1:48 Boeing B-17F/G

Flying Fortresses of the 91st and 447th Group

The combined sheet covers both main forms of the type. The first subject is a machine of the F version from the 20-DL series bearing the name Lightning Strikes, which served with the 401st Bombardment Squadron of the 91st Bombardment Group, that is with a unit whose aircraft appear in most of the period film footage from England. The second is a Fortress of the G version from the 45-BO series with the name Fuddy Duddy of the 708th Squadron of the 447th Bombardment Group.

The difference between the F and G versions

The fundamental change was the chin turret under the nose, which only the G version received as an answer to head-on attacks by German fighters. Depending on the subject chosen, a model therefore calls for a matching kit or a conversion. The difference can also be seen in the form of the waist gun positions and in the shape of the nose glazing, so it is sensible to make the choice of variant before gluing begins.

• two subjects, each from a different production version
• complete unit markings for the vertical tail surface
• personal lettering and accompanying motifs
• scale 1:48

Large motifs on curved areas: the marking on the fin is flat and settles easily, but the lettering on the nose follows double curvature. There it helps to score the film with a sharp point along invisible axes and press it in with a cotton swab. Always start the work from the center of a motif toward the edges.

The set also serves anyone who wants to build both versions side by side and so show the development of the type within a single year. Given the dimensions of a model in this scale it is a shelf pair that takes up a fair amount of room, but it tells a coherent story of daylight bombing over Europe.