SPA Modeler

Yes, which is why there are far fewer builds online of the Dragon, perhaps. Last night the side panels were still popping off whenever I attempted to back fill. I settled for two swipes on either side of the interior. However cementing the rear wall will go a long way towards stability. As far as that goes, I prefer stability on major stages. CA is strong, but it is not a melted join; not the way styrene cement works. I assembled the tub with Mr S Deluxe... and that feels exceptionally good to me. Photos later depending on the way my day goes. My day came and went fast. Too fast.

Dragon, the seam gaps are uncool.

Here is a good reference with a cute puppy—the photo was taken in Ukraine—the welds are clearly visible in softer light. Here much more is revealed. The desert light conceals so much with heavy shadows, and the hard sunlight obliterates details. Note the vertical “stringer” welding beads on the cupola join in foreground:

Stikpusher wrote:Well, now you know why, if Tamiya and Dragon make the same vehicle, I will usually opt for Tamiya. The detailing may not have the same finesse, but the engineering is far superior in most cases. I am all about ease of assembly nowadays.

I have started discretely to build Zvezda's Sd.kfz. 251/1 kit, which is not too bad... at least yet! :-)

The tracks on it are also in millions of pieces, more or a less same as with Dragons 250/3.

Curious to follow your build Bruce, as I am sort of "replicating" your techniqs with my build...



- Kari

Wow... that is quite a bit of filler. Now I must ask, Will the interior fit in there with no hassles? I am not familiar with this kit or the assembly sequence, so I am curious. Most half tracks that I’ve built start with lower hull and suspension, then interior, before getting upper outer areas on. But I know Dragon's assembly sequences can be questionable at times.

Kari, I’d be curious to see your Zvezda 251 build work here. I picked up a couple of those last year for a serious bargain price at our AMPS auction last year.

Oh yes, a bit of AFV terminology for you Bruce- this vehicle has no cupola. There are compartments: engine, drivers, and troop in this particular case. A cupola is an armored enclosure, usually rounded and with vision ports, and usually with a hatch for the commander, that projects from the top of the hull or turret, and allowing that crew member a position to command that vehicle from in operation, either while out of the open hatch or closed up under armor. Open topped vehicles such as this type do not have cupolas. The weld seam you reference in the photo is at the divide between the troop and drivers compartments.

Kari!

I would be excited to see your project as well, so, seconded! However, I understand why you would want to be discrete, too. For me, a project is an investigation. I think of all art making as such: these are investigations with subject discovery and self discovery as goals in addition to techniques—the technical end.

I am struggling with this beast. What I do know is that there is a complex series of angles to the champfered edge of the side wall, and by separating the side wall from the roof, Dragon made it tougher for me to create the form I see on the original—the vehicle name draws attention to the structure itself, so any gaps (left by me since I am builder) would be exposed.

Carlos!

Thank you for correcting my mistake with nomenclature. Sincerely. I fear I have made another by starting my own construction order with the kit.

Kit instructions in basic sequence:

1. Assemble the tub
2. Add the wheels
3. Add the tracks
4. Assemble the interior
5. Add the side walls
6. Attach the top

Since I was considering creating a form of the top just to make a painting mule, I clipped off what I needed to draw those forms, built the tub, and saw major problems fitting the sides correctly—that is, fitting the sides without a large gap. I could try locking the side walls from rear to front, but then the front profile would be a mess.

Could I have built and painted everything and left the top off? Is that my mistake? Maybe the top is removable. I keep looking at the illustrations, and have the same answer—the top is glued on to the walls late in the game.

So I decided—my kit, my rules—suffer the consequences, but at least get out on the field and try not drop the ball! I decided to attach the sides to make the top half a solid part.

To directly answer your question of “Does the interior fit?” My best answer is that I built the tub first which locks the floor, seats and radio in place, and the top part aligns as it should. You do raise a very good question. At the moment, I am battling two seams. What if I win that battle and lose the war? What if nothing fits inside?

Nuts!!

Ok, I think that I see a method in your madness...

Stikpusher wrote:Ok, I think that I see a method in your madness...

* breathes a sigh of relief *

Wait... how big is this kit? From the pictures, it looked no longer than 6 inches in length.

Good morning, BlackSheep. That is about right—scale 1/35 length is a little over 5 inches. I do not have the model in front of me but at 1/1 scale the length is approximately 15 feet—about the size of a Chevy Equinox.

BlackSheep214 wrote:Wait... how big is this kit? From the pictures, it looked no longer than 6 inches in length.

Yes, the two 1/35 250s that I have built are around that size. Just a bit smaller I think. Bigger than a Jeep, and smaller than a full size half track or deuce and a half.