Grissom B-17 Restoration update Sept 2010 part 2

[mustangdriver]

Thanks to the kind efforts of Django we now have a more accurate and bold nose art to place on the aircraft, and to use for T-shirts for fundraising. Feedback please. We are very excited abotu this, and really can't thank Django enough.

[TAdan]

I like it!

Very nice work Django.

How accurate is it? Were you ever able to find any pictures of the original nose art?

[mustangdriver]

We were never able to find any real photos of the aircraft from that side. This was however taken from a sketch of the nose art found in the aircraft log book. Django matched up the style lettering that was used on many of the aircraft in the group at the same time. So we think we got it pretty close. Django did just a beautiful job.

[TAdan]

We were never able to find any real photos of the aircraft from that side. This was however taken from a sketch of the nose art found in the aircraft log book. Django matched up the style lettering that was used on many of the aircraft in the group at the same time. So we think we got it pretty close. Django did just a beautiful job.

Wow, that must have been quite an exciting find! A "holy (*&^" moment for sure.

[mustangdriver]

Well, it really was. Rob (warbiraid) and myself plan on documenting the whole process we have been through. When we first went to the museum, and consulted many written histories of the plane, it was told that the name was in memory of Gus Grissom. We went int thinking that we could paint the B-17 in a more accurate scheme, and then in order to better honor Gus Grissom paint an aircraft he was more associated with in his markings. The museum also seemed to think this and was on board with a markings change and even possibly a configuration change to a F model to or maybe to a DB-17. The main thing is that the restoration is going to serve as the museum flagship. So it needs to have a good identity and story. There are currently two other b-17's painted with the names Liberty Belle. So we were really excited to give this aircraft a whole new identirty and a story. Through starting in with the museum we also took on some P.R. work , and trying to get the museum a bit more up to date with technology. We created a Facebook page, and through that effort met a gentleman named Ian White who has been researching the real Miss Liberty Belle for years. He lives in Europe and actually has gone to the crash site and recovered parts of the plane. He then shipped some of those parts to the museum which we have no removed from storage and are prepping them for display. Ian is the one that knew the story of Miss Liberty Belle, and once we were faced with that history decided rather than changing markings, that it was more important to tell the story of the crew and what took place. We are very excited to be doing this, and hope that it helps put this museum on the map a bit more. A T-shirt design is currently in the works thanks again to Django. These shirts are going straight to the effort of moving the aircraft into a building.

[Django]

Thanks Dan!

I had already started some brand new period correct nose art for the plane when the log book sketch turned up. At that point, there was only one way to go! So I started over.

I traced the sketch so the proportions would be exact and went from there. In the sketch, she was nude, and the museum was more comfortable with a swimsuit. So I designed a '40s swimsuit. All I could tell from the mess of hair in the sketch was that it was blowing behind her. So I gave her some curls and had them starting to straighten out in the wind. The bell in the sketch looked like they had found an old engraving. Rather than have that engraving, I took the opportunity to use the bell to highlight the War Bond contribution. That is the biggest digression from the sketch apart from the nudity, but I think it is ok and there is precedent for that type of recognition on other aircraft. As Chris said, the lettering is based off of other group aircraft. Whenever I work on a project like this where I have to "invent" history, it is very important to me that all elements of the art have a cohesive look to aircraft in the rest of the group/squadron. I especially can't stand post-war typography on the side of a WWII aircraft! In this case, "Liberty Run" gave me a pretty good starting off point to design the lettering.

It's a pretty exciting project, and I'm thrilled to be involved!

[PJ]

Very nice, Django! looking forward to another trip up to Grissom to see your work.

PJ
PV-2 Harpoon "Hot Stuff"
www.amhf.org

[mustangdriver]

I posted in it's own thread but here is a commercial I did for the museum. I hope it meets everyone's standards.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/8240311/21901400

[groundpounder]

HUH ?? Sorry, i know you guys are trying hard but that sure doesn't seem like a very original idea at all. Great artwork for sure, but you may as well call it the Memphis Belle. Surely you must be able to come up with something a bit more original than that. Sorry to dump on it, i am a big fan of your effort, but thumbs down on the name. No way.

[mustangdriver]

Well I respect your opinion, but let me see if I can shed some light on it for you. The Grissom Air Museum is located at the Grissom ARB. This was the home of the 305th BG. The museum wanted to stick with a 305th scheme. This isn't a made up name. The Miss Liberty Belle flew 65 missions over Europe at a time when the war was far from over. On her 65th mission she took a flak hit over the target but stuck with the group. She soldiered on and stayed with the group dropping her bombs on target. She stuck with the group coming home on 3 engines. Her group then got attacked by fighters but she held her ground. On the way home over the channel she lost another engine. She was on final to base when a fellow B-17 fired flares signaling wounded aboard. The crew of MLB let the other fort cut infront of them to get the wounded care. At that time MLB lost another engine. On 1 engine she couldn't climb and through expert flying the pilot flew the crippled plane away from town. It crashed outside of town. Only two of her crew escaped. With all due respect we feel that her story is worth telling, and her crew worth honoring. The name and nose art wasn't picked by us. They were picked by the crew in 1943. I hope maybe that explains a bit to why we are doing what we are doing.

[Django]

HUH ?? Sorry, i know you guys are trying hard but that sure doesn't seem like a very original idea at all. Great artwork for sure, but you may as well call it the Memphis Belle. Surely you must be able to come up with something a bit more original than that. Sorry to dump on it, i am a big fan of your effort, but thumbs down on the name. No way.

Thanks on the artwork compliment, but I think you need to start at the top of the page and reread everything again.

[warbirdaid]

After reading all of the comments on this thread, it reminds me where Chris and I started, and where we are now. It has been one very interesting journey to say the least. I feel we have come full circle on naming the airplane and giving her an identity. Some may say we went nowhere with her identity, but from what I have experienced, the story of MLB is the aircraft's true identity, not the the nose art or the name. No disrespect to "The Chad" as he has done some fine work, I thank Chad for all of his efforts! As Chris always says "he (Chad) gets it". Every time I read the story of MLB it reminds me of why I am doing what I am doing, honoring the men who did what they had to do. They never saw themselves as heros, but their efforts on that day were nothing less. So what is in a name? When you do the research, and are presented with all of the facts, in MLB's case it equates to all of the things that we would hope to see in any American service person, in any branch of the US military. Thanks to "The Greatest Generation" for showing us the way.
Can Do /G\

[mustangdriver]

If you have time, please listen to us talk about the plane on warbird radio today at 10AM EDT.

[groundpounder]

I get it, but i still think that there are too many birds named Belle when there are so many others to choose from. There are a lot of historic stories out there to honor, and i would bet that the 305 BG has a few other doosies to choose from. Again, i admire your work and effort and i am in no way trying to knock anybody personally, i just don't think that it is a very original choice for a name, especially since you wanted to make the aircraft stand out from others to create a draw. Just my 2 cents.

[mustangdriver]

No problem at all. Everyone has the right to an opinion. There are many B-17's that could be used. This is one that the museum as well as ourselves feel that we can best represent.