Minicraft JM-1 USN with 2 Marking Options Model Kit, 1/144 Scale

208 Martin B-26Bs converted into target tugs and gunnery trainers designated JM-1 by the Navy.The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engined medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe.After entering service with the U.S. Army, the aircraft received the reputation of a "Widowmaker" due to the early models' high rate of accidents during takeoff and landings. The Marauder had to be flown at exact airspeeds, particularly on final runway approach and when one engine was out. The 150 mph (241 km/h) speed on short final runway approach was intimidating to pilots who were used to much slower speeds, and whenever they slowed down below what the manual stated, the aircraft would stall and crash.The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications (an increase of wingspan and wing angle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a larger vertical stabilizer and rudder). After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber.A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was created as an independent service separate from the Army in 1947, all Martin B-26s had been retired from US service. The Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation. The B-26 was developed as a medium bomber and used to attack from medium and low altitudes at high speed. While not used in front-line service in US Navy or Marine Corp, the B-26 was designated JM-1 and used to perform training duties as a target tug. The aircraft were often painted in unique high-visibility orange to enhance visibility and towed targets at high speed for anti-aircraft gunnery training. These "un-sung" heroes significantly improved the skills of anti-aircraft crews which proved vital in the closing days of WWII to combat Japanese kamikaze attacks on ships of the US Fleet.