Revell 1/48 B-17F "Memphis Belle"

The Memphis Belle is one of the most legendary aircraft of World War II — a B-17F Flying Fortress that became a symbol of American grit and survival.

Based out of England with the 8th Air Force's 91st Bomb Group, the Belle and her crew flew mission after mission over Nazi-occupied Europe, dodging flak and fighter attacks at altitudes where the cold alone could kill you.

In May 1943, she became one of the first heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions without losing a single crew member — a feat so rare that the military sent her back to the States for a publicity tour to boost war bonds and morale.

Her story became the stuff of legend, later immortalized in a 1944 documentary and a 1990 feature film.

Revell's 1:48 scale kit of the Memphis Belle is a fantastic way to pay tribute to one of history's most iconic warbirds. At this scale, you get enough detail to really do the aircraft justice. From distinctive nose art to the row of bomb mission markers on the fuselage that tell the story of 25 harrowing raids.

If you're looking for a build that gives you both a satisfying modeling challenge and a meaningful connection to history, the Memphis Belle is about as good as it gets.

I purchase my kit from Amazon.

As you can see from the photo below, this model has a significant number of parts and given my grandfather flew in B-17's (mostly B-17G's, but a few B-17F's), I look forward to this build.

My ultimate goal is to do several B-17 models with various paint schemes as well as diffent B-17 versions from throughout the war.

I have been in the process of finding pictures of tail markings, nose art, and color schemes from the 8th Air Force, 351st bomb group for future builds when I get to them.