Bare metal B-17G

[oboe]

Been thinking about trying my hand at a heavy, and chose the B-17G to give it a shot.   What a massive aircraft this is, and so many, many 1000s of rivets!  But I was curious to see if my metal would scale up to look OK on a 2048x2048 skin.   Took a while to get here, but getting close with this WIP.

"American Beauty" of the 486th BG, 834th BS.  Based in Sudbury, UK, late summer 1944.









I have decided the Flying Fortress has the most beautiful, elegant shape of any aircraft of WWII. 

[Devil 505]

Ooh, very nice.

[Vraciu]

Coming along nicely, but as you said, the change in scale throws everything off.   Pretty nice for a WIP.

Keep at  it.   Looks like you're to the fine-tuning stage.  It's gonna be great when you're done.

All those rivets.   

[Arlo]

[whiteman]

Looks great! I’m just starting my first try with a fighter, I can’t imagine laying out that many rivets lol

[lyric1]

 

[Shuffler]

Zowie..... Rosie has been busy.

[oboe]

Zowie..... Rosie has been busy.

Sorta stunning reading the history of the planes that survived the War.  Many of them were flown back to the States and ended up in bone yards where they were sold for scrap value.  Some planes completed 90 missions or more over the Reich, and to wind up being sold for scrap after that duty.

[Shuffler]

Sorta stunning reading the history of the planes that survived the War.  Many of them were flown back to the States and ended up in bone yards where they were sold for scrap value.  Some planes completed 90 missions or more over the Reich, and to wind up being sold for scrap after that duty.

Survived the enemy only to be demolished at home.

[Devil 505]

Sorta stunning reading the history of the planes that survived the War.  Many of them were flown back to the States and ended up in bone yards where they were sold for scrap value.  Some planes completed 90 missions or more over the Reich, and to wind up being sold for scrap after that duty.

[Vraciu]

They were melted down into aluminum ingots not much larger than a small coffee table. 

Lightnings in Europe were bulldozed into pits and set on fire. 

Corsairs and other planes headed to Australia/New Zealand were dumped into the sea, some still in crates.

Hap Arnold ordered that at  least one of each enemy aircraft type that could be found be preserved.   They were for many years until someone decided to get rid of them.   Only a few survived. 

The CAF Ghost Squadron video on YouTube shows the Korean War era planes being smelted.  Makes you ill to see.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OD-lx95yewY

[lyric1]

You can take this plane a couple of ways depending on what you like most.

Yellow tail red band nose version.

https://www.markstyling.com/3ad_b17s4.htm















Or just bare metal.

[FTJR]

nice Oboe. 

[oboe]

Thanks guys.   

Lyric, thanks - I have that shot with the band around the nose but couldn't figure out what color it was.   Makes sense that she would've received a yellow tail with 3 yellow fuselage stripes.   Some of those are shots from a boneyard I guess, as her engines have been removed.  Between the two closeups it almost looks like different colored bands and text name but that can't be possible.  Must be the angle of the sun making it look so different.

We already have two B-17 skins with yellow tails - the default skin and Fencer's "Dinah Mite" from the 487th BG, so I'll leave her as she was in late summer '44, with an unpainted tail.

[LCADolby]

I think the young-uns say it this way;  "hawt ride"