Product Review: Air Force 1 1:144 B-29
Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 7:50 pm
Here's another product review... I also recently purchased the Air Force 1 B-29 model from my local Hobbytown USA store. I don't collect 1:144 as much as other scales, but do have a few items and very much wanted to get this particular B-29 model as I've got somewhat of a personal connection. The actual plane is on display at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California, about an hour's drive from my house, and I've actually been inside this B-29 
The AF1 model is mostly diecast with metal used in the wings and fuselage. The model does capture the look of the B-29 and in 1:144 scale, its easy to display. Its not the most perfect B-29 tooling, however, and I would love to know what AF1 used as their basis (i.e. was it a new tooling they developed or taken from the old Corgi or Dragon toolings, or something else?) There are some issues with the plane: the turrets are mostly oversized and the antennas look a little wonky. Upon taking it out of the package, I saw there were no tail guns, though there were holes for them. Thinking that was a QC error, I replaced them with some tiny plastic tubes I had in my parts box. Then I found out AF1 did include a couple small metal pieces for those guns - but I like my mod better
Markings and paint apps are generally good and are accurate to the real plane. However, they do have some blemishes. The cockpit is detailed (as much as 1:144 scale can get) with the pilot and co-pilot seats, controls, and bombardier station with bombsight visible. The cockpit glass was loose on mine and there's something of metal "bulkhead" at the front end, left unpainted, walling off part of the glass nose and looking a little cheap. As my canopy glass pretty much fell off, I painted the "bulkhead" so its less noticeable and blends with the darker interior of the cockpit.
Overall, I'm glad to have a model of a plane I've been seeing at a local museum for years and have been inside of, but I feel that AF1 (as seems to be typical) cheapened out on some aspects of the model. The $65-$70 price range seems a bit much for this and its something that you may want to see in person before purchasing...
Here are some pics of the model. Enjoy
The Actual B-29
The aircraft on display at Castle Air Museum is made of parts of three B-29s recovered from the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake: B-29-75-BW 44-70064 ; B-29A-35-BN 44-61535 (the original Raz'n Hell); and B-29-50-BA 44-84084. The fuselage and tail sections were trucked to Castle; the wings were lifted over the mountains by helicopter. It was restored entirely on the Museum grounds. It has the markings of the 28th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb. Group in the Korean War era, when the group was at Kadena AB, Okinawa. The nose art is an accurate reproduction of what it had in 1950.
The AF1 model is mostly diecast with metal used in the wings and fuselage. The model does capture the look of the B-29 and in 1:144 scale, its easy to display. Its not the most perfect B-29 tooling, however, and I would love to know what AF1 used as their basis (i.e. was it a new tooling they developed or taken from the old Corgi or Dragon toolings, or something else?) There are some issues with the plane: the turrets are mostly oversized and the antennas look a little wonky. Upon taking it out of the package, I saw there were no tail guns, though there were holes for them. Thinking that was a QC error, I replaced them with some tiny plastic tubes I had in my parts box. Then I found out AF1 did include a couple small metal pieces for those guns - but I like my mod better
Markings and paint apps are generally good and are accurate to the real plane. However, they do have some blemishes. The cockpit is detailed (as much as 1:144 scale can get) with the pilot and co-pilot seats, controls, and bombardier station with bombsight visible. The cockpit glass was loose on mine and there's something of metal "bulkhead" at the front end, left unpainted, walling off part of the glass nose and looking a little cheap. As my canopy glass pretty much fell off, I painted the "bulkhead" so its less noticeable and blends with the darker interior of the cockpit.
Overall, I'm glad to have a model of a plane I've been seeing at a local museum for years and have been inside of, but I feel that AF1 (as seems to be typical) cheapened out on some aspects of the model. The $65-$70 price range seems a bit much for this and its something that you may want to see in person before purchasing...
Here are some pics of the model. Enjoy
The Actual B-29
The aircraft on display at Castle Air Museum is made of parts of three B-29s recovered from the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake: B-29-75-BW 44-70064 ; B-29A-35-BN 44-61535 (the original Raz'n Hell); and B-29-50-BA 44-84084. The fuselage and tail sections were trucked to Castle; the wings were lifted over the mountains by helicopter. It was restored entirely on the Museum grounds. It has the markings of the 28th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb. Group in the Korean War era, when the group was at Kadena AB, Okinawa. The nose art is an accurate reproduction of what it had in 1950.
