I think most people on iModeler will know of the story of Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler. On the return journey home from a bombing raid on Germany in December 1943, 20 year old pilot Charlie Brown nursed his critically injured B-17 toward the North Sea at under 2,000 ft and only just above stalling speed.
Seeing the stricken plane fly over his airfield, Franz Stigler jumped in his Me109 and flew to finish off the fortress. However, on his approach to attack, Stigler saw how sorry a state the B-17 was in; the rear gunner dead, other crew injured and clearly visible through the shredded fuselage of the plane.

Instead of applying the coup-de-grace, Stigler made a bold and honourable decision; he escorted the American bomber past the German anti aircraft sea defences until they were over the English Channel, where he saluted the crew and turned for home. This mercy, a crime in the eyes of the Nazi party punishable by firing squad, was a great gamble on his own values by the young German pilot.

Unbelievably both pilots not only survived the war but found each other in 1985, going on to become lifelong friends until they both died within a few months of each other in 2008. The story is beautifully written in the book, ‘A Higher Call’.

My homage to this great piece of aviation and war history is in 1/48 scale, using the Revell B-17, and the Eduard Me109G-6.


The build will be a little intermittent (due to having other projects on the bench) so updates will be…sometimes. But this is my initial efforts – starting with the B-17.

In memory of my friend Bernard E. Hackett Jr - Rest well.

1 additional image. Click to enlarge.

Outstanding job of replicating the battle damage, sir...this is gonna be a "winner", I can tell already!

Thanks, David.

Hey, Bernard.

Your message about the latest Revell B-17 gave me an idea. I have sent an email to Revell Germany and appealed to their better nature to send me some figures. I remember doing this with their 1/32 JU 88 to ask for a new canopy (don't ask - complete disaster that I still can't really talk about).

In terms of the props - I've had a look at all the aftermarket products and they are all a little disappointing; I think I'm committed to trial and error until it get something that looks authentic.

Thanks for the suggestions and I'll let you know about the figures - I am hopeful!

Good show, David! And I think I agree with you on the catharsis of two projects at once. My old painting mentor in college used to say if you feel like you are getting bogged down on a painting, turn it to the wall and walk away for a while--maybe even weeks or months--to clear the mind and renew creative perspective.

Have done a little detail in the B17 nose, but in honesty I'm stalling a little here as I'm struggling to find crew before I can button up the fuselage. I may well have to recruit/pressgang enemy pilots and do some creative artwork. Why don't kit makers include figures for all that hard earned money we throw their way?

Alexandre, you are a hero. That's as good a result as I've seen in trying to recreate a spinning prop. Thank you for the diagram and also your kind words. I'll certainly be using this.

I'm happy to help!