Tamiya V Dragon Kits

  • Thread starter The Fisher King
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The Fisher King

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So I've just finished my first project and I'm looking into what to build next.

The Dragon kits look very good but they come with a higher price tag than Tamiya for example.

I'm looking at building a Pz. Kpfw. IV Aust.H Late Production, the Dragon kits costs £46, and the Tamiya around £22.

Is the extra money worth it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Dragon makes great kits, but I don't feel that you can't go wrong with a Tamiya kit. The price is a bit cheaper but Tamiya's quality and detail are still at the top of the list. You can spend less money on the Tamiya kit but still have a great model.

Just my two cents.
 
Yes I've been coming to the same conclusion. With the money I save I can by a decent book on modelling techniques which is probably a better investment of the extra money than a Dragon kit.

It's useful to know that there isn't a major difference in quality.

Thanks for the advice.
 
Some more advice. :)

When posting images using the link from Photobucket you do not need to click the insert image button... simply paste the IMG code fro photobuxket in. Then you wont get the little
 
Dragon kits tend to have more pieces/parts...and smaller details to go with them. They also incorporate more working details and intricate workings for hatches and suspensions. They also have photo etched parts icluded in some kits (Tamiya has started that also)
 
I agree with Bob, depends on how much detail you need for that particular build. You can usually buy the Tamiya and the PE to upgrade it for almost exactly what the Dragon with the PE costs .... So I guess it's a wash if you require extra detail, if you don't require the extra detail, go with the Tamiya.
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Photo Etched (PE) parts are parts created on thin brass in a photo etching process....in the photo below look towards the loer left the brass rectacgle contains PE parts for straps, latches, and other small details

IMG_0039.jpg
 
And more often than not you have to bend the photoetch into shape first, which incidentally ruins those parts for a lot of modellers because you need the right tool set (VERY expensive). I haven't had that much success with photoetch yet - it takes a lot of practice to do it well, but photoetch provides much more detail than simple plastic parts ever could.

Back on topic: Tamiya kits are okay for their money and I haven't looked at a recent Tamiya kit. My impression: Dragon kits are much mroe detailed (not only in part number but also in surface dteails etc.) and accurate, while they tend to get dimensions or general details (measurements of armor plates etc.) wrong. Tamiya doesn't, but their kits seem to have much less intricate detail than other kits do., although it seems their 1/48 kits are VERY good and popular.
 
Earl of Grey said:
And more often than not you have to bend the photoetch into shape first, which incidentally ruins those parts for a lot of modellers because you need the right tool set (VERY expensive). I haven't had that much success with photoetch yet - it takes a lot of practice to do it well, but photoetch provides much more detail than simple plastic parts ever could.

Back on topic: Tamiya kits are okay for their money and I haven't looked at a recent Tamiya kit. My impression: Dragon kits are much mroe detailed (not only in part number but also in surface dteails etc.) and accurate, while they tend to get dimensions or general details (measurements of armor plates etc.) wrong. Tamiya doesn't, but their kits seem to have much less intricate detail than other kits do., although it seems their 1/48 kits are VERY good and popular.
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I've never dealt with Photo-etch parts but I often wondered just how delicated they are to work with. I do admire the level of detail they bring to a model and at some point down the line I will experiment with them. Visually, I think some of the parts that talented modellers scratchbuild look almost as good, if not better than photo-etched parts.
 
Photoetch can be pretty tough to work with - sometimes you even have to solder the parts. Usually you can glue them together with super glue as well, but super glue in itself is pretty delicate. But you'll get the hang of it one day. Problem is that some parts can#t and never will be amde out of plastic like air grilles and other small parts.
 
What I like about plastic is that it is pretty forgiving. Most mistakes that are made can be corrected with a little imagination and basic modelling skills. Photo-etch seems like it is a lot more fragile .
 
I think as I'm still a novice Tamiya is the way for me to go.
 
If you're looking for value, don't exclude Italeri. I haven't built many models, but one of my favourites was their STUG IV.
 
willard said:
If you're looking for value, don't exclude Italeri. I haven't built many models, but one of my favourites was their STUG IV.
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Indeed, the Opel Blitz I am working on for the current group build is an Italeri kit. I have built several Italeri kits and have found all to be of good quality.
 
The Camionetta Saharinna I have is the Italeri kit...great kit too!
 
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