I am working on a B-17F, “Knockout Dropper” and would like some help determining where exactly the exhaust comes out of and where it goes. I know that intercooler vents on the wings are not exhaust and I know that exhaust comes out of the superchargers on the bottom rear of each nacelle but does it come out anywhere else? Why is there exhaust staining all over the top of the nacelles and wings when the exhaust comes out of the superchargers? My paint job is OD topside and gray downside in the era of “Memphis Bell” and “Hell’s Angels.” The plane would have been well-used to war-weary. Any help would be very nice!
Probably minor oil leaks as seen in this modern image from plumbing for landing gear and the intercooler. Although modern B-17s don’t see the usage that a wartime B-17 had.
Then you have HEAVY staining on the bottom from oil and exhaust.
Gary
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Here is the 303rd BG website where you can find photos of KD:
You can google for a lot of photos of KD, Also photos of other B-17F’s to use for weathering ideas. There is also a fictionalized film of KD on Youtube.
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Excellent pictures; thanks for the help!
How do you apply oil stains above and exhaust/oil stains below? Do you airbrush those?
@Linebacker I usually just drybrush powdered charcoal over a bit of dry brushing of rust, tan or appropriate color over a gloss coat. Anything I can wipe off if too much.
Gary
What nose are you going to use: the original .30 nose or the Air Depot single .50 nose mount? KD had the AD nose before the 50th mission. The only problem is finding a AD nose as I believe Koster was the only one available which has been long gone…
The AD nose as shown on Winning Run:
Yes, I got the old Koster B-17F Nosejob vac-u-form kit.
I doubted that I could get it done in one try and I did not want to damage it. Having never done vac-u-form before, I thought I’d better try to save the Koster original.
So I made a rubber mold of the whole thing.
I filled the mold I wanted with resin and made several slugs.
I attacked a piece of dowel to each slug.
I then used a vac-u-form machine to make ten copies.
I cut each copy loose from the slug and base which gave me ten copies. I constructed the wire bracing from Christmas ornament hanging wire for each copy. So I had ten to work with.
I made them all identical and made a circular base out of sheet styrene and attached it to the bottom of the best copy. This is the result with the machine gun. It is ready to be attached.
