Aero Vintage Books

Here are some photos of some test builds of the B-17 paper models I am designing. My plan is to do kits of all the major variants, Model 299 thru B-17G and then the off-shoots such as the XB-38 and YB-40 plus various civilian Fortresses like the Swedish airliners and fire bombers. I’ll post some photos of some of the other models I’ve done in a separate thread so you can get an idea of the finished product. I’ve done a series of B-24s and some Boeing 307 (C-75) Stratoliners. The kits are all in 1/48 scale and can be purchased through Ecardmodels.com as downloadable PDFs. The kits have 15 to 20 pages that can be printed out on 8.5” x 11” card stock. All you really need to assemble them is a straight edge, x-acto knife and some glue. Plus they can be scaled to whatever size you want. I’ve built several at 1/72 and 1/87 (HO) scale.

As I mentioned in the “Peggy D” thread, I’d be happy to eventually do kits as fund raisers for some of the B-17 restorations that are in progress. I’ve been a huge fan of the B-17 since I was a small child. It would be an honor to contribute in some way to their preservation.

A few more test build photos showing the “Shark fin” fuselage and the early tail stinger and Cheyenne tail turret.

A couple of the Stratoliners and one of the B-24s I have done.

Very nice builds John! Excellent detail and I love the 1/48 Stratoliners!

I usually build plastic and the occasional balsa kit. I've always shied away from paper as it just seems so fragile.

I was able to get a test build done of a shark fin over the holidays. A good foundation for a future “Mary Ann” kit perhaps?

Those are very nice.I love the shark fin bird the best.

I figured the folks here would understand what I’m trying to represent with this version of my B-17 models. This is the nose window configuration for a Lockheed-Vega B-17F. I was wondering if anyone has some decent photos of the elongated cheek gun window and mount. Most of the photos I have seen show the window from below and the machine gun barrel blocks the view of the front of the window. Since doing this test build I have found that I still need to make some tweaks. Any input would be appreciated.

The fine lines in the window area represent the bulge in the glass.If you are not cutting the paper out I wouldn't worry about it.The only sorce I know of for those window shapes would be in 48th scale by Koster I believe and he is retired now.I think I have a few sets for models I want to build.

Here is another one for the shark fin fans.

At this point I have templates for all the major versions of the B-17. Once I get a few kits complete I’ll go back and make the derivatives such as the XB-38, YB-40, PB-1W and so forth.

I was wondering if someone could provide the dimensions of the nose windows of the B-17 as shown in red in the attached image. I was also wondering if the size of the window at the top of the fuselage, just aft of the nose was the same size throughout the B-17 production run. Most of the plan drawings I’ve seen are not very consistent and it is hard to accurately judge from photos. I want to make sure what I have already drawn on my models is accurate. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hello Bill,

I figured if there was anyone who could answer this question it would be you.

Yes, thank you, I would like to have the exact dimensions. That way I can make sure all of the proportions are correct. I imagine the large windows are all the same size as are the small ones?

Thank you again for your help.

John

Hi Bill,

Thank you very much for the measurements! What I had initially drawn wasn’t too far off. But it was just enough that it didn’t look right. I’ve attached an image of the revised parts. When I get a chance I’ll take a photo of the parts assembled. Please, let me know if anything dosen't look correct.

Thanks again!
John