Corgi B-24D Ruth-Less.......worth the pricetag?

[aferguson]

This is a bit of a 'beauty in the eye of the beholder' question but Corgi's B-24 Ruth-Less is becomiing available. It's a bit of a whopping price on it. Opinions on whether it's worth the price?

I recognize there are no alternative choices (other than plastic model kits) but at some point consumers have to stand up to constant price jacking. I can get one for $170 shipped. I got the Stirling and Johnny Walker for $125 each. Big difference.

I like B-24's, however this is a D model, which is of lesser interest. Still it's got a good history.

Not sure if i'm looking to be talked into getting it or talked out of getting it.

[tmanthegreat]

I'm tempted by this plane myself, but I have to agree with you on the points you've made so far.

I have a Corgi B-24J (with the nose turret) which I got back around 2008. Its the aircraft "Sleepy Time Gal" and came with an "enlarged" section of the forward fuselage highlighting the nose art. I don't remember exactly how much I paid for it, but it was under $100.

The B-24 is nice and heavy. The one I have is detailed with crew figures in all visible stations. Ball turret retracts like its supposed to. But, if you compare it to the B-17 or some of the other bombers like the Lancaster, its got a little less functionality. The bomb bay does not open, there are no movable control surfaces, and the guns on the tail turret (and nose turret on mine) do not elevate/depress.

I guess I have to say its all up to the person that wants it. If one looks on ebay, where there appears to be a ton of Corgi B-24s at the moment, they range in price from $125 up into the high $200s.

[tparkhere]

Corgi 1/72 B-24s are not as popular as other Corgi heavies (translation: cheaper). If you are patient, you can easily pick up a decent version for $100 or less.

Regarding Sterling and Lancaster for $125 each. It's all matter of timing. Back in the days, B-17s that are going for $300+ now were NOT selling for $99. In due time, your Lancaster and Sterling may appreciate significantly (No guarantee though). Now, Corgi B-24s have a track record. Most B-24s do not sell as much as B-17s or Lancasters.

To answer your question, don't expect B-24s to appreciated that much. Buy it now if you like that model. However, if you do not buy it now, in the future, most likely you will be able to buy that B-24 for almost the identical price.

Personally, I think B-24s are pretty cool (Not as cool as B-17s though). I cannot understand why B-24s so cheap.

[aferguson]

one thing i noticed about Ruth-Less is that the waist windows are glassed in. I was not aware that any b-24D's had glassed in wasit windows. Earlier corgi B-24D's do not have glassed in waist windows, so one would assume that the new corgi model is accurate and perhaps this was a field modification on the real plane?

[mountian-man]

$170?.........,..hahahahahahahaha

[aferguson]

is that supposed to be a helpful comment?

[Dauntless]

I want to see the production model first, but I think that if it's fairly accurate give or take a few things like the waist gunner windows. If the colors are correct it would be a good Corgi B-24D to have. Especially if some of the popular ones are too expensive. Like to see how the price might be a little better after release though, but if you don't have one recommend getting this one so far from what little I've seen of it.

Some of the paint jobs on both the D's and the J's have been iffy. From the apple green of Great Balls of Fire to the pea green of some of the others like Sky Witch. Looks like Corgi has the right shade dialed in with the Ruptured Duck B-25, so maybe they'l use it.
The OD models of these hide the gaps a little better than the silver birds is why I only have Sleepy Time Gal B-24J which is a tolerable darker olive drab, and a Strawberry Bitch, which is the only desert B-24D.

I noticed it has a belly turret, unlike some other Corgi B-24D's that don't, but it is retracted.

[aferguson]

i actually just ended up getting a Jerk's Natural off Ebay for less than the new Ruthless was going to cost, so i'll probably pass on Ruthless now. I looked at pics and video of Jerk's and the colour didn't bother me at all. There's also a lot of conjecture that many of the early D's weren't painted in standard olive drab but wore experimental colour variations, such as pea greens and apple greens. At any rate i like the colour.

Jerk's doesn't have a belly turret (correctly so) and also there is no 'glass' in the waist windows. It seems that Corgi started putting the glass inserts in the D waist windows around the time of Strawberry Bitch. Why on earth they did it is beyond me as it's totally inaccurate. Maybe it was to make the waist gun stronger as there were complaints of them breaking easily? Or to keep dust out of the inside of the plane? No idea. Anyway Jerks is a nice Ploesti plane so i am pretty happy to have gotten it at a 'good' price.

As far as the belly turret, it does go up and down on Ruthless, as i understand it.

[tmanthegreat]

Its surprising how "cheap" some of the B-24s are... I'm looking at a couple different auctions for "Great Ball of Fire". I want to get an early B-24D to go with my J variant for a nice contrast and a Polesti plane would be perfect.

Would love to get a B-17G as well. I have two of the Corgi B-17Fs, but never broke down and got a decent G model - even when there were still some at regular retail.

[aferguson]

received my Jerk's Natural a couple of days ago. It's a nice model but i guess it's one of Corgi's earlier efforts as there are fewer features on it and less finesse of fit and finish eg. shiny props and gun barrels, multiple join lines that are not well placed etc. I really, really wish it had an open bomb bay feature like most of Corgi' s other bombers. I was pondering trying to cut open the bomb bay myself and scratch build an interior but being that it's metal that will be pretty tricky, so i probably wont'

[ketelone]

It's a great iconic plane whichever version it is, but almost $200 for 1/72.... ouch!

[cnq]

It's a great iconic plane whichever version it is, but almost $200 for 1/72.... ouch!

That's the reason why I only build planes now because I could not afford 1:72 diecast bombers any more. They are just so expensive now.

[tmanthegreat]

Got the Corgi B-24 "Ball of Fire III" the other day on eBay for $125 with free shipping. Given the cost of the new B-24, this was a steal and it was also involved in the Polesti raids. While there could potentially be some fit/finish issues given that its a 10-year-old model (I'm still waiting for it to arrive) photos of the plane I've found don't look too bad, and it has some accuracy features for the early B-24 including no ball turret and open waist gun windows.

But I would love to know the story behind the significant price increases on the Corgi offerings... For example, the latest 1:32 Mosquito is set to cost nearly $100 more than the previous release - and its the same tooling.

[aferguson]

i think the price increase is simply Corgi seeing the prices many of their models fetch second hand and raising their prices as a result. Since they are all pretty much made in low production runs, it does make some sense, for them. Those used to the low price days don't think so though (shades of the early vs. final days of XD).

It hasn't seemed to hurt sales yet.....from what i can tell Ruthless is selling well. Corgi's price increases don't seem to be effecting the prices of second hand models on ebay much. So i guess they are now priced at a level where the market won't go any higher.

We need a competitor for Corgi bombers to come along.....and these higher prices may entice someone to start making them.