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DRAGON MODELS LIMITED
7285, Challenger 2 w/Dozer Blade. 1/72nd-scale styrene/multimedia kit containing 135 styrene parts, one etched brass fret, two DS-100 track lengths and six pages of instructions in eight steps.
Introduction.
When DML first began marketing kits in 1/72nd-scale, the Challenger 2 was among their early offerings. These early offerings had die-cast metal hulls that proved to be un-popular with modelers. As most now know, DML has abandoned the die-cast parts and replaced them with styrene items. This recent release benefits from that upgrade and since it now includes a Pearson Bulldozer Blade Kit, it may warrant serious consideration by Braille Scale modelers who also like modern AFVs.
Tracks.
These come in one length for each side, in the now-familiar DS100 flexible styrene material. The detail is crisp on both faces of the links and they can be joined together with standard styrene cement.
Suspension System.
The road-wheels are conventionally broken down into two halves each, as are the drive sprockets and idler wheels. Separate return rollers are also included.
Hull.
The hull pan is from a slide mold; its sides feature bump stops, suspension swing arms, final drive housings and axles; the belly plate has panel details molded in place as well. The separate lower front plate contains the idler wheel mounts. The rear plate has a number of separate fittings such as a tow bar, jerry can rack (nicely replicated for this scale using a slide-mold), communication wire reel, tow clevis mounts, mud-flaps and fuel drums. Everything else is molded in place including the main tow bar mount, lunette, spare track links and the tail lamp housings. Much of the molded-on detail is crisp enough and will repay careful painting. However, it will be difficult to properly finish tail lamps beneath their guards.
Superstructure.
The slide-molded main superstructure part has fine molded-on surface detail to include panel lines, filler ports, gun tube protection rail and engine deck grills; some of the latter are complimented by etched brass screens. Separate stowage boxes and a gun tube travel lock add some fine touches. Aside from the standard molded-on exhaust ports, new TECs (Thermal Exhaust Cowls) are provided; these are open on their bottoms and should be closed off with appropriately-sized styrene. Up front, a separate driver’s hatch lid is provided as are side-view mirrors, mud-flaps and fire extinguisher/head-lamp combinations. The splash plate molded in place is rather thick and could very well have been replaced with a more-to-scale etched brass part.
The sides of the superstructure have some very fine details for the various appliqué armor panel mounts and also have the standard “peace-time” side skirts molded in place. These can be used as is, or augmented by separate, multi-part Chobham armor appliqué arrays. The only major item not present here is the canvas skirts that were hung below the appliqué arrays. These serve two purposes: the obvious one of keeping the dust down, and the less well-known purpose of concealing the radar signature of the road-wheels from prying weapons sensors. Also missing are the tow cables seen on each side, above the skirts.
Turret.
The upper turret shell is produced using a slide mold and is presented loose, in a bag. As a result of being “factory-trimmed” from its mold gate by DML, very small sections of its lower and rear edges have been slightly “distressed”; some filling will be required to fix things up. The main gun, its mantlet and the commander’s rotating sight housing are all created using a slide-mold for maximum detail. The commander’s cupola features a separate hatch lid and periscope head guard plate, while the loader’s hatch lid comes with a two-part machine gun attached to a separate pintle mount. A number of antenna and sensor masts as well as Combat Identification Panels (CIPs) complete this assembly.
Bulldozer Blade.
The “Pearson Bulldozer Blade Kit” comes as a rather intricate (for this scale) 12-part assembly, and can be positioned as the modeler wishes, with a bit of extra work. It is nicely-detailed and will reward careful assembly and clean-up.
Molding, Fit and Engineering.
Overall, molding is OK, but there is a certain lack of crispness on more than a few of the parts. There were a no visible ejector pin marks to clean. On my sample, the action of “ejecting” the back face of the ‘dozer blade from its mold resulted in some blemishes on the front face; so a bit of work is required there. Overall, there were no sink marks on my sample.
Accuracy.
I have no 1/72nd-scale plans to compare this kit to; photos and larger scale drawings indicate that the kit is properly rendered.
Instructions.
These consist of the not very well-accepted photographic-style illustrations, complimented by a drawing that shows the assembly of the ‘dozer blade; regardless, they are easily followed, especially since they only contain eight main steps. On one critical point, the mounting of the ‘dozer blade to the lower front hull plate, the instructions are completely inadequate. The above-mentioned drawing shows the blade’s construction, while a later photo shows it already in place, with no information about how this is done. The single paint scheme for an un-marked tank is illustrated by four photos of a finished and painted model. As usual, colors are keyed to Gunze and Model Master paints.
Decals and Marking Information.
There are no decals included, which I feel is a major disappointment. I am unaware of any after-market decal sets for the Challenger 2 in this scale, so if the modeler wants to make this tank more distinctive, much work will be involved. I feel that DML should have better served the modeler in this regard, especially since several Concord books would have provided a ready reference source.
Conclusion.
Although an interesting variation and certainly a kit with quite a bit of potential, I think this kit would have been much more appealing had the parts been a bit more refined and a choice of markings been supplied. On the other hand, compared to what small-scale modelers are “historically” used to dealing with, this is essentially a decent little kit.
Recommended with reservations.
Frank V. “Curly Stooge” De Sisto
References consulted for this review included, but were not limited to:
1. “Challenger 1 & 2, Spearhead of the British Royal Armoured Corps”, Concord 7505, by W. Böhm, P. Siebert & H. Cance.
2. “Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank 1987-2006”, Osprey New Vanguard 112, by S. Dunstan & T. Bryan.
3. “British Armoured Battle Group”, Concord 7520, by T. Mätzold, D. Nowak & L. Lecocq.
In addition, various issues of Concord’s “Assault” and “Special Ops” series’ have photos of the Challenger 2, as do some other Concord titles dedicated to the current war in Iraq.
Reviewer’s note: Since May of 2005, I have been working on books for Concord Publications, a sister company to DML. The reader may wish to take this into consideration. For my part, I will attempt to maintain an objective viewpoint when writing these reviews.
DML kits are available from retail and mail order shops. For details see their web site at: www.dragonmodelsltd.com.
