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1/35 Dragon SA-9 Gaskin +++FINISHED+++


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Entry #1 is the fine looking Dragon kit of the 9K31 Strela-1 mobile AAA missile system (NATO reporting code SA-9 Gaskin). Very much at the forefront of the Cold War in Eastern Europe, I'm probably going to be doing a Polish machine. Still in service today in the Middle East, it was a potent point defence, particularly in battalions partnered with the ZSU-23-4 Shilka.

Statutory box pics...

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Looking forward to this...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Time to crack on with this - looking forward to it!

First off the hull...there are some prominent pin marks which need filling

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The instructions then move onto the launcher tubes. There are six; four 'live' and mounted on top and two spares. The only differences between the basic tubes are the blow-out doors for the live ones. The tubes are made up of 4 sides with an incorporated end. You then apply an inner door and these had ejector pin towers which needed removing to make sure they sit flat. They will all need a gentle sanding to take the rough ends off

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Then on to the superstructure. You must pre-drill holes for various fixtures and fittings but these are handily ennumerated on the inside and were done with a 1mm drill and pin vice

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A quick dry fit to the hull shows a pretty good fit

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The roof was glued in place and this needed a swipe of filler to cover the gaps. Once dried this was sanded. You can also see I've started fitting the various knobs and stuff.

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I'm probably going to button everything up because there is no interior included in the kit and the drivers compartment comes with blast shield hatches for firing mode which I will place in the down position. This will save a lot of hassle.

Thanks for looking and all comments welcomed!

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Some more work on this little point defence AFV...

Following on from the last pics, I fitted the blast shields to the drivers windows as there is no interior - a slight trim but they nestle down nicely

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Engine vents(?) and rear access hatches on and some handles. I also started on the headlight clusters however I'm going to fit the shields but leave the clusters off until after painting to make sure I can get paint into them

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Simple suspension arms and springs are glued in place - they need some clean up due to mould misalignment but look OK

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Gear boxes for front and rear and then dry-fitted. Again, I'm going to leave these off until final assembly to make sure I can get them painted and weathered

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Front wings fitted - not a great alignment here - I've made sure the top is aligned and will have to take a sanding stick to the arch to match with the body

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Other bits added to superstructure and now dry-fitted to the hull - looks pretty good actually

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The transport frames for the spare Strela boxes...a quandary. The instructions show these stowed tightly (vertically) against the body, yet the paint guide shows them hinged outwards and deployed ready for dismounting. Most of the pics I have seen don't actually show the spares deployed at all and the frames are bare but stowed vertically. I think I may go for this option.

Dry-fitted anyway - there is a retention link to be added to the support bar once final position is decided.

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Thanks for looking and all comments welcomed

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  • 3 weeks later...

After a fallow month because of work commitments and the weather (too good) I finally got back on this.

The turret - bit disappointed with this - could be more detailed but my heart wasn't in it for adding it as I couldn't find too much actual detail other than one photo and the whole thing is shallow anyway - so I'll leave as is and paint it light grey inside...the plastic needed some filling and sanding

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The superstructure and hull were glued...some small gaps filled and sanded

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And a dry fit with the missile frame array fitted

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An orientation exercise with the missile casings

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Into the paint shop...Vallejo 4BO primer on

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Modern Russian Green AMMO Mig added as a filter topcoat

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The instructions say silver for the missile housings but picture evidence shows black or camo green - I went with black

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Dry brush with Aluminium and the Ultimate Products Dirt added

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Then just a question of adding filters and light weathering

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Some European Mud - the tyres were rolled in it and left to dry

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Thanks for looking and all comments welcome

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