B17F plastic model recommendations. please

For 1/48th scale, there's no choice but the Revell "Memphis Belle" B-17F... It's not quite up to the standards of the Monogram/Revell G (especially the engines and interior detail), but it's pretty close, since it was based on the Monogram kit... It's still quite a good kit though, considering it's age, and as I said, it's the only game in town for 1/48th.....

 If you have some real experience with modifying/scratch-building, then the Revell/Monogram B-17G can be back-dated... Takes a lot work though, both with the nose and "unstaggering" the waist gun windows... I did it ONCE, never again...  I'm not sure if there's a conversion kit to backdate the G to an F..  B-17 Guy and B-17 Pilot are the resident Fortress experts...

Can't help ya with 1/72, don't do 'em anymore, haven't since I built Revell's old "Memphis Belle" in that scale in about 1976...

Academy makes a real nice 1/72 B-17F with a nearly complete interior.

Welcome to the forum! Hasegawa produced also a B-17F in 1/72 featuring the early F version. The Academy kit is a late F version.

148th scale bombers are really impressive. Like Hans I have stopped messing with 1/72 scale. I have a few but don't plan on any more. My dad built the 148th B-17 Hans is talking about and it really looks good when built.

*sigh*

All this talk of B-17s is giving me an itch to go out and buy....

I know where I can get them but they're around the $60 mark for the Revell F and Gs...

ARGH...  damn my unemployedness.

they're around the $60 mark for the Revell F and Gs...

With the 40% coupon, Hobby Lobby runs 'em at about 24.00..

Sadly here in sunny South Africa, hobby shops dont believe in 40% coupons, or any % off coupons.

D'OH!  Shoulda spotted that... Sorry..

Though I don't mess with 1/72, Academy makes the best kits in that scale.  You can build all the production versions of the B-17 (B-G, and even an Air Sea rescue version).  But like I said I don't mess with 1/72.

For 1/48 you only have the Revell version.  It does lack an interior, but if you are so inclinced one can use the interior of the G in the F, I've seen it done.  Some modifications may be needed in order to accomplish it.  The G kit can be backdated to a F, however.  All you will have to do is modify the nose.  Depending on which F you're trying to do, you might not have to modify the nose that much.  The F series had a wide variety of nose configurations, so check references for the particular bird you want to model, as you might even have to modify the F kit.  The G kit does not have staggered waist windows, so no mods needed there, just don't put the windows in.  I've read that the Pro Modeller version of the G has the option of staggered waists, but I can't seem to get my hands on one to confirm this.

Feel free to check out the 1/48th B-17 Group build, located here: /forums/t/105108.aspx

Great to know info!

However, you're only making my Fort-itch worse... and I'm starting to lose my ability to resist the temptation to scratch.

I've always loved the Fort...

As said above, the revell F is the only one in 48th. The G can be converted, I've done it by grafting the F nose onto a G fuselage. Search for the B-17 group build here, you can learn alot more on building and modifying them.

Also, as pliot said, the G kit does NOT have staggered waist windows, none the 48th kits do. Not even the pro modeler kit, I know this because I have one in the stash and one built (poorly).

And I recomend academy for 72nd scale, I dont built that scale anymore but used to. I did a few 17's form academy and they were awesome, but they went bye bye due to firecrackers.

I had to offset the windows on my VisB-27 as well. Swanny's Models website has a definitive history of this kit and its different forms. The kit does change as well ,I gather the VizB-17 now comes with the Cheyenne rear turret from the Pro-Modeler kit . As far as I know the midsection's all have un-staggared windows. Check out the Gunship wip on here as well,by Swanny.

Tacan

Great to know info!

 

However, you're only making my Fort-itch worse... and I'm starting to lose my ability to resist the temptation to scratch.

 

I've always loved the Fort...

I gave into that same itch yesterday

Today was a very close shave...

Went into the LHS with the idea of seriously coming home with a B-17G... sadly (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it)... the kit had been sold last week.

The store guys know me well enough to mention that another client of theirs has a second hand kit which he was willing to part with.. for a very reasonable price at first (about $20)... which was then upped to $44 for no apparent reason (on the phone). Apparently the box of this 2nd hand kit is trashed, and some of the parts are broken off the sprues... hence the lowish price. The new kit (well, a new Monogram G)... would cost me $57... (and thats discounted!)....

Not quite sure what to do.. gonna give guy a call and see if I can sweet talk him down to a more reasonable price for his kit... otherwise I'll just have to suck it up and shell out for the new box.

Guess I wont be visitin the GF much next week if it does happen...

Tacan, try eBay, too, if you're looking for the Revell -F.  Old boxings of the kit come up relatively frequently, and if the final bid plus shipping is less than the cost of a new boxing retail in a hobby shop, you're ahead of the game (my local Hobbytown shop charges around $35 for the 1/48 bombers).  I picked up two of them like that, in separate auctions, but in both, auction and shipping came to around $25 (luck of the draw!).  If you're not in a hurry, I'd take my time and watch the auctions.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Brad

Here's a kit history question for the rest of the posters in this thread-

If I remember correctly, didn't Revell advertise the "Memphis Belle" as a B-17E?  And isn't that kit actually molded as a -E, with the shorter, flatter framed Plexiglass nose?

I don't have my old Revell catalogs anymore, but I'd swear that they did.

Yes, they did, it was kit #4402, B-17E Memphis Bell.

I dont recall a 1/72 B-17E "Memphis Belle", but I do remember building a 1/72 B-17E "Peggy D". I have the instructions still in my library. It had the correct nose glass for the B-17E, but otherwise I dont recall if it was identical to the Belle kit. I still have one or two of those old mid 70s era Revell catalogs as well.

I wish it were that easy,

But sadly living here in 3rd world Africa... Ebay is but a hope and a dream.

I suppose I shall see what I can organize here.. but in the mean time I have more than enough kits to keep me occupied.