I am getting back into the kits after a break. I am looking for a good 1/35th Firefly, one that is accurate and goes together well. Which one would you recommend?

Hands down, Tasca

Hi

Another thumbs up for Tasca from me as well, what ever you do don't be tempted, no mater how cheap it is to buy the Dragon/Cyber Hobby Firefly VC, its pants big time.

Paul

I third the vote for Tasca, you won't be disappointed.

Fourth that ,,i've got one ... WOW!!! nothing will or can beat it not for a very long time

Interesting, I was going to ask the same question - I already know that the Tasca kit is quite superb, unbeatable in fact, but at almost double the price of the Dragon/Cyber kit, but is the Dragon kit really that bad ?? - genuinely, I dont know the answer...

...back to you.

Ian

The most recent (green box) Vc from DML, is NOT a bad kit but does need a lot of work. The price should be less than Tasca's but not 50%.

The big advantage with the Tasca kit is simple, You don't, if you want an accurate model, need to start buying upgrades. IMO, this makes it the cheapest option and with a level of accuracy that's unlikely to be beaten any time soon.

Tasca, by 8-9 lengths...

Thank you one and all! I will defer to the masses. Tasca it is!!

Only a little needed correction on the Tasca hull. I added weld seams to engine plate, part E31 where the rearmost and side seams should have them. Also you might want to add a more prominent weld seam where the glacis meets the hull side walls.

Finicky Sheman builders add bolts tp the upper guide and drill holes to the faces of the suspension units too.

It's funny, a few years ago the Dragon Firefly suited everybody just fine; some great looking models were made from it. Now, it's suddenly crap. What a fickle bunch we are I have all three boxings of the Dragon Firefly V, and yes I plan on building them still. A shake & finish kit is nice, but where's the satisfaction?

Jim

It suited because it was the only game in town and it attracted more than its share of critiscism from the day of its first release. people were just so happy to finally get a plastic kit of this important vehicle that they overlooked the incorrect length lower hull, poor turret with the mantlet too high in the face etc, hollow backed wheels and idlers etc.
When DML listened to the critiscism and offered their second attempt it fixed some of the problems but offered new ones, The third edition was the same. You would think after three attempts (four if you count the orange box release) and all the critiscism and corrections on forums or websites like Mike Canadays excellent webpage on correcting it that they may have good it pretty close. Unfortunately no they didn't and it still had hollow backed Idlers which really are visible.

The Tasca version is not without fault (mainly missing weld seams as Roy indicates) but it is so far ahead of the DML example in accuracy and buildability that people rightly recommend it over the DML one. The tracks in the DML examples have driven many a modeller to distraction and I have been the benificiary of quite a few of these kits that modellers gave up in disgust over the tracks - particularly the latest release with the EEC which have misaligned holes causing the track to curve as you assemble it.

Having said all that it does look the part when you finally get it all together and I wouldn't say it was crap, just accuracy and buildability challenged. The third release in the absence of Tascas would be quite acceptable except for the difficult tracks as they fixed the turret and almost the hull. The detail parts are far superior to the earlier releases but why do we still not have idlers with rear detail?

We have become conditioned to expect excellence in our kits these days And I believe the continual improvement being offered is what generates the negative comments about the older once well regarded kits. I noticed the same theme in another thread talking about DAK pz III's and to be honest the new DML Pz III's are so far ahead of what were once considered excellent state of the art kits.

Cheers
Al

Al

OK, this is not about a Firefly but..........I'm building 14 Shermans at the moment. I am a great fan of Tasca Sherman kits. I have built 2 and ordered a lot of sprues to update older Dragon kits. BUT..........yesterday I bought Dragons M4 DV and it is incredible. Easily on par with Tasca. You know what, maybe even better. Stevie.

I've read and re-read all the comments and opinions expressed, and have made my decision... Got a lot of overtime booked for July, so at the end of next month I'll invest in the TASCA kit - it was the remarks about the tracks that swung the decision; I'm a 'born again' AFV modeller like Greg (who originated this thread), so spending the extra on the Tasca kit, makes sense. I'll only ever build one and it isn't going to require my buying any extras... so this will be the kit for me...

...AFN

Ian

Whilst i will agree that some of the later DML Shermans are excellent kits I would recommend as an experiment when you build the M4DV to build a Tasca M4A2 DV at the same time. You may wish to revisit your comments regarding it then particularly regarding fit issues. The detail is stunning and they pack a lot into the box but the compromises in the way they put the instructions together and the fit of some of the legacy (older tooled from earlier releases) parts lessons the initial euphoria. At least this has been my experience.

I have a lot of those later DML kits in my collection and really like them, I just find that the Tasca ones are better where the subject overlaps, not one DML sherman has the fit of a Tasca Kit and to be honest most of the Instruction sheets are a jumbled mess as they choose to cut and paste from older ones. A prime example is the M4 PTO Composite where the markings are for four US Army examples yet the instructions tell you to use the British Antenna fittings. Fine if you know Shermans but not good if you don't. They frequently tell you to use earlier tooled parts when a superior new tool part is in the kit.
Tascas instructions are straightforward and dedicated to each kit.
CHeers
Al

Well I did it... I waited and waited and eventually won a TASCA Vc on a well known on-line auction site for... wait for it...

£31.00 !! What a result, almost half price here in the UK !!

It arrived today, and what a kit, only looked at it a couple of times, before I was dragged off to the pub, kicking and screaming, but what I was able to examine was mouth-wateringly good ! - I'll gather some inexpensive references around before I start hacking at it, and will start a progress thread when I'm ready.

Best

Ian