For sale is a COMPLETELY new and untouched and VERY RARE,  Corgi Aviation Archive AA33316, scale 1/72 – Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress , ’42-97880/DF-F’ “Little Miss Mischief” 324 th Bomb Sqn. 91st Bombardment Group, BASSINGBOURN, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, USAAF 1944

When B-17G 42-97880 arrived at Bassingbourn airfield as a replacement aircraft on 15^th June 1944, she looked just like any other natural metal Flying Fortress, but this soon changed courtesy of the artistic talents of mechanic Tony Starcer, who was responsible for some of the most striking nose artwork of WWII. Based on an Esquire centrefold pin-up, Starcer gave ‘Little Miss Mischief’ a distinctive feminine touch, which he classed as one of his most accomplished pieces of work. Unfortunately for this aircraft, her distinctive artwork would not be the only thing that would mark ‘Little Miss Mischief’ as being a little different. During a bombing mission to Cologne on 15^th October 1944, the aircraft was hit by flak as she approached the target area, tearing a large hole in the lower port side of the fuselage and almost cutting the aircraft in two. The crew carefully nursed the aircraft back to Bassingbourn and landed safely, which is testament to the strength of the design of the B-17. Incredibly, despite the significant damage sustained, the relatively unscathed front end and wings of ‘Mischief’ were mated with the salvaged rear section of another B-17G, thought to be 42-31405 ‘Wallaroo Mark II’ to produce a very strange looking Flying Fortress. With a mix of natural metal and grey/olive drab parts, ‘Little Miss Mischief’ became one of the most distinctive aircraft in the Eighth Air Force, with the repaired aircraft using components from no less that thirteen different aircraft. She went on to fly more than 50 combat missions, before being scrapped at the end of the war.

The set comes together with its unique collector's card.

The dimensions are approximately 12,25 in. x 17,25 in. for the B-17 .

The model had been kept always in the BOX.