I am currently building a 1/48 B-17D using the Koster conversion kit with Monograms G, untill I can locate a B-17F by Revell in 1/48 so I can begin my next major project which will be a 1/48 B-17E.So this is something to just pass the time[:D]. But I need to know, what color was used in the interior of the early Forts. I have always thought it to be overall Zinc Cromate, but Kosters instructions say paint the rear portion Yellow Zinc Cromate, So do I do this overall in the entire bomber, or do I use a complaetly different color. SO now you can see why I need your help.
I could be wrong but I am pretty sure all 17’s were Zinc Chromate- not yellow. I’ve got a book I picked up at an airshow a couple years ago and they say overall Zinc Chromate. Beware Vintage- I could be wrong. Might wanna stroll to the LHS and see if they have a Squadron/Signal you could glance at to back that up.
Vintage,all aircraft of that era in the U.S. inventory were painted chormate yellow as a base coat.It was not untill WWII that they started to use chormate green as an overcoat to go over the chormate yellow.These paints were used as a rust preventor so you can use the yellow in places that is called for due to that they did not paint it all one color.Also there was a lot of paint shortages back then.Digger
Having been an aircraft mechanic for about 25 years I feel somewhat confident in saying that most of the aircraft from that era had the yellowest chromate of them all todays z-c sometimes is almost olive drab, I’ve seen it in many shades between those extremes. Where I used to live, there is a crashed B-17 in the swamp that you can walk to, the tail gunner section had no corrosion protection and other areas seem to have a sort of neutral (half way between extremes) chromate. Testors 1/4oz bottle#1184 is the best match for that early ‘yellow’ chromate, (if you tone it to scale, of course) Enjoy-Bob
No, sorry to disappoint you, but this one is in Cold Bay, Alaska. About a mile short of runway 32’s threshold . Pretty sure it was an F model, being only @ 100 yards off the road (& accessable in hip waders) most parts you can carry are gone. Maybe some knowledgable soul out there can help me though- the tubular engine mounts did have an electric motor driven jackscrew attached between the mount ring & mount truss- activation of this motor would angle the engine left or right. all engines had this feature,could this be for trimming these mass produced bombers at the factory, or could this ‘directional trimming’ be used in flight to off-set failed engines since there was only one rudder, NOT in the propwash? Talk to me Goose.
As for the color question, I believe the answer on color was generally true for all medium and heavy bombers, which is, the areas known as “crew compartments,” which would be the bombardier’s station, the flight deck and navigator’s section and the radio room were all painted in a darker green over the chromate yellow (to combat glare at high altitude). Anything from occasionally bright chromate green, to one similar to FS 34151 to even darker, which would be bronze green, which is the one I like to use on B-25s. But when you look back, toward the tail gunner positions, including waist gunner positions if there were any (there weren’t on the earlier B-25’s unless retrofitted, which they often were), in those areas it is all yellow chromate. The green color is just a pigment added to the protective chromate laquer. What I haven’t figured out is why the bomb bay on the B-25, and for all I know other bombers as well, is always listed as natural metal color, and photos bear this out. Sometimes the inside of the doors, the inner skin with the lightening holes, is painted green or yellow, but under that it is natural metal as you can see through the holes.
I hope I haven’t confused the issue, but I’ve been researching so many bombers for upcoming builds lately, I’m used to looking a many photos shot from, say, the radio room looking back to the tip of the fuselage, and seeing nothing but yellow chromate.
Tom