I've created a new section on my website called "Famous Bombers in 1:72 Scale." In the months (or years) to come I hope to build all the bombers listed in this section. I have built one to date and it was a labor of love.

In the 2003 special edition FSM on Warbird Modeling, the lead story is a 1:48 B-17G "A Bit O' Lace." A very talented guy named Megas Tsonos built this famous warbird and it still ranks in my opinion as the most incredible model I've seen in FSM or anywhere. The attention to detail is incredible and I was blown away by the realistic weathering - this model doesn't look like a model (I guess that passes for the ultimate compliment).

Anyway, I had to have this bird for my new 1:72 collection. Lo and behold a 1:72 Hasegawa kit existed with decals for "A Bit O' Lace." I found it on eBay but my hopes were dashed by another bidder. I got angry and ended up finding the kit online at an antique store in Seattle for $25.00 (better than the winner on eBay got it for...yeah!)

The kit was in good shape but the decals were pretty sad. I decided it was time to try making my own decals. I scanned the decals and picked up decal paper and bonding spray from Hobby Lobby. I also found better "A Bit O' Lace" nose art on the web. Below are the results:

Konley