1/72 Academy B-17F Memphis Belle

[jkim]

I hope you recover from the crappy decal incident. I do like that box art though.

[BlackSheep214]

I had a a few bottles of Vallejo for hand brushing. However, one color I will use exclusively for D-Day stripes on WW2 aircrafts - Vallejo Off White. When I do D-Day stripes, I’ll pencil mark where the stripes go and the widths of each stripe. Then... I hand paint them. I don’t paint them in sharp straight lines because they were hand painted on. None were painted perfectly straight anyway.

I am interested in seeing how it all comes together and take note of any fit issues you come across.

[Medicman71]

Vallejo paints are a dream to brush paint with but a absolute nightmare to airbrush at least for me. You have to have a pretty big needle size for one or the stuff will keep clogging. Even the model air line made for airbrush is a no go for me.

That was my problem. No matter the air pressure, paint/thinner ratio or anything it would dry in the airbrush and clog it up. What paint did get to the model was thick and rubbery. I don't have that problem with any other acrylic or lacquer paint that I use (Ammo, AK, MMA, Hataka, Tamiya).

[BlackSheep214]

All the more reasons why I hate Vallejo. It gives off a vinyl-ly rubbery feel; even dry.

[Medicman71]

I started messing around with the kit. The left hand gunners window is open but you have to open the right one yourself. There's two windows on the right hand side though. Which one to use? Pics online show me that it's the same one as the right side. But I always thought it was staggered.

[Stuart]

You're both right...

They went from side by side...



To staggered on later marks. Apologies though I don't know what mark that was. edit: it was the G model - see next post.

[Stuart]

Actually it was the G model that introduced the staggered waist gun positions along with the Chin turret...

Taken from the AirVectors site... http://www.airvectors.net/avb17_2.html

''* These good ideas appeared in the next and definitive version of the Fortress, the "B-17G". The B-17G was basically a B-17F with the Bendix chin turret and the staggered waist gun windows. Eventually, these waist gun windows would be enclosed by Plexiglas panels. Incidentally, it appears a few very late-production Douglas-built B-17Fs also had the chin turret, though it is unclear if they had the staggered gun positions as well.

Other changes were implemented as B-17Gs rolled off the production lines. The useless upward-firing gun in the radio room was deleted. A new tail gun position was designed, featuring power-boosted guns featuring a greater range of traverse; a better reflector gunsight replacing the previous ring-and-bead sight; and a larger space for the gunner, with bigger windows, that offered improved visibility and extended back from the tailfin. This new gun position was called the "Cheyenne Tail", since it was designed by the United Air Lines field modification center at Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was retrofitted to many earlier B-17s at field modification centers.''

[Medicman71]

Perfect! Thanks for the info Stuart!

[Stuart]

Hey no worries - it was an interesting read!

[Stikpusher]

Final production blocks of the F introduced the chin turret. A late production F would have the F type longer nose cone and open waist gunner positions. The G would introduce the enclosed waist gunner windows that had the gun mounts, as well as the new shorter nose cone. Midway thru the G production the staggered waist windows were introduced.