The Orange Box Series kits from Dragon are basically previously released models that have been repackaged. The kit in this review is a combo of Dragon 6069 Schwerer Plattformwagen Typ SSY railcar flat top and Dragon Kit 9018 Pz Bef Wg III Ausf K.

Review of the Railcar

The instructions are a composite of the two separate sets of instructions, so I’ll start with steps 23 and 24: the assembly of the railcar frame and top or deck. Make sure that you have a flat surface to place the 4 pieces of the deck and that surface will not be marred by the possible glue seepage between the 4 pieces. Lay the 4 pieces face down and run a line of glue between the panels. While the glue is still soft, place the frame on the underside of the deck and make sure that everything is square. Glue the frame to the deck and let it dry.

Two aircraft are represented on this sheet of decals for the P-38J aircraft for the 9^th Air Force, and as the title sheet suggests, nose art of wicked women. One set for the 402^nd Fighter Squadron, 370^th Fighter Group flown by Lt. Ian B. Mackenzie with D-Day invasion stripes. His nose art is the “Vivacious Virgin II”. The second choice is for the 80^th Fighter Squadron, 8^th Fighter Group flown by Lt. Charles B. Ray sporting “San Antonio Rose” for his nose art.

These are very nice decals produced for the P-38 Lightning. There are two complete sets of decals here including the stenciling. Three sets of national insignia are provided, one being in a faded blue. There is no need to cut around the solid color decals and some of the stenciling, since there isn’t any to be found. The decals are thin and shouldn’t sit in the water too long to soften up.

Back in the late 1980’s, I was stationed at Sembach in Germany. Having left England behind in 1986 due to reassignment, the word on aircraft modeling was mostly about what Revell and Italeri were up to. Everything in the shops was Revell or R/C related, and my only link to what was happening in the rest of the static scale world involved the Squadron shop flyers. A friend from Miami sent me a letter saying “sign up for the “Golden Eagle Society” newsletter… the word here is there are going to be 1/48 PBY’s, F-89’s and F-102’s from a major manufacturer…” I signed up, saw the newsletter, and was thinking to myself, “Yeah, right”. But at the same time I had high hopes; we had, in the space of a few years since 1982, seen the F-106 from Monogram, along with the consummate A-10, A-37, and the A-6 (the latter under the Revell label, but it was a Monogram kit based on the stock number lettering tab on the runners).

Punch & die sets are one of those tools that you don’t think too much about until one day when you need it. Then once you have one, you wonder how you ever did without it. Roll Models now offers the familiar Waldron set containing a punch guide and six punches in the following sizes:

.160”, .120”, .089”, .081”, .059”, and .039”

Quickboost is striving mightily to make enough sets for a modeler to make a perfect Spitfire Mk.IX, if that is possible. The latest by their own definition is a 1/72 scale engine cover with radiator. What you actually have is the lower engine cover with carburetor intake. The part is perfectly cast in Quickboost fine grain resin and it only took me a few minutes using a razor saw, snips and a sanding block to remove the casting gate.