PYN-UP Decals

1/48 B-17F/G Fortress Chicks Part 1 decal sheet

Product # PYND48009 from $17.99

Product Article by Steve Bamford on Sept 20  2004

 

 

 

This new decal sheet from Cutting Edge Modelworks includes markings for two different 1/48 B-17 Flying Fortresses.  

The first aircraft is a B-17G-20-BO Flying Fortress flown by Doyle E. Bradford with the 323rd BS with the 91st BG out of Great Ashford, England in February of 1944.   The paint scheme on this aircraft is overall Olive Drab with Neutral Gray on the underside.  The code letters on the side of the rear fuselage are “OR B” with a blue and white national insignia infront of the letters.  The noseart is a slim blonde bent over backwards with the yellow text "Mount and Ride".  The artwork on this B-17 was painted by famous noseart artist Tony Starcer.  This B-17 only completed 6 missions before it was damaged and made an emergency landing in Dubendorf, Switzerland and spent the rest of the war there.  It was finally flown back to England on Oct 8 1945.  Because of this.....there is very little wear and tear and weathering on this ship.

The noseart decals are delicate and two are included for each plane in case you mess up the first ones.  Exacting instructions are included on how to prepare and install these decals…..read these instructions carefully to avoid disaster.  Apparently these noseart decals are very thin and need special care, but once installed they will look very accurate and realistic.  The nose art decals are printed on a one piece decal sheet, so you’ll need to cut the decal free from the rest of the decal film…..patience is the key here.  The noseart decal is beautifully printed with fantastic detail and lovely shading.  

The second aircraft is a B-17F-115-BO serial # 42-30715 Flying Fortress flown by with the 569th BS with the 390th BG out of Framlingham, England in early of 1944.   The paint scheme on this aircraft is overall Olive Drab with Neutral Gray on the underside.  The code letters on the side of the rear fuselage are “CC Y” with a blue and white national insignia infront of the letters.  The noseart is a slim blonde doing a sexy pose in a revealing bathing suit with the yellow text "Cincinnati Queen".  This B-17 was later renamed "Blues in the Night" by a later crew and was lost in combat on June 21 1944.  The fin center section was produced by a subcontractor and is a darker shade of Olive drab from the rest of the Boeing produced tail.

The decals were flawlessly printed and in perfect registration and the clear carrier film is trimmed very close to the crisply printed colored areas.  The noseart decals are applied over a white decal to ensure no colour bleed through.  The national insignia is not included, but you can buy it on the Cutting Edge decal sheet CED48263.  

The instructions are clear and include 2 views of each aircraft and an extra page of text instructions is included with a small bit of info about both the planes as well as helpful tips for decal application. 

Click on images below to see larger images of the instruction sheets

A very nice decal sheet and  sure to please the lucky 300 people that manage to buy one of these limited edition sheets.  

I would like to thank Cutting Edge Modelworks for providing me with this review sample.

Steve

Photos and text © by Steve Bamford