Revell B17-G Modified to a B17-H 1:48

Your higgins boat seems like it has the potential to significantly change the center of gravity of the aircraft so if you plan to display it on the ground then you'll probably want to glue some weights into the nose of the aircraft before you seal up the fuselage. If you are still speculating on how to attach the boat to the plane, perhaps a couple of rare earth magnets inside the fuselage and a couple more in the top of the boat, placed so that they align with each other when plane and boat are mated.
 
Namabiiru said:
Your higgins boat seems like it has the potential to significantly change the center of gravity of the aircraft so if you plan to display it on the ground then you'll probably want to glue some weights into the nose of the aircraft before you seal up the fuselage. If you are still speculating on how to attach the boat to the plane, perhaps a couple of rare earth magnets inside the fuselage and a couple more in the top of the boat, placed so that they align with each other when plane and boat are mated.
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You make good points Namabiiru, I especially like the rare earth magnets. The CG will expose itself at some point, I will always have access to the interior of the fuselage via the belly gun turret location which will be covered by the boat.
 
Kurt Konrath said:
Do the curves in center of bulkheads match the bottom curvature of the aircraft belly?
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Great question Kurt. So far I have spent at least an hour sanding then test fitting where the fit up is now close. The real thing had a rubber cushion attached to the top of the coaming. I interpret that as a type of flexible seal which I hope to be able to replicate.
 
Daniel20 said:
Good after noon everyone. I'm back in this corner of SOS again this time presenting my build of a WWII B17-G bomber. My plan is to modify this kit to carry a 40' Higgins lifeboat hung underneath on the belly of this bird. Of the 12,371 B17's built only 130 were actually converted to lifeboat carriers where they would follow air sea battles in the pacific theatre and drop these boats via parachutes over downed US or allied planes. My father was a pilot in the 13th Army Air Corps of one of these planes which he and his crew flew out of a detach squadron located on Palawan Island in the Philippines. So, this build is a tribute to my dad and his service to our country as an Air/Sea rescue pilot. His time spent over there from late 1944 to 1945 when the war ended. I'll start by unpacking and show a spread of still in plastic bags parts. It has a 24" wingspan and 18" fuselage so its decent size at 1:48.

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I found a few pictures of this plane on the web, as it may seem quite odd to some who have not heard of this modification. These pics are undoubtedly from the late 40's or early 50's. They stopped using B17's for this in the 50's.

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This next photo is kind of small, but you can see it in action.

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I found this photo of my dad in our family archives; he is standing on the nacelle third from the left.

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In addition to modifying the paint scheme I also have to scratch up modified model A-1 Higgins boat. I hit the jackpot with a fella named Patrick who has a company called Warbird-Manuels, not cheap but very necessary. He had a copy of the Higgins A-1 repair manual which has all the data I needed to design on my CAD program a scaled bulkhead style boat. Check it out.

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My 1:1 cut outs 9 bulkheads a transom and a keel to attach everything to.View attachment 484385View attachment 484386View attachment 484387

I will plank it with some obeeche then paint it bright yellow. I have to figure out a way to attach it to the plans belly.

I spent a hour or so brushing up on my airbrushing skills, hope I can pull this aspect of painting off. Anyway, here are the main parts dry fitted after spending a while on clean-up of the plastic nibs and such, still have a long way to go before I start painting.

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So, everyone welcome aboard, this time you don't have to lay on the wing like my Wright Flyer you can pull up a chair.
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Good evening Daniel. Yep you perked my interest. First time I’ve heard this. Cool to have the pic of your Dad there. Cheers Grant
 
This is a cool project, Dan!
I knew of B17's being used in the SAR-role and having a boat slung under the fuselage. It's a bit of a funny sight, one could think of better options for that role. You also picked a unique mix of building an aircraft ánd a boat; it's quite fitting for this forum.
This will be a fun project to build, but also taking on a more passive role as an observer will be quite enjoyable.
 
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