I've been looking at some of the "older" Dragon 1/72 scale german tanks, and quite a few is with "metal diecast chassis". I have never liked working with metal parts much. How are the Dragon models to work with??

My first thought was to buy Revell or Italeri instead.

regards,
Steen

heard from reviews that the DML 1:72 die-cast kits ...most of them have fit issues...and it is quite tedious to correct them

italeri 1:72 isnt that great...they are re-issued ESCI kits..which isnt too bad for their day...but i'd recommend Revell...IMHO, the best 1:72 maker out there!

I think on the newer releases there are no fit problems as for the die-cast issue at least it will give a bit of weight and stop the wheels"floating" on the tracks

One of their latest releases, the AAV7A1 USMC AMTRAC, has a diecast upper and lower hull. The detail is molded on and soft because the hull has a thick coat of gray primer on it. It also leaves a nasty gap all the way around the circumference of the model. Since it is diecast, it is not as easy to deal with the gap as it would be if the kit was all plastic.

The Panther series has really tight tracks and since both the upper and lower hull are diecast, it is difficult to adjust the position of the sprocket or idler wheel to give the tracks some slack. Other problems arise with molded on detail and the fit of the upper and lower hull (metal must be filed to allow the two to mate).

Another diecast Dragon kit I've tackled is the Sturmtiger. This kit has just a diecast upper hull with a plastic lower hull. The diecast hull makes adding zimmerit difficult. I thought this one was the best looking of the diecast hulled kits I've built.

I prefer the all-plastic kits, but nobody else does make the AAV7A1
Revell is a good place to start, especially their Challenger 1- simple and beautiful
I feel that die-cast metal is just too "thick" a medium for 72 (or for 48, but that's another gripe )

Cheers,
Tvrtko

I have built a dozen or so Dragon 1/72 kits.. Once you figure out the fix, they are no big deal.. As far as the diecast hull goes, the metal just needs to be filed to fit the other hull.. Personally, I think the Dragon kits can't be beat for the price and details and accuracy to scale..
The Revell kits are very good, and are comparable to the Dragon stuff.. I'd stay away from the Italeri kits if I were you..

Thanks for the input guys!

I can't completely stay away from Italeri, like in the "old days" with ESCI, they make some soft skins that can't be found anywhere else! Haven't been able to locate a 1/72 M8 anywhere else!?

Somewhere I saw a review of the Sturmtiger, but the parts on the pictures were clearly plastic, even the upper hull. Could this be an early kit, or even better, a late kit with plastic instead of metal !?

regards,
Steen

Yes, that might be the case. In some of the newer releases the chassis is moulded in styrene instead of metal. DML Porsche kingtiger has die-cast hull pieces while the newer Henschel-turreted one has a plastic hull. No problems with fit on that tiger. Plastic is always nice if a kit has moulded-on tools. I just omitted zimmerit and painted my tiger dark yellow. Let's say it's a prototype. Tracks fitted nicely, lenght is ideal, I got a nice sagging effect by just glueing the track on the roadwheels with epoxy and superglue. I'll post some pics when it's finished. I just have to do a little bit of weathering.

Hi Steen,

We have the same avatar! Dragon may be reissuing some of the 1/72 kits with diecast hulls in styrene in the near future. They have shown themselves to be very response to modelers' demands and have come out with improved kits (see the pro version of the 1/72 Elefant) and so if you can wait a little, build the ones that are already out in plastic and wait for the others that now have diecast hulls to come out in styrene as re-issues.

Cheers,

Richard

Atak make a resin zimmerit set for this kit that includes a complete upper hull replacement. The zimmerit is good and there is the added bonus that the horrible metal hull can be binned.

Personally I dislike the metal parts for all the reasons mentioned. Any possible benefit is completely outweighed by the drawbacks. It does seem that Dragon is (thankfully!) phasing them out.

I'm aware of the Atak set, but it seems such a shame that a major part of the kit needs to be replaced in order to build an accurate rendering of the Sturmtiger (and at a price that is more than the kit itself!).

Yes, maybe Dragon will replace the upper hull with a plastic version, as has apparently been done with some of the other kits.

Still, I think the Atak set is worth the money as the zimmerit is very well done and it allows for improvements to be made much more easily(removing moulded on tools for example).

The other option of course is to scratchbuild!

Depends, some people like them and others dont. I dont really care for them all that much. But, what I DO like is the nice weight it gives off once completely done.

I would stay away from Dragon's die-cast hulls as the detail is just not as sharp as on plastic. If weight is an issue, you can buy model RR lead weights and glue them inside the hull. Some varieties of weights are sectional, like Caramilk bars, and can be broken into appropriate lengths and weights.

Hell DML makes 1/72 tanks allready done
and nice and cheap!
$14
HTH~
Ron