Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle

This B-17F kit from Revell-Germany was given to me by some friends. They bought it after going for a ride in one at an airshow a few years ago. When I told them I had gotten back into modeling, they sent it to me. So I was really looking forward to building this iconic bomber. Overall, it was a fun build. But for me, there were some challenges to this kit. Most of the pieces had a lot of flashing that needed to be trimmed off and the joining of the fuselage halves took me a few attempts with some cleaning up in between, so it took quite a bit of time to complete. The finished model was well worth it though. Also, this B-17F takes a lot of primer and paint - I used Tamiya AS-13 Green and AS-2 Light Gray for the exterior. Lastly, there is a lot of decals with this kit. Over 150 I believe, many of them very small.

I'm confused by the favorable reviews on this German Revell kit of the famous bomber. I think thyat there may have been some confusion with the G model of domestic Revell with this kit This kit is crude; perhaps I have a bit too much knowledge about the plane; I have over the last twenty-five years been able to walk(crawl) through B-17's though never able to afford a ride. I have, in the fifties built the 1/72nd scale kit twice, and found it even then a bad build. it was horrible in trying to fit the clear and solid plastic parts in the nose area together then; very bad fit, as bad as I have seen' Now to this kit; I haven't built it yet, and may not for some time to come. Upon pre-assembly t found the he same detail problems are present in this kit as when I was 10 in 1/72nd scale. What is just as bad, the inner detail is almost non existent. Poor cockpit and bombing areas of the ship, no detail at all in the bomb bay, bomb bay door and waste gunner areas. and poor presentation of the turret gunner areas. Lie I said, I may be spoiled by having such detailed knowledge of the aircraft, but Revell had a chance here at a great kit, given the scale The overall parts fit is lousy, and the colors called for in then instructions bear no semblance to any pictures of either the real thing, or its stand-in in the movie.it takes a lot for me not to want to build the kit I have paid for; perhaps later I will build it. But I'm not inclined to build it now. it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap. I get aggravated by some of the older Revell kits, especially when they make nicely priced, first class kits like the B-25, Me410 and P-61 as examples. what a waste of money and time on kits like this.

Big model, you'll need lots of paint. Parts fit is just OK, not great. Old molds with about average flash for a Revell kit. Very little interior detail. Strongly suggest PE sets to improve detail. Light trimming and/or sand needed around windows. Overall shape and dimensions are good. With a little extra care it can be made into a very nice aircraft. No provision for retracted gear although it can be done with a little extra work. Check references. Recommend watch crystal glue for machine guns in the nose to secure them to clear nose. Looks awesome hanging from the ceiling. Reasonably priced and good bang for the buck. Would love for Revell to make new molds and add detail to this famous aircraft.