Dragon RSO / 01 type 470

Dragon RSO / 01 type 470 #6691

Kit review and build of the Dragon June 2012 release of the RSO.

Review kit supplied by Red Frog Hobbies

For more fine kits and model supplies from Red Frog Hobbies, visit there website here redfroghobbies.com/

I also have a more complete review and build of this model on my new scratchmod website here: scratchmod.weebly.com/dragon-rso--01.html

To see another build of this kit here on MSC, click on this link.
modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=armor&thread=1902&page=2

Following up on the two other later versions of the RSO, Dragon had released the early /01 version in June of 2012. I had planned on doing a complete review with sprue shots etc, but searching my number one source for new kit review sites I found a review of this kit. I am quite sure many of us use the Perth site to read the newest reviews of the latest kits.
So to save time doing an in box review I will post a link to a great review of this little kit. Here is the link to the review. www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr6691.html#build

I will be doing a build review of this model and will post a link to it here, or you can go to the Armor board to see the build review as well. I plan a small base and ground work for this model as to best show her off.

I have just received the kit and will have a look see in the box soon, but wanted to start the review now ....a teaser thread for the moment.. ;D

Update:

After reading the great review by Terry Ashley on the Perth website, I started the build with the motor. The motor as said before, consists of many small parts which take time to remove from the sprue tree and clean. I did have one problem and that was with the pully and belt part number E36. I carefully removed this part from the sprue, but it broke into three pieces. This is a very fragile part so take care when removing it and cleaning.

The drive shaft is broken down into 8 parts and in my opinion this could have been done in one part. The parts are small and you have to be sure to keep the shaft straight. With the motor done I turned to the hull tub. It's best to install the two exhaust pipes before attaching the inner side walls. With the basic tub done I then glued the motor assembly into the hull. On part A23, the part that the shaft goes through, you have to remove about one millimeter in order for it to fit into the tub. Take care not to break this part as it is fragile.

So here is what I have so far. I will be hitting the bench soon and hope to have this built, minus the tracks.





As you can see from the first image, this is a very small model, just a tad bigger than the PZ I a.

Update Oct 26

I've cleaned the suspension and wheels. Care and time has to be taken in this area, well mainly the rear axle and sprockets. You have to glue the parts and allow to dry and cure completely before installing on the tub. Using Big John's trick, I wedged this assembly between two glass jars of paint to keep it all aligned.



I then tackled the cargo bed which is pretty straight forward. Here is where I ended up spending more time and couldn't move onto the cab. The bed and sides have no wood grain texture so I decided to add this by scribing the texture with a hobby knife. I also noticed there are no bolts that secure the wood slats to the hinged metal stakes. For this I used home made rivet and bolts using my scratch built punch and dye.



The last image doesn't show the bolt detail as I still have to take a pic of it. Hopefully will have this done this weekend....with a bonus item added. You can find more images here at the link scratchmod.weebly.com/dragon-rso--01.html

Oct. 27

Had a bit of time this afternoon and decided on some battle damage. Basic modeling and nothing special. Thought it would add some character to the little guy.





All thought there are some issues with the instructions and many of the parts could have been avoided by molding them as one, such as the drive shaft, The RSO builds into a great little model.
With the build part done I moved onto painting. So far just the base colors with filters and washes to follow.