what’s up guys. Taking little breaks in between working on my pz 3 over in group builds and playing around with this little guy. has been ok so far. i’m also adding eduard’s photoetch set to it. which has been real fun dealing with tiniest parts ever. but i have been able to better my skills at glue control on this one. i’m forcing my self to think smaller with this one and i’m hoping i’ll get alot cleaner with my 1/35 builds. she’s pretty rough right now. i’m in the middle of all the clean up at this point. comments are always welcome…[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]
Dragon, more so than others, you need to be careful before buying their 1/72 scale kits. Some are terrible and some of the kits with diecast metal hulls have begun to deteriorate and crumble. It’s been the subject of various Braille scale forums. Personally, I have two of their diecast metal hulled kits built, both around the same time, almost 10 years ago. The Sturmtiger is just fine, but the Panther G’s front hull has begun to separate and crumble. Both sit in a locked display cabinet within inches from one another, neither one has been missed with or handled.
The front of my Panther G hull is deteriorating very much like the photo of the rear of Panther hull. You can see it starting to deform and slowly pull apart. This kit is sitting inches away from much older kits including a Matchbox Comet and Esci Abrams that are at least double the age of my Dragon Panther.
i havent comse across any with the metal tubs yet either. i’ll have to watch out. i have a few of these in the stash and i’ve put together the early tiger kit. that one was alot better than this on. i will say monly disappointments so far have been the molded on equipment and some chunky detail. but overall fun kits. i just figured if these companies would put as much attention as they do in 1/72 aircraft they could get alot more customers in this scale. the eduard set has made it alot better though. but on my next one i will be replacing the tool handles. the flat effect isnt working for me.
sorry tigerman. didnt catch your post in time. the light is puttied over cause the eduard set provides a stand for it. and yes there is a travel lock. i should have a couple more pics in a bit. the putty in the back corner by the roof is to cover a hole that i suppose would have been for a command antenae? otherwise all the others are to cover my booboos from not using a new blade when i cut off all the details. i plan to attempt to bend the exhaust covers this evening. im not looking forward to it. i just cant get the hang of getting my curves right… also if anyone could answer this ? the barrel has a ring on the end that arent in any photos. so far i just filled the ring in and sanded it down. does anyone think i shouldve cut it off at that point instead? either way i might just leave it. i kinda think it looks cool with the super long gun even if it aint right.
some more progress. the shovel looks like total crap, hopefully i’ll be able to do something with it once it’s primed… [View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]
sorry tigerman. didnt catch your post in time. the light is puttied over cause the eduard set provides a stand for it. and yes there is a travel lock. i should have a couple more pics in a bit. the putty in the back corner by the roof is to cover a hole that i suppose would have been for a command antenae? otherwise all the others are to cover my booboos from not using a new blade when i cut off all the details. i plan to attempt to bend the exhaust covers this evening. im not looking forward to it. i just cant get the hang of getting my curves right… also if anyone could answer this ? the barrel has a ring on the end that arent in any photos. so far i just filled the ring in and sanded it down. does anyone think i shouldve cut it off at that point instead? either way i might just leave it. i kinda think it looks cool with the super long gun even if it aint right.
The metal kits with molded on tools belie the kit’s true original purpose; to be sold as preassembled diecast display pieces. They just offered the display models in kit form to get a foot into the market. Their subsequent purpose-designed construction kits are much better than their earlier “unassembled” display model.
I believe their first dozen 1/72 scale models were not designed strictly as kits, but as display pieces. Their Porsche Tiger and T-34 series were the real first “kits” designed to be built rather than unassembled display models in kit form. After the “Dirty Dozen”, the rest of the kits in their 1/72 scale line are pretty darn good. Although every once in a while there is a hiccup, normally surrounding the vinyl tracks or misaligned drive sprocket teeth.
Dragon set the bar with their fairly comprehensive Sherman series.
I steer completely clear of any 'Metal" hulls. Who needs the heartbreak when you put your heart into a piece of Art?
These Dragon kits are nice, but I curse them for the rubber band tracks–I don’t care how detailed they can cast them now, the floppiness and sometimes poor-fit of them make them maddeningly “1980’s”-ish.They also take a toll on your glue joints over time. If I use them, I always use epoxy cement to buttress the area where the idlers/sprockets attach.
I sometimes will buy a second Revell kit just to get the indy link tracks so I can make a decent model. I hate doing it, but I can’t stand rubber bands tracks!
Not all Dragon kits come with rubber band tracks (DS or vinyl). Some come with link & length like the Porsche Tiger I mentioned above as well as subsequent Armor Pro releases of the Elefant.
On modern armor with side skirts like the Challenger, Abrams, Bradley and paper panzers like the Maus and E-100, the DS/vinyl one piece tracks make assembly much easier than trying to deal with miniscule individual tracks links that would be mostly covered over and out of sight.
As far as the diecast metal hulls go, Dragon has (had) just a handful of kits with the diecast hulls before they got smart and went to all plastic. From memory, it was the Panther series (G early, G late, F, Observation G, and Jagdpanzer), the Sturmtiger, and USMC Amtrac.
Subsequent releases of the Panther, Jagdpanzer and Amtrac were all plastic with new kit numbers.
another small update… got everything on cept the fenders and shrouds on exhaust… [View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0][View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0][View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0][View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0][View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]
:550:0]
:550:0]:550:0]
:550:0]
