Revell B17-G Flying Fortress (15600) - Reviews

(4.8)

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16.8.2020

This is quite a large model so be aware it will take up some serious space. Unless you intend suspending this from the ceiling.The model is quite nicely detailed although I was extremely surprised to find that Revell actually put more detail and effort into a 1/72nd size model of the B17 than they did for this one. I was expecting a lot more for the money to be honest and well, I like the model, I enjoyed building it and it looks pretty good finished, but.... it's lacking somewhat. Perhaps I wouldn't complain if I didn't also have the smaller scale B17 from this company.There is a fair amount of work to do cleaning up some of this model prior to assembly and if you are pre-painting it you mightwant to consider using elastic bands to secure the thing while the glue dries as opposed to tape which may damage the paint. There are some very small pieces included with this model, especially the single mounts for the individual 50cal guns - which come in two pieces and must be secured inside and out on their mount points. The rest of the plane is fairly chunky so not so difficult to handle. You only get four bombs with this, and no real option to open the bomb bay. A lot of extra work will be required, including cutting the fuselage and extensive scratch building if you want to open this. In that respect, get the smaller 1/72nd 04297 B-17F Memphis Belle model from Revell as this is already sorted. This is actually rather surprising as Revell give you the internal bomb rack to assemble, but seem to have overlooked the bay doors.You do get a bomb trolley you can put the four bombs onto, though no tractor, and you get three crew members and two mechanics to go with this. The crew are quite nicely designed and moulded, though they are external to the plane only as they will not fit inside. Also, there is no engine detailing to speak of, so you can't open the panels for the mechanics. It's a nice touch to include the figures, but they're rather redundant as nothing on the model opens. For instance, no ladder for the crew hatch etc.Two decal options are included to represent two operational aircraft, though the decals are somewhat limited for a model this size. I would have expected more to be honest. But with a little research and careful masking and painting you can make up a bit for the lack of effort on the decals.The chin, dorsal and belly turret all rotate and the guns raise and lower, the flank guns will swivel in the socket mounts if you are careful with the mount. The tail gun and all other guns are fixed and do not move. The navigator gun will swivel a bit if you are again careful fixing the mount to it's post. I would recommend you glue this in location though as there is a risk of it coming away from the mount and falling inside the aircraft.The wheels are pre-filed and flat on one part - to indicate weight. This is something that many modellers usually have to do themselves, so it's a nice touch for Revell to do this. It does mean of course that the wheels don't rotate. The rear wheel likewise is fixed and does not move. The undercarriage is fixed, and the lack of extra effort here to make the legs, struts and supports look good is surprising, again, especially on a model of this size.At the end of the day, it's a lot of money for a model where so much is missing. No ammo belts for the waist guns, or nose/navigator guns. Short ammo belts for the dorsal and belly turrets, and no seat or other detailing for the rear guns (which are also fixed).It is a decent model, it looks nice once it's assembled and painted and the decals applied, and if you make the extra effort to paint in the missing walk/don't walk and similar detailing as well as some weathering on the model it is an attractive set piece. Amusingly, Revell include information to make a crashed diorama out of this model and suggest ways you can scratch build for damaged parts. This is particularly useful information if you decide to cut open the fuselage and open the bomb bay, as some of the information for the crash is useful for making the air-frame and struts inside the bomb bay.I don't regret buying this model as it does look good. But I think Revell should have made more of an effort with this model, especially for the size which begs for extra detailing and the price. If they can put all that extra effort into the Memphis Belle model, just imagine what they could have done with this one.One thing I think is worth mentioning, is that if you decide to hang this from the ceiling as a flight display model, make sure the supports this hangs from are close to the wing roots (the fuselage), otherwise there's a good chance it will either break, or bend irreparably. The wings are surprisingly weak for a model of this size, and there's a lot of weight to support, so don't take the chance of hanging this any further out than the wing root.