Paul A H Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 British Sherman Hessian Tape Camo (for Dragon Kit) 1:72 Black Dog Hessian tape camouflage was widely used on British and Commonwealth vehicles during and after the Normandy landings in June 1944. It was comprised of netting to which strips of brown, green or khaki coloured tape were attached. Its primary function was, or course, to disguise the vehicle and make it difficult to pick out from the natural environment. This type of camouflage can look very effective when scaled down, although it can be difficult to achieve in the smaller scales without the use of aftermarket sets such as this one. For those not familiar with the name, Black Dog are manufacturers of resin and photo etched conversion sets, figures and diorama accessories from the Czech Republic. They have a number of innovative and exciting products in their range, including this new set designed for the Dragon Sherman Firefly. The set arrives packed into a sturdy cardboard box filled with plenty of packing foam to protect the contents. It is comprised of a new upper hull, a turret and a barrel for the fearsome 17 pounder anti-tank gun. An additional part representing a neat collection of stowed kit covered with a tarpaulin is also provided. The parts are nicely cast in grey resin and I couldnt find any bubbles or flaws anywhere. The level of detail that Black Dog have managed to achieve is very impressive indeed. The complex tape pattern has been captured well, and the strips of tape are arranged in a convincing and natural way. The resin is quite flexible too, which helps prevent any of the delicate tape strands from breaking off. The only work that will need to be done in order to prepare the set for use is the removal of a casting seam around the upper hull. This should only take twenty minutes or so with a sharp scalpel blade. The component parts look like they were based on the original kit parts, so hopefully there won't be any issues with fit and finish.Conclusion This is the first product from Black Dog that I have been able to get my hands on, and I have to say I am very impressed. The quality of casting is excellent and the level of detail is absolutely first class. Of course Dragon's small scale armour kits are amongst the best around, so any accessory set designed around them will be built on strong foundations. This set from Black Dog certainly has the wow factor and it should look mightily impressive when complete. Review sample courtesy of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Looks like the "cheese strings" advert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 The strips do look rather long and a bit noodle-like to me.....But it's an awful lot easier than making your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveinns Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 This is a most impressive piece of moulding guaranteed to appeal to modellers & wargamers. It's just a shame that a Dragon Sherman is going to be sacrificed just for the running gear ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 (edited) Hope this is better than the 1/72 cromwell hessian set I've been battling with for the majority of the day. The turret is a recast of the kit one with the hessian moulded on and there is something wrong with the base, meaning it sits far too high and with a pronounced slant to one side. I spend ages correcting this by carving the kit turret base and attaching this to the resin one to correct the slant. Worked ok and was quite happy so I starting cleaning up the gun barrel. This is really fiddly and full of flash. Finished it off and stuck the gun barrel on only to realise that the mounting plate cast into the turret is the wrong way round so that the machine gun sits on the wrong side of the barrel!!!! Just about ready to sling it but it was £12 and I'm not prepared to waste that kind of money. Instead I've put it to one side until I can figure out how to fix it, probably by more carving of kit parts to fit them to the resin turret. If you are thinking of getting the cromwell set - avoid it!!! I'm going to email black dog tomorrow and complain - will post how I get on. Ben Edited December 8, 2013 by badger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Nightmare.....I'll definitely be sticking with masking tape now! I've got a few spares for the Revell 1/72 Cromwell.....Gimme a shout if you need anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Hi Sgt, Thanks for the kind offer - I've got a couple of spare turrets from previous conversions so I should be ok but I'll bear you in mind if it all goes horribly wrong. Love the revell cromwell - probably my favourite kit of all time. Haven't been able to face sorting it out yet - if I can figure out how to post pictures I'll post one if and when I manage to resolve it. Will email black dog tomorrow and see what I get back. Kind regards Ben Masking tape is the way forward - might try that myself on a sherman firefly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) Switch to Firefox as your browser.....The problems will vanish instantly. I reckon you need to start with tape strips (work from the bottom) do a couple of rows than add some net, then finish off with more rows of tape (allowing your net to show here & there).....Still something I'm experimenting with myself, one of the most difficult things is getting the strips rough enough, yet still sufficiently uniform to look the part, if I ever get it right I'll be sure to post it here somewhere. Come to think of it.....I do have three Revell Cromwells in the KUTA GB! Edited December 10, 2013 by Sgt.Squarehead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Hi All, Having recently purchased one of these for the for sale section (cheers Oliver!), I can report it is meant for the firefly ic kit (not something black dog make clear). This is dragon kit no.73222 - luckily I have one in the stash. Will report how I get on with it, hopefully better than the cromwell which is still stalled. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Will you be using your Firefly Ic upper hull parts.....I'd be very keen to trade for them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) Hi Sarge, Unfortunately I've used the spare hull and turret as I have a trumpeter M4 in the stash with the dodgy glacis plate angle. I've fitted the dragon hull which went on ok with a little work. However all is not lost - I have a spare extratech firefly ic hull and turret if thats of use? It is assembled and the turret glued to the hull. I've converted the kit to an ic hybrid using a jadar conversion set. Kind regards Ben Edited June 25, 2014 by badger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Cheers for the offer Ben.....I'm after a Dragon part to replace the hull on their Sherman with waders, I'll probably get a resin hull from Friendship Models/Wee Friends (I have their Sherman Hybrid and DV Sherman III which are very nice). Wonder if Gemma would sell me one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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