Dirkpitt289 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 My contribution to this group build will be the B-17E "Old 666" of the 43rd Bomb Group which was assigned to the Pacific theater. To build this I will be using and modifying the Academy 1/72 B-17E "RAF Coastal Command" as the base. For the most part this will be an OOB build except for the addition of 5 more 50cal. machine guns bringing the total from 13 to 19. SWEET! Box Art The Parts I will post more about this particular aircraft shortly. Thanks for looking Dirk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Welcome aboard! 19 50's!!! Holy cow. Can't wait to see more. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn M Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 looking forward to this as the story of "old 666" is great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 looking forward to this as the story of "old 666" is great! Go on... what is the story? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Go on... what is the story? I will include the story as part of my build. It is truly an amazing tale Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn M Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Yea I remember watching that when it was on TV. Wondered if someone would do the 666. It's amazing how the guys who always end up being the heroes were the ones who were the miscreants at the beginning. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 It's amazing how the guys who always end up being the heroes were the ones who were the miscreants at the beginning. They were called the "Eager Bevers" and from everything I read about them they were the true "Black Sheep" of the Pacific Theater Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-17 guy Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I remember seeing that before, kinda nice seeing someone build her. I like how in a few instances in the video, you can see the radio operator sticking up out of the plane to man his gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Ok I was able to get a little done on the B-17 tonight but first lets look at a little of the history of this Old B-17. History One day in 1943 an old B-17E with the tail number 41-2666 formally known as "LUCY" was flown in and parked on an airstrip at Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. The bomber had seen better days and its frame bore evidence of its heavy record of aerial combat. It was so badly shot up it was now worthless, and was parked at the end of the runway where other aircrews could cannibalize it for needed parts. That was until a young Captain from Orange New Jersey named Jay Zeamer intervene. Stay tuned for more in our next installment now onto the model The Model I started by painting all of the appropriate parts and features with Model Master Interior Green. The green came out nice but a little too "pure" for an old bomber. So I made a little bit of wash with some black Oil paint and thinner I placed this clean piece next to the others so you can see the difference between the washed and non-washed parts. Here are the before and after shots of the fuselage. The photos make it look darker then it really is. This one is a bit better Here we see the office of Captain Jay Zeamer and 2nd Lieutenant John T. Britton Ever since I was a kid I loved the look of the B-17 but I admit I never knew all the differences between the models. It wasn't untill I started this project that I started to learn a whole lot more. What I found strange as I was assembling the nose section was the big chairs. Well it turns out the earlier B-17s had more "comfort" features like the big chairs and the walls were covered with a padding as you can see in these photos. Kinda reminds me of an old Cordoba Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Here we see the office of bombardier Joe Sarnoski and navigator 2nd Lieutenant Ruby Johnston Till the next time, thanks for looking Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Prop Duster Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Like what you done so far, the dark wash is a great idea. - just a thought- wouldn't the interior also have had some worn-through (ie aluminum ) spots and /or patches? Regardless it looks like a great build of a special bomber. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) Like what you done so far, the dark wash is a great idea. :unsure: - just a thought- wouldn't the interior also have had some worn-through (ie aluminum ) spots and /or patches? Regardless it looks like a great build of a special bomber. Thanks for the kind words Steve, but give me some time and you'll see some wear. I promise Edited January 12, 2011 by Dirkpitt289 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 here's a little side bar project I've been working on. I hope you don't mind me posting it here as it's kinda related. I've recently been getting into the 1/144 arena. As you can guess it was more necessity then desire. There is just no way I can build all the things I want and desplay them all. There just isn't enough room so I took the road of 1/144. This is my second project in that scale. After a rather successful completion of the B-24 Assembly ship Tubarao which included custom made decals I figured I could build anything. :unsure: This is a Crown B-17G which I planed to build as Little Miss Mischief from the 324th Squadron. The problem that has arrised is that I suck at making my own decals and I have failed miserably at making the decals. here's my latest non-discript B-17G I started by removing the waist gunners windows. The plastic surgery continues Not to bad. I'll make up some glass later after its painted Good lord this window is thicker then the actual B-17 windscreen. ***???? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Filler time Much much better Primer time That's about it for now until I can come up with a new idea and some cool decals. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Army_Air_Force Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I took a silicone mould off one of these Forts so I could make several for a model railroad going past the warplane graveyard at Kingman AZ. Looking forwards to following the B-17E. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 WOW, that is pretty cool. I don't have the knowledge or the means of taking on that kind of project. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) Like I said, he's a man of many talents! 666 is coming along nicely! Looking forward to seeing more. Cheers! Edited January 12, 2011 by Kostucha Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 For those of you who have never heard the story of Old 666 here is a link to the story as done by History Channels Dog Fights. I hope this doesn't break any forum rules. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4cksG7JoE8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Between clients, and trying to get some work done on a minicraft B-29 I only have time for a quickie today, After reviewing last nights progress on line I noticed something I hadn't noticed before. I had weathered the fuselage and all the surrounding areas and yet the seats, table and wood floor were like new. It bothered me all day so when I got home I combined a little Burnt Umber oil paint and a some thinner and made a wash. Its not perfect by any means but it should look ok when seen through the nose and cockpit windows. After seeing these photos (The camera seems to capture more then my tired old eyes) I went back and cleaned up things a little more. It looks a lot better then these photos depict later guys and thanks for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Between clients, and trying to get some work done on a minicraft B-29 I only have time for a quickie today, After reviewing last nights progress on line I noticed something I hadn't noticed before. I had weathered the fuselage and all the surrounding areas and yet the seats, table and wood floor were like new. It bothered me all day so when I got home I combined a little Burnt Umber oil paint and a some thinner and made a wash. Its not perfect by any means but it should look ok when seen through the nose and cockpit windows. After seeing these photos (The camera seems to capture more then my tired old eyes) I went back and cleaned up things a little more. It looks a lot better then these photos depict later guys and thanks for looking. Looking good. Why the wood floor in the navigator's compartment? I didn't think they had wood floors but that may be my bad and something I need to change. lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 I don't remember the source but it was clear that the floor was in fact plywood. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Looking really good!!! Great pick up. Posting pics here sometimes really helps to critique your own work and want to fix it up. It's helped me with that many a time. Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 ... Dirk, WOW !!! This is going to be some build and MORE ! I am already enjoying this build..and you have done such a FANTASTIC job so far. I especially like this build due to the history that goes with it...I know that ALL aircrafts have a historical attachment but this one is quite special as it was such a dangerous mission. Dirk Keep up the GOOD WORK !" :P :) Thank you for the History channel Link..AWESOME.. {Shawn M thank you for your link too..great to watch both !} HOLMES Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dirkpitt289 Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 ... Dirk,WOW !!! This is going to be some build and MORE ! I am already enjoying this build..and you have done such a FANTASTIC job so far. I especially like this build due to the history that goes with it...I know that ALL aircrafts have a historical attachment but this one is quite special as it was such a dangerous mission. Dirk Keep up the GOOD WORK !" Thank you for the History channel Link..AWESOME.. {Shawn M thank you for your link too..great to watch both !} HOLMES Thanks for the kind words and the inspiration. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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