RAF Fortress III- Lockdown project.

[Thunderbolt II]

Hi all

Given the current 'circumstances' I decided to start modelling again, having always brush painted in the past I invested in a cheap airbrush and compressor and tackled the Airfix 1/72 Fortress III. I've always been fascinated by US aircraft in British markings for some reason and also the clandestine activities of 100 Group RAF, so it seemed a good choice. I found airbrushing to be simultaneously brilliant and the most frustrating thing in the world! Just starting to get the hang of it now, after a couple of weeks of swearing more than I ever have in my life! Anyway, be kind...

20200409_142657 by Richard Taylor, on Flickr

20200409_142640 by Richard Taylor, on Flickr

20200409_142630 by Richard Taylor, on Flickr

20200409_142619 by Richard Taylor, on Flickr

20200409_142614 by Richard Taylor, on Flickr

20200409_142600 by Richard Taylor, on Flickr

Many thanks for looking!

[Pi]

Looks a great job, well done !

[Hunter49]

Looks like the swearing paid off . Nice job. Rob

[Sparts99]

Nice. years ago I made a Revell B-17F in Coastal Command colours.

[DanBeeden]

For a first effort with an airbrush I’d be pretty chuffed with this! Terrific build. Was this aircraft based at Harringworth?

[Thunderbolt II]

For a first effort with an airbrush I’d be pretty chuffed with this! Terrific build. Was this aircraft based at Harringworth?

Many thanks! Sculthorpe and Oulton, I think.

[anthony martin]

Very nice

[GreenBat]

For a first attempt at airbrushing, that’s very impressive.... nice build

[JONLITE06]

Very nice!!

[Hornchurch]

For a first effort with an airbrush I’d be pretty chuffed with this! Terrific build. Was this aircraft based at Harringworth?

Many thanks! Sculthorpe and Oulton, I think.

'



Those 'BU' codes tell me it's a 214 Sqdn bird & yeah, it was based at both those bases you mentioned.

Sculthorpe is only down the road from me, so I'd naturally take an interest in it anyways....

Seems SO very hard to believe that only a few weeks back, I was on the base - They held an IPMS show there !

T'was the tail-end of that 3rd lousy-storm (in succession) trees were being blown over the roads....

Now look at it - All sunny & peaceful & lovely (albeit within this sodding 'Lockdown')

I was out on the balcony earlier (Gt.weather), when "STRIX.67" kept flying circuits towards me

After I'd seen it, like doing a Gazillion-rounds (& round & round), it FINALLY landed at Sculthorpe....

On the EXACT same runway/patch/area that YOUR 214-Sqdn Boeing B.17 was landing on, 75-76 years ago


Lemme chime-in & say, you've done a fabulous job & I like your end-product very-much (Ya done Sculthorpe proud !)

I'd be chuffed if I'd made an AIRFIX B.17 & it came-out as well as that - (I used to do good kits & spray, Badger-stuff).

Space constraints mean I've got a vast kit collection, BUT, due to family-members, nowhere to display my built kits.

I do have one of those AIRFIX Boeing B.17's in my stash, but, it's the regular USAAF 8th AF version, not the 100-Group.


Lastly, "if" ya wanna do some more reading on 214 Sqdn & "those 100-Group RAF B.17's".....

Might be worth picking-up one of 'Theo Boiten's superb books, like "NachtJagd".

An amazing section in there, from a proud "Berlin Born Lad", Gerhard Heilig, who served on board an 100-Group RAF B.17

Pretty much blew me away, reading about certain Germans, on-board RAF planes, verbally jamming the Nazi controllers....

If ever you run out of display-space, in years to come (further down the line), I'm sure Ian at the RAF Sculthorpe centre, would LOVE your built kit


.

[Dan214sqn]

I'm surprised RAF Oulton isn't the base mentioned where this 214sqn B-17G operated from.

I have a particular connection to BU-J - It's interesting ref the colour schemes 214sqn used. Because the job the squadron was performing photography of their aircraft wasn't really allowed. There are stories of all black painted B-17's with no bomber command camo applied.

Great job on the build

[Hornchurch]

I'm surprised RAF Oulton isn't the base mentioned where this 214sqn B-17G operated from.

I have a particular connection to BU-J - It's interesting ref the colour schemes 214sqn used. Because the job the squadron was performing photography of their aircraft wasn't really allowed. There are stories of all black painted B-17's with no bomber command camo applied.

Great job on the build

'


Hi Dan, I'll think you'll find that Outon "is" mentioned on the box-lid, as well as Sculthorpe - (It mentions both bases, as the a/c used both)

Might have fallen in/during the time-spell that Sculthorpe 'closed' (briefly) to extend it's length during wartime (seems crazy, looking back !)

Am in agreement w/ya, regarding their 'secretive' 100-Grp nature & a 'no-photography' rule.... (that was clearly flouted !)


Somewhere, I have a wartime, razor-sharp imgae taken, of an RAF B.17 (late version), coming in to land, almost on touchdown**

** the camera-man is clearly beside the a/c & main runway, as it's landing


It's ALL in 'silver' (Natural Metal Finish, N.M.F), yet curiously, has a large 'Type-B' underside starboard LOWER wing-roundel - SO UNUSUAL !

I have another thing to mention & that's this....

Back in 2001, I was on holiday w/Wife & kids & had gone down to the pebble-beach 'White-Cliffs' area of St.Margarets Bay, to see ferries, close-at-hand

(Cross-Channel-Ferries, as they left the Port of Dover, heading for France)

My kids got playing with a Yorkshire Terrier & it's elderly owner seemed a bit disgruntled, so he seemed miserable, at first. (plus the dog had 'ran-off')

Once my kids had picked him up & bought him back (to his elderly owner), we got chatting - Ya know, "Are you on Holiday ?", etc

Chat got onto planes & about 4-mins in, I got the shock of my life....

He told me that he'd served on a 'secretive' RAF Boeing B.17 Squadron, operating on LATE B.17's (think Mk.III's or the 'G' version types/USAAF)

Stunned, I asked him regarding the colour-schemes of the particular Fortresses he flew operations in.....

He was most adamant, that HIS (various Sqdn), planes, were solely in "N.M.F" with VERY very minimalist markings (just insignia, NO-CODES !)

He also explained that they were instructed to say 'Nothing' when they landed at anything other than their own home base !

Lastly, he stressed.... "We got some VERY strange looks, from other Bomber-crews (when they landed elsewhere), they looked daggers at us"

..... (also offering the opinion that those 'giving' the frosty-looks, were under the impression they were 'shirking', or, had an easy-job)

Naturally, they WERE under very strict-orders NOT to say anything, SO, pretty-much, couldn't "defend" themselves against their verbal 'accusers'

Fascinating guy & I know he'd said that during the immediate post-war, he'd risen to the rank of Sqdn-Ldr & elected to stay 'in' the RAF.

I'll see over the weekend, "if" I can dig-out that (bizarrely marked 'N.M.F'), Boeing B.17 with the 'Type.B' underwing insignia, usually seen top-wing.


.

[Dan214sqn]

May '44 100grp 214 sqn moved to Oulton from Sculthorpe I think

here is a link to a thread I made a long time ago, might be of interest to you
http://forums.diecast-aviation.eu/showt ... ght=Oulton

Cheers
Dan

[cj9ru]

Ooh I like that!

Very good, looks excellent

Chris

[Thunderbolt II]

Thanks for all the kind comments, good to see it's sparked a bit of conversation and debate too! Coming soon, Lockdown project 2... with a bit of luck...