Let's see who can correctly guess what new kits will be released by Dragon in 1:72 over the next 12 months.

Based on current releases I'd suggest:


a) Ostwind

b) SdKfz 7


They never seem to care about what other manufacturers do, in fact thye seem to deliberately target things others have launched.

Jolyon

Whatever they do ill bet that at least half of the hatches will be moulded shut along with the minimum number of parts they can get away with plus an upward trend in the price. I think that is fairly predictable. They seem to have lost the plot!

f

I've actually been pleasantly surprised with a number of the recent Dragon releases.

The Japanese tanks were a welcome change. The neubaufahrzeug was a model I never thought I'd see in 1/72, and I liked the LVT series and Horch's.

Still... where are those early war Panzer IV and III's...?

Dragon, if you are listeing, how about a Lynx..!!

Q

With the trend for simpler kits with less parts I'm afraid that Dragon would over-simplify their v. nice Pz.IV kits to what we got with their newer (Japanese armor,Pz. III range) kits and I agree that unless they up prices even more (gulp!), this is our fare from now on. OTOH, Dragon has been a steady even prolific mainstream force in 1/72 for the last few years for which I'm grateful (YES on the Japanese armor, LVTs, and Churchills!). My build stash is a quarter or more of bright yellow Armor-Pro boxes, and in spite of the simplification of their newer kits I still look with interest to all their new braille releases. Cheers.

Increased prices & decreased quality.



FWIW & All the best
Andy S.

I'm hoping less German stuff and more British/American. There's so much that could use a better kit of.

I see Dragon releasing a bunch of re-hashes of their current kits as they really aren't releasing more esoteric Allied stuff. I also don't see Dragon adding to their figures in 1/72 either. I've pretty much given up on Dragon. Zvezda seems to be out pacing Dragon regarding figures.
Charlie

...there are a few Sherman's left to cover, including the M4 composite/Firefly IC composite as well as a late M4 or M4 105mm. Dragon has covered all these in 1/35th, and all that would be required would be a couple new upper hulls. Still, I get the sense that Dragon has moved on from Shermans.

The LVT series was a nice surprise, and seems to have sold well, judging by how hard they are to find in shops. Maybe another out-of-the-blue Pacific War subject, like the type 89? Or reuse that LVT-(A)4 turret and finally give modellers a M8 HMC and M5!

Will (who knows that Vietnam-era subjects are too much to hope for)

I've written that before and I'm gonna write it AGAIN.

Modellers are NOT the main target for DML in Braille, and they are going to be less and less on the priority list.

The target are people who model occasionally and want a hassle-free build of a model that looks the part OOB. That could range anywhere from 6-8 y.o. that get this from the shop to glue together with Dad (who's into 1/35) to your colleague next desk who saw this passing by the LHS and rememberied gluing Airfix being 6-8 y.o. These are people who buy presents for kids, colleagues and spouses who'd glue the thing together, spash ANY paint that came w/ the kit and put it in the cupboard or play with it on the floor until it broke. Noone's gonna just spend $60 on a gift the recipient couldn't possibly figure out, so they get the cheap stuff in 72nd.

Wargamers, who'd buy 4-5 pieces each and wouldn't want to deal w/ DML's very thin and easily breakable PE, are also welcomed.

These kits are aimed at simplicity, not 100% accuracy. If you want a model w/ separate OVM, towing cables and extras - go get a 35th scale kit. 1200 parts - half of them spares.

Just like the Cromwell models threads I feel it is OK to express opinions, but that looks much better with a few pictures of models attached.

Basically my reasoning is the following: people appreciate models less and less. They want more for less money (just like their employers do -> more work + pay cut). They buy less and therefore DML sees no point in producing new molds.

Just look at Trumpeter. If I can buy a 1/72 tank for $10 and 1/35 tank for $15 which one would I pick? The big one. So they literally ditched the 72nd (oh wow, the Warrior!!!). Academy is rumored to also plan for the same move. Revell's half-hearted recent attempts are also a bad indicator (still LOVE their older kits). Now we're basically left w/ DML and a bunch of resin manufacturers and still not happy. On their end there's no initiative to improve on anything but cost effectiveness. So... unless Eduard branches out in armor I can't see the light in the end of the tunnel.

Feel free to dislike DML, all I am saying is they are nothing but reasonable.

"Feel free to dislike DML, all I am saying is they are nothing but reasonable."

Amen! Like any other business they're in this for the money, nothing more, nothing less.

Their bottom-line is all they care about, and that's very reasonable, for the long run!

/Steen


Keep updated on new announcements and releases from the small scale manufacturers at http://inscalemodelling.com

They would do well to remember the maxim: 'The Customer Is Always Right'.

Just a thought, all the best
Andy S.

I'd say we as modelers and Braille Scale collectors have dropped the ball during the heyday of great releases coming out fast and furious. I can only speculate that because of the moaning and complaining about this inaccuracy or that and not buying the model becasue of it, we screwed ourselves out of potential newer and/or updated kits. If the complaints had followed large quantities of sales of these models; then we would have shown our economic power and probably gotten more of a response from them. Instead, the wargamers, gift buyers, and simplicity modelers out-bought us and caught more of the attention of Dragon and others. Maybe I'm wrong, but Peter's comments seem to indicate some truth to this.

S Model brand is offering the new quick-build H tank ( H-39 ) for around 5 USD, it has guide teeth & face detail on the tracks. The images of their advertizement also seem to show a pair of Pz.II/C with similar track detail, for around 6.13 USD. However, no pics yet of their new A.13 cruiser tank.

This is a Chinese company making quick-build 1/72 scale plastic armor, as previously mentioned here. The pictures look very nice.

Hi Mark, There was a mention of them on a 'Guild' website
but so many site use the Guild name I can't recall which one I
registered into, but it did post some pics of the A9

I posted two of them here a while back

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Anyone got anymore info on S models?

Cheers Elliott

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.10.48&id=15131693024

Hi Elliot, nice to chat again. I don't know if the above link to a website selling these quick build kits will work ok. I was able to view five views in color, of painted Pz.II kits, and of German grey scheme (beute) H-39 tanks.
The twos looked good, while the tracks for both were excellent to my eye. They are definitely making a new "hybrid" model armor kit for a broad audience.

Hello Mark and Elliot,
Can you help me with more information about this Chinese manufacturer. In first instance the quick built kits looks me acceptable. (I don't know about correct scale etc.)But they looks fine.
Do you know about a manufacturer website: or links to websites that sell this kits.
The 1/72 kits from this manufacturer looks a nice upgrade for my website.
On the moment I have found 3 kits Pz. II, H-39 and the A13. (are there more??)
Best greetings, Henk

Hello Henk; nice to talk with you once again. I don't know more than what has been said here,-except to say that these appear a good bargain for my small amount of money. In other words...the importers/ middlemen are making much profit, compared to the actual just cost for little 1/72 scale plastic kits.

As somebody said before: why pay 3-5 dollars less...for a 1/72 scale detailed model construction kit...as compared to 1/35th scale? This is an old conversation. But there are many ( and changing ) practices coming to much of 1/72 scale modelling/ 20mm wargaming. If it pleases you,-think of miniatures wargaming as improving, in detail/ quality. Mark

Mark and Others,

I'm intouch with sModel. I have made allready a page about this branche on my website.
http://henk.fox3000.com/sModel.htm
On the page are the first 4 released kits. But I have info that they have released also 3 other new kits to know: British Crusader MK.I/II, British Vickers Mk.VIB, Itality cv-33.
When I have become the pictures they will added to the page.
Greetings, Henk

nt

Greetings Mondria
-------------------------------------------
some of my work
http://midnightgreys.blogspot.com/

Hello

I don't know why people look to Dragon for 1/72 scale. There is much more to the 1/72 scale world than Dragon.

Yes Dragon have provided some good kits recently, but not all the products have been up to scratch - such as the Horch, a nice kit other than having sides thicker than a Panzer, no interior door detail, not even an outline of the door shape, (which makes for a very ordinary model with the canopy down), and incorrectly shaped rear doors.

Look at all the great 1/35th Dragon offerings that have never been scaled down to 1/72 - that's enough proof that 1/35th is the market that is being targeted.

Thankfully there are many other manufacturers out there who regularly churn out fair to decent to very good kits on a regular basis. Yes some of those kits need work, in the form of sanding and filler, etc - but so do some Dragon kits (such as the Horch if you want it canopy down and correctly shaped rear doors).

If Dragon, Revell & Italeri, were the only suppliers of Braille Scale kits, I'd be changing hobbies, or scales. Boring range, maybe they mostly fit together well and have clear instructions, but 90% of their braille offerings are dull and uninspiring stuff to more than a few of us.

However if all Dragon's 1/35th range was also available in 1/72 scale I'd have a cupboard full of their kits, and damn the cost.

cheers
Neil

I complain as loudly and obnoxiously as the next guy about closed
hatches, rubber band tracks and tools moulded on, but I'd still
rather have kits than no kits. I'm remembering back around 1993
when the only 1/72 in production were ancient Hasegawa kits, and
one was lucky to find some leftover ESCI. Back then I'd never
have dreamed there'd ever be such things as Russian softskins
or French light tanks in this scale. I think we have it pretty
good myself. I agree with others here that 1/72 display modellers
will never be the target consumers for the big model companies.
So, when I see some of the incredible builds here I know
serious work and modelling skill went into it, 'cause that
doesn't come out of the box in this scale.

But back on topic, here are my predictions:

Flakpanzers are a good guess
LRDG Jeep twin pack
234 Armoured car series (cause we just don't have enough pumas)
Shinhoto Chi Ha
Something German with a really long barrel

What I'd love to see but fear I won't:
Early version panzers
US M5 light tank series

Hi Marton,

I go back to 1963 and can safely say braille scale modellers have it really made nowadays, what with good kits and after-market we are positively spoilt for choice. We are after all modellers, or so we purport, to have kits that need no 'tweaking' would make us kit-makers and that wouldn't be as much fun.

I complain as much as the next person, but only about the lack of certain types (British Cruiser tanks) in the manufacturers inventory. I don't normally complain about the quality of the kits as I remember being stuck with the Airfix Panther, Sherman, Stug III and SdKfz 234 armoured car as the modelling choice back then. I think we should be grateful for what we get and if it isn't to our liking, no one is making you buy it.

Predictions?

I reckon a few more Pz IIIs and maybe they may surprise us all and do some of the American tank destroyers, as they have the chassis to hand. All they would need is a superstructure and a turret.

All the best,

Paul