Minicraft 1/144 JM-1 Marauder Kit First Look
by Dave Manter
| Date of Review | October 2013 | Manufacturer | Minicraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | JM-1 Marauder | Scale | 1/144 |
| Kit Number | 14690 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Recessed panel lines | Cons | None |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (USD) | $11.99 |
First Look
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The Navy and Marine Corps utilized approximately 250 B-26 Marauders as gunnery target tugs, designating them JM-1 Marauder. Most aircraft were devoid of armor & armament but were outfitted with two 1850 hp P&W R-2800-43 Double-Wasp engines. In this stripped-down configuration, they were the cleanest & fastest Marauders in production. Each aircraft was provided with a C-5 windlass in the bomb bay which was used to deploy a wide range of gunnery targets. Many tugs were unpainted but several were painted in a garish, high-visibility, chrome-yellow.
The Minicraft kit consists of just 31 styrene parts molded in grey and 6 styrene parts molded in clear. The parts are molded with nice detail and the kit does feature recessed panel lines. The is a fair amount of flash present but it should not pose any problems.
The kit features decals by Cartograf and they are very well printed. You have the choice of building the kit "in flight" or "on the ground".
The marking options are:
- US Navy JM-1, BuNo 66682, NAS Banana River FL, July 1944
- US Marine Corps JM-1, BuNo 66749, January 1945
The fit of the main parts is good and assembly should be quick and easy.
My sincere thanks to Minicraft Models for this review sample!