I don’t know if you have all seen this but it looks cool.
http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/dmlusa/prodmidh.asp?tlcode=DRA
Lets make it a direct link that works so we don’t have to cut n paste.
http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/dmlusa/prodd.asp?pid=DRA5036
It’s also nice if you make it open the link in a new window so one doesn’t lose ones place.
…and that price! 3 for a nickle!
Or… hey! there IS NO price.
I WILL BUY THIS MODEL.
At the end of his service career, my Father-in-law had two of these. One with the turret, and one without.
On a mission up to the Brenner Pass from their base in Pontadero, which is just outside Pisa in Italy, and yes I have his snaps from the gunner position of the leaning tower, they were to attack a train that had tunnel making equipment parked on the Italian side of the long tunnel.
16 ships in a low level run, four 500 lb bombs each, basically a carpet attack. Ground fire hit the plane with a cannon shell that beheaded the pilot, and of course the plane was at that time in hands-on mode. So Don crawls thru the little armored saloon door between him and the front and puts the guy over to the side, and gets in the front seat. He radios the Captain that he’s got one wounded and one babbling incoherently from the rear radar seat, and he’s turning for home. “Don’t do that, they’ll pick you off”. So up to the tunnel, drop the bombs and head for home. Once they’re back south of the Po river, which at that time was the border between German held Italy, and Co-Belligerent Italy to the south, the Captain tells him “roll over and bail out”. Can’t do it, the guy in the back is still mumbling into the intercom and Don can’t get back there to throw him out the hatch because of the turret.
So to make an already too long story end here, he does a gear up landing in mud back at Pontadero, crawls out of the cockpit and collapses. The ambulance nurse gives him a sedative shot, and the next one who’s looking for the RO gives him another one!
Woke up a couple of days later, got so cold in the hospital that he convinced a nurse to lie on top of him. Dog!!!
I’ve got a slew of pics from that. I built him the Monocrap P-61 in 1/48, to go with the Bristol Beaufighter he flew before; Tamiya and a great model, in USAAF markings. Might have to do the whole thing over in 1/72, because you know, one day, he’ll be in Heaven and I’ll have those models back to look at.
Whatever, a 1/72 Widow is the girl for me!
Ooooooooohhhh, I am drooling clear down to my shoes over that one. Does anyone have any idea on the date of availability and/or price?
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
Ive always liked the Widow, shes a honey and at the hands of Dragon, im sure its going to be a winner. Thx for the link and the ammended link Hawkeye and for the story Bondo.
Great stuff. Whens it out?
…Guy
Dunno the when but the how much is about 24. GMW is taking pre-orders at that price.
Actually, if I recall correctly, the basic kit (pre “premium” treatment) was originally released some 15(?) or so years ago and has been re-released a number of times over the years.
The only alternatives I can recall in 1/72 are the Airfix and long OOP Frog kits. I seem to recall that the Frog kit had a nicer overall shape than the Airfix, but then again, that may be just a childhood memory. [8-]
If my experience with Dragon kits is anything to go by, I hope thay have sorted out their fit issues!
Even their ‘new’ Ar 234 Nightfighters has a few fit problems, which considering the price, equivalent to the Revell boxing of Hase’s 234 in 1/48, seems a little off.
Karl
If this is a rebox of thier older kit, there are a few fit issues. The wing root is alot thicker than what is molded on the fuse causing a step there. Interior detail is a bit soft and quite a few seams to fill but it can be made into a nice little kit. I have both the A and the B that was released years ago. I believe they were part of the “Golden Wings Series”. Nice to see them pop back up though!
For the people who are unfamiliar with Dragon’s “premium” program, they are older kits with some minor tooling updates, sometimes additional sprues with new parts, and some PE parts.
If I recall correctly, the aforementioned Arado 234 kit was given the “premium” treatment before they came up with the “premium” tag line.
This has been happening for some time now with some of their older armour kits, and more recently with some of the ships and aircraft.
I’m still looking for that book with all the Beaufighter markings in it, but I have an idea that one of my pin head sons trashed it last summer. I’ve always liked the Black Widow over in Dayton Ohio, and would love to build a copy in 1/48th scale. The good part in the hunt for the book is that I found out that I actually have two 1/48 Tamiya kits.
gary
Thanks for the story bondoman.
I had a uncle on one in Sipan but I dont know much more than that he was one who never talked about what he did during WWII. We don’t even have any pictures of the 61 he flew. I am in the P-61 build group and getting ready to start my second 61.
Maybe I’ll look into that GB. I’d enjoy it. He didn’t talk about it either until he met me. It was a slapping offence from Mom-in-Law when Ms. Bondo was little, to bring it up. Guess she knew what made him toss and turn at night. But I’ve done all I can to get all of his stories, because the man turns 89 this year.
By the time they got the Widow, night fighting days were over. There just weren’t any targets left. So they did a lot of fighterbomber stuff, shooting up trains. If you read the histories, and there were not too many -61s to begin with the sum total of air victories was something less than 100.
1/72… A Pass at any price…
1/72…I’ll get one at any price…