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I have only built two Dragon kits. I threw the box away for the 1st one and I don’t remember exactly what it was, but it was a German half-track. It was a little beyond my skill level, but I could not get the hull to fit together properly, and it had some really tiny pieces that were too small for me to handle. Anyway, it left me with a bad impression of Dragon. Not very fair on my part with the experience of only one kit.
Anyway, I bought another Dragon kit, the Flakpanzer 1. One thing; this kit came on the heels of a Zvezda BA-10, which was a nightmare for me (though I understand others have had good luck with it). After building the Zvezda I can really appreciate the fit and care that go into a Dragon kit. The fit was incredible, there were a few pieces that literally snapped into place. The gun was tricky for me, with several sub-assemblies that needed to fit just so when they came together, but this was an excellent kit. I will definitely be buying another Dragon kit to try out! I do wish they came with the option of vinyl tracks, or at the very least some of the long runs built.
My skill level is slowly increasing which obviously makes a difference also. I still am unable to make single-link tracks, and PE is wasted on me, but maybe in another year I can post that I am making progress on that front
Nice to hear that you gave them another chance. I say hang in there and look up Doog's indy track tutorial.
I myself make a single long run and use the Testors glue with the brush. Let set an hour. Next form it over the sprockets and wheels. Place swabs or something in between the rollers to get the sag. Let it sit for 24 hrs. The next day it should be pretty solid. Remove and paint or paint it on the model. I leave one link unglued and then remove it and paint it off the tank. It helps to leave the sprocket unglued if possible.
Eric
tigerman look up Doog's indy track tutorial.
look up Doog's indy track tutorial.
Is that DoogsATX? I cannot find anything on his blog site on building tracks.
I will try building one length next time. I am surprised that I can wait an hour and still have the glued tracks flexible enough to shape around the wheels, but I will for sure give it a try.
Probably the doog, Karl Logan.
Terry
terry35 Probably the doog, Karl Logan. Terry
Yes, Terry is correct. He does his different. I winged mine based on some of what he said. It's worked fine for me. The glue does harden, but it still is workable.
Here, is his take:
http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=1737
F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!
U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!
N is for NO SURVIVORS...
- Plankton
LSM
Once you get the hang of individual track links they really aren't that hard to use. For me the difficulties in trying to paint vinyl tracks far outweigh their ease of use. You probably chose a fairly difficult kit to try out individual track links because those links of the Pz I are so damn tiny.
URL=http://picasion.com/]
I was very much like you when I started on my first Dragon kits!
Imo (at the time) they were overly complicated and too hard. The reason for that was I'd only been building Tamiya up to that point!
I like to build all Dragon now. I'd build more Tamiya but they are getting too expensive - their Leningrad Pz. III Ausf N kit was £45 at my LHS. The Dragon version was £40! Work that one out! I like to support my LHS but when they charge crazy prices for kits and refuse to stock Vallejo paints even after I'm telling them they are going to be the future of Acrylics in models I'm left with no choice but to order on-line and stick to my LHS for brushes and Tamiya paints.
I notice you say you had built a Dragon Halftrack and their Flakpanzer I (I have that in my stash - the I A Premium Edition). These must have been been very hard as they both have exposed interiors which is a challenge anyway and the F/Panzer I is tiny and very complicated.
Build a Dragon Jagdpanther or Panther then a Dragon StuG and you'll find them a real pleasure to assemble.
Best of luck!
Ben
On the Bench - Dragon Pz. IV Ausf. G (L.A.H.)
Glad you gave Dragon another go and I agree with Ben - try closed something-or-other and you'll be amazed! Also, a lot of Dragon kits DO come with vinyl tracks (or...DS tracks...it's actually some kind of styrene supposedly). Just look for DS Tracks in the kit description. They're more or less standard across things with live tracks, like Shermans, and I know they're also provided on many of the German cats (not sure about the Panther, but definitely the Tiger I, King Tiger and friends,
And no...I didn't do an indy-link tutorial. I'm a big fan of friuls...
On the Bench: 1/32 Trumpeter P-47 | 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109G | 1/144 Eduard MiG-21MF x2
On Deck: 1/350 HMS Dreadnought
Blog/Completed Builds: doogsmodels.com
Thanks all for your responses and encouragement. I will try some more Dragon kits, and yea, this last one has some tiny links. I very much want to build the Dragon Motor Carriage with mortar. It comes with rubber tracks, but not sure if it has an option for link tracks also.
I liked the open-top of this Flakpanzer, but it does call for more attention to detailing, which is another area I am slowly making progress on.
I wondered about what the DS tracks were. I saw them listed in the details of some of the kits, but no explanation of what they were.
This Flakpanzer was a pretty good fit for me, came darn close to hitting that "sweet spot" of a kit, and you are right on Stikpusher, an additional 6 months of experience helped a bunch. Another thing that helps is building a sloppy but simpler kit. It helps me appreciate the nicer kits, even if they have their own challenges.
Many knock the DS tracks. For armor with no sag, they are a great alternative, especially on the tiny tracks.
Good luck. Any chance of getting some progress shots?
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