B-17 F/G Flying Fortress

The Flying Fortress in two generations

Even someone who takes no interest in aircraft can tell the difference between the F and G versions of the Flying Fortress: the later form received a rotating turret with two heavy machine guns under the nose, because a head-on attack proved to be the most dangerous way of being engaged. This sheet offers both appearances at once. The first subject is a Fortress of the G version with serial number 42-102516 and the name Aluminium Overcast, operated by an American association of aviation enthusiasts and one of the handful of examples of the type still flying. The second is the F version with the number 42-29673, the name Old Bill and the fuselage code that machines from the English station of Chelveston wore in the spring of 1943.

Choosing between them means choosing between two stories. One model will capture an aircraft you can still go and see and hear the sound of four radial engines. The other will recall the period when daylight raids over occupied Europe flew without a fighter escort along the whole route and the crews defended themselves with their own machine guns alone.

Before you reach for the scissors

First check whether your kit matches the chosen subject in the shape of the nose, because confusing the two versions is easy and on finished work it is glaring. Cut out the half of the sheet you are using so as not to damage the neighboring elements of the other finish, and store the unused remainder flat between two sheets of paper. The remaining piece will serve without difficulty on another model, as long as it stays dry and out of the light.