WILL CHINESE STEALTH MISSILE BOATS RULE THE PACIFIC OCEAN - US NAVY INCLUDED?

The headline above echoes alarmist headlines after military experts discovered that China built 80-plus missile-armed 022-class gunboats in roughly the same time that just two US Navy Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) were completed.

1:72 SCALE APOLLO 10 KIT FROM DRAGON

MAT IRVINE REPORTS
Here’s another space-history kit from Hong Kong’s Dragon, utilising the company’s interest in all things astronautical, especially the Moon landing missions of Project Apollo.

SKY-HIGH REAL-SPACE MODELS FROM DRAGON

MAT IRVINE REPORTS
The Hong-Kong based company Dragon should be congratulated for introducing so many brand new factual ‘real-space’ items.

SPACEX LAUNCHES DRAGON TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

SMN REPORT:

News that the US company SpaceX successfully launched its Dragon space capsule, which is now on course for a test rendezvous with the ISS International Space Station makes us smile. And of course, it opens the door to the model-making wish-list.

SPACE-X IS TEN YEARS OLD - AND NOW TAKING US BEYOND THE SHUTTLE ERA

SMN report from David Jefferis:

SpaceX is the sort of company that brings a smile to the face of many a space buff. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, who set the company up a decade ago in 2002, SpaceX has gone from strength to strength. Right now, SpaceX is aiming to make the first commercial flight to the International Space Station, using its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule combo. And guess what? There’s a model rocket available from SpaceX that you can build and fly.

2012 INCOMING - CHINESE COMBAT HELICOPTER FROM CHINA

SMN report:

Next up from Dragon is this interesting 1:144 scale ‘Warbird Series’ kit of the PLA WZ-10 attack helicopter, the Chinese answer to Western types like the famed US-built Boeing AH-64 Apache. In layout, the WZ-10 is pretty standard, with a stepped tandem cockpit seating two crew: gunner in front, pilot behind. Flight controls are dualled to act as mutual backup, and the cockpit sides and bottom are protected by composite armour, as are the engines and fuselage fuel tank.

2012 INCOMING - HIGH-FLIGHT KITS FROM DRAGON

SMN report:

Here’s a bunch of 2012 aerospace kits from Hong Kong’s Dragon, and very good they look too.

First American in space

On May 5, 2012, it will be 50 years since Alan Shepard Jr piloted the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule to become the first US astronaut. And now Dragon celebrates Shepard’s sub-orbital flight with a 1:72 kit of the Mercury capsule, together with its Redstone launch rocket.

UNBOXING THE DRAGON 1:72 SCALE APOLLO 11 SPACECRAFT

Mat Irvine looks inside:

Model companies can spring surprises, and such was the case when Hong Kong-based Dragon recently announced brand new 1:72 scale kits in of the Apollo craft. Anyone familiar, even in passing, with kits of space subjects will be bound to know of the Airfix Apollo Lunar Module. It was first released many years ago, but was recently reissued with updated painting instructions and details (by me!) to correct the colour scheme, which since the very beginning has been wrong. (Or maybe ‘not quite right’…)

SEE-INSIDE MODELS WITH DRAGON PROJECT CUTAWAY

SMN report:

The people at Dragon certainly know how to press the buttons of this model fan. The latest range of ready-built models is called ‘Project Cutaway: Marvels of Mankind’. It’s a brilliant title for a range of cross-sectional models that allow you to see inside, behind the surface detail.

HIGHLY DETAILED METEOR JET TO 1:72 SCALE

SMN report:

There’s no apology for including another Dragon entry this week, as the Gloster Meteor F.3 is far and away the most detailed 1:72 scale kit of this important aircraft - the first Allied operational jet - that’s been made. It’s been out a while now, but this is the first time we’ve had a close look.

GIANT JEEP - DRAGON 'DESERT RAIDER' TO 1:6 SCALE

Mat Irvine looks at a four-wheeled shelf-filler:

Are kits getting bigger, or is it just my imagination? Or is there a good reason for sheer size? Well, here is a 1:6 scale vehicle that can lay claim to commonsense, for the Dragon SAS 4x4 Desert Raider Jeep is to the same scale as many popular military figures, such as GI Joe and Action Man, and also many of Dragon’s own superbly detailed military figures. This Jeep is not the first biggie from Hong Kong-based Dragon either - others include German vehicles, the Kubelwagen, Schwimmwagen, and Pz Kpfw II AusfB tank.

USEFUL SIZE CHART AND CUTAWAY FOR MODEL MAKERS

Congrats to SpaceX for the successful up-and-down flight of the Dragon space capsule.

And for telling us about the el neato 'secret cargo' it carried into space and back - a round of cheese, decorated with a wellie-wearing cow picture... mooo!! Apparently it was a tribute to Monty Python, though that's a sketch we missed here at SMN Towers.

Meantime, here's an excellent cutaway and size chart that compares the Dragon capsule with other spacecraft. So sharpen those craft knives, space fans...

Thanks to: Karl Tate of Space.com for the cutaway graphic, and Chris Thompson of SpaceX for the cheese pictures.

Visit Space.com here and SpaceX here.

DRAGON KITS ON DISPLAY AT JAPANESE MODEL SHOW

SMN report
Last week saw the 2010 Tokyo Hobby Show, and Hong Kong-based DML - Dragon Models Limited - put on quite a display there. Founded in 1987, DML is well-known for its excellent action figures, ready-built diecasts, and of course an ever-expanding range of plastic kits.

Farewell to the Harrier - in UK service anyway
So what’s on offer from Dragon at the moment? Well, there’s a smorgasbord of choice, so we’ll just pick and choose a few current faves. The Harrier II-Plus twin-kit to 1:144 scale makes up into a pair of tiny but tasty aircraft - and for this reviewer at least, a sad reminder that next year the Harrier will be phased out of UK military duty. But (grrr) the UK is the country that developed this formidable flying machine in the first place. Let’s hope that UK politicians don’t regret that decision...

Tanks and ships
On the humanoid front, the 1:35 scale 1940 German ‘Ghost’ Division tank crew kit assembles into a four-man set of beautifully sculpted and detailed figures. Away from World War II and up to date, the USS Independence LCS (Littoral Combat Ship) is a trimaran stealth vessel, built to project seapower as a seaborne assault transport. The LCS is a 2800-tonne design, yet can race through the water at more than 80 km/h (50 mph). Dragon’s kit is to 1:700 scale, which allows for a decent level of detail including Seahawk helos, Phalanx defence system, and nicely crafted photo-etch parts for the nets which surround the flight deck.

Bigger and bigger
Dragon has a wide range of kits, and in bigger scales, the 1:48 Messerschmitt Bf110 is particularly well-crafted, as is the 1:35 scale Bell UH-1N Huey, the combat vet chopper that formed the backbone of helicopter operations throughout the Vietnam War. This is such an excellent scale for military fans - and aircraft to the same scale are just so darned BIG! We love ’em.

See the Dragon 1:48 scale Bf110 kit here.

The ace 1:35 scale UH-1N Huey helicopter (our all-time fave helo) kit is here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1-2  Tokyo Model Show.
3-6  Dragon kits to various scales.
Pictures courtesy DML.

SOME EARLY STEALTH KITS WERE JUST PLAIN WRONG - SO GIVE THEM A TOTALLY NEW LOOK

Reading Mat Irvine’s recent piece on the F-117 Nighthawk had us hunting through the SMN Vault of Ancient Kits for an early iteration of the stealth story - a totally inaccurate kit, made by ...*maybe*... Dragon. But apologies if the maker’s wrong: all we found was a bag containing a sorry mixture of runners and parts, not even any instructions. Do let us know if you can identify!

But we’re not necessarily down on the imprecision-perp, as few details of the Nighthawk were available in the early days, and the kit was probably prepared from no more than a few blurred photos. However, this one is so spectacularly incorrect that it merits a new life as something else entirely. So here’s what we did with the poor beast.

The SMN crew is a huge fan of Japanese anime (animation) and in particular Akira, a 1988 sci-fi epic set in Neo-Tokyo, a near-future dystopia, and a movie that’s an acknowledged classic of its kind. Akira is awash with high-tech devices - orbital laser platforms, cryogenic chambers, hyperbikes - you name it, it’s probably in there somewhere.

So it seemed a good idea to recreate the feel of post-apocalypse anime with our old pile of parts. After a simple assembly, several coats of satin white covered the airframe, after which various bay doors were picked out in ink, and the canopy area painted with bare-metal aluminium finish. Akira and Manga logos were clipped from a DVD info sheet, and attached in suitable places. Then it was time for Photoshop...

And this involved more than a dozen picture layers, including speed blurs, explosions, smoke, sky, the aircraft and more. But we had fun and hope you like the result.

Look out for the upcoming SMN Freeebook Nighthawk for more info on this, and of course more accurate F-117 models.

The pictures above show, top to bottom:
1 A four-ship flight of real-deal F-117s.
2 Ventral view of our bogus F-117 shows a wing planform that’s far too steep. The real thing has much more sweepback.
2 The SMN Akirahawk braves heavy enemy fire as it approaches Neo-Tokyo on a bomb run.

For a selection of new stealths, try the link here.

Akira, in both movie and printed form, is here.

FLAKPANZER FROM DRAGON

More goodness from Dragon in the shape of a 1:35 scale Flakpanzer IV, one of the deadliest mobile anti-aircraft weapons in the German World War II arsenal. The kit is not cheap - Dragon’s suggested price is £41.99 GBP ($49.95 USD) - which itself is a rod to bear for the poor old Brits and Europeans. At current exchange rates, they pay hugely more than the sums lucky US buyers are asked to pony up.

Ho hum, moan over: what’s the kit like? For the AFV fan, it’s a winner whatever the price. Much attention has been given to fine detail, with particular thought paid to the turret, both inside and out, with neatly applied simulated welding patterns a neat feature. The four-barrel cannon is a work of art all by itself, and many parts are optioned for plastic or photo-etched metal.

Down at ground level, the tracks are fully detailed on both sides, as are the drive wheels and sprockets. Photo-etch parts can be seen in the lower pictures, where they show up against the unpainted model.

Good work Dragon - pity about the exchange rates though.

FOCKE WULF TA152 FROM DRAGON

Here’s a clean 1:48 scale kit from Dragon, featuring the Focke Wulf Ta 152, one of Germany’s best World War II interceptor fighters. It was given the ‘Ta’ prefix to recognize the designer-pilot Kurt Tank, who was also responsible for the earlier Fw 190, of which more than 20,000 were made. The Ta 152 was a late-war design that built on the earlier design, but was designed to combat Allied bomber streams more effectively.

Dragon’s model is well produced, with much newly-tooled detail, including the very nice touch of options for the engine cowling, which can now be shown with the cooling flaps open or shut. A fret of photo-etched parts is also included, and the canopy can be displayed open or closed.

You can visit Dragon here.

DRAGON KITS: ORANGE BOXES MEAN VALUE

MAIN
It’s good to see kit makers makers lending the model world a helping hand in these difficult economic times. And with that in mind, it’s great to see that Dragon seems to have really hit the spot with its Orange Box range.

Orange Box kits are previous-generation military models that have been upgraded, to include such items as tracks, figures, equipment - even gun turrets - to give us more for our money.

For example, the 1:35 scale Pershing tank shown above includes different gun barrels, a four-man US Army anti-tank team, and two kinds of track.

So far, there are seven items in the Orange Box military range. SMN says, keep bringin’ them on, Dragon!

You can view the Dragon range here.