by GazzaS » Wed Jul 09, 2014 5:52 pm
I really looked forward to this kit, because I'd wanted to build a Type 36a (mob) destroyer for a long time. I had to buy it mail order because none of my local hobby stores carried it. When I ordered it I also ordered some generic Kriegsmarine railings and brass barrels for the main armament. If needed I'd order other stuff later.
Before I'd ordered the kit I'd found a thread on this site about it's overly narrow stern and improperly shaped area around the propeller shafts. I am doing a waterline diorama, so the below-the-waterline portion didn't affect me, and I'm not too keen on trying reshape the entire after end of the vessel. That being said, there were enough positive reviews about Dragon kits and enough so/so or negative about Trumpeter and Zvezda that I didn't buy their offerings. Though, I'll have to comparison shop in the future.
Upon opening the box one is immediately confronted with a lot of sprues and a dizzying number of tiny little parts. When I say little, I mean between 2mm and 3mm in their largest dimension. There are also three sprues of PE (photoetch). I'm halfway through build and I have to say, that as far as the quality of castings go, these are top notch. The only shaving required was where the part was attached to the sprue or in some cases where there was an additional injection port.
The 37mm and 20mm AA barrels are so finely cast that it's really tough to decide whether you want to buy brass or not. I decided not to buy brass for them, and am not regretful about my decision.
The barrel length of the main (15cm) armaments is different between the forward twin mounting and the after single mountings. They all use the same gun, and I found no evidence online that there was a caliber difference in length historically. Most line drawings of the class show the after guns with short barrels and long barrels on the forward gun. However, historical pictures don't support the short barrels. I'm glad I ordered the aftermarket barrels.
The assembly plans are printed nice and clear though not in any particular order. The first steps are interestingly the armaments and mast. Save them for later or be prepared to have them sitting somewhere safe for quite a while. The plans also indicate where you can use either a PE or plastic part if both are supplied.
If you have not studied the German naval AA weapons and do not have pictures of them in your head, I highly recommend you find pictures online before you begin assembly for reference. That being said, I think Dragon over-modeled these. There are just some pieces that could have been molded together saving the older builder an acceleration of his myopia and eye-strain headaches. Magnification is a must.
You get all of the hatches on the superstructure in both PE and plastic. I used the PE, though there isn't really much difference.
I'm happy with the supplied PE, though I wonder why they didn't supply enough to do the ship's railing. They call it a smart kit after all. The only railing you get in PE is for the searchlight platform.
Part fit is excellent except for the deck-to-hull. I had to shave some supports in the center of the hull to get the midships portion to set right, and had to putty the entire circumference of the deck. The gap was fine except for around the bows which required more work.
All in all, I'm happy with the quality and accuracy of the kit.
I really looked forward to this kit, because I'd wanted to build a Type 36a (mob) destroyer for a long time. I had to buy it mail order because none of my local hobby stores carried it. When I ordered it I also ordered some generic Kriegsmarine railings and brass barrels for the main armament. If needed I'd order other stuff later.
Before I'd ordered the kit I'd found a thread on this site about it's overly narrow stern and improperly shaped area around the propeller shafts. I am doing a waterline diorama, so the below-the-waterline portion didn't affect me, and I'm not too keen on trying reshape the entire after end of the vessel. That being said, there were enough positive reviews about Dragon kits and enough so/so or negative about Trumpeter and Zvezda that I didn't buy their offerings. Though, I'll have to comparison shop in the future.
Upon opening the box one is immediately confronted with a lot of sprues and a dizzying number of tiny little parts. When I say little, I mean between 2mm and 3mm in their largest dimension. There are also three sprues of PE (photoetch). I'm halfway through build and I have to say, that as far as the quality of castings go, these are top notch. The only shaving required was where the part was attached to the sprue or in some cases where there was an additional injection port.
The 37mm and 20mm AA barrels are so finely cast that it's really tough to decide whether you want to buy brass or not. I decided not to buy brass for them, and am not regretful about my decision.
The barrel length of the main (15cm) armaments is different between the forward twin mounting and the after single mountings. They all use the same gun, and I found no evidence online that there was a caliber difference in length historically. Most line drawings of the class show the after guns with short barrels and long barrels on the forward gun. However, historical pictures don't support the short barrels. I'm glad I ordered the aftermarket barrels.
The assembly plans are printed nice and clear though not in any particular order. The first steps are interestingly the armaments and mast. Save them for later or be prepared to have them sitting somewhere safe for quite a while. The plans also indicate where you can use either a PE or plastic part if both are supplied.
If you have not studied the German naval AA weapons and do not have pictures of them in your head, I highly recommend you find pictures online before you begin assembly for reference. That being said, I think Dragon over-modeled these. There are just some pieces that could have been molded together saving the older builder an acceleration of his myopia and eye-strain headaches. Magnification is a must.
You get all of the hatches on the superstructure in both PE and plastic. I used the PE, though there isn't really much difference.
I'm happy with the supplied PE, though I wonder why they didn't supply enough to do the ship's railing. They call it a smart kit after all. The only railing you get in PE is for the searchlight platform.
Part fit is excellent except for the deck-to-hull. I had to shave some supports in the center of the hull to get the midships portion to set right, and had to putty the entire circumference of the deck. The gap was fine except for around the bows which required more work.
All in all, I'm happy with the quality and accuracy of the kit.