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Minicraft 1/144 B-17G Kit Review

Improving the Flying Fortress:  Minicraft Models Enhances its B-17 in 1/144 Scale

By Bill Engar​


The B-17 needs no introduction.  To many, it’s the iconic WWII bomber and often lands high on lists of weapon systems that were key to Allied victory.  First flying in 1935, it had a few years to be refined with constant improvements made while anticipating the storms brewing that became World War II.  Over 12,500 were built.  Of that number, Douglas Aircraft actually built 3000.
The Scoop:  Minicraft’s 1/144 B-17 was always a nice little kit.  A new windshield, decal sheet on steroids, and a stand make this release their best yet for this classic.
The B-17E (first version with larger-diameter tail and ventral fin on vertical stabilizer) first flew in early 1941.  German Luftwaffe pilots created a nickname for the B-17; the “Flying Porcupine” due to its many guns, but learned that the best vector for attack was head-on.  With its new chin turret able to protect a cone-shaped region directly in front of the bomber, the B-17G must have been an unpleasant surprise for an unsuspecting Luftwaffe fighter pilot the first time this tactic was tried when it debuted in late 1943.
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Minicraft #14754 has a new windshield and enhanced decals.  Including the Minicraft Stand, the kit is attractively priced at $19.99.
It is this latest version, the B-17G with the chin turret, that Minicraft has had in its inventory for some time now.  This classic 1/144 scale kit has been previously released in a number of decal schemes, for both silver and green airplanes.  Kit #14754 depicts a green B-17G, this time with colorful red stripes and yellow lettering. ​
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A new clear Minicraft Stand is included.  Landing gear is double-position (very easy to installed deployed or stowed) so you can build this in-flight if you want.
This latest release has the most new features that this kit has ever had, including some new tooling.  The cockpit windshield has been redone and it will provide a much better result than the old clear part.  Many modelers prefer to use decals on small-scale aircraft such as this, and for the first time, a set of decal windows is also included.  The decal sheet also has a full set of de-icer boots.  New engine faces are also there.  The nose art, Man-O-War II, is clear and crisp.  You may need a magnifying glass to appreciate it.  This is thanks to use of premium quality Cartograf decals by Minicraft.
 
This kit has good “bones.”  Flight surfaces have discrete engraved lines, and panel lines are raised and very thin.  There are few if any sinkholes, none of which should bother anyone except the fastidious contest modeler, and this is a small handful at most.  Installing the landing gear is a breeze and it looks very nice. 
Each main landing gear tire has three ejector pin marks on the inside; again, this probably won’t matter for a fun, recreational build.  I couldn’t see any appreciable level of flash.  I built one of these kits a long time ago, and it goes together without any issues as I recall.
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The boxtop scheme will make a striking model with the high-visibility wing and tail markings.  Perhaps you're more interested in depicting a plain-looking B-17 in OD.  42-37971 will be an easier build without the need to paint the red stripes and fewer decals.
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It looks like a Boeing B-17!
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New canopy has very fine raised lines to make a much-improved cockpit area.
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The "glass" sprue, close-up.  
​Perhaps the most difficult part of the build is dealing with a number of small, clear parts and the tiny guns—there are quite a few and they’re fragile once installed, so it will help to have intermediate skills when building this model.  For builders experienced with such items, there’s nothing else of concern.  The overall paint scheme is fairly simple; top and sides of the model are olive drab, underside is neutral gray, and you’ll have to paint the red stripes.  If painting the red stripes doesn’t appeal to you, there is a plain-OD scheme representative of a typical B-17.
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A one-page assembly sequence with a parts map.
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Note that the Minicraft Stand can be cut to vary the height of the model.  Buy three B-17's, build them in flight, and cut the stands to three different heights.  You'll have a nice formation diorama.
It’s easy to build the landing gear in either up or down position and in-flight prop spinners are included.  Use these with the included Minicraft stand, and you’ll have a nice in-flight display.
 
Dem Brudders heartily recommend this kit and give it an enthusiastic four thumbs up!

We'd like to thank Minicraft Models for supplying the kit for this review.  Be sure to visit their website to see this kit and all the others!

BONUS MATERIAL

COLLECT IT!
 
Like Minicraft’s B-29 and other kits in the Classic Minicraft 1/144 range, the low prices justify purchase of multiple kits to build some interesting variants of the B-17.  It’s such an easygoing build that you can focus on your conversion instead of just getting the model put together.
Over the years, Minicraft has released the B-17G with some interesting decal sets.  14726 should be easy to find, and portrays an 8th Air Force “G” in a bare-metal finish.  “Bit O Lace” and “Flak Eater” are two other well known B-17G schemes you can find that have been done by Minicraft.  You’re on your own with markings, although some of these suggested have had aftermarket decal sheets released.  If you haven’t done so already, a conversion such as this might be a good time to learn about the options available for printing your own decals.

One of the more unusual B-17 detours during the war was  Operation Aphrodite.  Mostly B-17’s deemed at the end of their useful lives were stripped of non-essentials, heavily laden with explosives, and flown via TV and remote control to their targets. 
 
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Minicraft has released the "G" in a few interesting natural-metal schemes over the years.
Takeoffs couldn’t be done with the TV-R/C gear, and so a pilot and engineer had to take care of that detail and bail out once the plane was in the air.  B-17’s were modified by removing the entire upper cockpit including the top turret.  This area was mostly faired over with sheet metal.  The immediate cockpit was left open like a two-seat roadster.  It just looks surreal and would make an interesting  conversion that shouldn’t require a complex amount of “plastic surgery.”
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"Operation Aphrodite" B-17 open cockpit.  Note the sheetmetal at left covering the area where the cockpit hump was removed.
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At the dawn of WWII, in late 1941, the B-17D was the latest variant deployed.  The "Pearl Harbor" movies show "E" models.  This is so wrong!  Making a 1/144 scale "D" B-17 out of a "G" will be quite a bit of work!
Operation Aphrodite was not successful with none of the 14 attempts hitting their targets.  Perhaps the most notable failure took the life of Joseph Kennedy Jr.  Kennedy had not yet bailed out when ten tons of high-explosives detonated prematurely (his aircraft was a B-24, an exception to the B-17's normally used for the program).  When looking at the cockpit setup, any pilot must have been nervous with the prospect of bailing out of a B-17 and avoiding the empennage.
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A captured B-17E in German colors.  In drawings I've seen, the tail serial numbers are yellow, as is the entire bottom of the aircraft.  The top appears to be olive drab.
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Another captured "E".  This would be a very easy scheme to do; I haven't seen pictures of this plane with any numbers.  Top is OD, and I believe the bottom is close to robin-egg blue.
​Perhaps one of the most challenging conversions would be to backdate Minicraft’s “G” B-17 to a “D” or earlier.  Bobbing the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer and reshaping the back of it shouldn’t be too hard, but narrowing the entire back end of the aircraft will be a bit of a chore.  I’d cut out some long, thin pie-sections at the top and bottom seam, and one along each side to remove the extra diameter.  After that will come a fair bit of sanding and puttying.  Chances are the vertical stabilizer will just need to be removed temporarily to get the rear fuselage shape right.  As mentioned, it’s not an easy one.
 
It will be easier to backdate the “G” model to an “E” model by removing the chin turret and shortening up the front nose blister a bit.  B-17E’s were captured by both Germany and Japan and repainted with their insignias.  These would be additional unusual subjects to add to your B-17 collection.
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There's an extra top turret on the YB-40.  Twin guns were added at the waist position.
An XB-38.  Note the intakes between engines on each wing.  This started out as a B-17E (no chin turret).  The XB-38 was faster than the regular B-17, but it could not fly as high.  This put it at greater risk from AA fire.
During WWII, there were some experimental sub-variants of the B-17 including the XB-38 and YB-40.  The XB-38 was an experiment with Allison V-1710 engines.  There were fears that a shortage of Wright Cyclone engines might disrupt production of the B-17, and this alternate source for engines was explored.  If this variant reminds you of a P-38 stuck on each wing, it's because a version of the Allison V-1710 was used on that aircraft as well.

The YB-40's were intended to be gunships, carrying defensive rounds for the machine guns instead of bombs.  Their role would be to protect squadrons of bombers.  25 were built and they were not nearly as effective as long-range fighter escorts, which were beginning to show up in greater numbers when the B-40 program was cancelled.  The extra weight of guns and ammunition, plus the drag of the new turret  made the YB-40 struggle to keep up with the standard B-17's.

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TWA converted a B-17 to an executive transport.  There are decal sets around in 1/144 scale for this scheme.  A B-17 will spice up your 1/144 airliner collection!  The XC-108 was an experimental transport version of the B-17 built during the war.  It was not mass-produced.
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After WWII, there were plenty of surplus B-17’s that were repurposed.  SB-17 B’s flew “Dumbo” Search and Rescue missions by the Coast Guard, being retrofit with a boat that could be dropped to downed airmen.  You'd have to scratchbuild a boat to do this one.
B-17’s were used as turboprop engine testbeds.  A fifth engine was grafted onto the b-17’s nose, and the other engines could be shut down to test the fifth engine in flight.  My favorite is the P&W T34 turboprop, which eventually powered the C-133.  The nacelle almost looks like it was designed to be there, unlike some of the others that looked awkward.  In addition to the nose and prop, there are some exhausts underneath that you’d need to scratchbuild, too.
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PB1W’s were Navy B-17’s configured as early warning radar aircraft, precursors to the EC-121.  They were outfitted with a radome and painted Navy dark blue, as other Navy aircraft were finished since 1944.
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There were several 5-engine B-17 testbeds like this.  Note that the four regular props are feathered.  For the record, that center engine had around 5500 horsepower.  Compare that to 1200 HP each for those Wright Cyclones.  The XT-34 by itself was more powerful than the four piston engines.
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One of the great ironies that awaited surplus WWII B-17’s was the drone role.  Instead of avoiding enemy fire, these aircraft were used as aerial targets by the U.S. Air Force after WWII.  The final official flight of the B-17 with the Air Force occurred on August 06, 1959 as a drone.
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At the end of Thunderball, a 1965 James Bond movie, a more or less accurate Fulton extraction is shown at the very end.  This personnel recovery system, employed by the CIA, was still fairly new at the time.  A B-17 with Fulton-gear was depicted in the movie, which might make another interesting conversion.
A couple more suggestions:  In the movie, Dr. Strangelove, there are some aerial background scenes shot for the B-52.  They were shot from a B-17, nicknamed, "Dr. Strangelove."  In a couple scenes, the unmistakable shadow of the B-17 can be seen standing in for the shadow of a B-52.  After WWII, some B-17's survived to become fire bombers.

Scroll down to see what else is new at DemBrudders.com!
Check back often!  We have a lot of cool upcoming content!


NEW:


Oct 2022:  Atlantis 1/48 JS-III Stalin Tank Kit Review!
Sept 2022:  Atlantis 1/32 Tom Daniel Funny Cars Kit Review!
August 2022:  Atlantis 1/665 USS Wisconsin Kit Review!
August 2022:  Atlantis 1/618 D.K.M. Bismarck Kit Review!
​29 July 2022:  D&H Cyclops and Chariot From Lost in Space Kit Review!
16 July 2022:  Moebius Hal 9000 Review YouTube Video!
07 June 2022:  Atlantis 1/135 Convair 990 Airliner Kit Review!
01 June 2022:  Atlantis 1/24 Son of Troublemaker Kit Review!
​21 May 2022:  Atlantis 1/1200 US Combat Task Force Fleet Kit Review!
14 May 2022:  Atlantis 1000/1 The Amoeba Kit Review!
06 May 2022:  Atlantis Air-Land-Sea Gift Set!
26 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/139 Boeing 707-120 Kit Review!
25 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/77 F-89D Kit Review!
22 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/245 Monitor and Merrimac Civil War Set
15 January 2022:  Dream Gear 1/3000 Arkhitect Review!  Landmark new kit includes integrated lighting!
15 December 2021:  Atlantis 1/8 Forgotten Prisoner Review!
10 December 2021:  New Atlantis 1/96 Moon Ship Review
01 December 2021:  NEW Minicraft Kit Releases!
30 November 2021:  Atlantis 1/139 707 Kit Update
25 November 2021:  Atlantis 1/54 F11F-1 Cougar Kit Review
15 November 2021:  Convair 1/135 990 Test Shot from Atlantis!
September 2021:  NEW 1/25 Atlantis King Kong Kit Review
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/200 "Spruce Goose" Review and History
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/48 T-41 Review Update
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 F-51 Review
September 2021:  NEW Atlantis 1/32 1982 Camaro Review!
August 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 B-52 (Current Flying) Review
August 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 E-3/E-8 AWACS/J-STARS Review

July 2021:  New Atlantis 1/300 Nautilus Review updates our Nautilus history page!
July 2021:  Revell's Gemini Spacecraft Kits History
June 2021:  Minicraft 1/350 RMS Titanic Review
12 May 2021:  Titanic Models List!  One Movie.  Lots of Titanics.
29 April 2021:  Snoopy vs Red Baron live on YouTube!
15 March 2021:  Atlantis Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel Lands -- What Happens when they meet The Red Baron?
12 March 2021:  Atlantis 1/120 B-29 Review!  New Kit!  
08 March 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 B-24J / PB4Y-1 / B-24D Review!
10 February 2021:  Moebius 1/144 Discovery on YouTube!
07 February 2021:  Guest Gallery!  See our pals' models!
05 February 2021:  Moebius 1/144 Discovery XD-1 Review
Will the Utah Monolith stay vertical this time?
05 January 2021:  Hawk Beta-I Atomic Bomber Rebuild!
28 December:  Bill's Airliner Gallery! 
19 December:  Just in time for Christmas!  Atlantis Phantom of the Opera with Glow-in-the-dark Parts!
13 December:  Godzilla Returns Again!  Atlantis Godzilla with Glow-in-the-Dark Parts!
30 November:  Revell KC-135 and 707 Kit History!
23 November:  Minicraft 1/144 C-18A/707 Kit Review!
Another feature in our series about the KC-135/707!

12 November:  Atlantis Mr Gasser Review updated photos
09 November:  Dick's Lindberg XB-70 Restoration
09 November:  Monogram Air Power Set YouTube Video!
30 October:  Special Project:  Monogram's 1959 Air Power Set! (web page)
09 October:  A Review of Minicraft's KC-135 Kits continues our special series on the KC-135 (feature in-progress).
28 September:  Let's Play Battleship!  Atlantis 1/535 Iowa Class Kits review - and bonus comparison between Revell's USS Missouri and Atlantis Iowa Class Battleship kits!

20 September:  Kit History --  Revell 1/535 USS Missouri
07 September:  Ship It!  Academy 1/700 Titanic ICP Kit Review
22 August:  Revell's All-New PT-109 Elco PT Boat Kit Review
13 August:  KC-135 History Series Part II - AMT's 1/72 Kit:  It's In There
04 August:  Dueling Subchasers-- Atlantis S2F Hunter Killer Review
29 July:  Kit Review and History:  Atlantis Models P-3A Orion
26 July:  Book reviews:  The Vintage Years of Airfix Box Art by Roy Cross
A Weird-Oh World - The Art of Bill Campbell by Bill Campbell

24 July:  DEM BRUDDERS GO OFF THE DEEP END WITH THEIR  ATLANTIS PBY CATALINA KIT VIDEO REVIEW!
22 July:  Why Buy a PBY:  Atlantis PBY-5A Catalina Web Review!

09 July:  No shyin' away from the Cheyenne:  Atlantis AH-56 Cheyenne Kit Web Review
06 July:  Rank the Lanc:  Minicraft Lancaster MK-1 Kit Review
17 June:  88 Reasons:  Minicraft Ju-88A/C Kit Review
16 June:  We Dug the Jug:  Minicraft P-47D Kit Review
15 June:  DICK DOES CARS!  Dick's Car Gallery!
10 June: 
Minicraft RB-29 Review Updated!  Minicraft's Own Lewis Nace Builds an Amazing B-29 Conversion Collection!
05 June:  Minicraft 1/144 B-17 Kit Review!
03 June:  The Big Stick:  Atlantis' B-36 Kit Review!
30 May:  Minicraft A6M2 Zero Kit Review in 1/144
26 May:  Dem Brudders On Youtube!  Watch our Atlantis Ah-56 Cheyenne review. (We're a little disappointed with our new spokesman Roddy Redshirt.  When we find all his pieces, we might not use him again.)
22 May:  The Girl Next Door:  Minicraft 1/144 G4M1 "Betty" Kit Review
20 May:  Unmasking the Avenger:  Minicraft 1/144 TBF Avenger Kit Review
18 May:  B young!  B-29 again!  Minicraft RB-29 Superfortress "Postwar" Kit Review - We've expanded content on this page!
06 May:  KC-135/707 Kit History Series Begins!

27 April:  Enter the Mentor:  Minicraft T-34A Mentor kit Review. 
24 March:  See Dick.  See Dick build.  See  Dick's Large Aircraft Gallery.  Build, Dick, Build.
04 March:  Eat all your vegetables.  Open-Box New Kit Review:  Atlantis HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant"  
06 February:  Requiem for Mad Magazine: Aurora/Revell Alfred E. Neuman Kit History
12 December:  BEECH TRIP!!!  Minicraft's Civilian Aircraft Product Line

20 November:  More pictures added to Dick's Yo-Yo page:  B-24J Liberator "Yo-Yo" - Custom-Painting a 1/48 Diecast Model
20 November:  IPMS/SLC Group Build, Italy/Bulgaria Theme!
12 November:  We welcome Minicraft Models as our first sponsor!
​07 November:  We've again expanded our Report on the 2019 IPMS/USA Nationals in Chattanooga, TN!
15 October:  IPMS Boise Mad Dog Modelers Fall Show!

13 September 2019:  Aerial Photography for a Song:  The Estes AstroCam 110
28 August:  Kit Review - Atlantis 1/92 B-24J Liberator Bomber 
01 August:  We continue our Apollo at 50 celebrations by kicking off our new model rocketry page, and ask:
​Apollo at 50:  Was it Worth It?
20 JULY 2019:  HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY, APOLLO 11 (We don't think you look a day over 40)!  Revell's Apollo Spacecraft Kits
25 June:  A New Blog Post:  Join us at the IPMS/USA Nationals!
19 June:  Build a Resin Figure Kit.  Dick shows step-by-step how he built Anime subject Mew Zakuro
15 May:  Smokey and the Bandit:  MPC's 1977 Pontiac Trans Am
25 April: 
History of Armor Modeling with pals James Guld and John Tate
03 April:  Car Modeling in the 1970's expands our History Series
26 March:  Kit Review--1/350 Space Ark from When Worlds Colllide
17 March:  Weird-oh's, Finks, Flypoggers, and More!  We continue our History Series with our various encounters in the Monster Figures craze of the 1960s
10 March:  Our First Kit Review!  Tamiya 1/48 Army Staff Car - Are we too hard on a Tamiya kit?
​23 February:  The Nuclear Family:  SSN Nautilus 571 - About the Lindberg, Revell, and Aurora Kits
15 February:  DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME I - Dick Builds a Batmobile--in 1/3 Scale!
13 February:  Modeling Outside the Box.  Dick goes all over the place, building a number of unusual subjects!
04 February:  NASCAR or Not?  Monogram's Days of Thunder Cars
31 January:  History Series Begins With The Aurora Monsters
27 January:  Build a P-82 in 1/144 Scale or Other Crazy Conversion
13 January:  The Anti-Modelers
05 January 2019:  The Day I Quit Modeling
01 January 2019:  dembrudders.com is live!!!

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    • Atlantis 1/128 U.S. Space Missiles Set Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/70 F-100C Kit Review
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    • Atlantis Models Metaluna Mutant Kit Review
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    • Atlantis 1/32 Tom Daniel Funny Cars: Mustang, Camaro, Duster, Charger!
    • Atlantis 1/665 USS Wisconsin Kit Review
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    • Atlantis 1/24 Son of Troublemaker Kit Review
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    • Atlantis Air-Land-Sea Gift Set
    • Atlantis 1/245 Monitor & Merrimac Ironclads Diorama Set
    • Atlantis 1/96 Moon Ship Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/8 Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare Kit Review
    • ATLANTIS 1/25 King Kong Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/32 1982 Camaro Review
    • Atlantis Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel / Red Baron Reviews
    • Atlantis Glow-Godzilla Review
    • Atlantis Phantom of the Opera Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/535 USS Iowa and Wisconsin Battleship Kit Review
    • Atlantis Mr. Gasser Review
    • Moebius 1/1 Hal 9000 Kit Review
    • Moebius 1/144 Discovery XD-1
    • Dream Gear 1/3000 Arkhitect Kit Review
    • D&H 1/35 Cyclops and the Chariot from Lost in Space kit Review
    • Academy Titanic 1/700 MCP Review
    • Revell ALL NEW PT-109 Review
    • Tamiya 1/48 Ford Army Staff Car
    • Pegasus Space Ark - When Worlds Collide
    • A Weird-Oh World - The Art of Bill Campbell
    • The Vintage Years of Airfix Box Art
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