B-17 paper card models

[JohnDell]

I’ve been making some progress on the series of B-17 card models I’ve been designing. The first photo is of a test build I did to make sure the camouflage lined up properly from one part to the next. The second image is a sample of how the completely rendered parts will look.

This past Saturday was actress Swoosie Kurtz’s 70th birthday. Happy Birthday Swoosie!

[TAdan]

Great work, I'm afraid my clumsy hands would just crush one of those paper birds. I'll stick to styrene.

[JohnDell]

Thanks …

Card models can be surprisingly durable. I still have several that I built over ten years ago. I used to build a lot of plastic kits but being an illustrator/graphic designer by trade, the card modeling seemed to be a natural progression. Some of the advantages of card models is if you lose or mess up a part, you can just print a new one. Plus one can size them to any desired scale. The models I design are in 1/48 scale but I have also built them in 1/72 and 1/87 such as the Stratoliner I did below. Though I must admit I’d like to get my hands on that 1/32 scale plastic B-17G kit that recently came out.

[TAdan]

Though I must admit I’d like to get my hands on that 1/32 scale plastic B-17G kit that recently came out.

I'd highly recommend it. I am just about done with mine, the birth of my daughter has put the build on hold but it was close enough to done that I could hang it up. I'll finish the ball turret and anti glare panels *someday*.

[JohnDell]

My first B-17 paper card kit is almost ready for release. I've been designing this thing for over a year so I'm happy to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks for answering some of my questions. Now on to the B-17G.

[DryMartini]

Way cool, John! Thanks for sharing.

[TAdan]

Wow, looks amazing. Nice work.

[DryMartini]

Incredibly detailed and well designed!
Hard to believe you can do all that
with just some paper card stock.

[OldBillB17F]

Well done! It looks great!

[OldBillB17F]

When and where can we purchase it?

[JohnDell]

The first B-17 kit is now available. It can be purchased as a download here…

http://www.ecardmodels.com/index.php/1- ... model.html

Sorry I haven’t posted it sooner, but they were rebuilding their website over the holidays.

I’m now working on the kit for B-17G “Little Miss Mischief”. I recently finished drawing the nose art (see below).

Several people have asked me about doing a future kit in 1/32 scale. Over the holidays I enlarged the kit to that scale and put it together to see how it held up. It worked out rather well. With a wing span around 40" it is huge! It does looks pretty imposing hanging from the kitchen ceiling. I can definitely appreciate the super detailing potential of this scale. But I think right now I will stick to 1/48 scale.

[JohnDell]

The kit of B-17G “Little Miss Mischief” is nearing completion. I hope to have this one available around the beginning of March. After this I’ll start working on an RAF Fortress I.

There is a guy in Romania who takes paper model kits, enlarges them and mounts the printed sheets onto Depron foam to build radio controlled models. He has so far done this with one of my old P-51D and B-24D kits. He is now building my B-17E kit. The B-24 and B-17 have a wing span of two meters! Here is a link to a video of the B-24s maiden flight (second video in around the middle of the page) and a link to the construction of the B-17 (bottom of the page). I’m really looking forward to seeing the B-17E fly.

http://www.rhcforum.ro/topic/44888-semi ... e__st__120

http://www.rhcforum.ro/topic/44888-semi ... e__st__300

[JohnDell]

I have been quite busy with my B-17 card model kits since I last posted in February. I have since released a kit of an RAF Fortress Mk.I and I am getting ready to release two Pacific based B-17s. I have a card modeling friend who is a professor at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA and every year in December he has a showing of “Tora, Tora, Tora” where he also displays card models representing early Pacific war subjects. I figured this year he could use a couple of B-17s. The first one is B-17C 40-2074 of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron. This was one of the B-17s that arrived during the height of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The second is B-17E 41-2446 (aka “Swamp Ghost”) of the 7th Bomb Group.

I also did a kit as a fund raiser for the gentleman who runs the website that sells my models. His dog was hit by a car and he had a pretty hefty vet bill. This kit was of B-17F 41-24384 of the 43rd Bomb Group that was called “Pluto”. I figured the dog themed nose art fit with his fund raising effort. I haven’t had a chance to build one yet so no photos.

[JohnDell]

I’ve also been working on a couple of 8th Air Force B-17Fs. The first will be “Ole Puss” from the 96th Bomb Group. The next is the 381st Bomb Groups infamous “Tinker Toy”. I hope to get these two kits done by at least the end of December. Here is a shot of some rough fuselage test builds I did. I have been striving to show the wide variations in tint and weathering of the olive drab paint schemes.

I have also started to draw the nose art and insignia for the 305th Bomb Group B-17G 44-6009, “Flak Eater”. This will be a late model G with the Cheyenne tail turret and staggered waist gun windows.

[JohnDell]

My Pearl Harbor B-17C and the B-17E known as “Swamp Ghost” are now available here if anyone is interested.

http://www.ecardmodels.com/

The gentleman who runs the website that sells my models dog was hit by a car so I did another Pacific based B-17 as a fund raiser to pay his vet bills. This is a 43rd Bomb Group B-17F fitted with a B-17E nose with a field modified mount for a .50 cal. machine gun. Since it was a fund raiser for a dog I figured some dog themed nose art would be appropriate. It even comes with a little cut-out figure of poor Hugo.

The next kit I’m finishing up is the 96th Bomb Group B-17F “Ole Puss”.