[Epapazian]

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I have obtained an advance copy of Altaya's B-17G. While I am still awaiting the arrival of my new camera---hence I can't post pictures---my first impressions of the B-17G auger well for the planes in this series which I really want. To begin with it is relatively light. In addition to ample use of plastic, they seem to be using less dense metal in the fuselage. Aside from this, the assembly was OK, with none of the bad fit/huge gaps seen in the old Atlas line. In addition, there is a decent amount of detail---far more than Corgi's 1:144 B-17s----and the paint job and tampo printing are also acceptable. On the negative side, they have misaligned the green stripes on the fuselage and omitted the olive drab anti-glare paint on the engine nacelles. Also, the machine guns on the belly turret are poorly installed and the right side waist gunner's position isn't there. Finally, there are some issues regarding the main cockpit's canopy---it seems a bit too large plus some frames are missing- and the decision to paint the rear gunner's windows a light gray was ill-advised. Most of these problems can be dealt with with a bit of careful painting. From my perspective, what I see in Altaya's B-17G suggests that its unique planes---the FW-200, JU-290, Piaggio P.108, Emily, etc.---are a good risk for collectors looking for replicas of planes no one else is likely to manufacture in the near future. There's no guarantee regarding quality, of course, and some touch ups will probably be needed. But on the whole, I am encouraged.

[BIFFO]

Originally Posted by FROGGY

At 1/144 scale: bomber of WW2.

http://www.altaya.fr/ficha.php?id=130

My Kingdom for a Condor!