Here's a few pics of my recently completed Dragon T-72 w/ERA. Not much to say, built OOB, nothing fancy. First effort using Elmers dum-dum snakes to mask the cammo pattern.

















All in all a real pleasant build and pretty much a no-brainer. It's a shame there's not much info on the web to be found regarding this kit. I picked it up at a local contest for $15...a real steal if you ask me.

jeff

Having not built any Dragon armor, how are the instructions/directions? The only thing I can relate to is the crappy assembly guidelines that accompany their 1/6th scale machine guns.

What are "Elmer's dum-dum snakes"? I mean, I know what you're talking about with the mask and such, but I never heard of that brand/manufacturer/method.

Nor did you mention what scale this is (I'm assuming 35th).
And what does the acronym ERA stand for?

Finally, is that tank commander whistling?


It's only a hobby..it's only a hobby..it's -

The instructions were actually pretty good. They were similar to Hasegawa instructions IMO. There was a separate sheet for the ERA option. You can build the kit either with or without the reactive armor.

The dum-dum 'snakes' are actually Elmer's Tack (like Blu-Tac but made by Elmer's). They come in strips about 3" long and 1/4" in the blister pack. I get them at Michael's. I rolled them into 'snakes' then applied them on lines I drew on the model denoting the cammo demarcation lines. Then mask with tape between the 'snakes where you want the base color to remain. Very nice for cammo patterns on tanks or planes.

I tend to call blu-tac dum-dum since that's the term I'm more familiar with from aviation and vacuum bagging composite parts (we use dum-dum to seal the plastic sheeting used to make the vacuum bags)

ERA=explosive reactive armor...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_armour

scale is 1/35

and yes that figure does have a unique expression...more like shouting rather than whistling....

Having not built any Dragon armor, how are the instructions/directions? The only thing I can relate to is the crappy assembly guidelines that accompany their 1/6th scale machine guns.

What are "Elmer's dum-dum snakes"? I mean, I know what you're talking about with the mask and such, but I never heard of that brand/manufacturer/method.

Nor did you mention what scale this is (I'm assuming 35th).
And what does the acronym ERA stand for?

Finally, is that tank commander whistling?


It's only a hobby..it's only a hobby..it's -

Not one of their better efforts as it was done before anyone really had access to a real T-72 so much of the proportions and details are conjectural at best. IIRC the armor layout is not really authentic either. Still it makes up into a nice enough looking model on its own merits. Even with its faults the Tamiya T-72 is still vastly better. The old Dragon figure has duck lips

Here's a few pics of my recently completed Dragon T-72 w/ERA. Not much to say, built OOB, nothing fancy. First effort using Elmers dum-dum snakes to mask the cammo pattern.

















All in all a real pleasant build and pretty much a no-brainer. It's a shame there's not much info on the web to be found regarding this kit. I picked it up at a local contest for $15...a real steal if you ask me.

jeff

we didn't know anyone actually BUILT these silly things!!! We just buy and sell em!!! (LOL).

Very nice job on your T-72! Oh, and the figure doesn't have duck lips, he just got collagen injected!!!!

"The FANS are fighting back!!!"
"The SECURITY GUARDS are fighting back!!!"
"The PEANUT VENDORS are fighting back!!!"

Not one of their better efforts as it was done before anyone really had access to a real T-72 so much of the proportions and details are conjectural at best. IIRC the armor layout is not really authentic either. Still it makes up into a nice enough looking model on its own merits. Even with its faults the Tamiya T-72 is still vastly better. The old Dragon figure has duck lips

....this kit is the red-headed, bastard step-child of the armor modeling world?

You know what?

I had FUN building this kit.

A LOT of fun.

and that's what it's all about, isn't it?

I think too many people on this forum have forgotten that modeling is supposed to be FUN.

we didn't know anyone actually BUILT these silly things!!! We just buy and sell em!!! (LOL).

Very nice job on your T-72! Oh, and the figure doesn't have duck lips, he just got collagen injected!!!!

"The FANS are fighting back!!!"
"The SECURITY GUARDS are fighting back!!!"
"The PEANUT VENDORS are fighting back!!!"

...sometimes I get this wild hair and actually build one! Oh the shame!

....this kit is the red-headed, bastard step-child of the armor modeling world?

You know what?

I had FUN building this kit.

A LOT of fun.

and that's what it's all about, isn't it?

I think too many people on this forum have forgotten that modeling is supposed to be FUN.

It had the misfortune of being the hot, new kit and in a New York minute being the all wrong kit when the Wall came down and the Bundeswehr couldn't give the former East German tanks away. I built on OOB when it came out and like it. I even enjoyed building the Esci T-72/74 kits when they came out. It was good to have modern Soviet armor beyond the Tamiya T-62.

The molds have been passed around like an ugly sister first to Shanghai Dragon, Revell of Germany and currently Zvezda. I think Italeri stuck the plastic in one of their boxes as well.

Standards have changed since 1989-90. Even the Tamiya T-72 gets knocked for being an exact copy of an uncommon combination of turret and hull used very briefly by the East Germans. Designers were happy to get access to a T-72 without regards to variant or the tank's origin.

RobG

....this kit is the red-headed, bastard step-child of the armor modeling world?

You know what?

I had FUN building this kit.

A LOT of fun.

and that's what it's all about, isn't it?

I think too many people on this forum have forgotten that modeling is supposed to be FUN.

But since someone asked about how the kit was, its fair to point out that it does have some issues. I built one of these when it first came out and it was a fun build. I had a couple other issues laying around that I think I threw out a couple years ago as its just not worth the effort today. FYI it is also the same as the Revell and Zvezda T-72

Here's a few pics of my recently completed Dragon T-72 w/ERA. Not much to say, built OOB, nothing fancy. First effort using Elmers dum-dum snakes to mask the cammo pattern.

















All in all a real pleasant build and pretty much a no-brainer. It's a shame there's not much info on the web to be found regarding this kit. I picked it up at a local contest for $15...a real steal if you ask me.

jeff

But most of all, I am glad you had fun with it. Had an ex girlfriend like that. Had some issues but had a ton of good times.

Cheers

Dave