1:72 B-17G Flying Fortress - Late Version - 3D Full Colour Instrument Panels (for Airfix 08017 & 08017B kits)

The late Fortress and its cockpit

The Boeing B-17G was the last and most numerous form of the Flying Fortress. Against the older machines it received a chin turret under the nose, which patched the most vulnerable spot of a formation during a head-on fighter attack. The late production batches then differed in further small details, from the shape of the waist gun positions to the fit of the onboard electronics. The crew spent long hours over Europe in an unheated and breathtakingly cold fuselage, and the pilots' instrument panel was among the most complex any bomber of the day had.

Box contents

Inside you will find a layered color print which covers the instrument equipment of the cockpit including the side consoles and panels. The scope shows in the extent of the coverage: within the code series this item is one of the most comprehensive, right alongside the sets for the Vulcan and for the transport Hercules. The targets are the 1:72 Airfix kits in the late form. The shade of the base matches the dark color that American cockpits had, and light scales stand out on it just as they did on the real aircraft.

What to watch out for

• Check whether your model matches the late form.
• Fit the panels one at a time, not all at once.
• Let the base dry through between the individual pieces.
• Glue the cockpit glazing on right at the very end.

With a four-engine bomber the effort pays off, because the glazing above the pilots is extensive and the interior stays clearly visible on the finished model. Anyone who intends to open up the bomb bay and the gun positions as well should, however, count on the instruments being only one of several places a viewer looks at.