1:72 Boeing B-17F/B-17G Flying Fortress Red Outlined Stars & Bars

Kits-World 1:72 B-17F and B-17G Flying Fortress, national insignia with a red outline

A sheet of water-slide decals in 1:72 scale from the manufacturer Kits-World. According to the name it is a set of American national insignia of the star-and-bars type in the form with a red outline, intended for models of the Boeing B-17 bomber in versions F and G. This is not a kit but a supplementary sheet of markings.

The real subject

The US Army Air Forces used several guises of the national insignia in the course of the war. The variant with a star between side bars and with a red outline was in use only briefly in 1943, before the outline was replaced by a dark one. That is precisely why it is useful to a modeler: it makes it possible to build a machine from exactly this narrow period and to set it apart from most models, which carry the later form of the insignia. Versions F and G differ mainly in the arrangement of the nose and the defensive stations; the placement of the insignia itself is similar on both.

Application tips

With national insignia symmetry is what counts. First mark reference points on the model with a pencil or masking tape, following the panel lines, so that the insignia sits the same on the left and the right wing. Lay the decal onto a sufficiently wet area, so that it can be slid, and check the position by looking from a greater distance, not only from close up. Only once it sits, draw the water off and let it dry. Apply softener at the end, because after it the decal can no longer be moved.

Who the sheet is for

• Modelers building a B-17 from the short period of 1943
• Builders whose basic kit lacks this variant of the insignia
• Anyone interested in accurate period markings of American aircraft
• Collectors building a series of Flying Fortresses in 1:72 scale

The package contains decals only. The model, paints and clear coat are not part of it.