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Modeller Build Logs
Building the Dragon 1/72 Sd.Kfz. 164 Nashorn |
| By Christopher Wilson | | Started: | Oct 20, 2005 | | Updated: | Dec 26, 2005 |
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Recently Dragon has done a brilliant job in expanding their line of 1/72 armor and giving braille scale fans some of what they want, a range of interesting subjects with increasingly impressive detail at a very reasonable price.
However, some of this comes at a cost. We still have vague instructions and one piece tracks when most braille scale modelers will tell you straight away what we want is link and length tracks.
I've watched Dragon's new kits steadily increase in quality from the coldly received Model 1940 T-34 through the Late model StuG IV.
This is my first look at Dragon's Nashorn. I've seen some controversy online in various forums as to the accuracy and buildability of the this kit.
The purpose of this blog will be to build the Dragon Nashorn as close to OOB as possible while pointing out any errors I find along the way. These include error in instructions and accuracy of the kit as well as fit of parts.
I plan to concentrate most on the buildability and what's in the box. There may be some accuracy issues that get overlooked and please feel free to point them out to me, I am no expert on the Nashorn and will not pretend to be. I will use my references to the best of my ability and point out what I find as I go through the steps of building this kit.
So let's build a 1/72 Nashorn.
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| Chapter 3 - PE or not to PE | Nov 8, 2005 |
Dragon give you nice and very delicate PE for the engine grills on the side of the Nashorn as well as some well molded plastic versions. So the question is, do you want to use the plastic and have a lot less work, or go for the PE and perhaps create some headaches for yourself?
The obvious reason for the PE is it will be more correct in scale thickness and provide a depth that the molded pieces do not have. The downside is you stand a chance of spending a lot of time and messing them up only to have to use the molded parts anyway. Plus, PE generally doesn't fit as well as molded parts do and requires a little extra attention from the modeler.
I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go, but I knew I wanted to give building the PE a try.
First thing is to note the way parts MA4 fit inside MA2 when MA2 is folded into a box shape. If you don't get it right you will be disassembling with acetone and starting over...ask me how I know.
I found the PE to be delicate but not difficult, and the second time it was all together in just a few minutes. I've never been that good with PE, but I was happy with the results and ready to compare it to the plastic part A3.
The first thing I noticed is A3 is too tall for the side armor, barely, and will need some sanding to fit correctly. The PE fits like a glove and doesn't appear to cause any trouble in a dry fit with the hull.
I'm still not sure which way I will go, but it is likely if I get the other section of PE together without damaging anything (slow and steady) then I will probably use it.
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