Dragon's version comes with zimmerit. Tristar's version comes with the complete interior. Both look very nice, but why can't they duke it out over a new LVT?

Russ;

Unless I am mistaken...

Tristar's kit is of the "early-production" - which were produced without zimmerit.

Dragon's kits (with and without zimm) are of the "mid-production" version- which came from the factory with zimmerit applied . Dragon first put out a non-zimm version... really nice, but frustrating, as it obligates the historically-minded modeller to indulge in zimmeriting... Dragon followed up with a pre-zimm version of the same kit- #6500, I believe. I have both, and they are SWEET (MO- but I LOVE the Brummbar.)

Cyber-Hobby produced an "early-production" kit which competes directly with that Tristar item.

I have the CH and Dragon kits- but not that Tristar. I didn't know it has an interior. The CH/Dragon versions only have the gun parts- the bold modeller has to source or build interiors AM.

In my opinion, the Dragon kits are really nice- I've heard some good and some not about the Tristar item, but have never actually handled nor fondled it, so cannot judge!

I think the reference is to the two announced yesterday, one from Tristar which comes with an interior called rather oddly "early version ( mid production )" and one from Dragon being an early production with zimmerit.

Hi

More info on the Tristar version can be seen here.
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/newkitnews/tristar.html

It also has the Dragon announcement under the New Kit News section.

Alan

Interior for the fighting compartment only it appears.
new roof of fighting compartment with interior detail ... New fighting compartment interior detail, with ammunition, ammunition store case and radio system.
No drivers station, transmission, etc. Even if they released this set as a seperate item, the above items will have to be sourced elsewhere.

Gents;

Yikes!

I stand Fully Corrected! And Thank You for it! I have been blissfully ignorant of the new events in Tristar and Dragon Brummbar-land!

The Tristar kit with an interior (even if only the fighting compartment as visible thru those big top doors- this would be great!) sounds interesting. But WHY do an "early" with zimm? Early prods initially came without this stuff- and that's the beauty of that CH early kit... You can freely build a Brummbar without zimm if you do an early- otherwise... And yes, it's true that early vehs did later get zimm'd- so such a kit would be accurate. Still...

So maybe Dragon can next start up a series of kits depicting individual brummies at various stages in their careers. Maybe 20 or so. Phooey.

Me? I already own 4 of those recent CH / Dragon Brummbar kits. I think I'll have to take a pass on getting yet another early or mid. Now... IF Dragon or Tristar were to see their way to making a modern late-prod w/zimm kit... I would likely end up with 5 brummies in the stash. And maybe 3 to get built!

These are the original production batch based on the Ausf. F/G chassis rather than the handful based on the Ausf. E, as depicted by the original Tristar and Cyber Hobby releases. The latter was quite rare, but happens to be the variant preserved at Kubinka, so the research was easy. Dragon's new kit depicts a Kursk survivor refurbished for service in Italy, which included a revised roof panel and a layer of Zimmerit.