No rest for the War Weary

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Here is another smaller project I've begun working on for my War Weary thread.

I originally wanted to build this next aircraft from an 1/72 Academy B-17F kit but I was hesitant about how to do the paint scheme. After much procrastination I've finally decided to give this a try but in the 1/144 scale. The subject this time is a B-17F from the 384BG of the 8th AF based at Grafton Underwood, and known as the "Spotted Cow".

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The kit

A B-17G from Crown

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Assembly

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One of the things I need to do is turn this G model into an F. Because of the scale there isn't much I'll have to do other then remove the chin turret and the cheek gun mounting points. This was done by filing off the body farring molded into the fuselage.

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Next I have to fill the hole and blend in some two part putty.

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While the putty dries we have some time to add some historical information to the build with a couple of photos from the memorial at Grafton Underwood

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This is one of the windows from a church near the site

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Thanks for looking
 
Good stuff Dirk. I'd guess the easiest way to do the colour scheme, would be to paint the model overall in the colour of the 'spots', then use circular self-adhesive labels to mask for the 'spots', and then spray the overall base colour.
 
This is an awesome theme Dirk. As a strict 1/48 modeller, I'm limited to space and funds, but I do have a couple of B-24's and a B-17 waiting to be started. I'll be following you to get some tips on the color schemes. Thanks.

Geo
 
Here's how i'm making the dot masks for the spotted cow. It's a manual and time consuming process. Here's how it works.

Using a circle template I have I choose the right hole for the job and mark it off so I don't loose track of it.

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I then cover the hole of choice with some modeling tape and press firmly.

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I place the circle template with the tape over the edge of some cardboard. The creates a space between the template and the cut free mat beneath.

Next find a center punch I have of the same diameter of the hole.

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Next with a quick sharp motion I shove the punch through the tape and the template.

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With a nice sharp blade I remove the new circle mask and apply it to the model

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Some cleanup is usually required per dot as its not perfect but it should be close enough for this project.

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Well that's all for now. Time to go make some more dots
 

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