I just finally finished the dragon panzer 4 auft E, this was a model of a vechical that i have wanted for a while. Well it took a huge amount of time to build, and i cant help but be a little disappointed in the kit. Not the quality mind you but the sheer volume of small parts was just crazy. It seemed they went out of their way to make everything extra complicated. I ahve the panzer 4 auft D waiting in the wings and now it looks like it will wait a long while. I really had no fun with this kit, it felt more like a slog to finish a 25 mile hike with full pack. I just finished the Tristar 38T and i really enjoyed that build. Just wanted to see if i was the only one thinking this way.
Agree. Having cracked the box on the DML Late Tiger, and perusing their convoluted directions, I agree that lately they have gone out of their way to over-fiddly their bits. I too am in no rush to tackle their Late Tiger. It looks too much like work.
Maybe that is why they are introducing “smart kits”.
I didn’t find the kit over-complicated but I definitely had to be in the right frame of mind to work on it. For some reason that I can’t quite pin down, the kit didn’t inspire me even though I was impressed with the detail, quality, and engineering. I have the Vorpanzer, C, and D kits in the stash and now know that I have to be in “major project” mode to be able to really focus and work on it. It’s definitely not a lazy afternoon type of kit, but for me that just puts it in a special category and in due time they will each have their turn at the bench. [:D]
I can understand how some of the complicated assemblies (the PE assembly for the turret bin locks or the folding step for example) might be frustrating but the effort does pay off in the end result. That’s why they are classed as “Super” kits…they are that, some ways intentional, others not. [;)]
I think I made a comment about overdoing kits these days just to add XX amount of pieces to the build. I want detail without dozens of extra parts. This is why I like some of the older Tamiya kits. Nice results without a months worth of work.
Personally, I really like it when there is lots and lots of parts. Building the kit is the work that I enjoy the most and I just love details so I don’t mind if there is 2000 pieces. I will start the Trumpeter HQ-2 missile on transport trailer with ZIL-157 truck and there is a ton of tinny parts. I just love it.
I’ve built the Dragon Tiger I late recently and I enjoyed it.
Most of the time, it is closer to the real thing with individual parts. Molded on details do not always look rigth (except for Tamiya kits of course)
The number of parts is not a problem … what I hate is when the parts doesn’t fit correctly or when it is very hard to make them stick together (no locating holes for example).
i’ve got both thier tiger 1 late and early kits. i started the early kit but have put it on hold, i am going to dred the late version as well as the m1a1 aim.
While I have not built any of the new Dragon kits yet, I do have several waiting in the wings. I feel thier attention to detail is right on. The inclusion of all of the extra pieces is great. Other wise you would spend X amount od dollars to buy a kit, X amount for a barrel, X amount for photoetch, X amount for track links, etc… This adds up rather quickly. I am especially glad to see Dragon offering all of these extra bits in the kits and keeping the prices fairly reasonable. The subject matter is also great, they have molded many vehicles never before seen in plastic. Plus with the three-in-one kits you will have plenty of parts box items left over.
I do like the value that dragon gives you, no one gets close. I did cheat and stated to use the Tamiya on vecical equipment set for the panzer 4. I love the detail, however when we start adding individual bolts to the final drive houseing that is hidden anyway, and these things are as small as a pin top, we might be getting over the line a bit. LOL
Well to work, time to drag out the airbrush and experiment a bit with spraing dust.
Way to go Yann Solo. I guess I’m not the only one. I love kits with a large number of parts. The construction is the fun part for me. Having said that, I can also understand why a lot of people would be put off by a large parts count.
Yann, keep me posted on your build of the Trumpeter kit. I finished mine not too long ago. I’d love to see what you do with it. I didn’t run into any major problems with the kit. The PE parts for the missle support are a little fiddly to assemble, but all in all, I found it to be a great kit.
I will. I’ve open the bags yesterday to sneak at the sprues. I have to finish my M26 pershing first, I’m in the process of casting my own parts for the first time to make stowage on it so it may take a few weeks but maybe I’ll try to post a “along the build” thread for that HQ-2 missile transporter. It could be fun.
I thought of pre-painting the parts on the sprue for that kit cause I have a hard time to imagine myself painting it once complete. Am I wrong?
I have no objection to lots of parts in a kit, what I do hate is making the parts only to find they are hidden on assembly. Also why do they mould lots of detail on parts which also are hidden on assembly. That’s my gripe for today,…I think…Kenny
Actually, I like a whole bunch of little tiny parts, because that’s what the real tanks were - just collections of little tiny parts. Vision ports, for example. You didn’t just have a vision port, you have several assemblies held together with several types of fasteners in several different angles, bolted to a sliding assembly or an opening assembly which in turn was bolted to a protruding mount on the inner armor surface (not to mention the levers and handles, the glass block and spares, and holders for the spares, etc).
I’m just finishing up the Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf. C 3-in-1 kit. I can certainly understand how folks don’t always want to get into that major project mode for each vehicle, but I was looking forward to it, this time. I added Lion Roar’s amazing PE detail set, and it took me a month to put together one halftrack. Virtually the entire interior is brass from the detail set.
That said, I have the Tristar Pz IV Ausf C, and I took a peek at it the other day - looks like the detail is just as crisp as Dragon’s, and although it has a buuuuuuuuunch of parts, I don’t think it’s quite as indepth a project as one of the Dragon kits (I’m new to Tristar, so I may be wrong).
As far as hidden detail, I personally like knowing it’s there. I used to build a lot of “peel-away” kits, but I’d almost always show them closed up, or else with only a hatch or two open. I stymied a rude judge that way once, who claimed I hadn’t done an interior, since he couldn’t see it.
Sometimes a little research (such as reviews or build logs by other modellers) can help you here and avoid building things you wouldn’t need to otherwise. For the IV-E, since I have several others, I went ahead and built everything as a “dry-run” to see what it produced and how much work would be required if I did one with everything open.
Some of the detail that seems hidden is still visible depending. For example, the bolt heads you reference or quite visible on mine since it’s up on a flatcar and you can clearly see side to side on it. [;)] A lot of the other stuff, like the detail on the gears inside the housing are catering to those who might want to display it in a dio as damaged or under repair, further broadening the potential market while still keeping it all in one box. It’s a pretty slick move IMHO and now coupled with the “Smart Kit” series, will insure that modellers of all skill levels can get at the advances the technology is producing.
The IV-E has over 1000 parts. It says so right on the box top, so anyone diving into it ought to at least have some forewarning. [:D]
It seems to me that the choice is simple. If you are prepared to pay top dollar, and want oversimplified, sometimes inaccurate, shake&bake, usually with rubber band tracks, buy Tamiya. If you want accurate, detailed and challenging, buy Dragon, but pay careful attention to the instructions, dry-fit everything and be prepared to take your time. If price is an issue, buy Trumpeter, Zvezda or Italeri. They’re often at least as accurate as Tamiya, but just require more work.
I hear ya. I was kinda overwhelmed with the Dragon 88mm Flak 36 and had to take a break from it, Well the next thing you know my wife and kids got me a Trumpeter Leopold. [:)]I had to start that of course and WOW it has a lot of parts[:O]Now if I can just get them to get me the BR52 Locomotive I’ll be in hog heaven[:)]
Not all recent releases from Dragon are accurate although they come with many parts and PE.
The recent releases from Trumpeter are considerably cheaper but not necessarily lemons.
The older kits from Tamiya are not par with the new kits from Dragon but their recent (and some older) releases (although not as detailed and with less parts and PE as that of Dragon) are still among the best kits in terms of fit and quality.
Every kit manufacturer has its lemons and jewels. As modelers, we have a choice (based on our preferences, mood, budget, skills, etc.) and we can only hope that the competition will drive the quality and variety of kits to a higher levels.
The fate of every kit no matter how good or bad it is, hangs in the hands of the modeler.[;)]