1:48 B17F Flying Fortress

A train and a dog on the noses of Fortresses

This printed sheet offers the decoration of two B-17F bombers, each from a different unit of the American Eighth Air Force. The aircraft with the name Wabash Cannonball flew with the 322nd Bombardment Squadron, which came under the 91st Bombardment Group. The second machine, Meat Hound, belonged to the 423rd Squadron of the 306th Bombardment Group. Both groups took part in the daylight raids from English bases from their first, still uncertain months.

Where the names came from

The nicknames of American crews grew out of culture at home. The Wabash Cannonball is a legendary train from a folk song almost everyone in North America knew at the time, and it reached the skin of an aircraft exactly in the spirit of the period. The second name belongs to a different family of nicknames, the rough and ironic ones by which airmen relieved the tension. The lettering and artwork were usually painted by someone from the ground crew and a machine carried them until it was written off.

What the sheet holds

Besides both nose motifs, the sheet also carries identification markings belonging to the respective units, so a model takes on the coherent form of one particular aircraft. The printing is in a ratio of 1:48 and allows for an F version kit.

Application procedure

The recommended order of work is simple: camouflage first, a gloss layer over it, then the decals, then any accenting of the panel joints, and finally a unifying matte or satin varnish. The water for releasing the printing should be lukewarm, not hot, and a motif is slid off the backing only at the moment it begins to move by itself.