In Box Review of Dragon 1/35th Scale
German panzergrenadiers (Arnhem 1944)
Kit no. 6161
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2002
Available at 1001 Hobbies for $28.33 and at 5 locations overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2002
Available at 1001 Hobbies for $28.33 and at 5 locations overseas on the web.
THE KIT:
Dragon (sometimes called DML) is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China. They manufacture all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. Readers know that I’m no fan of this type of box. Because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end-flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The cover art shows a color illustration of 4 German Panzergrenadiers on a cobblestone paved city street with two rows of trolley tracks. In the background there is a trolly-car and a German Jagdpanzer tank.
The trolly is brown with white window panes. The tank is in a wave camouflage of a base of earth yellow with green wave pattern.
Reading left to right, the first man is seated and bent over, supporting himself on his left arm. He is armed with a grenade launcher, that he holds in his right hand, resting it on his left knee. He wears a dark-grey steel helmet, olive-drab jacket and pants that are bloused into black jack-boots. He has a 98K carbine slung on his back. Field equipment on his belt consist of a tan canvas sack, a shovel in a pouch and ammo pouches.
The second man to the right is standing and walking forward. He is armed with a 98K carbine in both hands. He wears a dark-grey steel helmet. On his belt is field equipment of ammo cases, a mess kit, shovel in a pouch, bayonet in scabbard. His clothing is camouflaged in two shades of green. His pants are bloused at the bottom over low black shoes.
The third man to the right is standing and bent forward with his left arm on the shoulder of the fourth man. He is armed with an MG-36 sub-machine gun. He also wears a dark-grey steel helmet and olive-drab uniform. His pants also are bloused above low shoes. He has the same field equipment on his belt as the second man.
The fourth (and last man) on the right is kneeling on his right knee. He is armed with a 98K carbine in both hands. He also wears a dark-grey steel helmet, a camouflaged jacket in 2 shades of green and olive-drab pants. His pants are bloused like 2 of the other men and he has the same field equipment on his belt.
The lower right corner of the box art says: Unassembled model kit. This kit contains 68 parts for modelers aged 10 and over. Box contains models of 4 figures. In French and English.
One side panel of the box shows 2 color box arts of other figure kits that Dragon manufactures. Kit no. 6155, Kampfgruppe Von Luck (Normandy 1944) and kit no. 6163, U.S. 101st Airborne Division (Bastogne 1944). These are followed by a white sticker with blue lettering that says Hasegawa Hobby Kits and gives a phone and FAX number (for what reason?) The kit is not suitable for children under 3 because of small parts. It is for modelers aged 10 and over. In multiple languages, including English.
Dragon (sometimes called DML) is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China. They manufacture all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. Readers know that I’m no fan of this type of box. Because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end-flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The cover art shows a color illustration of 4 German Panzergrenadiers on a cobblestone paved city street with two rows of trolley tracks. In the background there is a trolly-car and a German Jagdpanzer tank.
The trolly is brown with white window panes. The tank is in a wave camouflage of a base of earth yellow with green wave pattern.
Reading left to right, the first man is seated and bent over, supporting himself on his left arm. He is armed with a grenade launcher, that he holds in his right hand, resting it on his left knee. He wears a dark-grey steel helmet, olive-drab jacket and pants that are bloused into black jack-boots. He has a 98K carbine slung on his back. Field equipment on his belt consist of a tan canvas sack, a shovel in a pouch and ammo pouches.
The second man to the right is standing and walking forward. He is armed with a 98K carbine in both hands. He wears a dark-grey steel helmet. On his belt is field equipment of ammo cases, a mess kit, shovel in a pouch, bayonet in scabbard. His clothing is camouflaged in two shades of green. His pants are bloused at the bottom over low black shoes.
The third man to the right is standing and bent forward with his left arm on the shoulder of the fourth man. He is armed with an MG-36 sub-machine gun. He also wears a dark-grey steel helmet and olive-drab uniform. His pants also are bloused above low shoes. He has the same field equipment on his belt as the second man.
The fourth (and last man) on the right is kneeling on his right knee. He is armed with a 98K carbine in both hands. He also wears a dark-grey steel helmet, a camouflaged jacket in 2 shades of green and olive-drab pants. His pants are bloused like 2 of the other men and he has the same field equipment on his belt.
The lower right corner of the box art says: Unassembled model kit. This kit contains 68 parts for modelers aged 10 and over. Box contains models of 4 figures. In French and English.
One side panel of the box shows 2 color box arts of other figure kits that Dragon manufactures. Kit no. 6155, Kampfgruppe Von Luck (Normandy 1944) and kit no. 6163, U.S. 101st Airborne Division (Bastogne 1944). These are followed by a white sticker with blue lettering that says Hasegawa Hobby Kits and gives a phone and FAX number (for what reason?) The kit is not suitable for children under 3 because of small parts. It is for modelers aged 10 and over. In multiple languages, including English.
The other side panel says the kit contains parts for four figures. Paint and cement are not included. In six languages, including English.
Copyright of the kit is 2002, over Dragon’s street address in Hong Kong, China and kit was made there.
Copyright of the kit is 2002, over Dragon’s street address in Hong Kong, China and kit was made there.
The bottom of the box serves as the painting guide and assembly instructions. It shows color illustrations of the front and back of each of the 4 figures. Over line drawings of an M43 field blouse and Keilhose trousers. Illustrations are all done by Dragon’s residence artist Ronald Volstad.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 3 medium-grey part trees in 2 sealed clear cello bags.
Trees are not alphabetized. Instead, they have tabs with kit numbers on them.
The largest medium-grey tree has tab no. 6161(which is this kit). It holds: the parts of the figures (divided into separate heads, torsos, arms and legs), 4 canteens, 4 canvas pouches, 4 shovels in pouches, 3 bayonets in scabbards, 4 canteens, 4 steel helmets, 2 potato-masher type grenades and ammo cases (57 parts)
This kit holds 3 medium-grey part trees in 2 sealed clear cello bags.
Trees are not alphabetized. Instead, they have tabs with kit numbers on them.
The largest medium-grey tree has tab no. 6161(which is this kit). It holds: the parts of the figures (divided into separate heads, torsos, arms and legs), 4 canteens, 4 canvas pouches, 4 shovels in pouches, 3 bayonets in scabbards, 4 canteens, 4 steel helmets, 2 potato-masher type grenades and ammo cases (57 parts)
One small medium-grey tree has a tab no. 6024 on it. This tree is from Dragon’s kit of German Sturmpioniere (Kursk 1943) and common to that kit. It holds 3 carbines.
The other small medium-grey tree has tab no. 6020 on it. This tree is from Dragon’s kit of German Volkssturm (Berlin 1945) and common to that kit. It holds: another 2 carbines, 2 different sub-machine guns (a MG-36 and a Sig-44) and a grenade launcher (6 parts)
Nice detail.
Recommended.
Recommended.