Boeing (Douglas) TB-17G 44-83654 United States Air Force

These are 1/72 scale decals for Boeing (Douglas) TB-17G 44-83562, assigned to the 4141st Base Unit, Pyote Field, Texas, United States Air Force — an aircraft with a notable second career as a DB-17 drone controller.

Pyote Field — nicknamed "Rattlesnake Bomber Base" for its remote West Texas location — was a major wartime B-17 training base that continued in a reduced capacity postwar. The 4141st Base Unit used TB-17Gs like this aircraft for local utility and training duties in the immediate postwar years.

This aircraft's story didn't end there, however. It was subsequently converted to a DB-17 drone controller, used to remotely pilot unmanned target drones during weapons testing and evaluation programs — one of the more unusual and technically advanced roles a Flying Fortress could find itself in during the early jet age. The DB-17 conversion represents a fascinating chapter in the B-17's long and varied postwar service life.

Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.