1/72 Academy B-17F Part 1 

 Smooth landing Captain!

by Loïc Lemarchand

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Here is the first part about my B-17F 1/72 scale model from Academy.  When I bought this kit it was for a good reason......it was in order to make a diorama representing the B-17F #42-3190 of the 94th Bomb Group in a wheat field at Bérengeville-la-Campagne near Evreux in Normandy. The loss of the B-17 was on Bastille Day, 1943. This aircraft made a crash landing in a wheat field after it was shot down by the Ace of JG2 Egon Mayer. All the crew managed to survive the crash. This crew included :

  • Capt Kee Harrison (P)

  • 2nd Lt David Turner (CP)

  • 2nd Lt Roscoe Greene (B)

  • 2nd Lt Robert Conroy (N)

  • T/Sgt James Curtis (EG)

  • T/Sgt Charles McNemar (RO)

  • S/Sgt Jefferson Polk (BTG)

  • S/Sgt Richard Lewis (RWG)

  • S/Sgt Earl Porath (LWG)

  • S/Sgt Eino Asiala (TG)

Porath & Curtis were captured the first day and Lewis & Asiala were later captured in Paris betrayed by a spy.  All the other crew managed to evade capture with the help of the French Underground.  I wrote a book about this B-17's crew story and it will be available in September 2008.  The book is in a French language and untitled "Bel atterrissage Capitaine!" but I will make an update for an English version for who will want.

For the kit I had use photo etched for Landing Flaps & Interior from Eduard.  All glasses parts had made from my self with the thermo technics.  This kit was a pleasure to build.  Paint for aircraft was the Olive Drab from Tamiya.  The damage parts are make with aluminium paper.  I had open all the doors of the aircraft. A lot of scratch built items were used of course...

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Here above the cockpit and the interior of the aircraft before the painting.

Here below the final phase of the assembling fuselage part.

In a second part we will take a look at creating the diorama....

Cheers !

Loïc

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Photos and text © by Loïc Lemarchand