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1/72 DRAGON - Maus and E100 Crew (Review)

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  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Romania
1/72 DRAGON - Maus and E100 Crew (Review)
Posted by Panzer_Grenadire on Friday, October 26, 2007 4:26 AM

The DML's Maus/E-100 crew is the first try of reviewing figures included in vehicle kits. As I wrote and inside the review, such kits represent an important source of German army troopers, completing any collection with nice and useful poses. In taking the decision to write this review counted and the fact that there is plenty of resin sets of figures with two or three soldiers (sets that I also want to start reviewing sooner or later).

Of course, my intention is to continue to review and other figures enclosed in various vehicle kits, but I promise you that the next set will be a soft plastic one with tens of soldiers, just in order to compensate these two ones...:)

In addition, due to the fact that there were only a couple of figures I have not to post many photos with them and for this reason I thought that here is a nice occasion to ask you something.

My question is how do you prefer to see figures in a photo, much increased size or not? Definitely both ways have advantages and disadvantages, for instance in the increased ones all the details that I try to paint are easily seen while the smaller ones are more clear and hide eventually mistakes.

Hope you will enjoy this crew and any remarks regarding review or painting as well to the question on size of photos are more then waited.

 

Cristian Florescu

  

 

DRAGON MODELS LIMITED 1/72

"Maus and E-100 Crew"

 

 

Manufacturer

Dragon Models Limited

Scale

1/72

Set Code

7255/7256

Year

2004

No. of Figures

2

No. of Poses

2

Aspect

Medium

Material

Soft Plastic

Optimal Period

1939 -1945

Review 

As it is well known, on the market there is numerous Braille scale plastic or metal kits from different manufacturers related to WWII German Army including along the vehicle and several figures. Such companies must be highly appreciated due to the fact that in this way satisfy as well the clients who do not want to depict a tank or truck without crew. Definitely, this kind of kits represents a major source for the increment of German soldiers and it must be seriously taken into consideration by collectors or wargamers.

In most cases, there are one or two soldiers, but still exist good examples of sets having three, four or even eight figures in a vehicle kit, exceeding from this point of view a regular resin figures set  which contain only few troopers.

Unfortunately, the percentage of kits without versus kits including figures is by far in the favor of the first ones, important producers deciding not to complicate their life and with this issue. On the list should be also enclosed Dragon, which with the exception of the hereinafter reviewed crew, it does not provide in their kits other ones. The thing is really annoying, bearing in mind that Dragon is one of the main German vehicles provider, not only their amazing quality, but also the large number of models featured in their catalogue enhancing this feeling. If it is also corroborated with the fact that the same company is one of the most prolific creator of 1/35 scale WWII Germans, the exasperation reach maximum heights. Rumors that the issue of moving the 1/35 scale vehicles into 1/72 will happen and with the figures range are hardly waited to become true.

In spite of existing several sets dedicated to Panzer troops, like Preiser's „German Tank Crew 1939-45"  and „German Tank Crew", the offer in plastic is extremely limited, especially comparing with the large number of tanks, assault guns andother vehicles requiring soldiers dressed in the specific Panzer jacket. This could reperesent and other main advantage of kits with figures, giving some answers on the topic, Hasegawa and Esci excelling from this point of view.

As it was stressed above, the only figures included in Dragon kits are two crew members, the same ones being integrated in two kits, respectively Mouse and E100 sets.

In most cases, tank crews are made of hard plastic, white metal or resin, but here we have a premiere in the scale, surprisingly these troops are made of soft plastic, even if for the kit it was decided to be used the hard one. Not only the interesting and gluable combination of rubber and plastic strongly remaind about Pegasus Hobbies' soft plastic sets, but also the quality of figures and the same country of manufacturing (China) represent other common points.     

According to their destination, dressed in Panzer wrap tunic (Feldjacke) over a nicely seen shirt, Panzer trousers and ankle boots, with heads covered by officer and overseas caps, they are appropriate for any period of WWII. Furthermore, they match any season, on the one hand taking into account that there are lots of reference pictures featuring these units in winter only with tunic and on the other hand, another key detail is that Panzer uniforms were inspired by a 1934 en-vogue skiing outfit.

In the same time, they may be used as Waffen SS or Wehrmacht troops, their garment being suitable for painting in various ways such as black for Panzer, grey for artillery or in camouflage patterns with pea dot as the most often seen in photos after 1943 when it was for the first time introduced (lighter shades while the 1944 pea dot pattern was darker).  

Both figures have belts, but a draw-back of the set is the lack of pistol holsters, pistols being in the standard endowment of any Panzer soldier, as a specialized unit. If it is desired, the deficiency may be easily solved through gluing a Preiser pistol holster, this soft plastic accepting extremely well the gel super glue.  

The poses have nothing special, quite common for 1/72 Panzer crews, but realistic and very well done, specially designed for being emplaced on an armored vehicle though they match and other types of means of transportation.  While the officer stands with his palms holding the hips, the trooper is in a sat pose and can be placed in various spaces on a vehicle. Both figures enter without modifications a German heavy tank turret, but this location is not very recommended due to the lack of speakers.     

The accuracy of the uniforms is simply perfect, featuring a lot of specific small details like badges, eagles, collar and shoulder boards which is the merit of Dragon sculptors, showing their great skill in the field of 1/72 figures. Anatomy is terrific, with expressively faces and there are no disparities between the sizes of bodies at these poses. Flash is almost inexistent, easy to remove while excess of plastic does not exist at all. The material accepts very well the paint, though it is advisable to use primer first in order to prevent any tendency of gloss aspect of the paint.

As it is normal for their role, the soldiers come without bases, neither needed by the sat one nor by the commander which has a great balance, effortlessly standing with no supplementary device.

The present reviewed figures match very good with other offers in the field, except the above mentioned sets from Preiser and other figures enclosed in various kits, the list can be completed, through others, by two sets in white metal from Miniatures Alemany, respectively German Tank Crew and German Assault Gun Crew. In addition, several poses dressed in Panzer wrap tunic are comprised in Odemars's German Commanders set, also manufactured in soft plastic.

For first try, Dragon Models Limited Maus/E100 crew demonstrates the full potential of the company in the field of 1/72 soldiers and we are looking forward to seeing released not only vehicles, but also sets of figures, their 1/35 catalogue constituting a real source of inspiration for its sculptors as well aspiration for Braille scale fans.    

Historical Accuracy

9

Anatomy

10

Poses Quality

9

Details Quality

10

Mould Quality

9

Sculpture

9

Recommendation/Utility

9

TOTAL

9

 

 

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Friday, October 26, 2007 8:54 PM

Nice review yet again, Cristian. I think what you're doing with the photos and text--all of it--is just fine!

I was very surprised to read that thesefigures come in soft plastic! YUCK!

Thanks for the "warning"! on these two. I haven't seen them on the market yet, but it'll be interesting to see what they come up with next? 

  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: BC
Posted by Deputy_Brad on Saturday, October 27, 2007 6:40 PM

 the doog wrote:

I was very surprised to read that thesefigures come in soft plastic! YUCK!

Thanks for the "warning"! on these two. I haven't seen them on the market yet, but it'll be interesting to see what they come up with next? 

Whats wrong with soft plastic? Most of the 1/72 figure sets are in soft plastic. Ive only had a few hard ones and actually really disliked them and the quality.

My real name is Cam. Interest: anything 1/72, right now mostly sci-fi and modern In progress: 1/72 Sci-fi diorama (link in my web) 1/72 Leopard 2A5 1/72 APC Conversion to a MEGA DESTROYER
  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Saturday, October 27, 2007 7:40 PM
 Deputy_Brad wrote:

 the doog wrote:

I was very surprised to read that thesefigures come in soft plastic! YUCK!

Thanks for the "warning"! on these two. I haven't seen them on the market yet, but it'll be interesting to see what they come up with next? 

Whats wrong with soft plastic? Most of the 1/72 figure sets are in soft plastic. Ive only had a few hard ones and actually really disliked them and the quality.

Well for one, they're incredibly hard to clean up; you can't really file the attachment points, and if there's molding lines you have an absolute nightmare of a time trying to clean those off too. You can't use a sharp blade to scrape off detail that you don't want or like. They also don't hold paint as well as hard plastic, in my experience.
  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Romania
Posted by Panzer_Grenadire on Monday, October 29, 2007 10:29 AM

Thank you very much doog, glad that you enjoyed them.

Regarding hard vs. soft plastic, I also prefer figures in hard plastic because I can do esier the conversions that I want.

But nevertheless, at 1/72 WWII German Army there are a lot of sets in soft plastic that have small amount of even no flash, with impressive details and sculpture. Even more, there are severalsets in soft plastic, madeof a special one, which allows facile conversions.

From the quality/conversions/no flash points of view, my favourite sets in soft plastic are from Pegasus Hobbies and Caesar.

Once again thank you for your messages.

Cristian Florescu

P.S. By the way Doog, I enjoyed very much your works as well your motos. Hwo knows, maybe we will meet on a moutain trail. I also like this sport and I hope in spring to buy a Husquarna or a Yamaha....In Romania there a lot of mountains, and what is the most important and nice thing, you are allow to go by motorcycle where ever you want.....No restrictions in this regard yet, I hope that it will remain like this for the next years....

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Monday, October 29, 2007 5:09 PM
 Panzer_Grenadire wrote:

Thank you very much doog, glad that you enjoyed them.

Regarding hard vs. soft plastic, I also prefer figures in hard plastic because I can do esier the conversions that I want.

But nevertheless, at 1/72 WWII German Army there are a lot of sets in soft plastic that have small amount of even no flash, with impressive details and sculpture. Even more, there are severalsets in soft plastic, madeof a special one, which allows facile conversions.

From the quality/conversions/no flash points of view, my favourite sets in soft plastic are from Pegasus Hobbies and Caesar.

Once again thank you for your messages.

Cristian Florescu

P.S. By the way Doog, I enjoyed very much your works as well your motos. Hwo knows, maybe we will meet on a moutain trail. I also like this sport and I hope in spring to buy a Husquarna or a Yamaha....In Romania there a lot of mountains, and what is the most important and nice thing, you are allow to go by motorcycle where ever you want.....No restrictions in this regard yet, I hope that it will remain like this for the next years....

Wow, COOL Cristian, about the Romanian way of letting you ride anywhere you want! Here in America it is pretty restricted in most areas; the environmentalists really give us a hard time, even though they're walking on and watching their precious birds on the same trails that WE CUT!

I hope that you get the bike you want! If there's one thing that I love MORE than modeling, it's the THRILL of COMPETITION and just riding in general! As we say here; "Happy Trails!"Big Smile [:D]Thumbs Up [tup]

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Monday, October 29, 2007 6:02 PM

Sign - Off Topic!! [#offtopic]from me but it's great to hear from other parts of the world.

And Doog, as a committed environmentalist, I believe that without outdoor sportsmen there would no longer be an outdoors. The same goes for hunters and others, with a few exceptions. I'd much rather see a recreation trail through open space than yet another housing tract.

I hope you do ride together, that'd be a good story.

Bondo

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Monday, October 29, 2007 10:58 PM
 Panzer_Grenadire wrote:

Cristian Florescu

 Cristian: I'm amazed that anyone can paint figures so well at 1/72. They look like very good figures at 1/35, which is the most popular armor scale here in the US. That is changing, though.

Do you build war game figures? Do you model Napoleanic wars? Ancients? How about railroads?

I'd think that if you could convince the Doog to go over to Romania and trail ride with you, that would be something worth a blog.

When I was a kid I bought all of the Airfix 1/72 sets for 50 cents each, maybe a 1/4 Euro now, and had the battle of Waterloo represented in war game rules at Battalion Strength. I'd wash them in the sink, on their frames, and then paint them with acrylics and glue each to a playing card painted green.

Bonding paint to that plastic can be done. Cutting off arms and legs and attaching them is harder.

Thank you for the post, Bill

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 12:13 AM
 bondoman wrote:

Sign - Off Topic!! [#offtopic]from me but it's great to hear from other parts of the world.

And Doog, as a committed environmentalist, I believe that without outdoor sportsmen there would no longer be an outdoors. The same goes for hunters and others, with a few exceptions. I'd much rather see a recreation trail through open space than yet another housing tract.

I hope you do ride together, that'd be a good story.

Bondo

Hey Bondoman, I'm happy to hear that you;re a committed environmentalist; I am too! I LOVE the outdoors and hiking, fishing, hunting, and just muckin' around in the gorgeous mountains and valleys of Upstate NY!

It just p*sses me off that up here, we have so much wild forest and trails EVERYwhere, and yet we're CONSTANTLY being opposed by the Audoban Society and other far-right environmental extremists who don't seem to understand the concept of PUBLIC land, and SHARED trails!

I love the forests as much or more than anyone--when I am in Europe I ALWAYS take walks in the country and forests to "ground" myself again; it;s a part of what I am. I don't hold any ill will against anyone who is a self-described "environmentalist", but fair is fair--the amount of money pumped into the economy up here alone by offroad enthusiasts is ASTOUNDING, and we ought to be given some respect--and some public trails--for it! And I'm all about being an "outdoor sportsman"!

I will say that I don't condone guys who ride like jerks, or four-wheelers who can't seem to stay on the trails or out of sensitive land areas like wetlands--like every sport, there are some real LOSERS out there in offroading! 

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 1:45 AM

The main reason we have wetlands in the Bay Area is through the continued efforts of California Waterfowl, and Ducks Unlimited, both hunting organizations that collect money and advocate for open water, managed wildlife and indirectly raise money for the State Parks through a Foundation I consult for.

My main gripe is with teenagers who are not controlled, but given access to personal watercraft, atvs and 4wd trucks and don't behave. But they do that on the streets of any town with their Acuras, too.

But back to the topic- anyone who paints 1/72 like that has my attention. My B-36, B-50, B-58, Victor, Valiant and Vulcan all need aircrews.

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Romania
Posted by Panzer_Grenadire on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 7:33 PM
Doog,

Indeed, it is very nice in Romania about riding in the mountains. I know how it is in the US, I was twice, but I have not even think to ride there. In my country the environmentalists are not so fanatic and powerful yet and still leave us alone.

Abroad, I did it last summer on the mountains near Monaco/France, and I think it was the same situation like in the US. Every where there were signs warning that you were not allowed to ride in the mountains in case. Nevertheless, we found our way through a permitted area...

I also believe that modelling goes hand in hand with riding in order to ballance the things...one time you sit all day long and then it should be consumed the energy riding all day long....

Off topic: Maybe once you will visit Romania and we will have the occasion to take a ride in some very nice areas... lucky us, we still have plenty of wild zones as well excellent and uncrowded trails... Also very good beer/wine/a special drink of over 60 degrees, as well quite natural food...And of course, we are also famous for pretty girls and kind people....Smile [:)]Big Smile [:D]In addition, we are still allowed to smoke in pubs and other places...Big Smile [:D] We also still have wild fauna, which is quite rare inside the EU, bears,wolves, deer, wild boars, chamois,  lynx etc you have real chance to meet in the mountains....

Bondoman,

Thank you very much for your messages and compliments. I try to depict on the figures as many details as I can, and after painting hundreds of troopers, I got used to small details.

I do not play so much wargames, these are not popular in my country. Same like you, I started also with Airfix figures and at the beginning I collected both WWII Allies and Axis troops. Then, I gave up to Allies and at present I collect only WWII German Army units. I had to do so, because I also collect WWII vehicles and in the last period hundreds of sets and kits appeared and I could not buy all of them sso I have to pick and I chose the Germans.  

I enjoy a lot painting and write reviews about figures sets and I hope the reviews are quitefine taking into account that I do not write them in my mother tongue.  At present I have plenty of sets related to WWII Germans in hard/soft/resin/white metal, so I have to paint and convert hundreds of figures even I did that with other hundreds.... Happy days for us....

Now, there are several companies using a soft plastic that allows conversions very well, in fact the manufactureres provided special features in this regard.  From such companies, with soft plastic figures allowing conversions I assess as the best an US one, namely Pegasus Hobbies. In less than two weeks I hope I will post a review and images of such a set, with tens of conversions. I hope you will enjoy that one, too.

By the way, my favourite set from Airfix is Afirca Korps and I hope that they will come back on the market with new sets. If I were them, the first thing I would do is to produce the WWII German Mountain Troops and German Paras at 1/72, (they are 1/76).

An off topic thing I want to say is that environment is one of our main asset and I am sure that the enduro bikers love it a lot, in fact this is one reason they started the sport, the bike being a mean of transportation to wildness and beauty. In this regard, I am sure that they do not do anything to harm it, and the sound of the bike engine produces much less damage than the sound of a chain saw.

Once again, thank you all for your messages.

Cristian Florescu

 

 

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: West Virginia, USA
Posted by mfsob on Monday, November 12, 2007 10:41 AM
Yeah, what the doog said about soft plastic figures. I picked up an old Airfix 1/72 RAF air/groundcrew set for a song, and have just about lost my mind trying to get any of them to look decent. All of them have flash and mold lines, and the only way I found to get rid of it was using a heated pin or needle to, umm, melt it off. Which can lead to some interesting results and amputated heads/arms/legs if said hot needle slips. It has been a very frustrating experience.
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