Dragon

1/35 SdKfz.7 8t Half Track Initial Production

Kit Number: 6466

Reviewed by  Michael Novosad, IPMS/USA # 36721

MSRP: $45.99 Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com Also used/reviewed: Griffon Models 1/35 Sd.Kfz.7 8t Half Track Initial Production Radiator Housing Kit Number L35A052 Griffon Models MSRP $14.95 (also available from Dragon Models USA) The Dragon Kit

Instruction-the fold out instructions consist of six pages, the first is the traditional Dragon parts breakdown, the last page shows the painting and marking options, and the rest are very busy with the 15 constructions steps. Very few parts are noted as not being used in the build.

Sprues and packaging-This kit is comprised of five sprues molded in Dragon's familiar grey plastic. Initial inspection reveals ejector pin marks confined to surfaces that will generally be concealed by the construction. A complete engine, transmission, fuel tanks and frames-mounted winch are included. Parts are crisply molded with fine detail (i.e. rivets, hinges, etc.) There are two small bags of Magic Track links, and from past experience these will be workable with care taken during assembly.

Soft Vinyl Tires-Three DS tires are included. The tire tread is finely molded, and the tires fit the plastic rims quite nicely. The third tire is the spare and will be snugly concealed underside of the rear of the crew compartment. Clear parts- the clear parts include head lights, spotlight lenses and windshields. A set of masks are also included to mask both sides of the windshield during the painting. This is a nice touch and Dragon should be commended for this effort.

Photo etch-there is a small fret of photo etch for floor plates, Notek light mount, drive sprocket rims and very petite windshield wipers.

Decals/Markings-there are five vehicle schemes shown, with minimal markings for each vehicle. The decals also include several individual numbers for the builder to customize his vehicle.

The Griffon Models Resin Grill/Radiator All parts are snugly packaged in a small zip-lock bag. The resin is limited to the grill housing, with several PE parts provided for the grill's vertical louvers, top and bottom angle frame and the radiator face faces with frame. The instructions note that these parts are intended for the Borgwald-produced vehicles. Construction A thorough review of the instruction sheet is recommended before any parts are removed from the sprues. I initially planned to complete this project in a series of sub-assemblies with parts all being painted before the final assembly, but as the work developed I soon realized that the intricacies of the many chassis, engine and drive train subassemblies required that they be joined together to allow for the next subassembly to fit. Everything would need to be painted in place, which is not my most favorite task.

Chassis-The first step addresses the frame and suspension system. Parts B51 and B52 as very similar, and are not interchangeable: if placed on the wrong side of the frame the parts will fit, but will not be exactly flush with the adjacent frame surfaces. These parts are quite fragile, so install them in conjunction with parts B42 and B43 to eliminate the risk of damage. Parts B22 and B21 fit over raised circles on opposite sides of the frame. The fit here is very tight. A touch of slow-setting liquid solvent on the raised areas will assist in the fit. Part 47 should be fixed to the receiver notch in the frame rather than to part B24 as shown. This proved to be a more rigid fit. Overall, the parts fit well, but some care is required to properly seat each part. As the solvent cured I inspected the assembly to confirm that everything was square and level. It looked perfect. The rear panel includes the winch cable receptacle and towing pintel, and was made up from several small parts (12 total). Care must be taken when fitting the parts as many are small and some have no positive means for mounting. I found it best to fit a few of the parts and allow the solvent to fully cure before the next parts were placed. I broke part B35 at least three times. I also replaced parts B34, B37, and B38 with copper wire as the L-shaped kit parts were small and delicate, and I knew that I would break them as some point. A short length of braided wire is included for the winch. The wire is a bit stiff and had a mind of its own. I installed the cable after all the chassis construction and painting was complete. I used Gorilla Super Glue applied to hold the cable in place on the winch spool. The wire is a bit too shiny and should be weathered a bit to tone down the finish. Engine-The instructions for the engine assembly is a combination of an exploded view, plus two side views. All the parts are numbered in each view. The side views were especially helpful in determining the exact location of certain parts as sometimes the Dragon exploded views as a bit vague when locating the smaller parts. Although later concealed by the installation of the smaller parts, the construction joint in the engine block should be cleaned up for a better fit. I deferred installation of the multi-blade fan until after the painting was completed. Again, all parts fit perfectly, and the completed engine was a model unto its own. This sub-assembly was set aside for painting. The exhaust manifold should not be installed until after the engine is glued in place and the exhaust pipe fitted though the chassis. The angle for the manifold was determined after the engine and exhaust pipe were placed.

Chassis and Engine Painting-This first major subassembly was painted. I used a lightened Tamiya German grey to cover everything. It took three applications to paint all the nooks and crannies. I painted the engine and transmission a deep red, and the exhaust system was rusted up. Everything was given an oil wash, with paint chipping and a graphite rub to all the edges. Crew Compartment-The assembly of the crew compartment consisted of five main steps and is further complimented by 13 sub-assembly steps. There is a great deal of activity for this assembly, and therefore planning ahead is required. The rear seat is comprised of parts E5, E6, E18, and E28. The fitting was of the seat back was a bit vague. I fitted parts E5 and E6 into the slots in the floor board (part G), then placed the seat part E18 over the locked in parts aligning it as best I could. The tabs on parts E5 and E6 both broke at the circular opening when I cut them from the sprue. Setting part E25 in place helped with the overall fit. In step 10 the horizontal hand rail part E30 was difficult to clean up, and is quite fragile. I replaced this with bent brass rod. I did the same for parts C21 (2) in step 11. The four-side triple rail (parts E19, E20, E23 and E24) located on the top of part E21 were carefully installed. Care is required for this installation as the kit parts are fragile. The fire wall and instrument panel assembly is made from 12 parts and is quite delicate once finished. I spent about an hour cleaning the attachment points and fixing everything in place. Parts D30 and D31 are used to hold the instrument panel in place: if these parts are installed incorrectly the instrument panel will set too low. The fit of the front cowl (part D2) was vague, but I believe that I got is correct. I set this aside to dry and harden over night. The doors to the rear panel storage compartment can be posed open or closed. I chose the closed position and needed to remove some of the interior door surface detail to obtain a good fit. The doors for the two rear side compartments must have the attachment burrs carefully removed for a good fit. Here is where I discovered a rather significant fit problem (the first). The firewall/dashboard assembly would not fit. It appeared that the front floor board was about 1/32" too long. I reviewed the instructions and my assembly sequence, and my work was in compliance with the instructions. I first attached the rear storage compartment door assembly (part E9). The two side panels (parts E15 and E16) were next fitted in place. The side panels follow the contours of the floor assembly (part G). When it was time to fit the firewall/dashboard assembly I place the tabs on either side of the dash would not fit with the receiving tabs on the side panels. I could align one or the other, but not both. Much careful cutting, trimming and sanding was required before I was able to get the firewall/cowling to fit reasonably well. The fender-mounted width indicators were replaced with steel rod with blobs of epoxy on the ends. The kit parts are much too fragile for this location. Running Gear-The front wheels consist of three parts per wheel/tire. The rubber portion is molded from the Dragon styrene, and the parts fit well, except on tire had a hair line gap at the rim. An application of solvent and overnight clamping addressed that issue. The drive sprockets consist of two halves and did require some cleanup of the rims to eliminate a wisp rim of plastic resulting from the molding process. Once fitted to the drive shaft the sprockets do not rotate. This proved not to be an issue when fitting the tracks later. The road wheels use 14 parts, plus three "goal post" axels per side. The axels appear to offer the flexibility to articulate the road wheels for a rough surface diorama, but if the modeler is planning to display on a level surface some care will be required to result in all wheels running level. I was initially confused by all the wheels and the various kit parts, but with some study of the parts I was able to determine what went where. Tracks-Using a jig to assemble the tracks is a key to success for this work. The instruction sheet shows that 54 parts of parts Z1 and Z2 made up each side of tracks. There are small ejector pin marks on each track top surface, but I did not make the effort to remove them. I test-fitted the tracks to the installed running gear and found that 54 links were exactly what was required. The fit of the tracks around the drive sprocket is snug, but with some gentle pressure the tracks will fit around the sprocket.

Griffin Models Grill and Radiator The resin radiator/grill housing requires the removal of a small casting stub on the lower left corner of the resin, plus some minor burrs on the vertical dividers. Two small PE strips must be bent to form the top and bottom mounting for the louvers. Each strip has three groups of five small (very small, tiny really) openings for tabs on the louver blades. The strips are bent resulting in one leg being approximately 1/64" wide (!!). The wider leg is the surface that is super-glued to the grill housing. This is the first opportunity for misalignment in this aftermarket subassembly. The small holes on top must align with the small holes on the bottom. There were faint alignment depressions in the resin interior side for the mounting strips, but as the superglue sets up there is no way to be certain everything lines up until the louvers are placed. The louvers can be installed as to be moveable, and each blade must be bowed slightly to fit into the top and bottom holes. I tried the first three and each blade retained a slight bow after installation. I was able to eliminate most of the bow, but it was not perfect. At this point I decided the best solution was to cut the tabs off the blades and permanently glue them in place, but once again the alignment concerns were there. At this point I decided to use the kit plastic grill and radiator with the PE radiator in place. Here is where the second significant fit problem was discovered. Step 14 covers the installation of the radiator and grill on the front fenders. The fender part has two small holes where the grill assembly fits. It fit perfectly. I was going to leave off the two engine compartment side lift panels (after all that work it would have been a shame to conceal the engine from view). This step shows this subassembly fitted to the chassis. In step 15 the crew compartment is fitted in place along with the engine hood and side panels. At this point the two subassemblies were dry-fitted in place. When I placed the engine compartment hood in place I realized it was too short!! There was a good 3/16" gap between the rear edge of the hood and the firewall. The fender assembly was snug to the chassis mounting tabs and the crew compartment. I could not see where I could have gone wrong to this point. I glued a strip of styrene to the rear edge of the hood, applied Mr. Surfacer 500, and sanded the transition smooth. It resulted in a not quite perfect fit on the sides, but it certainly eliminated the unsightly 3/16" gap. Finishing/Painting The chassis and running gear had previously been painted. The crew compartment, front fenders and hood/grill would be painted separately and fitted to the chassis later. I decided to paint the model in the Afrika Korps scheme, and wanted to represent a vehicle that has spent some time in the harsh North African environment. The model was painted with Tamiya acrylic paints thinned with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Oils were used for the wash and streaking. A graphite pencil was used on all edges for the metallic sheen. Chips were applied used a small sponge. The kit-furnished windshield masks are cut into four rectangular sections for the front and rear sides of the windshield. The driver's side of the windshield is divided into two parts with a horizontal mullion. I used the kit masks on three of the panels and Tamiya masking tape to cover the divided panel plastic during painting. The kit masks fit the clear parts, but had a tendency to lift from the corners. Burnishing the masks is recommended. I used a piece of old cotton tee shirt to buff the painted surfaces where the decals were to be applied. The decals went on with application of Microset and Microsol, and the minimal clear film completely disappeared. Everything was sealed with Floquil flat finish.

The finished model as might have been found in the rough and tumble arena of the North African desert theater. Final assembly I was almost reluctant to permanently fix the crew compartment to the chassis, for then all the painting and detailing would be lost from view, but I had to do it. The crew compartment is fitted first. I test fitted the two assemblies and saw that the fit would be mostly done blind due to the overlapping sides of the crew compartment. I was able to determine where to apply the glue and used Gorilla Super Glue to fix the two assemblies together as there was not much in the way of attachment surfaces, and I wanted a solid connection. The front fenders followed and once again Gorilla Super Glue was used to fix the fenders to the frame. Lastly, the extended hood and grill assembly was fixed in place. The spotlight located on the driver's side of the cab was installed, but some time later was knocked off to be forever lost. One final problem was discovered when it came time to fit the painted windshield to the model. The windshield was a bit wider than the two retaining nubs. I carefully filed each of the vertical lower corners until the windshield fit. For the images herein I dry set the windshield in place. I also neglected to install the windshield wipers. Conclusion When I learned that I would receive this kit for review I did some research, and the more I read the greater my expectations became. I must confess that I was very impressed with this kit upon opening the box. The box top shows that over 500 parts are included, with several (108) being used in the tracks. The chassis/running gear is a model in itself, as is the engine. Putting is all together results in an absolute gem. This model proved to be a very intense build. The many steps made for a complicated project. Some parts have no positive mountings, but with care, test fitting and reviewing the next steps in the work the builder can determine where and how the part is fitted. Many parts are quite delicate and require great care when removing from the sprue, and many parts require cleanup of the very fine mold lines depending on how fussy the builder is. The multiple views of several steps in the instructions are helpful, but can be confusing at times. Test fitting and review of the instructions is highly recommended during all assembly steps. I cannot recommend the use of the Griffin Models grill and radiator for anyone other than those with the skills and patience to assembly and align the delicate louvers. I found too many potential alignment issues with the assembly, with the resultant finished work being unacceptable. In my opinion the construction and installation of this aftermarket set really adds extra effort to a kit that is already intense and challenging, with the results hardly worth the time. I plan to assemble this grill sometime and possibly use it on a Tamiya kit that has gathered dust in the darkness of my work area for much too long. The finished model calls for the addition of loose crew gear and other miscellaneous accessories. The rear compartments beg to be stuffed with gear. A cover, either folder or closed would also be a nice addition. This could be a very busy little vehicle depending on the modeler's tastes in finishing and equipping. Dragon is to be commended on the design and engineering for this kit. Aside from the two significant fit problems this was an enjoyable and fun build. The fit problems were not insurmountable, and with a bit of effort and patience can be "solved". Some of the problems may be my fault: I just do not know. Many thanks to Dragon Models USA and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to build this model. It was a pleasure.