...nice job !!!......I wasn't lucky enough to paint a real one so I made my own , measured up 4 different Lancaster's to get the rivet spacing , and popped away ! Torched the edges after it was all done then framed it to look like a shipping crate. It's 3' X 5', already started another, it'll be a pinup and it's 4' X 6'.
Man, that's just plain bitchin'! I used that same method to paint "Gilmore" logos on the doors of my '52 F1. Not nearly as involved and not nearly as cool as nose art on a B-24, though. Nice one.
That is kick ass rollie. I've been wanting to do something like that myself. Good call on the white undercoat for the yellow. We thought that the thinned down washes would be sufficient. And except for the yellow, they were. I'll know for the next time, as I like using yellow.
Just read in the paper that we will have a B-25 here in June...............I cant wait! Lucky dog there Django, that is a cool gig.
Very cool. Dad was into these planes before he passed a few years ago. He was in the 42nd Rainbow Division in WWII formely know as the fighting 69th. The Army Aircore before the Airforce was filled with cool planes, that many took for granted. Who will be the first to start building and selling these planes once again? I'm sure they'd do well!
Chad, excellent post, my man!!!! What a "once in a lifetime" oppurtunity. You guys did a fantastic job, that must of been a fun three days. Now you realize your gonna be the "go to guy" for the CAF from now on......Fantastic! There's no doubt 1Shot yellow sucks. If ya absolutely gotta use it, try to add a 'lil Imitation Gold to get better coverage. Otherwise multiple coats are the way to go. Helluva cool post, Viva la HAMB! Joel
Mate you are a lucky SOB, not only can you paint but you get to use living history as a canvas. UNBELIEVABLE....Im so jealous !! Kick Ass work !! Rat
What amazing work!! First of all your art concept is ultra cool!! Then to lay it on with the help of you DAD, and other very helpful crew members is really unbelievable. Plus being under such a time frame pressure, this is one of the greatest accomplishments I have ever witnessed,thanks to your excellent pictorial coverage. This fits in to Ryans post recently eluding to old very cool things, nose art is one of those guy things that rings a bell in almost all of us. My Dad was a mechanic on B-17 and B-24 planes so it is extra special to me. Thanks for being so generous to record this event for us. Truly one of the most excellent posts to ever grace this forum-Humbly in Awe-Son-of-an-airplane-mechanic!!-Paint On!!-Sololobo
Congratulations, what a great opportunity. You are very lucky! The painting looks great, I'm sure the old crew would be proud (even though there is no semi-naked girl....)
Nice work, I like it alot. Next time out line everything with a pinstripe brush and it will look like a decal, it will pop out at you, looks great man, Rags
When you mentioned the Ol' 927 was going to be on tour I checked the event schedule at my local air museum (MAPS in Canton, OH http://www.mapsairmuseum.org/Default.asp) and came across the Collings Foundation which gives people the opportunity to fly on a real B-17, B-24 or B-25! Check out their nationwide tour here: http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm How much fun would that be?!!! But unfortunately I don't think the Ol' 927 will be making an appearance near me.
The cat photos were part of an inside joke on the WIX. That's Skeeter the hangar cat, and we told WIX that skeeter wanted to be a pin up model for the nose art. Skeeter is a great cat. He and my Dad bonded. When Dad went back for the unveiling, Skeeter ran right up to him right away. He's been in tangles with rattlesnakes and has been bitten on the nose... twice. Listed below is a tentative schedule for "Ol 927" this year and of course can change with little notice. As of now though, this is the plan. July 6-8th - Scott AFB Airshow July 23 - 29 - Oshkosh Aug 10-12th - NY ANG Airshow - Niagara Falls Aug 24th - 27th - Indianapolis - KMQJ Sept 5-8 - Minot, ND - Dakota Air Museum Sept 8 - Minot AFB - Airshow Sept 9-10 - Minot - Dakota Air Museum Sept 28 - 30 - CAF Airsho - Midland, Tx Oct 5-8th - Wings over Houston - Ellington Airport More shows are in the works. I believe they have one added in Ohio between Niagara and Indianapolis but they will know more later. Keep checking the below website as this will be updated shortly with the tour schedule. http://www.cafb29b24.org/
Can't wait to see it live. Glad that you and your crew did it the original way, instead of the current trend of the perfectly taped, stenciled, and airbrushed examples. The cartoon theme is a nice touch as well. Good job!
Don't feel to bad about "just" a tail number, the B-17 Nine-O-Nine (909) is well known. As per Wikapedia: A block 30 B-17G manufactured by the Boeing Company, she was nicknamed after the last three digits of her serial number: 42-31909. She was added to the USAAF inventory on December 15, 1943, and flown overseas on February 5, 1944. After depot modifications, she was delivered to the 91st BG at RAF Bassingbourn, England, on February 24, 1944, as a replacement aircraft, one of the last B-17s received in factory-applied camouflage paint. A former navigator of the 91st BG, Marion Havelaar, reported in his history of the group that Nine-O-Nine completed either 126 or 132 consecutive missions without aborting for mechanical reasons, also believed to be a record.<SUP> </SUP>M/Sgt. Rollin L. Davis, maintenance line chief of the bomber, received the Bronze Star for his role in achieving the record. Flying her first combat mission on February 25, 1944, to Augsburg, Germany, she made 18 trips to Berlin, dropped 562,000 pounds of bombs, and flew 1,129 hours. She had 21 engine changes, four wing panel changes, 15 main gas tank changes, and 18 changes of Tokyo tanks. And I will snap some pics at Oskosh for you guys.
I just got my new issue (July/August) of Warbird Digest, and there is a HUGE article on the plane, including a 2 page article that I wrote, which just happens to be my first published magazine article. Rad! Look for it on the newstand!