Ahoy Mates,

This mornings' stack of E Mail messages brought one from Dragon USA Online. Having an interest in US Navy Destroyers and Escorts from WWII news of the new Gleaves Class model in 1/350 scale made me want one naturally. Shopping about I managed to find one in the local hobby shop and fortuitously I even had a $5 off coupon for any merchandise for the place. Thinking I had made a great deal at $45 with my coupon, I was a happy little camper, then the E Mail message burst my bubble.

They are having a sale and for a limited time, the 1945 version in the late war paint job it sported in Tokyo Bay with a figure of General Douglas MacArthur included is being offered for $39.95. For those of you wanting to get one of these ship models, it would seem that Dragon Online is the place to shop, at least for the weekend.

Hey Jay,

I ordered the kit and PE after receiving the email from Dragon.

But remember the almighty shipping cost ($7.62) on anything under $100 from Dragon. When you factor this in, your deal comes a little closer, even with tax. Of course, I couldn't resist the deal where you add the extra PE for an additional $5, so even after my Dragon Wallet deductions, I'm still clocking in at about $50. Still an excellent deal, but the thing you get out of yours is the satisfaction of helping out your local hobby shop.

Hi Dade,

Yeah, I hear you about the shipping costs, one of the reasons I wait until I have at least a C-notes worth of needs before ordering from Squadron and a couple of other places I use. Once you factor in a freebie on shipping, their prices can get mighty attractive.

I have been supporting my LHS for years, so many in fact that I get thank you notes from the owners' kids colleges.