WIP B-17 flight crew

[PLG]

Many years ago I saw a Verlinden figure of a B-17 waist gunner with part of the fusilage which I thought wax a great idea. An idea which never left me.

Fast forward to a few months ago and I decided to jump in and bought the HK models 1/32 B17G and some crew figures from Masterdetails.



I am not an aircraft modeller and in anycase have nowhere to store such a large model so I'm going to take drastic action - chop it up! Apart from easier storage this has a number of advantages; smaller manageable projects and the figures will not be overpowered by the size of the plane - I want the figures to be the centre of attention not the plane.

this idea worked with my Huey diorama.

the idea is to build a series of little vignettes:

1 - navigator/bombarier section featuring the bombardier about to release the bombload,
2- flight deck,
3 - bomb-bay and radio room, possibly with a figure walking through the bomb-bay
4 - two waist gunners
5 - tail gunner
6 - a few crew figures walking under the wing, near the engines/landing gear.

each will be a stand alone vignetter focussing on the figures, but together create the impression of the B-17.


The first 'i am going to tackle is number 6.

For this 'i am using the ICM figures:



I am using a section of the wing, enough to create the impression of the size of the wing. But not too overpowering.

i have not decided the exact composition and have a number of options:

1 - 2 engines and the full width ov the wing:



option 2 - just one engine:



Option 3 - 2 engines but only 1/2 of the width of the wing



Any thoughts as to which is the best option?

Peter

 

[grasshopper]

Option 3 would lose sense of the wing..just two engines..the decision might come down to how you will view the diorama...two and big hunk of wing does have more impact, but one engine give more emphasis on figures. As well, the wheel and single engine seem off, vs two and wheel..landing gear..I prefer two

 

[callmehobbes]

Not sure which is the best but I love the concept.

 

[Peter Day]

Bloomin' great idea Peter. I kike the one engine option myself.

 

[DaddyO]

Fabulous (if expensive) idea

For what it's worth I rather like the single engine idea when viewed from the front and above - Gives a nice balance to the composition (rough area of figures equalling the engine), but I think the one with twin engines works best. The figures are a bit dwarfed by the massive wing and powerplants giving a good impression of the size of the full aircraft.
Personally I don't like the reduced wing version much although the only reason I can give is that it looks a little 'chopped to suit the base'; a bit like those tiny wedges of tanks on single figure bases. I like the figures to give a sense of scale to the hardware rather than a cropped close up view - It would certainly work in a box diorama though.

Cheers
Paul

 

[housecarl]

I'm with the crowd, one engine for me too.

 

[Dolf]

Hi!


For what it's worth. The B-17 being a 4 engine aircraft, if showing only 1 engine, IMHO one may not necessarily be able to ID the crew as part of a B-17 crew.

For this reason I'd go for option 3.

As I love WWII aircraft, and can still build one on occasion, in my case (if I was building such a dio) I'd even go for option 1, but that's me of course

Btw, very nice concept!


Cheers!

 

[Nap]

Hi Peter

What's a plane ?? ....seriously what a great project , I think it might depend on display space both idea are good but I like tge 2 engine version but would use full wing .......not sure I am helping here !! ......allowing more ground space under for figures

I remember the Verlinden ones , 120 and 1/32 .....not seen before when it was released

Following with interest on this

Plan carefully and enjoy

Look forward to seeing more updates

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[Steve Brodie]

wow, now that's a project, I suppose it depends on what you want the end result to portray; if its the size of these aeroplanes then it would be option 1, as it fills that brief, however if its to concentrate on the brave crews who flew into battle not knowing if they would come back then i would go for option 2. I know that is of no help at all . As you have two wings, why not do one of each ? , or give me a wing and i will build one lol

 

[blaster]

Great project!!!
I like option 1 - 2 engines and the full depth of the wing.

Rgds Victor

 

[Larsen E. Whipsnade]

I favor option 1. It shows how massive the B-17 was without overpowering the crew rather, imo, the wing serves to frame the picture. I had the good fortune to fly in the Nine 0 Nine, a B-17, about 10 years ago. That's me standing next to one of the engines.

A sad note: The Nine 0 Nine crashed two years ago in Connecticut killing the pilot, co-pilot and 5 passengers.

 

[Babelfish]

After much consideration, Option 1 gets my vote. Conveys the size of the plane but (IMHO) doesn't detract from the crew. But whatever you decide, I think any of them would work. Great concept.

- Steve

 

[Merryweather]

Option 1 for me, Peter.
Excellent idea!

 

[tock24]

Option 1 for me! Shows the sheer size of the B - 17! [I have the Verlinden 120mm kit to do - perhaps this will inspire me to get it out!]
Ian

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Peter. Finally made it aboard. Great idea for your next project. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out

 

[PLG]

Hi Guys


Thanks for all of the feed back - all very useful, a lot of very good points raised. I think the third option can be discounted, the other two each have their own pros and cons. Fortunately I can avoid making a decision for a few days - I'm working on the figures first and delaying the decision.

Paul - I'm thinking of a boxed dip for some of the other vignettes.
Nap - yes those are the kits which sparked all of this off!
Larcen - I am envious of your having flown on a B-17 - very fortunate.


Peter

 

[MattMcK.]

Definitely One! I'm working on the full B-24 from Hobby Boss, and went the other way, full plane, lots of crew and ground vehicles. I almost wish I made your choice and chopped it

 

[Sergei]

Fascinating project, I have always liked the B17, though never got around to building it. Generally, I would go for Option 1, but I think there is one more issue to consider. Judging the photos of the lucky Larsen E, the B17 was of course large, but still not as large as to allow a person to walk under its wing without tilting his head. Or am I missing something?

 

[Larsen E. Whipsnade]

Definitely One! I'm working on the full B-24 from Hobby Boss, and went the other way, full plane, lots of crew and ground vehicles. I almost wish I made your choice and chopped it

Love your avatar: an original GI Joe head before Life-like Hair and Beard (not to mention the Kung Fu Grip!). Way cool....

 

[Larsen E. Whipsnade]

Fascinating project, I have always liked the B17, though never got around to building it. Generally, I would go for Option 1, but I think there is one more issue to consider. Judging the photos of the lucky Larsen E, the B17 was of course large, but still not as large as to allow a person to walk under its wing without tilting his head. Or am I missing something?

Good catch. You can walk under the engines and the leading edge of the wing but because the B-17 is a tail dragger not under the trailing edge.
Rick