Dragon 1/35 U.S. Marines (Peleliu 1944) | 6554 Dragon

Features:
– Hollowed gun muzzle
– Slide molded weapons w/astonishing details
– Separate parts for bolt mechanism and accurate ammo clips

The tiny rocky atoll of Peleliu in the Palau Islands seems like an insignificant piece of real estate. Yet from 14 September – 27 November 1944, it was the scene of vicious fighting between an American invasion force and staunch Japanese defenders. In the end, 1794 Americans and 10,695 Japanese were killed on this small island containing an airstrip. The American commander had predicted it would take only four days to capture the island, but in fact it took two months to subdue it. In actual fact, Peleliu constituted the highest casualty rate of any Pacific War battle. Within an hour of Marines landing on their designated beaches, Japanese guns had destroyed 60 LVTs and DUKWs. The fighting was some of the fiercest of the war, and after losing one third of its manpower as casualties, the 1st Marine Division was essentially taken out of action until April 1945.

Dragon’s newest 1/35 scale figure set depicts four US Marines engaged in this bitter combat on Peleliu in 1944. The poses of the figures are superb, reflecting the reality of fighting on the coral atoll. Two Marines are shown cautiously advancing, alert to enemy fire, while a Navy Corpsman attends a fourth Marine who has sustained a wounded leg. As well as the sharply sculpted detail on the anatomically correct figures, the set includes brand new personal equipment. The weapons of the Marines are all Gen2 items, including the BAR and M1 rifles. Dragon has previously issued sets of Marines fighting on Iwo Jima (Item No. 6038), Tarawa (Item No. 6272) and Guadalcanal (Item No. 6379), so this latest set adds another element to the grueling island-hopping campaign across the Pacific during WWII.