My First Dragon Build... argh!
Quebec, Canada
Joined: March 23, 2004
KitMaker: 2,412 posts
Armorama: 1,174 posts
Posted: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 02:32 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted Text
PS: There must be a Dragon learning curve. I have never built one. There have been some posts about first builds I have read. I have one on the table still wrap.
EDIT: added PS
Hi Tony - yeah, I think there is a Dragon learning curve. For me the kit was so complex and the sheer number of parts felt a bit overwhelming. I'm also quite new to using PE. I found it to be quite easy to feel a bit intimidated when I first opened the box.
After two KT's, i still can;t get the tracks on them right... Magic tracks my ***. For some reason, the tracks for their other tanks aren't as bad.
"The problem with the french is that they don't have a word for entreupreuneur"
George W.Bush
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: October 23, 2009
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 14, 2010 - 12:25 AM UTC
On the bench:
1/35 Tamiya 7.5cm Pak40
1/35 Italeri M1A2 (rubbish kit, just doing it to practise painting)
1/35 Tamiya Schwimwagon
Tasmania, Australia
Joined: December 26, 2009
KitMaker: 369 posts
Armorama: 352 posts
Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010 - 03:39 PM UTC
Excellent work here 'Penfold' well done! nothing overdone.
I've been trying to get this particular kit on ebay keep missing out!!!
will have to be less of a skin-flint!
But would you get another Dragon Kit again though?
"A man may fight for many things: his country, his principles. But personally, I'd rather mud-wrestle my own mother for a ton of cash, an amusing clock and some French porn"
Illinois, United States
Joined: March 29, 2009
KitMaker: 1,135 posts
Armorama: 1,030 posts
Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010 - 03:43 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Excellent work here 'Penfold' well done! nothing overdone.
I've been trying to get this particular kit on ebay keep missing out!!! will have to be less of a skin-flint!
But would you get another Dragon Kit again though?
Dragon kits fit together like a dream. My answer would be yes, definitely
Currently taking back the fight to beat modeling ADD
CMOT
Editor-in-ChiefEngland - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: May 14, 2006
KitMaker: 10,954 posts
Armorama: 8,571 posts
Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010 - 03:57 PM UTC
Dave the long rods on the sides are I believe the rods for cleaning the barrel, and I believe they are wood with brass ends. The Kitty looks to be coming along nicely and I am sure will come out PURRRfect.
British Columbia, Canada
Joined: December 28, 2009
KitMaker: 121 posts
Armorama: 93 posts
Posted: Friday, January 15, 2010 - 10:39 PM UTC
Nice work on this tank! And I share your frustration with Dragon kits. They turn out great in the end, but their definite head-scratchers during the build process. My main problem with them is that they try and cram too many actions and steps and applications into each individual section of the instructions. The drawings are just bursting with 40 different parts to go on in each step that it ends up looking like a rube goldberg contraption. On one kit it got to the point where I was having to physically check off each part drawing in the instructions so I could keep track of where I was.
Damn you, 1000+ pieces Panzer IV kit!!
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: October 23, 2009
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 02:03 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Excellent work here 'Penfold' well done! nothing overdone.
I've been trying to get this particular kit on ebay keep missing out!!! will have to be less of a skin-flint!
But would you get another Dragon Kit again though?
Hi - thanks for the kind words - yeah I think I would buy another Dragon kit, just take a deep breath before I build it and be prepared for it not to be a quick build! I did love how easily it went together. In fact, I've just bought a Revell (rebadged older Dragon) Jadgtiger with separate track links (non magic track). So I'll see how that goes!!
This was a great kit, loads of spares for the parts bin and the 6 bonus troops have fantastic detail This kit was a birthday pressie which is why I managed to afford it!!
On the bench:
1/35 Tamiya 7.5cm Pak40
1/35 Italeri M1A2 (rubbish kit, just doing it to practise painting)
1/35 Tamiya Schwimwagon
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: October 23, 2009
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 02:06 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Dave the long rods on the sides are I believe the rods for cleaning the barrel, and I believe they are wood with brass ends. The Kitty looks to be coming along nicely and I am sure will come out PURRRfect.
Ah!!! Thanks for that - I was wondering throughout the whole build what colour they should be and what they were for!!!! That solves that one for me - I'll make sure I do it right for the next one!
By the way, how on earth do you do a convincing wood grain effect? I've always struggled painting wood...
On the bench:
1/35 Tamiya 7.5cm Pak40
1/35 Italeri M1A2 (rubbish kit, just doing it to practise painting)
1/35 Tamiya Schwimwagon
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: October 23, 2009
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 02:08 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Damn you, 1000+ pieces Panzer IV kit!!
RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!! I doubt I would tackle a 1000 piece jobby.... Hats off to you!
Thanks for all the kind comments everyone! It's great to finally connect with other people who share the hobby!!!
On the bench:
1/35 Tamiya 7.5cm Pak40
1/35 Italeri M1A2 (rubbish kit, just doing it to practise painting)
1/35 Tamiya Schwimwagon
England - North, United Kingdom
Joined: February 20, 2007
KitMaker: 1,453 posts
Armorama: 1,319 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 03:10 AM UTC
Hi Dave,
Very good job overall, I especially like your chipping - did you use the "brillo pad" method for that?
While the tracks do look fine the way you've done them (technique-wise), I'm thinking maybe they're a tad too rusty? Bear in mind that many operational tanks in WW2 didn't have time to get overly rusty, what with operational field lives measured in just weeks days if not days (the rust issue has been the subject of many discusions on this forum).
Bear in mind also that the parts of the tracks in contact with the ground won't develop rust as they're going to be constantly "polished" as the tank moves along. So maybe you could drybrush those parts of the tracks with Vallejo "oily steel" (or similar) to replicate that, just like you've done on the wheels?
Just a suggestion. Thanks for sharing.
- Steve
I don't need you - sixty feet of bridge I can pick up almost anywhere.
British Columbia, Canada
Joined: December 28, 2009
KitMaker: 121 posts
Armorama: 93 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 16, 2010 - 11:09 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted Text
Damn you, 1000+ pieces Panzer IV kit!!
RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!! I doubt I would tackle a 1000 piece jobby.... Hats off to you!
Heh, don't take your hat off too far. I was out of the hobby for at least a decade, and I got back into it recently and the 1000+ piece Panzer IV from Dragon was my first kit. At this point I've basically given up on it and am now cannibalizing it for stuff like jacks and extinguishers, and using other parts as sacrificial experiments in different modeling techniques.
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: October 23, 2009
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 12:34 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi Dave,
Very good job overall, I especially like your chipping - did you use the "brillo pad" method for that?
While the tracks do look fine the way you've done them (technique-wise), I'm thinking maybe they're a tad too rusty?
Hi Steve - thanks for your comments. Yeah, the chipping was a mix of the brillo pad (well.... a sponge/scourer that I chopped up!) and using a fine brush for the edges. Also used a fine brush to simulate scratches on the fenders etc
Fair comment about the tracks. The early photos were taken with my mobile phone and those earlier ones come out a lot more 'rusty' than I had intended (I needed to adjust the colour of the photos to more accurately reflect the true colour of my model).
Looking at the model now the tracks are much more of a 'muddy' colour in real life. I like your idea of dry brushing with some Vallejo - will use that on the next model. Point taken though, I'll try toning it down a bit for next time to see how they come out.
On the bench:
1/35 Tamiya 7.5cm Pak40
1/35 Italeri M1A2 (rubbish kit, just doing it to practise painting)
1/35 Tamiya Schwimwagon
British Columbia, Canada
Joined: December 28, 2009
KitMaker: 121 posts
Armorama: 93 posts
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 03:49 AM UTC
I wouldn't worry too much about the tracks. While true that most treads would never get the rusty with active use, it was wartime and just about anything was possible. Maybe the tank was sitting for while awaiting repairs, or was just in storage waiting to be used. That's whats nice about a total-war situation; virtually anything can and did happen. You could put a figure wearing something like a swimsuit and tank-top and pith hat manning an MG in africa, and it would still be within the realm of possibility in the DAK campaign.
England - North, United Kingdom
Joined: February 20, 2007
KitMaker: 1,453 posts
Armorama: 1,319 posts
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 04:15 AM UTC
Quoted Text
I wouldn't worry too much about the tracks.
Sorry Kevin but I would. And judging from previous discusions here about the subject, so would many others.
Tracks on an operational KT simply wouldn't have had time to get that rusty. Of course it's Dave's build, and he can do whatever he likes with it. But unless you're doing something along the lines of a "King Tiger, 1955" (that's been standing wrecked in a field for 10 years), heavily rusted tracks isn't the way to go if you're bothered about realism.
- Steve
I don't need you - sixty feet of bridge I can pick up almost anywhere.
British Columbia, Canada
Joined: December 28, 2009
KitMaker: 121 posts
Armorama: 93 posts
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 05:09 AM UTC
I'm not saying realism isn't important, just that it's not a crazy error and ultimately it should be about whether the modeler is happy with this work for it's own merits and not whether the finished product is 100% realistic in every way.
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: October 23, 2009
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 08:20 AM UTC
Quoted Text
I'm not saying realism isn't important, just that it's not a crazy error and ultimately it should be about whether the modeler is happy with this work for it's own merits and not whether the finished product is 100% realistic in every way.
Hi guys, I did say at the start of this blog that I'm not gonna loose sleep if the model doesn't look 100% accurate and remember the photos don't really do the colour of the tracks justice - they are more toned down on my model than the photos show - so they don't actually look as rusty as the first set of photos depict.
I think you're right Kevin, in a total war situation I'm sure pretty much anything did go. To be honest I had thought my KT would be on active service, so maybe the tracks do need to be toned down a bit. But to be honest, I'm not gonna loose any sleep over it. I'll just try something different for my next build!! For me, life is too short (and I don't have enough free spare time with family/kids.work etc) to worry about ultra realism. I just try and aim for it with my next build... if I have time! The enjoyment factor is king for me. I might change if I decided to ever enter a competition....
On the bench:
1/35 Tamiya 7.5cm Pak40
1/35 Italeri M1A2 (rubbish kit, just doing it to practise painting)
1/35 Tamiya Schwimwagon
England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: January 10, 2009
KitMaker: 375 posts
Armorama: 362 posts
Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 - 09:24 AM UTC
Quoted Text
The enjoyment factor is king for me.
Believe me, that should go for everyone.
With regard to the tracks, just dusting them with some of you MIG dark mud or europe dust should do the trick. I say this not because i think you should change them for realism purposes, but because you mentioned that you would like to put this in a dio. If you do, you will probably find that they will contrast to much with the groundwork. This can always wait though.
And by the way, this is some really excellent work, keep it up!
Current builds;
Tamiya 1/35 Sdkfz 251/1 Diorama (name pending)
Dragon 1/35 T 34/85 Bedspring Diorama "Blood and Iron"
Queensland, Australia
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 752 posts
Armorama: 569 posts
Posted: Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 10:38 PM UTC
when i first saw the tracks i thought the tank was 1/16 or larger!
Fantasic job! looking good!
Idaho, United States
Joined: March 14, 2006
KitMaker: 229 posts
Armorama: 227 posts
Posted: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 09:06 AM UTC
That is just a cool looking Tiger. That was pretty creative for the masking and I thought it was a great idea. I can share your frustration with DML kits. They do try and pack in a lot of detail compared to Tamiya.
I am currently building the M1A2 Sep and it is just packed!!! I like the kit and it has been a pleasure to build. Some guys do dig the detail, I like the OTB stuff and am not so much a rivet counter. Once again, Great work, keep it up.
England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: October 23, 2009
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 21, 2010 - 08:56 AM UTC
Thanks guy for the kind comments - I feel inspired to do another blog build! Just gotta figure out what it is going to be.
I've just taken a quick break from Armour building (gone to the dark side.... building an aircraft carrier!!) because I've found armour to be so involved and have really just craved a quick build. Will be back onto 1/35 soon though...
On the bench:
1/35 Tamiya 7.5cm Pak40
1/35 Italeri M1A2 (rubbish kit, just doing it to practise painting)
1/35 Tamiya Schwimwagon
Illinois, United States
Joined: October 04, 2007
KitMaker: 108 posts
Armorama: 84 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 21, 2010 - 01:47 PM UTC
Great work and awesome attitude!
Yeah, that first DML build can be very imposing. But, as you have now realised, the end result can be very satisfying. The 3-in1 kits sent my head spinning soon after I stopped drooling over the amazingly impressive kits.
Randy
United Kingdom
Joined: July 24, 2008
KitMaker: 120 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 04:34 AM UTC
Quoted Text
I've just taken a quick break from Armour building (gone to the dark side.... building an aircraft carrier!!) because I've found armour to be so involved and have really just craved a quick build.
You're building an aircraft carrier as a quick build!!
I started armour modelling as a break from the months it takes me to build a carrier in 1/350th
Great work on the KT btw.
John
