This kit was built by members of IPMS Boise using this decal sheet.
Thanks for allowing Modeling Madness to feature it.

Ask most aviation enthusiasts what the most important Allied bomber of  WWII was, and a large number of them will say the B-17 Flying Fortress. Though able to carry a paltry load compared to modern aircraft, it was instrumental in destroying the industrial might of the Axis in Europe during the war. Probably one of the reasons for the popularity of the B-17 are the number that survived the war. Unlike the B-24 (of which more were built, which had longer range and could carry a greater bomb load), people can go to almost any airshow in the US during the summer months and see a real-live B-17. There is only one real B-24 and one LB-30 Liberator currently flying in the world, whereas a good dozen B-17s are still extant, over 50 years after they last flew in anger.

Without a doubt, the B-17F and B-17G are the two versions that bore the brunt of daylight bombing in Europe. It was those aircraft that developed the strategies of the campaign. They are also the ones we see in the war movies about the B-17, the classic of all of them being Twelve O'clock High. It is in this movie that we are shown the aircraft in any real detail and the penchant for US servicemen for painting nose art on the aircraft. It is nose art that makes most US WWII aircraft interesting to build. Unlike Axis powers, most Allied aircraft are quite boringly painted. No really interesting camouflage from the US. In the early war it is Olive Drab over Neutral Grey. Later is is bare metal or aluminum paint, Ho Hum. I should mention before I get nasty e-mails that very late in the war, some of the group identifying paint schemes could be quite colorful.

The Sky Models sheet for 1/72 B-17F/Gs is all one expects from a Sky sheet. It is crisply and clearly printed, spot-on in registration and offers interesting subjects, all with nose art of some sort. There are sufficient common decals to do two aircraft, however, the US Insignia have borders that are too thin and there are only tail code geometric shapes on the main sheet, completely missing from this sheet are the wing code shapes. Sky realized the glitch and included a supplemental sheet with revised insignia and the missing wing codes, though frankly, the revised insignia still look to have borders that are too thin. This isn't a disaster as there are aftermarket insignia sheets to correct this or you can use the ones that come in the kit.

The instruction sheet is the usual Sky photo-copied one giving four aircraft. Unlike the other sheets, this one is in English. These aircraft are:

B-17G OR*R of the 323rd BS/91BG in OD/grey with red tail and stabilizers
B-17G  of the 447BG in natural metal with yellow tail and wing tips, green fuselage stripes, blue 'V' on wing and white cowlings.
B-17G BX*W of the 324BS/96BG in OD/grey 
B-17G DF*F of the 324BS/91BG with a red tail. This one was made of several planes as the front is natural metal and the rear is OD/grey.

In addition, there is nose art for 6 other B-17s, a very nice touch. What is wholly missing is an upper view of the aircraft. This means that you need to drag out your references, especially when it comes to wing or stabilizer painting and decal placement. The nose art decals are shown on sectional diagrams showing the nose and not any other markings. Again, you need some references for these. None are supplied with the decal sheet. This is an area that really needs to be improved upon in future sheets. The sheet is adequate for the main subjects. Similar to other Sky sheets, there is a color cross reference sheet that is quite useful.

The sheet is a good value for the money and provides schemes for B-17s that I have not seen done on a decal sheet before. It is recommended despite the sketchy placement diagrams and inaccurate insignia. You can get it direct using the link below if your hobby shop does not carry them.

Review copy courtesy of  the fine folks at Pacific Coast Models Inc.

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