Wumm

Carl Sagan gave the Human Race a 40% chance of perpetual survival... I think Sagan was an Optimist

Not my bench this time... But someone else's. On my rounds yesterday, I came across this sight through the front window of a House I was delivering to. On closer inspection, someone inside had Model Kits spread out over the table. So I sent the photo to my Wife to show her... You know; here's a kindred spirit, someone like me, who also occasionally let's their Hobby invade a little of the shared living space, and that it might not be such a bad thing after all. Her reaction? "Oh, can we have a Cat?"

This ^ I only got to spend two hours on Saturday on mine. I'm dreading the p/e components when that side of things comes up. But you're making progress, and doing good clean work. Looks great so far!

My preference is for 'A'... Although rather than consistent lighting and angles, perhaps showing us a variation in both might give a wider selection of scenarios to able to better decide. S

According to the PMMS site, the Tristar is the more accurate base Phil. I've put that whole section aside for the moment until I decided what's the best option going forward. Back to the Half-track proper... The basic tub is utilised in all the Dragon D7 kits, with a separately-moulded rear end to be added depending on whether an early or late type is being built. Attached to this is the tow hitch apparatus, which has a rod section on the bottom that is too long to allow a flush fit. No mention is made of this in the instructions. Rather than trim the rod to fit, which would need to be done in a curve to accommodate the lower end of the tail piece, I decided to drill a hole and have the rod inserted within this part. This allowed a flush fit, and a firm hold while the glue set. Despite these small setbacks with the instructions, and the fit and finesse issues; I'm actually enjoying this build and the challenges it presents. Chassis parts are gradually being added now, to complete the basic tub assembly.

PZL? Forshizzle!

My intention from the outset had been to add the Tristar AA kit to the base Dragon vehicle. Not only for the crisper details, but also as it offers the Sd.Ah.51 trailer in the kit as well (some Dragon Sonder 10 kits include one, but sadly not this release). So combining the two kits seemed to be the best of both worlds. But during the clean-up process, it occurred to me... "What if the dimensions of the Tristar Flak 38 are different from the Dragon?" That can't happen, surely... Or can it? Dragon gun platform with gun mount overlayed... ...and Dragon gun platform with the sand-coloured Tristar gun mount overlayed. It's wider by 3mm overall, and 2mm at the centre of the supports. I'm not really fussed over which one is dimensionally the more accurate, moreover that the cradle sits on the supports and looks the part. And using the Dragon mount is much easier than repositioning both forward mounts of the gun deck. But then... Tristar and Dragon compass platforms... And you guessed it! The Tristar is bigger; and to fit will require removing all the detail from the face of the Dragon mount, as well as the locating circular groove from underneath the Tristar compass. Off to find out if the Dragon Gun fits the Tristar compass now.

OK now... The Cat has obviously finished that Zwilling kit. Which means he took the unpainted comparison photo with the VW before Ernie even asked the question... Like he was expecting it. I'm a little freaked out now...

Still a really cool kit tho... Unusual... And nice price!

Gott nein, Are you serious? The barrel alone is 7 metres long, a Kubelwagen is only 3.74. You'd be better off mounting the V-dub on the guns!

Yes Carl, The Half-track one size down, so a little smaller than the '251. But at least there's not cleanup required (I presume.)

The way it's settled in the hollows and grooves makes it look a little cartoonish... Which I think is just perfect actually!

Hard to tell, Does the new canopy slide backwards and cover the area? That might be a help.

Thanks Phil, This is becoming apparent even at this early point. At stage 9 in the instructions, you are advised to attach the supporting lattice to the underside of the gun deck. But then, at stage 12, there is an option to fit some small P/E parts underneath the deck... Which can't be done once the lattice is applied! Lots of little traps here and there... All part of the fun!

Likewise Doc, I have about half a dozen German Half-tracks in the stash, such versatile vehicles that were put to all number of tactical uses with a variety of arms and equipment. The Dragon kit builds up around a tub structure; with a somewhat simplified motor and poseable hood parts, firewall and gearbox details, rear gun deck and of course the 20mm Flak 38 A/A gun. There are lots of small parts present on the sprues along with the larger assemblies, and every part seems to have one or two more sprue gates to trim than necessary. This is probably a function of the detail Dragon has managed to design into their parts, but it's a little tedious if you're used to the Aircraft side of the Hobby like I am. Not all of the sprue gates need to be trimmed fastidiously... For instance, the gearbox will intrude through this hole in the firewall; so the small stubs at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions need to be removed, but not filed or sanded smooth as the bevel won't be seen after assembly. Likewise, some other parts of the kit can't be seen, so there are opportunities for short-cuts here as well. There is a lattice reinforcement part that sits underneath the rear gun deck; some of these tabs can stay in-situ or can be removed roughly as they're hidden once inside the tub. This is certainly one kit that benefits from a careful studying of the instructions and the parts layout before your part removal and cleanup routine, as it will probably alleviate some tedium and save you time if that's a factor (as it is for me.)

Great start Carl... This is my biggest surprise of these Armour builds, the amount of sprue gates and cleanup required beyond what I'm used to in Aircraft kits. S

From Facebook... New A-8/R2 decals on the way from Eagle Editions S

Not too heavy handed at all... Looks fairly subtle, until you notice the difference in the area of the pre-weathered missing skirt. Keep it up!

In with a Dragon le.SPW from the 21st Panzer Division; replacing the 20mm Flak 38 with the Tristar late variant of the same gun, with the trailer also in tow. An Aber turned metal barrel is so far the only aftermarket option to be used. I may source a figure or two to add along the way, but both kits come with P/E frets to supplement the plastic parts so everything seems well enough detailed for my liking. I managed to find a photo of the kit subject, captured by the British 6th Division in August 1944, so at least there's a good guide as to equipment and condition for the time frame. Work to start shortly. S

Wonderful esoteric choice Doc... (p.s. - my nose is broken and leans to the right!)

It's silver on top... And blue on the bottom... It's on legs... It's got added racks now... Yet it's still aerodynamic. OMG, I'm starting to think like Martin.

That's a better fit than some plastic kits!

Found one! http://www.brachmodel.it/cataloghi.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=183&category_id=1 Wondering if I can source a 20mm Breda now...

Rust...? Bender...? Jeroen, any progress with the AK pencils?

I saw what you did! I think you got away with it tho... Nice work by the way! S