As coined by pal Black6... otherwise known as "Dragon and His Tail".
Couldn't resist picking this one up for curiousity's sake -- as the end hit to my wallet was $30. If you are into metal content in your diecast models, these are a sort of nirvanna... even given all the usual FM warts. That said, the FM warts aren't as big and ugly as I expected, in fact I think it is a rather nice model overall. The real deal did not apparently have the artwork on both sides, but I really don't mind this as it looks "cooler" (to office visitors) and makes it possible to display it to the left or right on the shelf and show the art, which is the star of the show. I won't be getting more 1:48 heavies, as one is enough, and I've just always really liked this scheme. It amazes me that people took the time to do art like this in the middle of a war, and it amazes me just as much that short-sighted folks scrapped the sucker after the war.
I'm having a real hard time determining if the artwork is all water-slide, pad-printing, or a mixture. I think it's a "sticker" but even if it is, it is very well done for its size and complexity. I really don't have any worries of it deteriorating over time as it appears to be well protected with a preservative finish. I may try to "weather" this model a bit someday as I woudl prefer a gritty warhorse look to it, rather than the fresh assembly line finish it has now. We shall see, I'm certainly not skilled in such things and this would be a "big" project.
I'll have loads more pics on the review online when I post it, but that will be a while, probably.
