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Joe Caputo
154 articles

1/72 Revell B-17F "Memphis Belle"

November 29, 2013 · in Aviation · · 15 · 4.2K

This old was done quite a few years ago. I dug it out and cleaned it up just to give Simon a idea of what it looked like. With Craig as an inspiration, I decided to post it. It had to be one of my earlier attempts, judging by the seam work, etc. For it's age (and cost) it was a fun build, which I'm sure I enjoyed.

Reader reactions:
3  Awesome

12 additional images. Click to enlarge.


15 responses

  1. Cheers Joe, Thanks.
    A great build there sir, gives Rose the inspiration to build her one after Xmas.

  2. Wow, Joe, an American Lancaster. I just love the way she's let one leg go over the camoflage line.

  3. This kit brings me back to when Christmas was actually a wonderful thing. Got this kit when for Christmas when I was 11 yrs old. Took my time building it and it hung from the ceiling in my room for quite a time until my parakeet got out of his cage and went "Focke-Wulf" flying into it. Parakeet survived but kit was a write off. Nice work Joe.

  4. Seamus, I know exactly what you mean. I have an Aurora B-26 that brings me back to Christmas (I'm a lot older than you) the same way. There were a half dozen models on that pile, but that B-26 is THE one. I still have it's remains on my shelf... Good times !

  5. Good looking survivor Joe. Having a father who I think liked my toys more than I did Christmas also brought plastic under the tree.

  6. Ah, Christmas. I remember one year when I was about 8 or 9. My older brother's birthday was in December, and he received the recently released Airfix 1/72 Wellington, I was so jealous. However, a couple of weeks later at Christmas my favourite uncle gave me the even newer (and bigger) Airfix 1/72 Lancaster, I was so happy. I was too young to really appreciate it, and probably had it finished by the end of Boxing Day, moving turrets and guns included. I've no idea what happened to it, but it probably hung from our bedroom ceiling for a while.

  7. Very special moments, George, and not unusual for certain models to trigger some wonderful memories for us all., especially at Christmas.

  8. Thanks for posting the photos, Joe. Looks nice and glad it could bring back some positive memories for you.

  9. Joe,
    These models are keepers that should never be thrown away. They we say who we are, we're we've been, and where we are now. You are lucky you still have them, they bring on good memories.

  10. Good ol' models = good ol' memories of days past. This was a state of the art kit when released, great detail and HUGE (for the time), I built one in 1963, my last plane model at that point. AMT's 3-in-1 car kits took over where the plane kits left off. Thanks for jogging the memory circuits, Joe!

  11. Great stuff Joe! I too had the 'Belle-hand painted, silvered decals and all hanging from my ceiling. I recall using a hot sewing needle to simulate bullet holes in the wings and fuselage that were coming from the 109s I hung behind her...Great memories indeed!

  12. gosh that takes me back to 1963...one of the best pieces of box art ever produced

  13. 1963 indeed! u could buy an amt 3 in 1 for a about a buck back then. i still have a few that i didnt build in my garage attic!

  14. I'm sure a lot of us modellers whetted our teeth on those old kits! All I asked for every Christmas/birthday was models! One year I got not only a Monogram B-17 but the newly released B-29. Yep, that was a great memory!

    • David, I know exactly what you're talking about, only my Christmas memories came earlier than yours. A big Auroura B-26 (big for someone who hadn't seen anything that size before), the NEW Aurora P-51 Mustang ( a story for another posting), and several other Aurora kits, (109, 190, P-38 and P-40) I was livin' the dream. I still have most of them, or at least the parts, and I will always have the memories.

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