Dragon 1/72 SU-100

Kit: 7208
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Dragon, from Dragon Models USA, 626-968-0322, www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $13.95
Comments: Injection molded, 154 parts (2 metal, 14 photoetched-metal, 2 vinyl (rubber)), decals
Pros: Photoetched-metal engine cover screen and louvers; good detail
Cons: Imprecise location for some parts, grab handles out of scale; fit of major parts could be better

Dragon continues its 1/72 scale armor series with a Pro kit SU-100.

The Pro kits include more photoetched-metal parts and other goodies. This one includes one-piece, flexible DS tracks, which respond to regular model cements. Excellent surface detail and numerous tiny parts are molded in gray plastic. One of the main sprues is from Dragon's 1/72 T-34, though not all parts are used. Both main sprues are marked "A," making location a bit tricky. Although each road wheel pair is a single piece, they look like inner and outer wheels. The photoetched-metal sheet includes engine-hatch louvers and engine-deck screens. Twisted wire is provided for tow cables.

The main road wheels have fine, raised mold lines on the tire faces - correct for postwar. But WWII tires were smooth, so I scraped off the lines.

Considering the usual excellent fit of Dragon kits, I was surprised to find my kit had several small gaps - easy to fill, but I expected better. After adding the photoetched-metal louvers, I found the cover (part No. A18) no longer fit. I had to carefully thin this delicate part to fit.

It is easy to assemble the exterior fuel tanks incorrectly. Make sure you have the narrow ends facing in and the filler caps on top when installing the brackets.

All the main hatches can be posed open. The grab handles are a little thick (not unusual in this scale); advanced modelers will probably replace them with wire.

I painted my SU-100 Tamiya dark olive, then added about 30 Tamiya dark yellow to the mix to highlight the main panels. I applied decals over a coat of Future. Depending on which markings you choose, you may want to leave off the grab handles on the hull sides until the decals are added, as they interfere with the placement of some markings. Markings are included for four World War II vehicles and one postwar SU-100.

The DS tracks fit well and look pretty good, though I still prefer link-and-length injection-molded tracks in this scale.

The finished model exactly matched the dimensions in Hogg and Weeks' Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles.

It only took only eight hours to build this SU-100. If you can handle delicate photoetched-metal parts, you should have no problems with this kit. Despite other difficulties, the photoetched-metal engine screen really makes this kit stand out from the other "Braille scale" T-34-based kits I've built.

- John Plzak