History and Performance

In November of 1944, the German armament giant Krupp proposed conceptual designs that would increase the armament of all Jagdpanzers and panzers currently in production. The idea behind the proposal was to permit the German vehicles to engage the enemy with the most effective armament with the minimum amount of protective armor. The E-75 "Standard panzer" was to be a heavy tank to replace the PzKpfW VIB Tiger II. The new vehicle would be armed with the 10.f cm KwK (L/68). This gun would have most likely required the redesign of the turret. The rate of fire would be reduced with the use of two-part munitions, and a second crew loader would be required, adding space for the additional crew. This vehicle never proceeded beyond the design proposal.

And now.. Something completely different!

I volunteered for this kit without knowing anything about it, never seen one nor heard of it. I am glad I did, this has got to be one of the most enjoyable models I have ever built, and what makes it so nice I can PLAY with it!

The kit comes package in a nice sturdy box with each tree in a separate package. There are 2 parts tree, a motor and a shaft. The instructions are quite adequate for assembly. There are no painting or decal instruction because neither are required. You do get an operating insert that is helpful. The plastic is brown with a wood grain pattern.

I was happy to see Hasegawa reissue these kits as I have several of the "Eggplanes" but not the F-14. The kit comes in a sturdy top opening box - great for holding the parts as you work on the model. There are twenty-eight Gray plastic parts and one crystal clear canopy for the F-14 Tomcat and a colorful decal sheet with two schemes. The canopy is loose in the box allowing it to be scratched up a bit, but a little polishing and a dip in Future took care of that problem. Considering this is a humorous kit I was surprised to see a four-piece instrument panel on the decal sheet. There is a plastic nose weight included but I did add a few grams of extra weight to the nose of the F-14 to be on the safe side.

First, let me start off by thanking Dragon USA and IPMS/USA for allowing me the opportunity to review this kit. It was such a fun kit to build, that I actually got a second kit to build as well! Dragon recently dove into the world of large scale models with their new 1/3 Firearms Series. To kick off the series, Dragon started with the world famous Glock 17 9mm pistol. Used worldwide by militaries and law enforcement agencies, the Glock 17 uses a standard NATO 9mm Parabellum cartridge fed from a 17-round clip in the grip [larger clips are available].

Dragon's kit is faithfully crafted and comes in three sprues, as well as two molded case halves and two piece pistols. The pistols are very well done, with seams on the frame showing up where they would on the real thing [actual Glock frames are made from a composite plastic]. Metal springs and pins are also included which allow for working features and pre-cut foam inserts are provided for the gun case.

Photo-etch bending could sound intimidating but it shouldn't, particularly if you have the right tools for it. The Small Shop has designed "The Bug" to be the one-stop photo-etch bending tool. The tool is very well designed; compact, versatile, easy to use and made of aircraft grade aluminum.

The rotating head has a 2-inch straight edge for long bending lines, a "swiss comb" side with 6 "teeth" for boxes, and a variety of fixtures to fold parts of different sizes and material strengths, or for scratch built handles. All of these in a compact 2x2.5 inch base. It should be mentioned that some of hold-down fingers are reinforced for bending thicker brass, while others designed for thinner, more delicate parts. It is a nice touch from the Small Shop to include a razor blade (used for folding) with the tool.