1:48 Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress guns

1:48 Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress — resin machine guns from Eduard

A detail set in cast resin in 1:48 scale from the Czech manufacturer Eduard. It replaces the barrels and bodies of the defensive machine guns, which on four-engine bombers are among the most conspicuous external elements and which necessarily come out coarse in injection-molded plastic. A resin casting allows a thinner barrel, sharper outlines and fine details that could not be drawn from a mold for plastic. The package is an accessory for a plastic kit and does not contain the model itself.

The real subject

The Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress was an American four-engine heavy bomber deployed from 1942. A characteristic feature of the type was the dense defensive armament distributed along the whole fuselage — in the nose, on the back, in the ball turret, in the sides and at the tail — which is how the aircraft got its nickname. It is precisely the number of gun stations that makes the armament the element on which the level of detail of a model shows first.

Building and painting tips

Wash the castings first in lukewarm water with detergent so that no mold release agent is left on them. Cut the casting blocks off with a fine saw or a cutting disc and finish the cut with a scalpel; breaking them off will snap a barrel. Protect your airways while sanding. They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue; cement for plastic does not work here. Painting: a primer, then a dark steel or graphite color, and finally a light polish with a hard graphite pencil or a dry brush for a metallic shine on the edges.

Who the set is for

• builders of American bombers of the Second World War in 1:48 scale
• modelers who are bothered by thick plastic barrels from the box
• more experienced builders used to working with resin
• builds with open gun stations

The set is an accessory for a plastic kit, not a model or a substitute for one. The kit, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.