Miniwing 1/144 Waco CG-4A
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
The Waco CG-4 was the primary cargo glider used by the United States during the Second World War. First taking to the air in spring 1942, nearly 14,000 were produced before the end of production. Operationally, the CG-4 saw action in Europe and China-Burma-India, with both the USAAC and the RAF. Post-war, the glider also operated with in the Czech Air Force.
The Kit
The Miniwing resin kit of the CG-4 is, I believe, the only choice for a Waco glider in 1/144. Luckily, it is a very nice kit, molded in tan resin with petite detailing, a clear vacuformed canopy, and colorful markings for three countries.Not always common in models in this scale, this kit comes with an interior. This includes a front cockpit section that has a rear bracing piece, separate seat pans, and front end bracing. For the rear area, there are cargo seats, although you can build this without those. The fuselage is split into right and left halves, with a separate stabilizer and vertical fin.
For the wings, these are solid right and left pieces. The struts are thin, but that should not be too much of a problem as the wings are not that heavy and have a pretty solid attachment point. The landing gear is also good, with separate struts, braces, and wheels. The tailwheel is also separate. The downside, though, is that the wings and tailplanes have recessed panel lines, which would not be the case for a fabric covered aircraft. The simple fix would be to run stretched sprue into the panel lines and smooth it out on either side. The decals offer four aircraft. The first two are USAAC aircraft, one finished in olive drab over black and the other in olive drab over neutral gray. The black-bellied one is from D-Day and features full invasion stripes. The second USAAC on is from Operation Market Garden and has a large mouth on the nose and partial invasion stripes on the lower fuselage. The third option is a post-war Czech example, finished in olive green over light blue, while the final example is a post-war RAF example in overall aluminum. The decals are decent and include the invasion stripes.Conclusion
This will make a great side piece to a C-47 or even a C-46 build. With the growth of 1/144 armor, the diorama potential is also high. My thanks to Miniwing for the review sample.