Lindberg – 70888 – Air Force Rescue Boat (1/88)

Description:

Air Force Rescue Boat

This kit has its origin in a 1957 motorized plastic kit. It was released as motorized till late 80s, but in the 2000s it was released just as plastic kit without the electric/electronic parts for motorization. In the early days kit was released without mention a scale, was not till the late 80s than the 1/72 scale was added to the box cover. This plan the first problem of the kit, as it was usual in the 50s and 60s, kits was not so subject to an specific scale as nowadays, they just had to fit the moulding machinery. The kit depicts a 94-foot USAF rescue boat, tested during 50s but finally an unsuccessful design not adopted, with only two prototypes build/tested. The kit measures about 12-3/4 inches long, this gives and approximate scale of 1/88, significantly smaller than 1/72, and depicts a very particular subject. Lindberg attempted to tool the latest available rescue boat, but the fail of the design ends up in this particular situation.

The second problem is what’s the state of the molds in the later releases and so the quality of the cast.

The third problem is this set was conceived as toy in the 50s, and not as an accurate display model, this means lot of detail simplification. For example kit only has one propeller, inherited of the original motorized version, while the real prototypes of the 94-foot USAF rescue boat had three propellers.