Metal effect is a bit of a dark art. I had done a P51 Mustang using only Tamiya flat aluminium and it just didn't look right even with panel liner and off shade panels. For metal you really need specialist paints. I've gone with Vallejo Metal Color (Chrome) for this B17 - and I think it's worked. For the off panels I've used Tamiya flat aluminium which works for the effect.
As to the darkened panel lines, I used Tamiya Smoke - which is a translucent dark varnish colour. Unlike pre-shading, this is an after effect applied to the base coat. It takes a little practice and it woks best if thinned a little with Tamiya thinners, and then a light mist overspray of the base colour. I've since tried it out on the Mustang (which is now a test mule) and I'm close to refining the technique.
The chrome paint is not what I was expecting. It's a slightly whiter shade of Vallejo's aluminium but a second coat at close range with the airbrush will give it more of that polished metal/chrome look. I did a test panel but in the end decided the full polished look wouldn't look right for the model. The only high polish B17's are modern day classic warbirds which isn't what I was going for.
When it comes to metal finish, surface preparation matters a lot. Olives and greens will hide a multitude of sins but metal finish will show up every defect and the chrome paint just doesn't look right if the priming is uneven. I learned this the hard way and had to clean off the wings and re-prime. In most instances I get away with a rough prime job but for metal surfaces you need a full and even coat - not least to even out some of the surface defects.
The kit itself is the old Monogram in a Revell box. It's essentially the same as the Memphis Belle B17F kit but I think this one is a little better. The dome on the top of the nose looks better than the flat windows. This would be a far superior kit if it wasn't let down so badly by the badly formed glassware. That said, the HK B17 in 1:48 is going to set you back easily three times as much money. With a little bit of extra time spend on filling gaps and sanding seams, this one scrubs up fine.
On that score, this kit takes a lot more work. It does mean scuffing off a lot of panel line detail being that it has raised panel lines, but it doesn't really matter. A smooth top looks fine and the underside isn't visible. I have built the Belle version of this and I tolerated bad seams to preserve the panel lines and it just looks poor next to this one. This one with the chin turret is the one to get.
The one thing I will say is this is one of the very few kits where "paint before assembly" applies. I painted much of the fuselage before joining to minimise the risk of getting paint on the windows. Even though they were masked off, it saved me some worry. What I do like about this kit is the wings slot on so well that you don't need to glue them on. I built the wings as separate models and completed them before attaching. This means I can disassemble it for storage without damaging it. It's a big kit!
The interior on this kit isn't great but then it doesn't need to be unless you're doing a documented build. If you're doing it in the dark olive then chances are you won't see very much but in the bare metal finish you can (for some reason), so it was worth going the extra mile on the cockpit and the forward compartment. As with all the old Monogram kits, they could be better but there's nothing much wrong with them if you're prepared to put the work in.
I think this is probably my first successful attempt at bare metal. The A26 Invader I built using the Vallejo Aluminium looks competent but the chrome on this B17 seems to work better. I might have done more fuselage panel tinting had I known what works beforehand but I'm inclined to think less is more. You can overdo it.
Considering silvers and and yellows are some of the hardest paints to work with, I picked a real challenge here. For the yellow I used Tamiya flat yellow, building it up in several thin coats with a gloss varnish. I've had problems with gloss yellow consistency. Four coats seems to be enough for a truly even coat. I'm not too worried about the imperfections since yellow paint is much the same on real aircraft.
One the whole it's a relatively inexpensive, high impact project with lots of learning potential. I probably will come back to it to add a bit more weathering but for now I'm just happy to bask in its presence. I would recommend it to any modeller. Even a badly done big B17 is still a big B17. What's not to like?
