1:48 Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

The chin turret and the late form of the Fortress

The G version was the most numerous form of the whole type. A twin gun turret slung under the nose became its recognition feature, added by the designers after experience with head-on attacks by German fighters. With it the Fortress gained a characteristic underbite and at the same time lost part of the view from the bombardier's station. It was built in enormous series at three plants and the Eighth Air Force committed it in daylight formations over occupied Europe.

Two machines on the sheet

The first of them has serial number 43-37516, on the fuselage the code pair JJ, the individual letter T and on the nose artwork with the name Tondalayo. The second carries the number 42-31333, the code pair LG, the letter W and the name Wee Willie. It was the second of them that became one of the best known images of the air war, because a photograph of the period captured the moment its left wing came away after a hit.

Where the markings belong

The code pair was painted on the sides of the fuselage in front of the national insignia, the individual letter behind it, and the same letter was repeated on the vertical tail surface under the group symbol. The nose name lay in front of the chin turret, usually between the navigator's windows.

Recommended procedure

On Fortresses the aluminum surface tends to be painted with a metallic finish, which is porous and a decal turns white on it. Coat it with clear gloss varnish first, let it dry overnight and only then lay the pieces down.

Keep the leftover pieces. Serial numbers and small letters come in useful with every further build of the same type, when usually only the serial markings without a particular machine are left from the sheet in the box.