B17 Lil Audrey by Black Viking - Airfix 1-72

[mtaylor]

9 hours ago, Egilman said:

There are very few combat used B-17's left most of them were sent to the scrappers immediately after the war..... Almost all the B-17's on display are post war manufacture.....

Check with the Air Force Museum in Dayton.   It's been probably 30 years since I've been there, but they used to have 2 (I think) B-17's that were warbirds that did missions.   I do remember they at least one of every other US fighter and bomber from WWII, including some German aircraft.

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, mtaylor said:

.....but they used to have 2 (I think) B-17's that were warbirds that did missions.

Yes,

The "Swoose", B-17 40-3097 flew combat missions Over Rabaul and New Guinea and was damaged several times in air combat and in bombing attacks eventually being consolidated with a second "D" model B-17 40-3091 to become a personal aircraft of a General.... (amongst her notable passengers was one Commander Lyndon Baines Johnson) It is the oldest B-17 in existance and the only one to be in service for the entire war....

And

The "Memphis Belle", B-17F 41-24485 whose combat record is widely known.... They also used to have "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby", B-17G 42-32076 who is the most complete and original B-17 in existence... also with a well known combat record was shot up by flak and forced down at Bulltofta Airfield, near Malmo, Sweden, recovered by the Swedish government and used an an airliner reg. SE-BAP then sold to Denmark for $1 and called the STIG VIKING, later renamed STORE BJORN for the African routes; bought by IGNF (Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière) as F-BGSH for geographical survey work before retiring at Creuil, France; sold to the USAF for 20 cents and fully restored at Wright-Patterson AFB and displayed at the USAF museum until she was transferred to the Smithsonian in exchange for the "Swoose" which is considered the more historically important aircraft.

Edited March 26, 2020 by Egilman

[mtaylor]

Whoa...  that joggled a memory..  "Shoo Shoo Baby II".   

[Egilman]

On 3/25/2020 at 9:57 PM, mtaylor said:

Whoa...  that joggled a memory..  "Shoo Shoo Baby II".   

yep...

 

B-17 44-6302 / Shoo Shoo Baby II; B-17G-50-DL: 44-6251 to 44-6500 Was battle damaged over Merseburg 11/30/44 and force landed at Melsbroek, Belgium; Salvaged 12/21/44.

 

According to the B-17 Database, there were 9 different B-17's that carried some form of Shoo Shoo Baby as a nickname.....

 

Here is an image of Shoo shoo Shoo Baby as a Swedish Airliner.....

 

Correction: this image of her is in her Danish airline livery after the swedes sold it to Denmark. (I completely missed the "Danske" in the caption below the image)

Edited March 27, 2020 by Egilman
Correcting an error

[popeye the sailor]

they did a lot of modifications to get her look'in like that............

[BLACK VIKING]

Hi all and a big thanks for the likes.

A little more work on the old girl. I have painted the square G on the tail and I think it looks ok the biggest problem I had was with the numbers as I tried painting them but they looked rubbish so I came up with a cunning plan and modified the ones that came with the kit and some I had leftover from another kit I think they look ok and much better than I could paint.

Cheers for following 

Martyn

[BLACK VIKING]

I think this self isolation has cocked my brain up . I forgot to add the pictures  

Martyn

[popeye the sailor]

looks awesome     you did a good job!

[Old Collingwood]

Same as Denis  said  - looks really good.

 

OC.

[mtaylor]

10 hours ago, BLACK VIKING said:

I think this self isolation has cocked my brain up . I forgot to add the pictures  

Martyn

Meh.. don't sweat it, all our brains are going.    The tail numbers look great.

[Egilman]

On 3/27/2020 at 8:27 PM, mtaylor said:

I forgot to add the pictures

Yeah I've been known to do that on occasion also.... So your not alone....

[BLACK VIKING]

Hi all and thanks for the comments and likes  

A bit more done the wings and tail fins have been fitted and the fuselage glue together.

I have dry brushed the whole aircraft to give it a worn look.

 I have found out that she was hit by flack and number 2 engine caught fire but was put out quite quickly. It was replaced and a new cowl fitted but wasn't painted for a few weeks so I have shown this.

Just a little bit more to do then she will be complete.

Thanks for following 

Martyn

[Old Collingwood]

Thats looking really nice  - love the detail and history regarding the engine fire  - puts a real persoanl take on the build.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

look'in super Martyn........very nice finish on her.........well done!  

[B McK]

I just found this conversation.

My dad was a pilot it in the 385th BG, 551st bomb squadron at Great Ashfield from June-Sept 1944 and his main plane was "Li'l Audrey".  I've been scanning and transcribing his letters home to his family during this time (I received them last summer from my cousin who has been going through my grandmother's stuff.)  He mentions "Li'l Audrey" by name in his letters and said he is the one who flies her the most since he knows the plane best.  I was was searching for pictures because most of his pictures were lost in his luggage in the move after England.  "Li'l Audrey"'s number was 42-32008 according to the 385th Bomb Group website archive.  Great job with the model!

[fawalley]

I too have 2 1/48 scale models I have never built. I bought them the 80's that my dad and I were going to build together but we never did. He pass away in 1990 and they have been sitting on a shelf all these years. He already had a model plane of this name Li'l Audrey complete with the apostrophe painted on it's nose which he flew as a BTG sitting on his TV. He always talked about the checker board tail and his dd214 shows him in 551bs / 385bg I had two pictures of him and his crews. Both photos we lost in a house fire. One was a photo taken New Mexico and at the time all I could make out on the tail was a 008. Many years later I was to see the photo of Li'l Audery 42-32008. The service record of her has her coming back to Kirtland AFB in NM and scrapped in Albuquerque. My dad was stationed at Kirtland and my parents met in Albuquerque so it fits. The other photo I found on line and when I seen it a cold chill went down my spine. It was the crew photo of Li'l Audrey 41-24523. assigned 323BS/91BG He is bottom row second from right. That plane crashed with another and crew was lost he was not on that flight. His dd214 may not be complete because it had him with two last names same serial number.

Good luck with your build and hope it is the 008

 

[Jpatrician]

Martyn, I just stumbled upon this thread. My grandfather, T/Sgt. John Patrician, was the radio operator on the Lil Audrey. He completed over 35 successful missions while onboard. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Jpatrician
photos

[BLACK VIKING]

Wow thank you for the brilliant photos of your grandad . It's amazing that he was just up the road from where I live and 35 missions.  I take my hat of to legends like your grandad.  The model is now at the Rougham Tower Museum near Bury St Edmunds, well worth a visit if you're in the area. 

Thanks again 

Martyn 

[Old Collingwood]

8 hours ago, BLACK VIKING said:

Wow thank you for the brilliant photos of your grandad . It's amazing that he was just up the road from where I live and 35 missions.  I take my hat of to legends like your grandad.  The model is now at the Rougham Tower Museum near Bury St Edmunds, well worth a visit if you're in the area. 

Thanks again 

Martyn 

Ita a small world also   - my late farther was an Erk  and was based at RAF Downham Market,  RAF Marham,  and  RAF West Raynham.

 

OC.

[BLACK VIKING]

There's certainly a lot of airfields around East anglia,  I have three in a eight mile radius from me . Great Ashfield,  Rougham and Rattlesden .

Rattlesden is now a glider club, Rougham is surrounded by a large industrial estate but they still fly light aircraft from there and Great Ashfield is now a private airfield with a grass landing strip.  There's still a few old buildings on the site but mostly falling down and neglected which is a shame. 

Martyn 

 

[Old Collingwood]

5 hours ago, BLACK VIKING said:

There's certainly a lot of airfields around East anglia,  I have three in a eight mile radius from me . Great Ashfield,  Rougham and Rattlesden .

Rattlesden is now a glider club, Rougham is surrounded by a large industrial estate but they still fly light aircraft from there and Great Ashfield is now a private airfield with a grass landing strip.  There's still a few old buildings on the site but mostly falling down and neglected which is a shame. 

Martyn 

 

Indeed,   as a spotter (airctaft enthusiast)  I once spent a weekend traveling all over the East coast  in a  mini coach/van  with a group of other spotters  - it was a mad  Two days  but so much fun.

 

OC.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Old Collingwood

[Canute]

I remember landing at RAF Alconbury, back in 75-76 and chatting with some spotters. They gave me a rundown of every paint scheme/marking/basing summary of the F-4E I had just arrived in. Talk about enthusiasts. We were on our way to Huntington station for the train to London town. 👍

[Old Collingwood]

2 hours ago, Canute said:

I remember landing at RAF Alconbury, back in 75-76 and chatting with some spotters. They gave me a rundown of every paint scheme/marking/basing summary of the F-4E I had just arrived in. Talk about enthusiasts. We were on our way to Huntington station for the train to London town. 👍

Yep we are  a nutty breed  - mine extends to logging serials/registrations, and under lining them in cross reference books both mil and civil, I have a system now of trying to get a photo of every aircraft I see  (especially  those civial airliners flying over on airways).

 

Its a cool hobby.

 

OC.

[FeralPatrick]

My uncle Stan Dentinger, pictured in your photo bottom row far right, was a ball turret gunner in over 20 missions on Li'l Audrey.