1:72 B-17G Flying Fortress interior

The interior of the B-17G Flying Fortress in 1:72 in photo-etch

A metal set for the interior spaces of a Boeing B-17G model in a small scale, made by the Czech brand Eduard. It completes the cockpit and the other inhabited parts of the fuselage with parts whose shape and thickness are beyond the reach of injection-molded plastic.

What sets the G version apart

The G version is the most numerous and best-known form of the Fortress. It grew out of the experience of daylight raids over Europe, and it can be told from the older machines above all by the chin turret under the nose, which was meant to take the effectiveness out of head-on attacks by fighters. It was built in series by three separate makers, so individual machines differed in detail.

Painting and fitting the interior

• Degrease the metal before finishing, or the coat of paint will not hold.
• Work in subassemblies and fit the finished groups into the fuselage only at the end.
• Pick small areas out with a dark line, because in a small scale shadow does more than color.
• Before you close the fuselage, check that nothing keeps it from lining up.

Who the interior set is for

For modelers who dislike an empty interior showing through the cockpit, and for those who build the Fortress with the entries open. In 1:72 scale this is work with very small parts, so tweezers, a magnifier and a steady hand matter here as much as the set itself. If you are building a particular machine with a traced history, photographs from its home base will serve as a guide, because the fit differed a good deal between wings. The set makes most sense on a model you want to have really finished.