B-17 bare metal or iconic olive drab?

[Iron Spike]

Hello everyone, im new, fresh and green...

im about to build a HM B-17 and im kind of in a delemma: 

A B-17 should be my first bare metal paint (metallizer) project - shes just made for it.

However, for me a B-17 is olive green. Dull, boring, beaten up. Not so „shiny airliner like“ bare metal. 

So now my request:

Are there any B-17s that have the well known olive drab top but are bare metal under their „skirts“? As far as i know the olive ones had all this even more boring sky grey paint on their underside. I have hopes that THIS (olibe top and bare metal belly) would fix my problem.

I already know the „Little Miss Mischief“ - a kind of a zombi-aircraft, with a bare metal body stuck to a olive tail section.

What are your B-17 sources? I want an all acurate airplane. What i mean: I may leave out details because im not able to put them in, but i dont change an airplane into something fictional.

Oh and btw: It has to be an european theater airplane. I want something that acutally flew here the one or the other day and night...

 

Thank you!

Iron Spike

[harv]

Welcome to our home spike ! I would suggest the web. Plenty of sites and pics. You should be able to find something that's peaks your interest. BTW what mark do you have ? A G model ?.....harv 

[Iron Spike]

Hi and thanks,

im talking about the HKM 1/32 B-17G. I am fulls open regarding the markings and numbers, as long the aircraft excist(ed) and is not fictional. I found a lot of (historic) images - but honesty, i prefere asking people over asking „the internet“.

I found here a couple of great/amazing B-17 builds, both olive and bare metal. So chances are high that one here is an expert to B-17s. I would value such expert opinios way more over „what could be found“ in the internet.

 

Do you have any sources in mind?

 

[ScottsGT]

Do both!  

I have the Memphis Belle kit and a G.  Planning on doing one of each.  Gotta get the aluminum foil technique mastered first.  

[BlrwestSiR]

There were several B-17Es and Fs in OD over neutral grey that were rebuilt so would be a fantastic subject for mismatched and weathered paint. 

Zotz had at least one of them on his decal sheets. 

There was supposedly another G but the opposite of Little Miss Mischief- OD front with a NMF dear section. 

[GazzaS]

Foil it baby!

 

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Iron Spike]

6 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

There were several B-17Es and Fs in OD over neutral grey that were rebuilt so would be a fantastic subject for mismatched and weathered paint. 

Zotz had at least one of them on his decal sheets. 

There was supposedly another G but the opposite of Little Miss Mischief- OD front with a NMF dear section. 

Hi, 

but these OD B-17s have these grey belly right? None, i mean litterally none, of the OD B-17s have a bare metal belly? 

 

Because if thats true, i have to pick either a „regular“ NMF one or the „Litte Miss Mischief“. 

Does wnyone of you guys have a good source for reference information about B-17s? 

[BlrwestSiR]

The only two reference books I have on the B-17:



The Kagero book has both F and G Fortresses. Lots of pics of nose art and a few colour profiles. Unfortunately none are OD over NMF.

 

[krow113]

A look into the timeline of B 17 supply in WW2 we see od/grey to start and then a switch to nmf as the realization that there is little need to camo a plane that leaves a 10 mile long vapour trail behind it.

So there was no nmf/grey period to speak of as the decision to not camoflage the planes covered the stoppage of both upper and lower painting.

Thats how I see it , the camo/nmf aberrations we see are exactly that ; aberrations from assembly of damaged planes.

HAlf & half fuse, wing tips , whole wings etc were used as they could be. But no horizontal splits as suggested , just paint/nmf changes on panle lines as they are put together.

I have a dozen B 17 kits 1/72 , 1/48 AND THE BIG ONES TOO!

Heres how I'll do mine:A jet black insurrection intruder.

[Iron Spike]

Hi

this is what i was afraid of. They came out with camo and then it wasnt any longere necessary.

I found this site:

https://www.markstyling.com/1ad_b17s1.htm

There are plenty (all, most) B-17 side views. And you got at least an idea about their paint sheme - of absence of it. If you look at their numbers/year you can clearly see the early ones are with camo, the later one just NMF.

*sigh* 

@BlrwestSiR thanks for the books.

[GusMac]

2 hours ago, Iron Spike said:

Hi

this is what i was afraid of. They came out with camo and then it wasnt any longere necessary.

I found this site:

https://www.markstyling.com/1ad_b17s1.htm

There are plenty (all, most) B-17 side views. And you got at least an idea about their paint sheme - of absence of it. If you look at their numbers/year you can clearly see the early ones are with camo, the later one just NMF.

*sigh* 

@BlrwestSiR thanks for the books.

Thanks for that link. There are lots of nice profiles on there for future ideas. Pity you can't find a NMF/OD combo but I'm sure something will take your fancy.

[Clunkmeister]

Welcome to LSM!  You’ll enjoy it here I expect, many knowledgeable, friendly folks here to help you out.

Personally, I prefer the natural aluminum look, and that means a late war G for the most part.  Also, don’t count out RAF and Naval birds as well.  Yes, most Navies or Coastal patrols flew Liberators, there are still some decent Fortress schemes out there as well.