The Goal

The picture on the right gives you an idea of the goal of this project. I want to end up with a B-17D that looks similar to the B-17C taking off in the photo.  Since there were only minor differences in the two models, this photo is a good example.

If you compare the B-17C pictured here with the earlier post showing the Monogram/Revell B-17G kit, you'll see some key differences in the aircraft. The B-17 was changed radically once the war began. Pre-war notions of how bombers would operate were proved to be incorrect.  For example, aircraft needed to operate at a higher altitude.  The thin air required a larger tail surface, so Boeing had to radically redesign the tail section. A tail-gunner's position under the vertical stabilizer was included in the new design to help protect the ship from rear attacks.  You can see the revised tail that was used in E, F and G models in the B-17G photo in the previous post. This is what gave the B-17 the nickname "Big-Assed Bird".  Also, the simple gun positions planned for earlier B-17's were not adequate (one might argue that the gun positions on the later models never met the need either.). You'll note that the B-17 C pictured here has a "bathtub" gun position on its belly.  A gunner would lie down in here and defend the aircraft from attacks from below.  This was replaced in later aircraft with turrets (a Bendix remote controlled version in early E models, followed by the ball turret.).