This has to be one of the worst kits in the Revell range. It's old, it's basic, and there's a lot wrong with it. The glassware sucks and the decals are a bit iffy. But... it is very big and very cheap, a lot of fun, and if you know what you're doing, you can make it look alright. There's plenty of after market parts if you want to go deep on it. You can just about see in the picture I treated myself to some resin wheels to make it look proper.
Here I've used a standard Tamiya olive drab and the flecks are done with a weathering pencil. You can have loads of fun weathering this one. Olive drab is a very forgiving paint so you can't really go wrong and you can easily correct when you do. The oil streaks are done with Humrbol black weathering powder and a paintbrush. As a test mule it's a great thing to have and in any case, having a large B17 looking in your living room is never ever a bad thing.
As you might expect, the interior detail sucks on this kit, and the less said about the ball turret the better. I elected not to do the Memphis Belle livery as I don't like the field green flecks and I don't like the cultish adoration of the Belle either. I wanted a standard and anonymous B17.
Ultimately, if you want a really decent one then you need to build the Hong Kong Models 1/48 B-17G but it will cost you at least four times as much. I will build one when the budget can stretch to it. If Steve Bowe's build is anything to go by then it's awesome.
Whichever one you build, keep in mind that this is not by any means a small kit and if you are at all struggling for space, you might want to skip on this one. Personally, I love this kit. I know it's absolutely horrible, but I keep revisiting it and I have dun every time I do. It's a nice big canvass to work on. and a nice thing to hold. And that's really what this is about - having fun and making nice things.
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