The Boeing B-17 in general, and specifically Memphis Belle, needs no introduction and the exploits of both the aircraft and her crew are well known.
After the war, Memphis Belle was saved from reclamation at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma where she had been consigned since 1 August 1945. She was flown to Memphis in July 1946 and stored until the summer of 1949 and was then put on display at the National Guard Armoury near the city's fairgrounds. She sat outdoors into the 1980s, slowly deteriorating due to weather and vandalism; souvenir hunters removed almost all of the interior components. Efforts by a Memphis Belle Memorial Association saw the aircraft moved to Mud Island in the Mississippi River in 1987 for display in a new pavilion with large tarp cover. She was still open to the elements, and prone to weathering. Pigeon nests and droppings constantly needed removal from the B-17. Dissatisfaction with the site led to efforts to create a new museum facility. In summer 2003 Memphis Belle was disassembled and moved to a restoration facility at former NAS Memphis in Millington, Tennessee for work. In September 2004, however, the National Museum of the USAF apparently tiring of the ups and downs of the city's attempts to preserve the aircraft indicated that they wanted her back for restoration and eventual display at the museum at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton Ohio. Memphis Belle arrived safely at the museum in mid-October 2005 and was placed in one of the Museum's restoration hangars, where she is still being restored. 2018 is the expected finish date for the restoration.
Academy's B-17F kit represents a later version of the B-17F. I removed the astrodome and placed a new glazing panel ahead of the windshield. I added nose armaments. I corrected the kit's excessive dihedral issue. The decals were difficult to work with, brittle and refused to settle against a gloss coat. Academy's colour and markings guide was inaccurate. However overall this was a nice kit to build with few major vices.
Build thread is here http://www.scale-models.co.uk/thread...s-belle.30898/
[ATTACH]112332.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112333.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112334.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112335.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112336.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112337.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112338.IPB[/ATTACH]
After the war, Memphis Belle was saved from reclamation at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma where she had been consigned since 1 August 1945. She was flown to Memphis in July 1946 and stored until the summer of 1949 and was then put on display at the National Guard Armoury near the city's fairgrounds. She sat outdoors into the 1980s, slowly deteriorating due to weather and vandalism; souvenir hunters removed almost all of the interior components. Efforts by a Memphis Belle Memorial Association saw the aircraft moved to Mud Island in the Mississippi River in 1987 for display in a new pavilion with large tarp cover. She was still open to the elements, and prone to weathering. Pigeon nests and droppings constantly needed removal from the B-17. Dissatisfaction with the site led to efforts to create a new museum facility. In summer 2003 Memphis Belle was disassembled and moved to a restoration facility at former NAS Memphis in Millington, Tennessee for work. In September 2004, however, the National Museum of the USAF apparently tiring of the ups and downs of the city's attempts to preserve the aircraft indicated that they wanted her back for restoration and eventual display at the museum at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton Ohio. Memphis Belle arrived safely at the museum in mid-October 2005 and was placed in one of the Museum's restoration hangars, where she is still being restored. 2018 is the expected finish date for the restoration.
Academy's B-17F kit represents a later version of the B-17F. I removed the astrodome and placed a new glazing panel ahead of the windshield. I added nose armaments. I corrected the kit's excessive dihedral issue. The decals were difficult to work with, brittle and refused to settle against a gloss coat. Academy's colour and markings guide was inaccurate. However overall this was a nice kit to build with few major vices.
Build thread is here http://www.scale-models.co.uk/thread...s-belle.30898/
[ATTACH]112332.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112333.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112334.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112335.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112336.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112337.IPB[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]112338.IPB[/ATTACH]
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