1:72 B-17F Flying Fortress

Europe and the Pacific on one sheet

Fortresses of the F version flew in both main theaters, and the conditions they served in left very different traces on them. This sheet puts both settings side by side. The first subject is the machine with serial number 42-30836, the name Dragon Lady and the fuselage code HR-V, belonging to a unit operating from an English station. The second is the aircraft with the number 41-24554, which carries two names separated by a slash, Mustang and Lady Luck, and served in the Pacific area.

For a modeler this is an interesting pair, because each machine calls for different work on the surface. The European Fortress tends to be captured in a cleaner condition with sharp markings, whereas the Pacific aircraft is typified by faded paint, worn edges and traces of humid heat. Building both means sailing through two different schools of weathering while building the same type twice.

The slash between the two names of the second subject is not a slip in the record. With machines that served a long time and changed crews it happened that a name was altered or that each side of the fuselage carried different lettering. Before building, therefore, check whether both names belong to one aircraft at the same time, or whether these are two phases of its life.

Sun scorched paint

With the second subject it pays to take the fading further than is usual. The upper surfaces of the wing and the spine of the fuselage lost their color fastest, whereas places shielded in shade kept their tone. Apply the markings only after this shading, otherwise the lightening will run over finished markings and needlessly dirty them. Choose the finest possible matte top coat, because too coarse a surface swallows small lettering and a finished model then looks dusty rather than worn.