Hi all, I’m thinking about building a 1:48 scale model of an SB-17G that crashed near where I live. I will be using Monogram’s kit (duh), and I want to know what kind of modifications were made to the B-17s I.E. what was done to both the interior /exterior of these a/c as well as what parts of the kit I will have to correct. Also, any information, links, or pictures concerning SB-17G s/n 44-85746 that crashed in Tull Canyon on the Olympic Peninsula wouldbe of great value to me.
Jaypack55 I typed it in google and this is what I found,
http://www.aerovintage.com/b17loc.htm, it is close to the bottom but it has some info you might be looking for.
Chris
Paragon conversion kit #48106 will give you everything you need for the exterior conversion.
OK, where can I get it, and what should I expect in cost?
Check with Meteorprod.com first then check Great Models. If no luck then you can go straight to Neil Burkill and buy direct.
Tell him Swanny sent you.
I saw the Academy 1/72 kit of this a/c in the LHS today. I’d buy it in a minute if I were you-besides drawings and decals you can scan and scale up, there’s always a bunch to learn by building a scale model of the real thing. Trust me, I’m an architect. You’ve got to figure its pretty well researched, it only costs $ 30 or so, and you can perfect your paint scheme as well.
If you can find the AM parts as suggested, great. If not, just make them from the smaller pieces in this kit.
Bondoman
PS my favorite post war B-17 is the camera ship used to film “Dr. Strangelove”. All the shots of the B-52 over the arctic have a B-17 shadow on the snow. And, the a/c is shown in the extras on the DVD.
Some time ago I purchasd this set fron Neil direct from Paragon. He advised at that time that this conversion set was going to be put back in production. The set is beautiful, but it is expensive (and worth it if you realy want to do this conversion). If you want I will e-mail you a picture of a B-17H. The aircraft was later redesignated SB-17G. There were only approximately 130 of these aircraft produced and they served in WWII and Korea. They were finally retired in about 1956. They served numerous countries as well after WWII.
The insignia yellow paint bands is a post war paint scheme. The guns were also removed from post war aircraft. During wartime (WWII and Korea) the guns were reinstalled. Note that the number of guns is less than a B-17G bomber. You can find U.S. Army Aircorps aircraft, USAF, USN, and USCG marked aircraft, as well as other country markings. Research is in order, as usual. I’ll help as best I can as I am in the process of doing the same conversion. I did get the Acadamy 1/72nd scale model to do a practice run on the paint scheme and assembly and paint process. It does help, but is not 100% necessary. You may want to save the $30 for the conversion kit and other enhancement AM kits for the Monogram B-17G kit. Also note that the waist (gunner) windows were generall changed to “blister” windows for the rescue observers. The Paragone kit includes a couple of these vacu-formed windows. Are there any pictures, say from the local newspaper, of the aircraft that crashed near where you lived?
Also note that Hasagawa has a 1/48th scale model of the early P-47D that is colorfully marked and flew protective cover for these rescue aircraft.
Let me know if you want a few pictures and some other web sites with pictures and data. Also viisit Swanny’s site for a look at some great looking B-17 kits. I think Swanny has some advise on what AM kits are worth adding to the B-17. Swanny?