SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED - 1:72 SCALE HA-GO LIGHT TANK FROM DRAGON

SMN report

The Chinese model company Dragon continues to add subjects to its wide-ranging list of AFV kits. This time, it’s a ‘model aircraft’ 1:72 scale Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, as manufactured by Mitsubishi and used in the 1942 Philippines campaign.

Type 95 tank, preserved at the US Army Ordnance Museum.

SPACECRAFT MODELS FROM DRAGON - X-37B, DELTA II, SPACE SHUTTLE, HST SHOULD KEEP ARMCHAIR ASTRONAUTS SMILING... AND THERE'S A BELL X-1 ROCKET-PLANE TOO

SMN report

The Chinese model company Dragon continues to add models to its ‘Space Collection’ range. The subjects vary in scale from 1:72 to 1:400 scale, plus 1:6 scale astronaut figures. Spacecraft are ready-built, mixing diecast-and-plastic parts, and there are several new ones that have just come in, including a variation on the 1:72 scale X-37B ‘mini Shuttle’ we discussed a while back.

X-37B glides in to a smooth landing

Dragon’s latest X-37B represents the automated vehicle in early glide-test mode, which is a neat (if specialist) addition to a tabletop space fleet. As we mentioned before, the real thing looks distinctly more careworn than this miniature version, but no matter, you can always give Dragon’s X-37B a dose of the weathering treatment with an airbrush.

DRAGON SPACECRAFT RETURNS FROM ORBIT! X-37B LANDS ON RUNWAY!

SMN report
News that the US company SpaceX successfully test-flew its Dragon space capsule today makes SMN really proud - for this company is in the vanguard of the privatization of space. Along with the likes of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic program, it looks as if there might be a future for rocketry in the post-Space Shuttle era after all.

Spacecraft models from Dragon
And talking of Dragons, the Chinese model company of the same name is busy releasing a miniature ‘Space Collection’, to 1:72 and 1:400 scale, plus 1:6 scale astronaut figures. The spacecraft are all ready-built, mixing diecast metal with injection-plastic parts, and while some are familiar subjects - Apollo and Shuttle feature strongly - there is at least one really interesting of-the-moment release, and that’s the 1:72 scale X-37B OTV (Orbital Test Vehicle).

X-37B in space
Looking much like a mini-Shuttle (and originally designed to fit inside a Space Shuttle cargo bay) NASA’s X-37B program was taken over by the US Department of Defense in 2004. The craft saw its first orbital flight on April 22 this year, and stayed aloft on a secret mission until returning just last week, on December 3. The X-37B is a completely automated winged vehicle that lands on a runway like the Space Shutttle.

Comparing model with reality
The Dragon X-37B is a neat piece of model engineering that sits on a stylish stand. However, it’s interesting to compare the smooth and sleek lines of the 1:72 scale model with the lumps, bumps, and varying textures of the real thing, as seen in the official pictures above. And look at those white protective suits - the engineer-techs look for all the world like extras from a Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster - Close Encounters anyone?!

Well done Dragon for this X-37B - it’s an unusual subject that’s been well captured. Let’s hope the company will provide a 1:72 scale Dragon capsule soon, preferably with a seven-astronaut crew inside!

We’ll be showing a neat diagram of the Dragon capsule and other spacecraft in the next day or two - keep your eyes peeled for that.

Visit Dragon Models here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  X-37B 1:72 scale model from Dragon.
2  CGI of the X-37B in orbit, with solar panels extended.
3  X-37B post-flight on the runway.
4-5 Technicians fettle the X-37B after its seven-month-plus mission.

MEGA MODELS FROM MARK 1 TANKS

Most entries in SMN are of bookshelf-size models, ranging from 1:35 or so (model AFVs) down into the 1:700 range (model ships), but sometimes a different ‘something’ comes along that makes us step back in awe - and today that’s the world of BIIIGGG scale model tanks, represented in the pictures here, shown courtesy Mark 1 Tanks. As you can see, the Mark 1 AFVs are simply humungously huge - certainly big enough to chew up the garden with tread patterns through the flower beds!

1:6 scale tanks are highly suitable for using with existing military figures and equipment, such as those from Hong Kong-based Dragon, while 1:4 scale ones are that much bigger and heavier - the Tiger 1, for example, measures 2.1 m (7 ft) including the gun barrel, and weighs some 200 kg (440 lb).

Options on tanks like this typically include a turret that turns, elevating gun with firing sound and recoil, there’s even a smoke generator to simulate engine exhaust fumes, necessary because the model runs on clean electricity - power comes from a 12 or 24 volt supply, with tank commanders using 6-channel RC for precise control of all functions.

At this scale, the level of detail you can add to a basic kit is near-infinite, and a decent photograph will make a model tank look as utterly convincing as the real thing.

The pictures show just a few of the tanks available from Mark 1 Tanks.

Visit Mark 1 Tanks here.

Visit Dragon Models here.

A range of 1:6 scale Dragon figures and AFV equipment is available here.

CAN WE EVER HAVE TOO MUCH DETAIL?

More detail please! It’s the cry of many a model fan, and it’s fair to say that over the years the manufacturers have done us proud, regularly achieving levels of quality that were unheard of in times past. And Dragon’s 1:700 scale USS Hancock aircraft carrier is a case in point - it’s packed with useful innovations that allow the keen builder to produce a model with that ‘little bit extra’.

For a start, the 387 mm (15.2 in) long USS Hancock can be built as a waterline or full-hull vessel, making it equally usable as a diorama or display piece. Many fine details have been captured in photo-etched metal form for that extra touch of quality. A transparent flight deck option allows you to see into the hangar deck below. A full-hull or waterline tugboat is included as an attractive come-on to anyone wanting to add nautical interest. There’s also a flight deck crew included, though at just 2.6 mm (.10 in) tall, these are tweezer-only humans! The list goes on, with aircraft that are moulded in transparent plastic, so that even at this scale, you can opt for see-through canopies.

So the answer to the question “can we ever have too much detail?” is probably not, provided it’s well done and doesn’t overwhelm the practical aspects of model building. This particular kit is a fine effort from Dragon and is becoming available through model stores and online suppliers, including eBay here.


The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Attractive box art.
2 Transparent deck options.
3 Tug boat option.

BLAST OFF! CHINESE ROCKETS FROM DRAGON, REALSPACE, TRUMPETER,

A MAT IRVINE REVIEW
A year ago today, China’s space ambitions took a big step forward with a spacewalk, taken by one of the three crew aboard the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft. China had become the third humans-in-space country five years before in 2003, when Shenzhou 5 carried the first Chinese taikonaut, air force pilot Yang Liwei. Shenzhou 6 followed in 2005.

Because of the difficulty of translating Chinese into English, various terms for their astronauts have been proffered, but ‘taikonaut’ - derived from ‘taikong’, Chinese for ‘space’ - is the one that has ended up in general use.

Getting details of the rockets and craft is not easy: it’s rather like getting information on Soviet rocketry in the Cold War years. However, the Shenzhou (‘Magic Vessel’ or ‘Divine Craft’) spacecraft is available as a 1:72 scale kit from Trumpeter, which is appropriate, as it is China’s main model kit company.

Shenzhou’s launcher is based on the long-running Chang Zheng, or ‘Long March’ rocket. Dragon, the Hong-Kong based model company, has issued two versions of the Chang Zheng CZ-2 to 1:48 scale, the CZ-2E satellite launcher and the CZ-2F Shenzhou launcher. At some 1220 mm (48 in) tall, the CZ-2F version is only a bit shorter than Revell’s 1:96 scale Saturn V, making it a contender as one of the world’s largest 'static space model' kits.

If you want a Chang Zheng rocket in the more widespread 1:144 rocket scale, Glenn Johnson’s RealSpace Models in the US offers a decent resin kit, complete with decals.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Trumpeter 1:72 scale Shenzhou spacecraft, mounted on an included planet Earth base, here painted with simulated cloud formations.
2 Dragon 1:48 scale CZ-2F launcher, compared with the RealSpace Models 1:144 scale version. Both come with base mounts.
2 RealSpace Models 1:144 scale CZ-2F resin kit box at left, with the built model in front. A 1:144 Airfix Space Shuttle at back gives an idea of the large scale of the Chinese launch system.

Visit RealSpace here, and Dragon here.

You can view the Trumpeter Shenzou at Hannants here.