied some "weathering effects" of my own. I *think* it was ok - but may have gone a little overboard...and hence possibly spoiled the look slightly

Basically
1) Some "silvering" on the wing edges, round the canopy and on the props
2) Some matt black trails from the exhausts on the top and underneath of the wings

I just put some paint on a brush (aluminium and black) and rubbed off just about all of it until I barely had any left on, then brushed it on. Each try left only a little bit on and so I built it up. Like I said though...I may have got a bit carried away. First time trying it really.

I also have some Flory Dark Dirt Weathering Wash which I think I'll also apply. Worried that I may spoil it though...although they do say just use a wet cloth and it all comes off.

Anyway - some pics - the next ones I'll post will probably be next week and will be complete.

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Nice.

Looking good JD.

The weathering effects look great JD.

Sweet!

Thanks - I she is looking kind of sexy now.

I'm sad I used the grey I had as opposed to the grey I should've got. The olive grab looks great I think. I was going to paint her aluminium - but decided against it at the last minute - and I'm glad I did.

I'll have to have a look for that solution that "melts" your transfers into the model (someone mentioned it on SimHQ) and I'm a bit worried about applying the Flory weathering solution...but I think I have to.

Quote from: JudgeDredd on September 24, 2012, 01:21:32 AM
I was going to paint her aluminum - but decided against it at the last minute - and I'm glad I did.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I can recall that getting a shiny aluminum finish is the bane of all modelers.

I do seem to recall seeing someone who got hold of a can of some chrome paint spray somewhere, which is probably what we need.

A friend swore that to get a shiny aluminum finish, Krylon Klear Gloss was the best.  Never tried it, so may want to try it on a model you don't care about to begin with.

I made a P-51 1/48 scale before which was all aluminium apart from forward of the canopy and I'm pretty sure that looked pretty good - even if I do say so myself.

And it was hand painted. I do remember it was a little bit like glue though - having little thread trails coming from between the brush and the model after contact...definitely not an easy colour to paint.

I can imagine doing the B-17 would've been a bear...though I might try one day...I might get another Academy just to try.

Looking good Judge, you're making me want to get back into the hobby again!.. You're right on getting an airbrush, it makes it so much more fun!

I hope to get an airbrush and compressor for Christmas - of course I'll need to practice!

FWIW....I think the you made the historically accurate choice with the green / gray paint scheme.  I don't think the USAAF left B-17's in their unpainted "silver" state until later in the war when they were mostly flying the "G" model (which features the distinctive twin-50 cal Bendix chin-turrent).  But I could be wrong about that....

Jack "bandits at 12:00" Nastyface

I think you're right - this particular model at that time was mostly olive drab (if not totally) - but it's purely coincidental that it's historically accurate. And you'll see that when I put the decals on :)

I used to prefer the Aluminium look on the B-17 - but I've actually been converted - it looks really mean in olive drab!

I ran across one source that stated only a few 'F' models were left unpainted.

QuoteOriginal B-17Fs (Without chin turrets)
Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish. Most of the original B-17s had medium green blotching on the wings, tail and fuselage.
Note: A few B-17Fs were delivered with the natural unpainted aluminum finish in late 1943. A very few B-17Fs were delivered with factory or modification center installed chin turrets.

http://www.303rdbg.com/aircraft-markings.html

Almost finished. A couple of antennae to paint...I actually have ended up rather impressed with this one if I do say so myself - all hand painted!

I'm not sure what to do about the water marks - they are actually from the Micro Set and Micro Sol - any ideas why it happened? Was it because I didn't put Klear on first and put it straight on enamel paint?

I may put Klear on and then weather it...I've nothing to lose now anyway.

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^Looking really nice!

Thanks. Looking at it now, it's hard to imagine I thought the model was bad at the beginning - but it wasn't a great model.

As you can see one of the wings has a considerable gap between it and the fuselage.

But she's actually scrubbed up really nice. And she's a mean looking machine. I love the B-17 for exactly this reason...
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Good stuff, Judge.

Thanks LB - I'm going to put some Klear on her, then dirty solution...see how she turns out after that...it could totally screw it up - but there are watermarks on her from the Micro Set and Micro Sol - and someone has pointed out that I should've put a layer of Klear on her before using the solutions.

You live and learn!