Anyone tried this? It is a bit pricy so wanted to check.

[Robert Porter]

It is a conversion kit for the Revell/Monogram 1:48 B-17G. It is a Cheyenne Tail mod.

BRAND NEW RESIN2Detail 1/48 B-17 Cheyenne Turret Conversion (for Monogram G) | eBay

Wondered if anyone had tried it.

 

[Airframes]

Someone did a Cheyenne conversion not long ago - I think it was Don.
Not sure which conversion kit he used though, but that one looks reasonable, and not too costly, considering what it includes, and the prices of resin parts these days.
Don't forget, if you're going to convert the kit to a Cheyenne tail, you'll also have to stagger the starboard waist window, and make one-piece glazing for both of them. It's not too difficult - just move the window forward by the exact width of the aperture, and use the (carefully) cut plastic section to blank-off the exiting window, blending-in the edges with 'Milliput'. The glazing can be made using clear sheet, bent to shape and cut to fit.
I did it on a NMF B-17G, and it worked very well.

 

[Robert Porter]

Someone did a Cheyenne conversion not long ago - I think it was Don.
Not sure which conversion kit he used though, but that one looks reasonable, and not too costly, considering what it includes, and the prices of resin parts these days.
Don't forget, if you're going to convert the kit to a Cheyenne tail, you'll also have to stagger the starboard waist window, and make one-piece glazing for both of them. It's not too difficult - just move the window forward by the exact width of the aperture, and use the (carefully) cut plastic section to blank-off the exiting window, blending-in the edges with 'Milliput'. The glazing can be made using clear sheet, bent to shape and cut to fit.
I did it on a NMF B-17G, and it worked very well.

Excellent info! Thank you! How did you bend the clear sheet? Hair dryer or some other heat source? Or just physically bend it on a form of some kind?

 

[Airframes]

I didn't need much of a curve to match the fuselage contours. I used fairly thick clear sheet - around 1 or 1.5 mm from memory, and bent it after cutting to size, using a paper template drawn over the new aperture to get the dimensions right.
Bending was just done by gently bending it over my thumb - it only needs a slight bend - and being thick, it held its shape without a problem.

 

[Robert Porter]

Excellent! I have heard of using a candle when it won't cooperate but have always been afraid I would either set it afire or melt it to a blob! Will try some 1.5mil that I already have.

 

[Airframes]

It should work fine Robert, as the window is only around 15 or 20 mm high, at a rough guess without measuring it, so it only needs a slight curve, which the thicker sheet should take and hold easily.
For bending, as opposed to moulding, clear sheet, hot water normally works fairly well, just enough to soften the plastic slightly, so that it can be bent in stages - bend a little, heat, bend and repeat as required - but you shouldn't need to do that for the windows.
Again from memory, as it was over 20 years ago, I bent mine by making a slight bend at top and bottom, around a finger or thumb, and then did the main curve in the center, again over a finger or thumb, to prevent 'crazing' or clouding in the center of the window - very technically precise !!
When I get back from Holland, I'll dust off (with a mechanical digger !) my B-17, and take some pics of the windows for you. Remind me if I haven't done so after a week or so - I return on Wednesday next week, but won't get home until around 23.00 hrs or later.

 

[Robert Porter]

Terry thank you very much for the approach! Would love to see the pictures if you can unearth your Fortress! Thanks very much!

 

[Airframes]

I will do when I get back - not so much unearth it, as hire a specialist cleaning company to decontaminate it, with 20+ years of dust on the bare metal finish !
As I had to 'rescue' the Beaufighter for the 46 Sqn event, I looked at poor old 'Little Guy' which was nearby, and thought "I must clean that, and finish off the final details " !
Below is the only pic I have of it so far, taken around nine years ago, but once I've cleaned it, I'll take some better shots.
This particular aircraft is shown in a well-known series of colour pics, in a formation out of Ridgewell, and when I built it, circa 1994, I searched far and wide (before the Internet), but couldn't discover what the nose art was, and had to make a guess at the nose art name, based on deductions from interpreting the photos, and I hand-painted the name as 'Let's Go'.
Soon after joining this forum, the name was provided for me, due to the wonderfully helpful people who populate this great forum, and I was directed to a site that had a pic of the nose, clearly showing the name as 'Little Guy', as seen in the second pic, so this will be corrected when I refurbish and finish the model - eventually !

 

[Builder 2010]

I did a cheyenne mod on the B-17G that I built earlier this year using the Verlinden set. It was not easy, required cutting and filing the existing fuze to accept it. The thin acetate for the glazing required lots of car and very small gluing surfaces. But it did come out like the Cheyenne. It had a new resin gun mount which replaced the tail portion of the original. It had a PE frame, a new gun sight and the aforementioned glazing.

And here were the plans.

Based on what I'm seeing on the one you've illustrated, it may be a better approach. Although, I didn't actually see how the glazing was designed.

 

[Wurger]

Nice.

 

[Robert Porter]

Very nice! Will give a full report on it when it arrives!

 

[Capt. Vick]

This looks like a "cleaner" option. I found this in a junk box at a model show and sold it on about a year ago (?). You might want to search for one of these if you haven't finished the kit yet.

 

[Robert Porter]

View attachment 375544

This looks like a "cleaner" option. I found this in a junk box at a model show and sold it on about a year ago (?). You might want to search for one of these if you haven't finished the kit yet.

Have not even started it yet so timing is good! Thanks will have a look!

 

[Capt. Vick]

Glad I could help.