"Shoo Shoo Shoo BABY": Lotsa Parts – No Sprues!
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- 1. Chin turret removed
(Click on the photos)
On January 19, 2024, the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson handed over their restored B-17G “Shoo Shoo Shoo BABY” to the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center, swapping the G for a B-17D “The Swoose”, the oldest B-17 known to exist. “Swoose” is currently stored by the Smithsonian waiting its next mission.
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- 1. on the tarmac a few years ago at Wright-Patterson.
“Shoo Shoo” was shipped to the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA in partially assembled sections just like a full sized 1/1 model kit. Only the sprues are missing.
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- 1. wing tips, stabiizers, ailerons, and rudder stacked on a lumber rack opposite the cowls.
Udvar-Hazy Center must be running out of storage room as “Shoo Shoo” is scattered all about the main gallery floor along with "Flak-Bait's" cowels when I visited recently. I can't imagine where museum is going to put "Shoo Shoo" once reassembled. I took these photos on very wet Sunday, May 2, 2024:
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- 1. "Flak-Bait"
- 2. IL-2M Shturmovik
- 3. Lincoln-Standard
- 4. Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, Udvar-Hazy.
Interesting visit, Eric, I don’t think Tamiya’s Super Thin will be of much use here.
Thank you for that George. I almost slipped out of my seat, laughing.
Must be some job. Cool pics.
"Swoose" is my Holy Grail. Been waiting a loooooong time to see her revitalized, maybe we are finally on the way. A Precious artifact from the pre-Pearl era, fascinating me since childhood.
I grew up 20 minutes from Dover AFB where Shoo Shoo Baby was restored to flying condition. A neighbor who worked on Beaufighters and P-61s was in charge of the wiring on the project. He would take me with him on Saturdays when I was in high school. It was fun watching him work and climbing into the aircraft.
Excellent pics, Eric!
Thanks for sharing!
It must have been wonderful to be in that hangar, Eric @eb801
Also working on those gems must be amazing to do, not the easiest task to get such an aircraft back into the sky.
Great photos, Eric (@eb801). Thanks for posting them. It has been a while since I have visited any of the major museums. Looks like I need to plan a road trip.
I’ll never forget the day they flew her in. I was still in High School…my dad worked under contract at Wright Pat and one of his co-workers let him know what day it was happening. I basically grew up visiting the museum but this day was special. With 2 Mustangs as escort she made several passes and landed on the far runway. I remember smoke rolling off her brakes…just a bit long but down and safe. Most of her last crew was there for the ceremony and made note of the control yoke that was scribed with each mission completed. Great memory…
3 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Thanks for posting photos from that day. Did you take those? Lucky you to have had access to the USAF museum during your formative years. It’s a superb collection of rockets and wings. I imagine you got to peak behind the curtains?
What memories!, Jim @jimh
Hey Eric, yep those are my photos. I have more somewhere stored away. I still go to the museum a couple times a year. My mom and dad went to the grand opening back in 1971...I was born in June so that made my first official trip there. The picture below was taken when I was 4...the now picture was when I was 45...I always liked the Sharp Shooter scheme.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.