Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $26.95 I constantly tell my hobby pals, "in today's hobby market, ANYTHING is possible", and the release of a 1/72nd "Dragon Wagon" in injection plastic from a major manufacturer is proof of this! Parts to assemble both the M25 Tractor and M15 Semi trailer come with this kit, which will make for a VERY large 1/72nd model! Opening the box, the modeler will find five sprues of dark green plastic, together with the instruction sheet and a very small sheet of water slide decals. Fidelity of detail on the plastic parts is very good, and I could not find any sink marks that would cause the modeler any difficulties. No flash was present on any of the parts, and the plastic used is of high quality. The kit part count comes in at a tad over 200, and looking over the instructions, construction appears to be pretty straightforward, following the standard Academy "exploded diagram" method of drawing up instruction sheets. Sections 1 through 4 deal with the massive tractor cab, with all the armored doors/hatches (10 that I can count) being separate parts. These may therefore be positioned open or closed, but the inner surfaces do have large ejector pin marks that will need careful removal if the "open" option is desired. Inside the cab detail is fairly good for the scale, with separate seats, individual steering column and steering wheel parts etc. However, if modelers wish to have the doors/hatches open, more details could be added to the cavernous interior for a more "busy" effect. Moving onto Sections 5 through 11 one finds the main chassis sections for the Tractor. Detail is again decent for the scale, although the more fastidious modeler will probably want to add some sort of representation of the cables to the cable winches, the kit cable drums being "smooth". However, the rest of the tractor chassis is nicely detailed, with various brake levers, winches, gas cylinders etc littered about the place. Section 13 through 19 details the construction of the M15 trailer. Lots of parts and they are all very nicely molded, and nothing in the construction sequences that should tax the average modeler. It is after all just a giant flat bed platform! One area that does need attention if the modeler wishes a more accurate completed model is the tires for the trailer and tractor. Those in the kit have a rather pronounced "square" look to them, whereas looking at the photos in my references the tires really had a more rounded structure. Look at the kit parts, look at your references, and you will see what I mean. The KEY to getting the most out of this kit will be making sure everything is in alignment. The M25 tractor comprises 10 large wheels, all of which need to be lined up evenly front to rear, and all need to touch the ground evenly. The trailer consists of an additional 8 large wheels. Take your time, think the building sequences through, and if necessary, build yourself some simple jigs to keep the parts aligned while the glue is setting up. Ejection pin marks: the area of most concern is part A1, the main section of the M15 trailer. There are quite a few heavy pin marks on this part, and while some will be covered up by the time construction is complete, many more will remain visible. These pin marks are in some hard to reach places, so again, locate them, fill them, and carefully sand smooth the filler, this effort will certainly pay dividends. Also keep an eye on the instructions for errors. In Section 9, construction of the winches: Part B9 in the instructions is actually Part B10, and Part B10 is actually Part B9. Hopefully this is the only error, but remain vigilant in case there are more. Colors and Markings: well, painting this monster will be easy enough, Olive Drab, with the modeler's choice of color for the tires. Markings on the other hand might be a bit more difficult: the three options all list the year as "1994". Does this mean these are from private or museum collections photographed in 1994, or does it mean Academy made a "typo", and they mean "1944"?? Check your references! If you have ever wanted a Dragon Wagon kit in this scale, then here it is. Taking ones time with construction will result in a very impressive model right out of the box, and Academy are to be commended for taking the risk in tooling this huge kit. My sincere thanks to MRC (www.modelrectifier.com) for providing IPMS USA with this review sample.

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