1/48 B-17E

[The Cat]

Here's a FrankenFort - Revell F fuselage and Monogram wings. I don't know who made the E conversion kit - it is old-school resin and vac. It has aftermarket cowlings and engines as well.

The props aren't right - this baby needs the earlier narrow-bladed props but that can be remedied sometime. I got a big box of B-17 parts with her, and it has separate narrow blades - the idea is to replace the kit props' blades - but about half were missing.

I bought her at an estate sale - the fellow who passed away was an old airline pilot and he is the one who originally built her. He definitely spent some $$$ on conversion parts. That's how she got her name - like the Tabitha in the Bible she got a new lease on life :)

He didn't do so hot on the paint or decals though. I gave her an even coat of OD over gray and stuck some extra decals on just to tide me over until I get properly-sized markings - the wing insignias are too small and I don't know where to get the big U.S. ARMY for the bottom of the wings.

I haven't gotten around to applying her serial number yet though - I'm entertaining a few options there...

Dave

[Moorcat]

cool, and nice story to go along with it, I like seeing things get resurected like that.

[fluke]

COOL!....Its nice to see a early Fortress built ...and well done too!

Here's my Uncle's crew with their B-17G...some family member back in the late 40's wrote dad under the wrong crewman...my Uncle is the guy to the left...Top turret / Engineer....two tours...41 missions ending with a evasion of capture in late 44 from Germany. He's still with us in Little Rock Ca. at 86 yrs old.

[The Cat]

Fluke!

Thanks for posting that pic. That's one thing I love about this type of aircraft - each of them take on a life of their own once you add the 9 individuals... and they become a 'family' of sorts.

My granddad rolled with Patton... the only wartime pics I have of him were taken at the USO in Paris. I wish I had pics of him at the front with his buddies, where he was truly in his element.


An update about Tabitha - I found her four of the right narrow-chord props - two came out of my PBY-5A kit, and two more came out of a C-47! I'll be able to use the paddle blades on that C-47, which I'm going to be tearing into shortly.

More about Tabitha's story - the guy who was originally going to build her was a retired airline pilot who flew in WW2. (I don't know what, though). Anyway, at the sme place I bought the B-17, I bought a B-24D (Monogram 1/48) that he had built. He was a good modeller, this guy was. The decals had pretty much flaked off but the paint job is intact, so I'm replacing the decals and sealing them properly. I had to buy another B-24 for its props and tail turret - they were missing due to 'hangar rash'.

I'm like you guys - I like pieces that have interesting stories behind them!

[fluke]

Hey Cat.....no problem. Is your Grandad still with us?

Can't wait to see more.

You want interesting?......Just three houses down the street from me lives an older English guy who was with the Royal Air Force in 44 and was a tail gunner in Lancastors....Ya don't meet folks like that every day.