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1/72 B-17G Airfix, Released. New boxing Fortress MK.III also released. New B-17G boxing for 2021


sofiane1718

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Ah this brings back memories. When I were a sprog the highlight of the year (well one of them) was the late lamented Model Engineer Exhibition in London which cleverly was always held between Christmas and NY or at least shortly after Christmas because I could spend my Christmas money there!

 

In those days I was entering in the Junior class - indeed the only model comp I have ever entered (won a bronze medal once there for a Tamiya Wirbelwind but I think that may have been because my Dad knew airbrush supremo Ian Peacock and he had a word with the judges- I was only 12 or 13 or so but we'll never know -but I digress)

 

I spent a whole year modifying and building the Monogram 1/48 Fortress into a 100 Group example, balsa for the chin radome and lots of green stuff.

 

I used this book (which was a lot cheaper then!) https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/the-aircraft-of-100-group/first-edition/

 

Even better I fitted electric motors for the 4 engines. Because I were a simple lad, one of my Dads mates made a transformer so it could run off the mains.

 

So, all decalled up and ready in December to take it to the show - my first ever big conversion. The family gather round for the big reveal of the motors running. I flick on the wall socket and bounce up to the table. Yay! The props are spinning - looks amazing says everyone-  blimey, they're running fast, the model is trying to move forward under its own power! Coo!

 

Whats that funny smell says mum - smells like burning....as both wings caught fire as the motors burnt out and plastic oozed from the nacelles and the props sunk downwards and the house trip went. Thats right, Dads friend had set the wrong transformer voltage.

 

And I've never put a model into a competition since.

 

I am 41 years of age and have never told anyone this before. I am off for counselling. 

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49 minutes ago, vppelt68 said:

New for 2021, two decal options that are not completely new (done by Hasegawa and Kits-World before) but it´s good to see the plastics getting another production run. The previous editions are getting hard to find! V-P

https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/new-for-2021/boeing-b17g-flying-fortress.html

But then they maybe have the earlier rear gun station and even the un-staggered waste guns option ?
Can't recall if the Hase has the staggered version or not .... the Airfix kit so far released were the late Gs if I understood that correctly.

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Both of those two prototypes had the staggered waist and later tail gun positions. They were from rather late Boeing production blocks, like one can tell by their serial numbers. The Hasegawa kit is also of the staggered waist type, and their tail looks... ahem only mostly... like a Cheyenne, but it´s awful! V-P

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  • sofiane1718 changed the title to 1/72 B-17G Airfix, Released. New boxing Fortress MK.III also released. New B-17G boxing for 2021

I have just looked at the nose art for the reboxing of this kit

I cant believe Airfix are going to run with that 5 Dollars with Breakfast nose art

I know this isnt aimed at kids with pocket money, but I can just imagine little Johnny building this with his dad

" oohh look daddy this one has got a naked lady on it, what does 5 Dollers with breakfast mean ?

Good luck explaining that one away

Google images is full of B17 nose art

I am no prude but surely Airfix could come up with something better than this, or am I just being oversensitive ?

 

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For your comfort the listing does specify "liveries subject to change", so perhaps you can file a formal complaint with the thought police and get those nose arts changed to something a bit more "chastised".

Edited by Robertone139
Removed text to protect oversensitive people.
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2 hours ago, Robertone139 said:

Here we go, it's snowing snowflakes again.

If you have trouble explaining that, perhaps you need to have it explained to you first.

For your comfort the listing does specify "liveries subject to change", so perhaps you can file a formal complaint with the thought police and get those nose arts changed to something a bit "pantsyer".

Pretty rude there mate. People are entitled to their views. You may not agree with them but does that give you the right to be so belittling?

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Just now, Peter Roberts said:

Pretty rude there mate. People are entitled to their views. You may not agree with them but does that give you the right to be so belittling?

Never said he was not entitled, actually suggested a way for him to file a complaint with Airfix.

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4 hours ago, Acinonyx Jubatus said:

 cant believe Airfix are going to run with that 5 Dollars with Breakfast nose art

5 dollars would have been a bargain - the nose art was £5 with breakfast.  I think it was 4 bucks to the pound back then, so 20 dollars, apparently that was the going rate in nicer parts of London...

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I think it's a poor choice of subject. Potentially offensive to some customers and unnecessary as there are lots of other subjects that could be picked.  Airfix promotes modelling as kid friendly, so sexual references on their models don't sit well with that.

Hopefully, wiser heads will prevail and they'll pick another subject.

 

Edited by 3DStewart
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5 hours ago, Acinonyx Jubatus said:

I have just looked at the nose art for the reboxing of this kit

I cant believe Airfix are going to run with that 5 Dollars with Breakfast nose art

I know this isnt aimed at kids with pocket money, but I can just imagine little Johnny building this with his dad

" oohh look daddy this one has got a naked lady on it, what does 5 Dollers with breakfast mean ?

Good luck explaining that one away

Google images is full of B17 nose art

I am no prude but surely Airfix could come up with something better than this, or am I just being oversensitive ?

 

 

Meh, they are either so small that naked ladies are not interesting or they already know or know how to figure it out without asking dad. My little son built a kit with one pinup option, but he told me it was disgusting (”a mama’s bare bum” I think his choice of words was) and went for the other option. I think I built Airfix’s A bit o lace 30 years ago and I had no idea why anyone would paint a naked girl on his plan.

 

Edited by Torbjorn
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9 hours ago, 3DStewart said:

Airfix promotes modelling as kid friendly

Sure, with their quick build range, series 1, cars and all that. Somehow I don't see anyone complaining that weapons of war and mass destruction are inappropriate.

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I was going to say the same as @alt-92. As if the true horrors of war are suitable content for children. "Bombing cities was cool kids, but don't look at the bare breasts of that lady on the nose of that bomber!"

 

Secondly, "y'all's grandparents was nasty" :) . Those "brave men" who fought in the war were also hormone crazed kids in their late teens and early 20s. No wonder there was so much sexual content in the imagery they chose to display. Here's an interesting article about sexually explicit popular music in the 1930s that these men might have been familiar with: https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/the-1930s-the-dirtiest-decade-in-music/

 

So actually I applaud this choice by Airfix - if we see our models as artifacts that serve to illustrate and preserve history in as many of its complex and contradictory facets, we should also remember that the men who flew them were not only "noble warriors defending freedom and democracy"; from a 2021 perspective, they also had some disturbing attitudes towards women. Somewhat excusable given the time they lived and the incredible stress they were under and traumas they had to live with - but still.

 

Anyway - to get back on the subject - I was hoping Airfix would release a proper B-17F based on their recent G, or at least an early G with non-staggered waist guns and an early tail. Maybe sometime in the future!

 

 

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If we're happy to stick swastikas on German aircraft or Waffen-SS markings on German tanks it's probably sensible not to get too hung up on a bit of naughty 1940s nose-art.  

 

Best just to focus on the models. The plastic variety.

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First I don't see any problem in a pin-up decal on a plane.

 

I remember I bought the original Airfix B-17 with my mom when I was 10 or so and that one had a pin-up on the box art, my mom didn't had any problem at the time.

 

I also think as said before that a building a bomber and then being shocked by pin-up decal is quite misguided.

 

We should be careful, if this the approach only airliners will be offered soon (no war, no sex content), and then only gliders (not polluting),   

 

Be careful what you wish!

Edited by Paolo6691
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12 hours ago, Robertone139 said:

Here we go, it's snowing snowflakes again.

If you have trouble explaining that, perhaps you need to have it explained to you first.

For your comfort the listing does specify "liveries subject to change", so perhaps you can file a formal complaint with the thought police and get those nose arts changed to something a bit "pantsyer".

This site is not the place for name calling, however much you disagree with another member’s comments. Open & constructive debate by all means but suggesting a fellow member is a ‘snowflake’ for pointing out their concern about a model aircraft marking option is more than a little excessive.

 

Edge

 

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Anyway, 'Milk Wagon' is definitely the one I'd do. Nice to see another 447th BG aircraft and an appropriate connection with Airfix's original.

 

Wish I could swap the decals from the first new-tool kit which I still haven't built. 

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