1:72 B-17F interior

A Zoom photo-etched set for the interior of the F version of the Fortress

At the Czech firm Eduard the Zoom range is a narrower selection in color from a larger photo-etched set. It concentrates on what is visible once the build is finished, the instrument panel, the consoles, the levers and the belts, and leaves out the detail that disappears under a closed fuselage. In 1:72 scale exactly such a selection makes sense: you work faster and the result is still a class away from bare plastic.

The Flying Fortress in the F version

The F brought the most noticeable change to the forward fuselage. The framed nose glazing was replaced by one continuous transparent part, so the bombardier could finally see out without obstruction. Broader propeller blades with larger hub caps were added, and on the later series also auxiliary tanks in the wings, which extended the range to targets deeper inland. It was on machines of this version that crews flew the hardest raids of 1943, when fighter escort along the whole route did not yet exist.

Building advice

• Do not varnish over the color surfaces of the photo-etch, or you will lose the effect you are buying the set for.
• Make the bends over the sharp edge of a metal rule, not with your fingers.
• Sand the original plastic detail down first, so that the photo-etch beds down flat.

Who the set suits

• Builders of small bombers who want a cockpit with something in it showing through.
• Those who do not want a full set, half of which will not be on show.
• Modelers with basic experience of gluing metal parts.