Dragon 1/72 Saturn V

[dehowie]

Got my Dragon Saturn V in the mail today huge box.

Any idea's on accuracy etc?

Looking forward to starting it as it will be huge...

[K2Pete]

I Googled to see a review and there were quite a few hits.

CollectSpace has 11 pages of thoughts on the Pre-assembled model. There are a lot of inaccuracies (fairings, umbilicals, decals) but most of the guys are thrilled with the size of it and don't seem to give a hoot about the 'flaws'.

So seeing as you have it in your hands, you'd be the best one to tell us how accurate it is!

[dehowie]

HinPete

It is huge ill say hat much.

The engines etc look pretty nicely detailed with a base and supporting rod for stability.

Lots of clear parts to view the internal stowage of the lander etc.

It murders the old Revell disaster but other than that im not sure how its different from the pre assembled kit.

For just over a 100 its a great deal and im sure will dominate any room you put it in.

As for detail accuracy no idea..but boy it looks cool!

[Tim_B]

Hi, see This link to Sven Ninfinger's site. I added the detailed list on Space-Modellers last year. Happy to take any corrections. I am not trying to rubbish the model, and will (re) build it when I have the time to do it justice.

Regards

Tim

[habu2]

...

The engines etc look pretty nicely detailed with a base and supporting rod for stability.

Lots of clear parts to view the internal stowage of the lander etc.

...

Sounds like you are talking about the 4D Vision 1/100 Saturn V. The DML 1/72 Saturn V kit I have does not have a base, supporting rod or clear parts.

I have been making a list of inaccuracies & corrections I'm making to my pre-painted DML 1/72 kit, I can post them if interested.

[habu2]

I have been making a list of inaccuracies & corrections I'm making to my pre-painted DML 1/72 kit, I can post them if interested.

Hi, see This link to Sven Ninfinger's site. I added the detailed list on Space-Modellers last year.

OK Tim's list is much more comprehensive than mine. To date all I have done is paint the fins silver and "re-clock" the 2nd and 3rd stages. The rest will have to wait until I repaint the entire model. I've also purchased the Apogee Rockets 1/70 decal sheet.

[dehowie]

Hi Habu the 72nd kit im talking about is the kit not the pre built...

Lots of clear parts..

http://www.hlj.com/product/CYVCH11017/Rsc

Edited May 1, 2013 by dehowie

[vehicle]

Please post photos of the details of this kit.

The pre built kit has some nay errors, mainly I see the stringer patterns look identical. Does the new model kit have them look close to the real thing or not?

[mynameismatt]

I just ordered this kit off of ebay. I should have it by Tuesday. I'm no Saturn V expert, but if you would like any photos, I can post them.

[spellbinder99]

Any pictures would be appreciated, in particular what clear parts they supply, the decal sheet and how the kit is broken down. I have some pretty fair ideas from the pre-built I have but any other info would be great.

Cheers

Tony

[timc]

Here's a link to what you get in the kit. Dragon 1/72 Saturn V

Edited May 12, 2013 by timc

[vehicle]

The stringer detail isn't right and also the aft cone of the third stage isn't at all accurate.

[habu2]

Sprue Brothers shows it in stock

http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/dmls11017-os.htm

[Bo105flyer]

Sounds like you are talking about the 4D Vision 1/100 Saturn V. The DML 1/72 Saturn V kit I have does not have a base, supporting rod or clear parts.

I have been making a list of inaccuracies & corrections I'm making to my pre-painted DML 1/72 kit, I can post them if interested.

I have had my 2 kits for little over a week now & as far as accuracies, I can not comment on any other than what others have said already. One glaring problem I wanted to see corrected was to have the first stage F-1 engines molded with the "Batted" insulation installed but you get the typical F-1 engine as found in the 1/96 & 1/144 scale injection kits by Revell, Monogram, & Airfix. My kits have lots of clear parts & a base with a big sturdy rod. Sprue Brothers has a good deal on them but I got my one of my kits from Tower Hobbies taking advantage of their $15 off any order over $50 plus free shipping which worked out to $107.99. Hey don't for get to order the Space Model Systems decals (available from Cultman) as the kit decals are lacking.

These kits come in a large box so be prepared if you need to put these in your stash for the short term until you get around to building it.

I'm sure others here will post more comments.

Steve Sliger

Greenwell Springs, LA

[Scott Smith]

I'm going to bump this one up. I started building mine yesterday, and after joining the tube halves and gluing on the ribbed sections I started looking in to all the exterior details that glue on. Wow, what a disappointment this is. Each part has pins on the back, but there are no locations marked on the body of the second stage where they go. So not only do you have to figure out the "clocking" , but then you have to drill all the holes.

Another issue is the tops of the tanks that glue inside the tubes. There is one down low in the first stage with a hole drilled through it for the aluminum rod on the stand. No big deal, but the plans don't show one up top in the proper location. And the second stage has one in the middle that you cannot see once everything is closed up. I'm going to see if I can install that one at the top of the first stage.

[mynameismatt]

I finished mine. Never again. besides the inaccuracies, the directions are piss poor and leaves you scratching your head and questioning many things.

I can't tell you how many hours I spent looking at photos and then checking the "alignment"of each stage, as the paint guide is practically non existent. They also don't really show you where the different lines actually attach to the different stages, so again check, re check, and then check your references again. I totally drilled out holes for lines on both sides ( because they mold locator holes are on both sides) only to find out it didn't happen on the real thing...

Of course, I'm a Saturn V noob, so that made life harder.

Also, have fun painting.... I put the airbrush away and used krylon rattle cans. It's a ton of paint to lay!

But, on the plus side, once finished it makes for one impressive display!

[DutyCat]

Well, from what I can surmise, the kit seems to have been a bit rushed. No way to really explain away some of the obvious flaws. But, I am still going to get one and build it. It really isn't any worse than the Revell kit. It is a shame because it could have been so much more out of the box. What is frustrating is they have the ability with computers to make these very precise molds, yet don't bother to establish key measurements. I guess we can think about it this way...if it were made by Hasegawa it would cost $500. Even with its accuracy issues, it is a good deal considering what it is going to build up to.

Right now no one has them in stock. I think the next batch is due in December.

Edited November 15, 2013 by DutyCat

[Paul Mullins]

I have one of these and I'm working on it now. I can verify that the instructions suck out loud and twice on Sundays. If you get one, you're going to have to do a lot of head scratching to get it right. I don't really care about the inaccuracies, (no nasty comments about that statement please, I know what they are and I can live with them), the kit builds up to a VERY impressive model, but you're going to want to order the aftermarket decals, and a set of drawings from realspace would help as well. Unfortunately, I ordered a set in March and still haven't gotten the drawings. Several emails and still no response.

Edited November 15, 2013 by Paul Mullins

[DutyCat]

I just read Tim Brandt's review. He really went all out. Although there are a LOT of minor inaccuracies, most of them ARE minor, being piece dimensions off by 2 to 5mm here and there, some missing details, not the right number of stringers, etc. I think the worst dimension issue was a large section off by 17mm. That is less than 2cm......on a section of a 5 foot tall model. I don't see any of these as major issues. The biggest thing for me was the one gross error...the shape of the engine fairings...even that would go completely unnoticed by the casual observer.

Edited November 16, 2013 by DutyCat

[Scott Smith]

Update: the tank top swap seems to be the ticket. Just a major screw up on the instructions. And looking where the exterior details go, there are location points on the inside you can drill out. But you have to be careful since I think some are used, and others are not.

Just have to figure out what brand of spray bomb I want to use!

Edited November 19, 2013 by Scott Smith

[Paul Mullins]

Update: the tank top swap seems to be the ticket. Just a major screw up on the instructions. And looking where the exterior details go, there are location points on the inside you can drill out. But you have to be careful since I think some are used, and others are not.

Just have to figure out what brand of spray bomb I want to use!

Go to true value hardware and get the Krylon flat white in the large cans. It's about 5 bucks a can and it will take four cans to adequately cover the entire rocket.

Paul

[Scott Smith]

4 cans of Krylon! Wow!! And I almost decided to use Tamiya cans. At that rate it would take a dozen or more of them. I was wanting to shoot gloss so the decals would stick better, but the Krylon should lay down good enough. I'm actually building this at work on my lunch hour, so my painting is done downstairs in a storage area we have. I thought about breaking out my automotive touch up paint gun and using automotive base coat paint I already have, but with my 1 hour time constraints, I think that is out of the question.

[DutyCat]

Just a thought, Scott. I have formed the opinion that any oil based gloss white will yellow over time. I have this kit on order. When I paint it, it is going to be flat white which is then buffed down with 0000 steel wool and then sprayed with an acrylic gloss for decaling. After that, an acrylic semi-gloss for the final finish.

[aircommando130]

My big Dragon Saturn V arrived yesterday! I've built the 4D cutaway version and it's a nice rocket too. I have a LUT and MLP 3D backdrop to put behind the 1/72 Saturn but will have to build a case to put it in. My dad worked in the Apollo program and he took us to the Cape to watch Apollo 9, 10 and 11 launch. I'm 56 years old and still remember the pounding my little body took when those F-1 engines cleared Pad 39A/B.

[Scott Smith]

I think I'm back to Tamiya spray. I bought a can of Krylon Lacquer yesterday and shot a test mule with it last night and today. First I shot Krylon straight on the plastic and it gave a very fine wrinkle to the plastic. I then shot some Krylon primer on an unpainted area and let it sit overnite, shot it today and got the same results.

Now I did shoot duplicolor white lacquer on my Shuttle SRB's after priming with Tamiya primer, so I need to experiment more with that combination since I had great results.