|
|
Forums - Modelling / Construction |
The construction forum is for the discussion of techniques on the construction phase of AFV modelling and the tools and materials used. |
| Topics | 1894 |
| Messages | 8731 |
|
|
| Subject: | Dragon King Tiger..follow up |  |
| Date: | Feb 18, 2004 |
| From: | Julio Paz | |
Hi guys, Here's more on my ongoing cuasi-review of the new Dragon Porsche turret King Tiger. This time it may be a little harder to explain but I have made some pointed notations on my image in order to facilitate my findings.
As we all know, Dragon seems to excell again on its ongoing/never miss chance to make life a little harder for us peones when it comes time to interpret or read their instructions. (The instruction tells you one thing and the kit and its parts tell you something else) which is the case with its gun mounting/mantlet area.
Step A- make sure you mount the gun supports (H5-H6) in the correct slots. (They are notched, but I still managed to glue them incorrectly, albeit for a few seconds)
Step B- Shows where the mantlet will be guided into position and then glued to the main support assembly. Once you follow this step you are going to end up with the mantlet "inverted or upside down"..and according to a few kits already built and as shown in the built up example presented by Dragon, the small added reinforcment on the mantlet base edge (Item C) ends up besides the MG opening and not besides the gunners optics as seen on finished models..so who's correct??.
After checking my references on the surviving Porsche turret Kt. I concluded that shaving off this small reinforcemnt molded into the mantlet (Item C) would be ok because none of my references shows it to be there and probably Dragon miss interpreted some references.....If any of you do know it to be there..let me know and I'll glue it back on again (I'm making a production model with zimmerit so it would make no difference). Please note, Don't worry if you think you are gluing the mantlet upside down...it has the same contour and shape regardless of which way you end up doing it.
Step D- Hold your horses...don't sand that mantlet!!.. Dragon's mantlet has what appears to be molding defects in the form of 3 barely notificable rings around the whole sleave....well, This is a cast item and those are present on the real vehicle. I almost sanded smooth the whole circunference sleave...Leave it alone, its correct.
As a side note, I have re-checked the main guns on this kit and they are not as bad as I first thought. I had also made some comments on the pluses and minuses of the main sprocket and return iddlers in that I felt Tamiya's were supperior because theirs are movable...I should have said that the kit original sprockets and return wheels are ok if you plan to use the kit supply tracks. Having movable sprockets and return iddle (A la Tamiya) only facilitates the instalation of workable tracks (Mk's or Friuls).
Thats it for now. Nothing really dramatic or drastic with this little follow up..Just annoyances and inevitable use of some modeling skills.
I'm not an expert on tigers or anything else..these are only things and details I notice while looking at the real vehicles and kits. Let me know if I made any mistakes or if you want to contribute with your own findings. |
 |
| |
|
|
|
