Dragon kits - crikey!!

[John Rixon]

just made a start on my new (well, second hand) Dragon Marder iii, bought recently from Robert1968. I'm limbering up on this in anticipation of a Tiger 1 coming for Xmas! Wow, this has thrown me into a world of modelling I didn't know existed! They may be expensive, but you get a LOT of plastic and brass for your coin. The mouldings are incredible, I've not had to clean any flash off at all, but the plastic is hard, and the sprues have a real distinct difference, that needs carefull removal and cleaning. The instructions, well, what can I say? Working drawings is a more accurate description, with many part number errors and also quite a few opaque descriptions of how the damn thing needs to go together! Better than Trumpeter, but sadly lacking the clarity of Tamiya. I'm about to engage in some serious PE work, making fixing brackets for all the tools, out of brass pieces I can barely see, but I do this safe in the knowledge that once done and primed, it'll look pretty amazing, as long as I can keep the thin cyano flowing - on this subject, tell me folks, what is the definitive thin cyano delivery system? I have some amazing tiny nozzles but I know from my RC days, they'll last 20 minutes tops...

 

[Dave1973]

Hey john, ive tried a few so called magic superglue tips, meant to be excellent at delivering a tiny amount right where you need it, i found they worked for a few minutes and then went to ratpoo.


After wasting a fair bit of money on all different types, ive found that a cocktail stick with a groove cut into it gives me the precise application of glue, no mess and hardly expensive!

 

[Alan 45]

Don't let the lack of flash and the detail fool you John I've built a dragon kit that was fin awful now I must admit this is the only dragon vehicle I've built but it's made me think about getting another one

 

[stona]

Take a needle. Cut the top off the eye leaving an open U. There you have the best delivery system for very small amounts of superglue. Stick the sharp end in a cork or something rather than yourself! To stop it getting clogged just rinse it in a little acetone based nail varnish remover, or wipe with a similarly moistened tissue/towel.


Cheers


Steve

 

[Dave Jay]

I use those little plastic stick glue/paint applicators, can't remember who makes them but they come in black,green, white and yellow plastic, made primarily for liquid poly glues.........when they come to the end of their intended use, I take the hairy bit off the end, I then use it as a spot applicator for pva, epoxy and super glues!


As for dragon kits, some people on here exude reams of praise for their existence, obviously some are good some are not so good but whichever way you look at them they are overpriced in my view, I built a Dragon sherman some years ago it was half as much again as a Tamiya offering, the quality was similar, the only difference were the individual track links of the Dragon kit, the were a pain in the ar$€! :eek: I stuck with tamiya and italeri kits thereafter.

 

[John Rixon]

I use those little plastic stick glue/paint applicators, can't remember who makes them but they come in black,green, white and yellow plastic, made primarily for liquid poly glues.........when they come to the end of their intended use, I take the hairy bit off the end, I then use it as a spot applicator for pva, epoxy and super glues!
As for dragon kits, some people on here exude reams of praise for their existence, obviously some are good some are not so good but whichever way you look at them they are overpriced in my view, I built a Dragon sherman some years ago it was half as much again as a Tamiya offering, the quality was similar, the only difference were the individual track links of the Dragon kit, the were a pain in the ar$€! :eek: I stuck with tamiya and italeri kits thereafter.

Ha ha, I hear you on the tracks! They look like a complete 'mare, but I've seen some really good tips on how to control them, using masking tape, here's hoping!

 

[John Rixon]

Take a needle. Cut the top off the eye leaving an open U. There you have the best delivery system for very small amounts of superglue. Stick the sharp end in a cork or something rather than yourself! To stop it getting clogged just rinse it in a little acetone based nail varnish remover, or wipe with a similarly moistened tissue/towel.
Cheers


Steve

Ah, have heard of this, I did buy some tips that sound like the manufactured version of what you describe, but they too got clogged quickly, but the acetone bit I've not heard of, so will deffo give that a go. Thanks

 

[dubster72]

The idea that Dragon kits are over priced is often incorrect.


Take a late version Tiger I. You could buy a Dragon kit with everything you need for £50-odd.


Or buy a Tamiya kit for £30. But then you need zimmerit, engine grills, ali barrel, individual link tracks, all of which will cost at least the cash difference between the DML / Tamiya kits. Plus you still won't have the little details that mean so much, like weld seams, molded tool clasps, clear periscope parts etc!


You could buy an Italeri Tiger with zimmerit if you're happy with having the incorrect pattern on the turret, but you'd still lack the other DML refinements.


Just like buying any kit, research is vital. DML have been going for many years, so some of their early kits won't be up to today's standards. Just like Airfix & their old tool stuff compared to their new tool kits.

 

[John Rixon]

Have to agree Patrick. As I said, a lot of plastic and brass, and the detail is exceptional. Plus, it's going to take a while, which increases the value, IMHO. Going to be a vehicle (arf) for some serious oil paint rendering!

 

[John Rixon]

So I've just noticed that all the tools on this bad-boy (Marder iii) are held on to the hull with PE clamps, and from what I can make out, the theory (Ha Ha!) is that they are working clamps, in 3 parts, none of which I can see properly!!!! I've got a bit of PE experience under my belt, and have used quite a bit on my Dreadnought, but these are beginning to give me cause for concern (another way of saying I'm bricking it!!). Any tips I need to know of?

 

[dubster72]

Other than wishing you good luck John, I'm afraid there's no much help that I can offer! My 1st foray into pe tool clasps was with Dragons Jagdtiger - there was much swearing & cursing along the way, but I managed it in the end.


The method I settled on was to find a piece of square profile plastic (I had some Evergreen stuff lying around) & use that to shape the piece that fits to the hull. This also came in handy to bend the release handle. Then I bent the curve into the actual clasp using the shaft of my craft knife.


However, attaching them all together was where the blasphemy came in! Supposedly Aber clasps are workable even in 1/35??!! Mine definitely were not!


Although they didn't turn out too badly

 

[John Rixon]

That does give me hope Patrick! Those look the business, and I'd already started to realise that humans before me have managed this, and all it takes is a plan! I'm guessing that, as long as I can fix the clamp securely to the hull, which should be straightforward, I can manipulate it to fix the tools. I certainly don't want them "working", just to look the part! And once the tools are fixed down, the clamps will look far more realistic than moulded on ones? All new territory, quite a challenge, but an exciting one!