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My entry will be Dragon’s 1/72 P-61 Black Widow Continuing my nightfighter theme this year. AW

For my build I have chosen the first kit to be released, sometime in the 70s, by Veeday. The kit is quite charming with its basic sturdy cardboard box, clear fuselage, nice decals and even a typed apology from Pam Day for the delay in sending the kit. This was a two person operation and after this kit they released a few more different aircraft. As I'm on a Canadian bushplane theme at the moment that is how I will depict my model. With a bit of surgery and addition of floats nicked from a Matchbox Fairey Seafox I hope to produce something half reasonable. This may be the first of two builds as I have two kits and there are some very good pictures of Canadian Dragons - and I just so happen to have a broken Tiger Moth kit that I could nick the wings from.

Dragon Models is working on a new tool 1/48th Messerschmitt Bf.109E Emil kit - ref. DR5550 Sources: http://platz-media.com/blog/2019/09/22/2019-ahs-dragon/ http://www.platz-hobby.com/products/9386.html V.P.

Hi everyone, looking forward to getting started on this GB now. The subject: After difficult experiences on the earlier versions of the Churchill infantry tank, the Mk. III included some significant upgrades, some of which were retrofitted to existing tanks, also. While the Mk. III is famously connected to Operation Jubilee, it also saw major action in the African campaign and later in continental Europe. The kits: The Italeri kit was originally released by ESCI almost 50 years ago. The kit comes with two large plastic sprues and a vinyl track. Casting quality is okay with no overwhelming detail, but given its age, it looks surprisingly fresh to me. The outside detail of the vinyl tracks looks decent, but they have no inside detail. Markings are provided for four tanks, one for North Irish Horse in Africa, one for the famous King Force, also Africa plus a lend-lease vehicle in Russian markings and a Dieppe Canadian Army one, although it should be said that the kit does not provide any wading equipment as it was fitted on the tanks used during Operation Jubilee. The Dragon kit is only some 15 years old and the age difference shows, as it shows great detail, obviously using slide mould technology. Beside the plastic parts in four sprues, it includes DS tracks which look nice both on the inside and outside. However, in my kit, those were completely ruined. I don't know whether the box, that I got from an online auction, was exposed to high temperatures, but the tracks were so brittle that they fell apart even before getting them out of the plastic bag. For decals you get one 145 Reg. in North Africa and two Dieppe tanks, all Canadian Army. Also this kit does not include any wading equipment. The project: Originally, I was going to go just for the Dragon kit, but I bought the Italeri/ESCI kit for the Kingforce markings and thought I could maybe build them both in a back-to-back fashion, seeing how the kits do in terms of accuracy and detail, given their age difference. For the Dragon kit, I will go for some aftermarket, as I have to replace the tracks. Going for OKB Grigorov costs about as much as the plastic kit itself, but the detail you get is just great. I also bought some PE set from Armory for further enhancements and will replace the kit barrel with a turned brass one from Master. For the Italeri kit, I will most likely stick to homemade improvements. I would like to point out that there is a great build report by Danilo Carli on On The Way!, which will probably provide a lot of good examples. Regarding markings, I would like to go for a Kingforce and a North Irish Horse tank, using decals from the Italeri kit. For the kingforce tank, there is a great Work in Progress thread and Ready for Inspection by @Nenad, providing a superb reference in 1/35 scale. Cheers Thomas

With a long weekend ahead of me I am going to start this kit. It is the recently re-released OH-6A Cayuse from Dragon. For the last 3 years i have had a modelling list of things I would like to achieve in the next 12 months. Each year there has been build a chopper and I haven’t managed it yet. I think this is the perfect opportunity for me. I had a bit of a spurt on Vietnam subjects last year and with Gecko’s current releases I am planning to build a few more. I keep telling myself they will go together on a diorama at some point but for now I am content to keep building. So, to the kit, I have liked the look of these little choppers but had never managed to get my hands on one. Later versions seem to pop up but not the Nam one. I was very pleasantly surprised to find they had been rereleased at cyber-hobby and were available with free shipping. when the kit arrived I looked in the box and was surprised at how few parts there are. I know the kit is over 30 years old but having built Dragon armour models in the past I thought there may have been a few more, or a smaller box? The kit is moulded in the usual grey plastic and comes on just 2 sprues with an extra clear sprue including the big canopy. To add some more detail I have also got an Eduard PE set for it but I am not sure how much I will use. I have also got a set of mini gun barrels from RB models. Here goes with my first chopper build, wish me luck

Dragon/Cyber-Hobby is to release in November 2013 a 1/32nd Messerschmitt Bf.110E-2 Trop kit - ref.CHC 3209 Source: http://www.dragon-models.com/d-m-item.asp?pid=CHC3209 V.P.

Hello dear modelers, I am here with my M1A1 model which i finish a while ago. The general construction process of the kit was easy, I just wanted to replace the detail-less rear basket with 3d printing. I thought it wouldn't hurt to print a little stowage while the printer was involved. Then the model was painted with vallejo and ammo paints. I thought that there should be a vignette and I tried to reveal the vignette with details added with 3d prints. I had a lot of fun making this model, I hope you will like it too. And one more thing. The decals were taken from Revell box. cause the decals of the dragon kit is faulty. Have fun.

Could anyone weigh in on which is the more accurate 1/72 V-1 kit, Modelcollect or Dragon. TIA.

T-34/76 mod. 1943 in 1/72 scale awarded at Modelbraní 2025. Kit is from Dragon and figure of red army's Ivan shouting "uraaa!" at his comrades is from Italeri.

I wanted to enter this GB with a subject that isn't just non-military, but actually represents positive cooperation between nations, hence I'll be making the Dragon 1:400 International Space Station kit (#11024). This is more affordable than Revell's 1:144 scale offering (if you can find it), but is of the ISS ca. 2007, so is missing a lot of the newer modules added in the intervening years. Obligatory sprue shot: As you can see on the left, all the solar panels are PE, which has me a bit concerned about getting a solid attachment to the frame; that's a bridge to cross at a later date. I made a start today, with about an hour and a half's work giving me these completed sub-assemblies: It builds up so fast! I've left the solar panels and frames for now - they'll be attached after painting, but otherwise that's construction more or less complete already. Details are nice, and most of the fit was nice - plenty of tabs and guides to get everything the right way around. Next will be painting of all these sub-assemblies - without any guide from the kit, as it only gives paint references, but no actual details of which bits are which colour, nor of where the decals go when the time comes. Thankfully NASA has plenty of reference photos available. Finally, a sneak preview of all the bits push-fit together: Thanks for looking. Ben

There are 4 model kits on my table, 3x Dragon/Testors and one from Tamiya in 1:48 scale. There is a lot of literature as a source, but be careful, who copied from whom, who copied from whom - it is impossible to find out. The fact is, only one drawing is correct and also matches the very good model from Tamiya. This new construction item will take longer, there are many things to discuss and show in order to conjure up a true-to-original model. So - patience, things are moving forward. A single Dragon component is the benchmark for this construction report. Since I can't throw old models in the trash, it's better to figure out how to fix the Dragon models. I have decided to build all four He-162 kits and give them unusual liveries and markings - without resorting to "what if". I can recommend the following titles as useful sources: Engl./Czech, with many picture (SW/ Color)

Hello folks. Not many Sextons around here, probably because the Dragon kit was AWOL for a few years. They came back recently with the "magic tracks" so I grabbed one and set to work. A number of issues became apparent. Firstly, a number of parts are provided in the kit but not referenced in the instructions, most notably the additional strengthening pieces placed around the inside face of the front armour shield that fill up 2 holes (but still require a lot of filling). The side armour plating retains the moulding dimple mentioned in other reviews of the kit. The build sequence is rather difficult to work with for painting purposes. I ended up leaving the front and sides off for as long as possible, slotting in parts rather than fixing them so they would be easier to move. The fit of the body to the hull tub is...variable, again something noted in other reviews. The kit is missing weld lines in various prominent locations, so I scribed in a panel line and am going to claim that any sloppiness near the front armour plate is representative of the welds I wanted to represent "Fee" because it has actual video footage at https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060013190. However, the markings for "Fee" are incorrect and so is its regiment, which should be 90th Field Regiment RA. I ignored the paint scheme for the most part and went from the video where possible, or other images of Sextons at similar periods. I hoped to get the Star Decal set which has almost the correct markings for a 1944 Fee, but had to cobble it together from a different marking set, 35-C1260. There are still some additions to make if I revisit this kit in the future: covered headlights, camo netting, tools hanging from the side handles, Brens in the carrying slots, ammo boxes, and a rather prominent square that almost looks like a tacsign, but those shouldn't be present on artillery to my knowledge. There are also a few scribbles of white that are probably from D-Day transportation markings. I painted the kit with AK 3rd gen acrylics for the base camo, with Vallejo gunmetal for tracks and then various MIG and AK enamel washes, and Lifecolor acrylics for dust effects.

Just finished this Dragon Type 95 Ha Go. Generally went together well. Putting track sag into the DS rubber tracks was a bit challenging. Still work to do with my figure painting as far as skin tones. Might move on to an aircraft next. Hope you like.

Here is my recently completed HMS Sheffield using the 1/700 Dragon/ Cyber-hobby kit. Built mainly OOB with a couple of corrections and was an experience to use 1/700 PE that was included in the kit. Paints were from Colourcoats, kit decals and was depicted in her final scheme before her demise during the Falklands Conflict. Build log here: Stuart

It's been a while since I last completed something AFV as opposed to wingy jets, so here's another wheeled combat vehicle off the production line. This is the Dragon basic 1/72 kit of the M1296 Stryker Dragoon & was initially started almost a year ago. In comparison to some other 1/72 Strykers this is a pretty basic kit to be honest. I have seen plastic pre-built models of these, that come on a clear plastic box & secured to a base. This must be the same moulding as there's a screw hole attachment that runs vertically inside the body of the vehicle. It's not a bad kit but there's definitely better out there. It comes with some rather shoddy vinyl black tyres which means that I had to purchase some resin replacements by DEF models. These are quite pricey for a small kit like this but very much worth it. I also used various stowage items from a Redog resin multipack. Having seen a few photos of one of these with the wheel/tyre carrier attachement at the front, I couldn't help myself but to scratch build it using brass rod & used one of the cast off black vinyl tyres from the kit. These were really bad, so much so that they had to be partially soaked in levelling thinner to get the primer to key into it! The other thing I scratch made a tow bar out of plastic rod & attached it with some etch metal strip to the right hand side, oh also added a roll of fine wire to represent the roll of razor wire that's often seen attached at the front. Paints were by Ammo Mig, & I gave it a dusty wash using AK enamel wash. The resin tyres were given a good dusty dry brushing. The figures are from an Italeri NATO figures set & they had burnt umber pin wash to bring out the detail. These figures are pretty good detail wise. Thanks for looking! Martin

Hello everyone, I’ve finally managed to complete a model after nearly six months. The model represents the M7 Priest, part of the 11th RHA, during the Second Battle of El Alamein. At this time, the 11th RHA was part of the 1st Armoured Division. The regiment served in North Africa from 24 August 1942 and was the first to be equipped with M7 Priests. A total of 90 M7s arrived in Egypt in September 1942, but only 24 were issued to units, particularly to the 11th RHA (the remainder were kept in reserve). M7s served alongside Bishops, and while they were better overall, they posed logistical challenges as they used 105mm ammunition, which was not standard for the British Army. Even though the Sexton later replaced it in many cases (because it was built around 25-pounder), M7s continued to be used by the British throughout the war. The Priests were built on the M3 Grant chassis and got their name because the .50 caliber MG position resembled the pulpit of an Anglican priest. The British originally requested 5,500 M7s to be delivered, but in the end, only around 4,000 were produced in total by American Locomotive, Federal Machine and Welder, and The Pressed Steel Car Company. They proved particularly useful during the Battle of El Alamein, especially in suppressing 88mm guns. This is based on the Dragon 6627 kit, with Eduard fenders (keep in mind that the kit does not include any) and Panzer Art stowage set. Usually, I love Dragon kits, but this one was frustrating build. Fit was far from perfect, tracks were missing link (fortunately it is not visible because it';s under the sand shields), but at least 10 links per track are missing. Also, radio is not included in the kit. Eduard fenders were missing rails to attach sunshade,so I scratch build them. It was painted with a base coat of Mr. Color Olive Drab and oversprayed with MRP Light Stone. Before that, I applied some of Mig's chipping fluid. The disruptive camouflage was brush-painted using Vallejo Model Color mixes. I followed advice from Mike Sturmer, who suggested that the disruptive colour was likely a locally produced camcolour. The bottom is a black-brown shade, similar to SCC.14 Black, while the top is a greenish tone akin to SCC.7. I aimed for a somewhat rough, sloppy look here. The stowage was painted mostly with Vallejo Model Color. Stowage was also a bit tricky to attach. Had to trim it quite a lot. And here's the original photo I used as a reference: Cheers, Nenad

This 1/35 diorama depicts the Dutch town of Eindhoven on 20 September 1944. The town was the first to be liberated by the US 101st Airborne and lead elements of British XXX Corps, as part of Operation Market Garden on 18 September '44. Thousands of people flocked onto the streets and a huge party ensued, lasting well into the 19th. This unfortunately had the effect of backing up the allied convoy which was unable to move forwards. On the evening of the 19th, the streets were packed with vehicles including petrol tankers and ammunition wagons, and this is when the Luftwaffe decided to bomb the town with 76 aircraft. Despite the large amount of Allied materiel present there was no anti aircraft cover. Huge damage was done to the historic city and over 200 people killed with 1000 injured. I think it was the last major bombing raid by the Luftwaffe of the war. This diorama depicts US soldiers of the 101st Airborne ready to grab a lift on a British Sherman tank on the morning of the 20th September as they make their way through the destroyed city. Meanwhile German prisoners are escorted into custody by US Airborne troops. The Sherman Firefly kit by Dragon was good until it came to building the tracks, which were a nightmare. I gave up and bought AFV Club rubber band tracks instead as I was losing the will to live! They may not be correct although listed for the Firefly, but I was beyond caring by that point. Figures are from Masterbox and Gecko (The Cushman scooter is pretty much a kit in itself!), the German prisoners have Hornet heads. Building and cobbled street is a Miniart vac form item and all painted with a range of acrylics and pigments from various manufacturers. Comments always welcome

This was supposed to be a quick vignette to use up the bits that were left over from my last Diorama 'Waiting for Monty'. As usual though it kind of grew on its own...... Figures are all from Dragon, although the couple at the back have had arm and head transplants from the spares box. Flak gun is from Tamiya and well is scratch built from foam board. Strange thing now is I have enough left over for a third one, so watch this space! Excuse the cursor in the background in some of the pictures. I didn't notice it until after they were posted

Hey, this one is done Here it is: Pz.Rgt. 35, 4th Pz.Div, 3rd Company. Operation "Barbarossa", 1941. Build log is here: Cheers! Kristjan

Starting with a new one - this time it is Panzer III by Dragon. The kit I'm using is artillery observer tank Panzerbeobachtungswagen III but I'll build it into a regular Panzer III Ausf.G, as all the bits are supposedly in there. The turret shell is the only exception, but it'll be not too hard to convert. I have Voyager PE set and fenders to add as well as Aber barrels for the main gun an for MG's and a set of MasterClub metal tracks. I like Dragon's Pz.III based kits for their accuracy and crisp details and this one is up to that too. It's going together really fast at this stage and no hardships to report thus far. Cheers! Kristjan

Finished up the RFM and Dragon kits. Both are excellent and were very enjoyable builds. I'll give the RFM a slight edge because fit was perfect and it has an engine and positionable wheels, but the Dragon is no slouch. My hat tip to the 70s Matchbox kit with the RFM Puma: And the Dragon offering: A link to some in-progress comparison shots is in this post: I just picked up Miniart's non-interior version from a Lightning Deal (very cheap!), so it looks like I'll be going from squared to cubed...

Below some images of my recently finished 1:72 Dragon M4A3 105mm. The 105 mm barrel from the kit is rather small, so that was replaced with a turned metal one. The towing cable was created by twisting some thin copper wire, and the stowage is from Black Dog. I thought the kit's decal were a bit dull, so used some from Braille Strike (well worth to check out Clem Dupuis' website for interesting armour markings!). Otherwise pretty much OOB. Peter

I have lot of project of Commonwealth vehicles used in Italy to build so as a start and testing build, I pulled this Sherman III out of the stash. Scored on auction for few quids with Royal Model stowage set. I'm using AK Real colors for this build. Base colour of olive drab, covered with chipping fluid and painted with Light mud and blue black. Unfortunatelly masking putty didn't worked out so well so there's some deviations in camouflage scheme.

I've had this Dragon kit for quite a few years in the stash. The box art and description label it as an Ardennes 1944 KT with new pattern tracks, These new pattern tracks did not get fitted to any KT's before 1945 and I cannot see any photos of the Ardennes offensive KT's with them or the 18 tooth sprockets that they required. The kit tracks require removing from sprues and each link has 3 ejector pin marks that need filling, they are rather clunky in appearance compared to photos of the real track links so I have obtained a set of T-Rex 3D printed tracks to replace them and my build will have some of the other features of these late production tanks that left the assembly plant in March 1945. First the kit, originally released in 2006 with some new parts, single link tracks and some Ardennes Panzer Grenadier figures and weapons. As can be seen, the kit parts are still all bagged up, retaining that 2006 freshness. Although the kit features a turned aluminium barrel the muzzle brake has to be cut off the plastic barrel halves and attached so I have replaced it with a RB one with turned brass muzzle brake. Other bits and pieces to improve the kit are some p/e by ET Models and Voyager, and some 3D printed tools and clamps by Eduard. The tracks were a major part of this build so I ordered a set from T-Rex, they are beautifully printed and easy to assemble with two resin pins attaching each link to the other. T-Rex also make 18 tooth sprockets and a rear idlers, both 3D printed for this version along with a late turret cupola but the cost was above what I could afford as well as buying the set of tracks, so on their arrival I checked they fitted the kit parts by assembling a couple of track lengths, thankfully they they fit very well and they can wrap around the kit sprocket, I've had kit supplied tracks that do not fit as well as these do. I'll show the other bits as the build progresses. All is ready now for the STGB to start at the end of the month. Any questions or comments are welcome.

I apply Rule #3. In the year one I began to make this model. The old model of Dragon requires realization of repair.