Kit: No. 7216
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Dragon, imported by Dragon Models USA, 1315 John Reed Court, City of Industry, CA 91745, 866-365-8721, www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $7.99
Comments: Injection-molded, 118 parts (2 metal, 2 vinyl tracks), decals
Pros: Easy to assemble, accurate tracks, good detail, well molded
Cons: No non-slip texture on turret, turret bustle basket molded solid, track ends must be sewn together, lumpy machine guns

Dragon, a long-time producer of excellent 1/35 scale military vehicle kits, recently announced its entry to the realm of 1/72 scale armor. Several kits have been released, including the current U.S. main battle tank, the M1A2 Abrams.

I was impressed with the level of detail – even the rough non-slip texture was molded in the hull top. Strangely, this texture is missing from the top of the turret.

As I looked through the parts, the kit’s origins as a radio-control toy became apparent. The lower hull has been deepened in the center section to make room for electronics. Large holes in the bottom and sides of the lower hull are for motorization.

The most disappointing aspect of the kit is that the turret basket has solid plastic molded between the rails. There is also a large hole in the bottom of the turret (probably for installing the antenna in the radio-control version), but it is difficult to see once the turret has been installed on the hull. The drive sprockets and idler wheels mount onto solid metal axles.

Decals are provided for only one vehicle of the 194th Brigade. The tiny decal sheet has the vehicle ID numbers and black rectangles for the periscopes. Two stickers are also supplied for the vehicle number plates attached to the turret during exercises.

The one-piece vinyl tracks are flexible and accurately molded. The instruction sheet is printed in full color throughout, using photos of the actual model as assembly diagrams.

I started building my kit by skipping step one and going right on to the upper hull and turret. The upper hull has only a few parts, and although the turret is a bit more complicated, it’s still easy to build.

I originally missed installing the rear turret bulge (part No. F49) as the photo in the step where it is installed shows the piece already in place. Only when I was checking over the sprues did I discover the leftover part and where it went.

I didn’t install the louvered identification panels on the turret baskets, as they were absent in the excellent box-top photo of the real tank. I also left off the machine guns and ammo boxes to make painting them easier.

All of the parts were given a coat of Polly Scale U.S. Desert Storm sand. When dry, the tires were hand-painted with Polly Scale grimy black. The painting guide shows soft green blotches all over the vehicle, while the photo clearly shows hard-edged blotches on the turret, hull front, and the gun tube. I followed the photo and hand-brushed the blotches with Tamiya Japanese Army green.

The decals were applied to brushed-on areas of Future floor polish. The settled down with a little Micro Sol. Polly Scale clear flat was airbrushed over the entire model to seal the decals and even out the sheen.

I tried every type of glue I had on hand to cement the track ends together, but none would hold. I wound up sewing them, hiding the stitching behind the side skirts. Perhaps vinyl patch glue might work on these tracks.

A burnt-umber oil wash and dry-brushing with lightened sand enamel helped pop out the details. Finally, I installed the machine guns and ammo cans, and applied the training center ID stickers to the turret sides.

The finished model is close to the dimensions of the real vehicle I checked at www.globalsecurity.org. The height of the rear deck is about four scale inches too high, likely due to the accommodation of the motor unit.

I spent 10 hours building my M1A2, about average for a 1/72 scale armor kit. A beginning modeler could handle this kit as long as he’s had some experience with small parts. I have mixed feelings about Dragon’s kit. The detail provided is well done, but the compromises made for motorization and the bustle basket make it appear toylike.

– John Plzak