The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet remains to this day the only operational rocket-powered aircraft to ever have seen combat. Its intended use was as a point-defense interceptor, using its eight-minute powered endurance to climb to the altitude of an Allied bomber stream and then attacking the bombers while descending in a glide. It was a successful design as an aircraft, but did not achieve sufficient results to be worthy of the effort which went into its considerable operational and logistical expenditures. Only eighteen Allied aircraft were claimed by Komet pilots.
The last major area to back-date is the nose. I started by filling in the astrodome opening on the top and the cut-out for the chin turret on the bottom with thick plastic card. Gaps were filled with superglue and the inserts were filed to shape. Then I marked out the window locations for the B-17E and began cutting.
The edges of the openings were colored black with a Sharpie, then the new windows were filled with sections of clear plastic cut from a CD case. The seams were filled with a liberal amount of superglue and allowed to dry.
The clear side panels were installed the same way and filed smooth, then all seams were checked with Mr. Surfacer 500. The window positions are masked on the interior surfaces.
Here is the nose sanded down and polished with 8000 grit polishing cloth. This can be further improved with a coat of Future (Klear) if necessary.
The radio operator’s gun position will be displayed open, and received much the same treatment as the nose. This is the fixed portion of the transparency installed with superglue.
Here it is all polished out, but the superglue has fogged the inside of the glazing. This is not a problem as long as you can still get at it.
Future to the rescue! As long as there is access to the interior, the superglue fogging can be removed with a coat of Future. Sometimes this can be pipetted in through another opening, but here a curved “paintbrush” was made from a pipe cleaner.
These are the E model transparencies needed from the Falcon canopy set – nose, dorsal turret, and tail gunner’s. The B-17E nose was stubbier than the G model and was much more heavily framed.
This is the resin tail position grafted onto the Airfix fuselage. The white plastic tabs are to give backing for the vacuform clear piece.
Here is the Airfix cockpit and bomb bay module. This is a neat bit of engineering, the wing spars effectively eliminate the chance of getting the wing dihedral wrong, a problem which plagues the Academy Fortresses. Experience has demonstrated that very little is visible inside the cockpit except for the seats. I did blank off behind the wing spars in the bomb bay so the inside of the wing is not visible, just like the real aircraft.
The aft fuselage has some improvements. The Airfix floor piece is all one level platform, in actuality there was a step in the middle. Note that the gun mount is offset forward, not centered in the window opening. The cylindrical object at the rear is a chemical toilet.
This view shows the changes made to the radio compartment. All the rib detail was removed, the B-17E was provided with batting for sound deadening in the nose, cockpit, and radio compartment so the internal ribbing should not be visible there. I made the missing compartment doors from plastic sheet and blocked off the side panels where the wing fillet was visible.
The E models had different crew seats than the “swivel chair” type used on the G. These are not difficult to construct. Here are the different components in various stages of construction.
I found photographs of actual USAAF seat cushions online and reduced them to scale. These were then printed on photographic paper and installed in the seats. Seatbelts received a similar treatment.
The interior after painting. The floors were covered with rubber sheet to reduce slippage. Note that the bomb bay and after fuselage section is left in the natural metal finish, unprimed and unpainted. There are a number of photographs which show Interior Green in these compartments, but these are all of restored warbirds, the interiors of these compartments on actual service Fortresses were left in natural metal.
Here are the Quickboost resin engines with pushrods and the kit exhaust piece added.
Like many of my modelling projects this one began with a decal sheet, specifically the “Fortress of the Skies Part 3: E Models” from Starfighter Decals. Mark has included eight different Fortresses on this sheet, all of them interesting for their camouflage schemes and / or service record. There are four different B-17Es in the Hawaiian Air Depot multi-colored scheme, two OD / NG, one RAF Temperate Sea scheme, and one HAD experimental scheme of overall Duco blue. Having already built an Academy B-17E in the HAD scheme, that left four to choose from. Choices like that are not one of my strengths so I chose two. Starfighter Decals here: https://www.starfighter-decals.com/
I have built both an Academy B-17E and the new Airfix B-17G. The Academy B-17E is the right version but needs several improvements to bring it up to speed, the Airfix B-17G is a really nice build but the wrong version. I decided to try backdating the Airfix kit to an E model. The Airfix kit comes with a Cheyenne tail turret, here is the tail position from an Academy B-17F test fit. Not perfect, but something which I could work with.
The Airfix B-17G represents a later production version with the staggered waist windows (why that wasn’t done right from the first E model is a mystery to me). This window will have to be filled and a new one cut further aft.
The earlier Forts had narrow prop blades. When the broad props were introduced with the F model forts the cowlings were shortened 3” to allow the wider blades to feather properly. In 1/72 scale the 3” cowling change works out to roughly 1 mm. Comparing the Airfix cowling to drawings it was unclear if the kit had it right or not. In the end I decided not to adjust the cowl depth. However, replacing the props is a requirement. Fortunately many of the Academy kits have both wide and narrow versions so I had enough.
The nose glazing is almost completely changed, and the B-17E didn’t have the Bendix chin turret. There will be some filling and cutting needed here.
Construction began with the tail position. I cut off the transparent upper portion, it was a bit too tall anyway and there is a nasty seam right through the middle of the aft-facing glazing. After gluing the halves together I braced the piece with plastic card to increase the diameter slightly to match the Airfix fuselage.
I then made an RTV mold and cast copies of the piece in resin. I needed two new tails for this project, and having the mold will allow me to make any of the earlier Forts right up through the first runs of the B-17G series.
I then set about moving the starboard waist gun position back. Here I am working through the fuselage from the inside with my trusty UMM scriber / scraper.
The forward opening was filled with sheet stock and superglue, then sanded smooth. I built up rib detail on the inside and installed the slide rails for the new window panel.
The bench in full modeling bliss. Various sub-assemblies are in progress, most notably the cockpit / bomb bay modules. Two rows of Quickboost resin engines are visible to the right.
One of the bigger WWII era kits in 1/72 scale is Academy’s Boeing B-29A Superfortress. Airfix issued one around 1970 or so, and Academy first released theirs in the early 1990’s. Academy re-released their kit again with markings for camouflaged subjects. It’s huge when built up – a 16.5 inch ( 41.9 cm) length and a 23.5 inch (59.7 cm) wingspan.
The model depicts Joltin’ Josie the Pacific Pioneer which was the first B-29 to land on Saipan on 12OCT44, piloted by General Haywood S. Hansell and Major Jack Catton. Hansell headed the XXI Bomber Command. Catton was a flight leader of the 873rd squadron in the 498th Bomb Group. After logging 400 flight hours and 24 missions over Japan during which Josie never suffered an abort and always hit the primary target, Major Catton was transferred to General Curtis LeMay’s Headquarters. Captain Wilson C. Currier took over as aircraft commander. Josie was lost on the first mission following Major Catton’s departure. Immediately after taking off on 1 April 1945, she plummeted into Magicienne Bay and exploded on impact. There were no survivors.
Here is another Flying Fortress in the Hawaiian Air Depot camouflage, 41-2437. This is one of two HAD scheme Fortresses seen in John Ford’s documentary film of the Battle of Midway. The U. S. national markings were modified by ALNAV97 on 06MAY42 which directed that the red centers of the insignia should be painted over in white and that the tail stripes be removed. In this case the rudder was painted over in black. If you look closely at photographs taken of U. S. aircraft which were active during this period many of the white stars show signs of overpainting.
The kit is the Academy E model Fortress. I didn’t spend a lot of time detailing the interior of this one as very little can be seen inside. I did replace the engines with Quickboost resin which look much better. I also enclosed the wheelwells and added some detail there. The big change which is needed is the kit comes with a ball turret in the belly, and the HAD Scheme Fortresses which fought at Midway were all still equipped with the Sperry remote turret at the time (not the Bendix turret as most references erroneously state, which is different). For this model I used a Kora resin belly turret and scratchbuilt the sighting blister for it.
In the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack much of the American airpower in the Pacific lay wrecked, caught on the ground by the Japanese assault. Planes lined up in neat rows alongside airfields proved easy targets for bombers and strafing fighters. Even worse, there were multiple instances of gunners on the ground firing on any aircraft within range regardless if it was American or Japanese. To address these problems commanders ordered that aircraft were to be disbursed and camouflaged while on the ground, and additional national markings applied to aid recognition in the air. The Hawaiian Air Depot (HAD) was tasked with making these changes.
The Hawaiian Air Depot scheme consisted of applying broad patches of colors from paint stocks on hand to break up the aircraft’s outline. Application appears to have been limited to medium and heavy bombers. The exact colors were not documented nor were lists kept of which aircraft were repainted. Fortunately there is surviving color film of four aircraft in HAD schemes, one B-18, one B-17C/D, and two B-17Es. The Dark Olive Drab 41 upper surfaces were broken up with Sand 26, Neutral Gray 43, Rust Brown 34, and Interior Green areas. There was no set pattern and not all colors may have been used on every aircraft. Photographs of B-18s and B-17C/Ds show no uniformity, but the B-17Es follow a general concept with variation in the color boundaries. In some photographs this color pattern “fingerprint” can permit the individual aircraft to be determined. Data blocks were masked off before the new camouflage was applied which allows the original Olive Drab background to show through. The undersides were not repainted
National markings were augmented by applying additional insignia to the starboard upper and port lower wing surfaces bringing the total to six. Thirteen alternating red and white rudder stripes were also added, but without the vertical blue stripe of the pre-war marking convention. The “U.S. ARMY” lettering remained on the underside of the wings as can be seen in several photographs. Individual aircraft serial numbers were applied to the vertical stabilizers in Orange Yellow, but the size and shapes of the numerals varied so modelers must pay careful attention. There are several photographs of HAD scheme aircraft without serial numbers, so in at least some cases these were applied later.
The application of the HAD scheme was short lived. The order was issued on 10DEC41, but when the 22nd Bomb Group B-26 Marauders arrived in Hawaii in February 1942 they received only tail stripes. Three B-17Es also received tail stripes but no disruptive camouflage. However, tail stripes and red centers to the national insignia were being painted out by some units as early as April to avoid confusion with the Japanese Hinomaru, and this was formalized by ALNAV 97 on 06MAY42.
This is the Academy B-17C/D kit, painted in the camouflage and markings visible in the color film taken of aircraft landing at Hickam Field in the weeks after the Pearl Harbor Raid. The tail is not clearly shown in the film, so I have taken the liberty of assuming this is one of the Fortresses which had not had her serial numbers applied yet.
This is a conversion using the Academy Fuel truck and a Zvezda flak gun. I got this one for free from the LHS, the owner had bought this in a lot and it was missing some parts so he couldn’t sell it (thanks Brandon!). As I already had a couple fuel tankers I scratched up a bed and skid mount for the Zvezda 20mm gun and converted it into a flak truck. The gun is nice, but it would take some cutting to change the position. The only vice is it comes without ammo clips other than one molded into the base and another held by a figure. Fortunately I had one in the spares box so the gun can be loaded. I had a lot of fun building this one and liked the way it came out.
Academy’s M26 Dragon Wagon tank transporter. It’s a big vehicle and a big kit – five sprues containing over 200 parts. I added some detail, but really you could go on and on and on adding to this one. This would be a challenge to bring up to full contest standards – there are ejector pin marks seemingly everywhere. Some are deep, and many are in very bad locations.
There are few gotcha’s to warn you about. The wheels on the tractor will not align without shimming one set out on each side. I discovered this after the glue had set on mine and had to saw them back off again. There is a small capstan on the starboard side of the upper winch. This is provided, but not called for in the instructions. Likewise, there is a snatchblock provided, I located mine on the centerline of the sloped part forward of the trailer bed. The items rigged to the beam davit are supposed to be suspended with chain, I cut all the weird bowed supports off and replaced them with railroad chain from the LHS to form a chainfall hoist. And last, those darn ejector pin marks! The bed is covered with them! I filled them with Mr. Surfacer as best I could, and covered what I could with the accessories stored on the bed. Thankfully there were quite a few of these bits to go around.
The jinx is still following this build, I can’t remember the last time I have had this much trouble getting models off the bench. The challenge this week was the decals. All Fortresses produced through April of 1942 have “U.S. ARMY” lettering on the underside of the wings, this includes all the Hawaiian Air Depot scheme ships. I sourced the decals for mine from Starfighter Decals Midway sheets. I split the “ARMY” decal into “AR” and “MY” to avoid distortion from the back of the engine nacelle. Everything was going fine until I placed the last “AR”. The “R” stuck, then tore, then just came apart. The “A” then got involved and also became unsalvageable. The “P” here is actually the “R” in the process of being rebuilt with strips of decal film.
I brought out the panel lines with an acrylic “sludge wash”. This is a mix of water, dish soap, and brown and black paint. The wash is applied one section at a time, and the excess is removed with a damp cotton swab. It is important that this be applied over a glossy finish as a flat finish will absorb the excess wash. In this picture only the port wing has received the treatment.
Master gun barrels are the bee’s knees. I have no idea how they machine them but they are works of art. I used a drill bit to clear the inside of the cooling jackets, the barrels slid right in after that. Master provides four flash hiders, I reversed these and glued them to the base of four barrels to represent the sleeves where the barrels penetrate the turret elevation slides.
Here is the B-17D, finished save for a few minor details. The film clip shows the prop hubs were unpainted, I interpreted this as an indication that the entire propeller could have been left unpainted. The backs are in the pre-war Mauve.
The B-17E, also with a few tweaks remaining. Her props are unusual in that they are all black, with no warning paint at the tips. This feature is visible on several HAD ships.
Here is a detail of the Sperry remote turret and sighting installation. The clear sighting blister was plunge molded over an appropriately sized ball bearing. The periscopic sight was made from Evergreen.
The reconstructed “ARMY” lettering came out all right. The engine streaking is a combination of thinned Burnt Umber brushed to simulate oil streaking, with more airbrushed aft of the turbocharger outlets to simulate exhaust.
Here is a shot showing the engine detail. The engines are Quickboost resin with Eduard PE wiring harnesses. I think these are a big improvement over the kit parts and add an interesting bit of complexity.
WHENEVER ANY FORM OF GOVERNMENT BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE OF THESE ENDS (LIFE,LIBERTY,AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS) IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO ALTER OR ABOLISH IT, AND TO INSTITUTE A NEW GOVERNMENT...
