Academy 1/72 B-17E "Old 666" 43rd Bomb Group 1943

[dirkpitt289]

1/72 B-17E "Old 666" 43rd Bomb Group 1943​

User Name: Dirkpitt289
Name: Dirk
Scale: 1/72nd
Kit: Academy
Category: Novice or beginner.

My contribution to the 4th WW2aircraft group build will be the B-17 "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!

I will post more about this particular aircraft shortly.

Thanks for looking

 

[ozhawk40]

Ol ' 666 hey. Let's hope the devil doesn't give you any trouble!

Looking forward to it DP!

Cheers

Peter

 

[DBII]

nice choice.


DBII

 

[vikingBerserker]

YES! Excellent choice Dirk!

 

[Crimea_River]

Good one!

 

[Airframes]

This should be a good one! Looking forward to the build, and seeing what the Academy 1/72nd scale B17's are like.
When you get a minute, can you add your entry category to the details please Dirk?

 

[B-17engineer]

Can't wait! Old 666 has a great story!

 

[B-17engineer]

"addition of 5 more 50cal. machine guns bringing the total from 13 to 19."

Yea, lets go with that.

Just kiddin!

 

[dirkpitt289]

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

Here we see the office of bombardier Joe Sarnoski and navigator 2nd Lieutenant Ruby Johnston

Till the next time, thanks for looking

 

[r2800doublewasp]

I saw a Dogfights episode on it.....I think you could find it on youtube here:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4cksG7JoE8

 

[Heinz]

Looking great!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Up and running Ah. Nice selection Dirk, even in that scale she'll be a big bugger.

 

[DBII]

It is already better than my Blue Goose, mine had no interior. Nice work Dirk.

DBII

 

[B-17engineer]

Nice superman ruler!!


Awesome job Dirk!

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Nice work Dirk. The 'E' was certainly better appointed on the inside than later models - everything was more substantial, but at the cost of added weight of course.

 

[Crimea_River]

 

[dirkpitt289]

Thanks guys

Airframes: I assume you are talking about the seats in the bombardier section. I noticed that too.

DBII: As much fun as its been so far building this interior is a waste. Very little if anything will ever be seen. I wouldn't loose any sleep over it. I remember watching your build, you did a great job and introduced me to a bird I never had heard of before.

r2800doublewasp: Dog Fights is where I first learned of the Old 666 and the Eager Beavers that flew her.

Between clients, and trying to get some work done on the Hs 129 I only have time for a quickie tonight, 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.

Night guys and thanks for looking.

 

[Airframes]

Looking very nice Dirk. It wan't just the nose compartment seats, it was virtually the whole aircraft. The compartments also had heavy padding, deleted from the 'F' model onwards, all the seats were big hefty things, and many fittings were built to last! I've got some internal pics of early 'E' models if they're of use.

 

[dirkpitt289]

Looking very nice Dirk. It wan't just the nose compartment seats, it was virtually the whole aircraft. The compartments also had heavy padding, deleted from the 'F' model onwards, all the seats were big hefty things, and many fittings were built to last! I've got some internal pics of early 'E' models if they're of use.

Pictures would be great