Hi all,

I am after a Dragon kit having never built one. I have heard great things about them. Has anybody made/got any of th ekits below ??


http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=48348


http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=101070


http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=95704



I know this new carlos fandango Dragon Abrams is out, but I would like to try a cheaper Dragon kit before I steam in and get the new one !!


Thanks for any help


Kev

Hello kevin
I've built most of the Dragon M1's and personnally prefer them to the Tamiya kits. They seem to fit better, with better detail than their more expensive cousins. And most of the after market goodies made for the M1 even if not made for the Dragon kits seem to work on them, My opinion more bang for the buck.
Jerry

It is basically the same kit with some different parts and sprues depending on which model it is. I have to say the Dragon M1 series is one of my favourite kits. There are some minor fit problems and the bustle rack might be a bit over-engineered, but it build into a pretty nice model. Vodnik has a very good rewiev on his site. Here is a picture of my USMC version finished some weeks ago.

Hi chaps,

Thanks for the replies, I have narrowed it down to either the M1A1HA Baghdad 2003 or USMC M1 A1. Is there much of a difference between the two ??. And do you know if either have the "magic tracks" ??.


Thanks !!


Kev

It is the same kit. The difference is that the US Army version have some extra stowage and the Marine version got a fording kit. The Marine version also miss the MCD.
No, none of the kits got magic tracks.

Erik

Edit: Argh!! Rob is so right! Both are USMC version, and the difference is the amount of stowage included in the kits. The 2003 version got more stowage and CIP panels.

Both of these kits are Marine tanks and not Army tanks. Not sure if either one includes the bit to make it into an Army tank or not. I'd pick the newer one with the current fittings included, unless you really want the fording gear.

The USMC Baghdad 2003 kit (#3533) does include the US Army smoke launchers. It can be built as an Army tank. It also includes an Army Bustle Rack Extension (BRE) as used by the 3ID during the invasion. The BRE is incorrectly labeled as a USMC type.

Here is a review of it at PMMS.

It is the best value for the money with a bunch of extras. I personally like the Dragon M1s better than all others. I highly recommend them.

Frankly, if you don't have a preference of Army or USMC, and you can afford it. The new version as a 3rd ID tank is best out of the box.
If its Marine you want the one Gino mentioned is the way to go. And theres multiple ways to add a bre, the inaccurate one from Academy (base completely wrong ) , Eduard's origami project, an evening of scratchbuilding, or my $6 resin version that will resume availability in a few weeks when Im caught up.
The issues discussed on the over engineering of dragons early racks are most easilly solved by cutting your own side bars from plastistruct or evergreen.

I might add, for modelers who can afford it ( I can't ) buying the new dragon kit and making a sales success of it will pay modern afv's off in the long run. Unless of course you want to see 4500 more new waffen SS tanks and keep wrangling ex motorized and pre cold war intel tooling on modern