1:72 Dragon Tank Custom Project

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:07 pm

I finally ordered my first 1:72 Dragon tank - a Panther G from the Normandy campaign, 1944. I thought it was a very nice tank, save that it lacked a figure in the commander's hatch like all my 1:72 FOV tanks do. The figure in the hatch, to me, enlivens the vehicle a little more and gives it some character. So, I decided to give the Dragon tank a commander.

I easily popped off the commander's hatch with a pocket knife and reglued it in the open positon. I then modified one of the FOV 1:72 German Panzer Grenadier figures (the one with the hat) Its right arm was repositioned; and the gun, legs, and rucksack removed. I also repainted the figure as the origional paint job was sloppy. The figure fit beautifully in the commander's position. I also placed another soldier riding on the tank. Here's a couple of photos - they're a tad bit blurry, but get the idea across. It looks much better in person. Enjoy!

I hope I don't upset the diehard Dragon collectors by showing a modified tank

OzDigger · Post by **OzDigger** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 12:27 am

Looks good. I went the other way and stuck some of the Rangers from the Dragon Landing Craft Diorama onto my FOV Sherman. The kneeling poses are well suited to tank climbing and riding.

steelbonnet · Post by **steelbonnet** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 3:20 am

Very nice indeed

Seeing these DML 1/72 tempts me to go back to my roots & back to the original scale I started with.

Ja
Steel Bonnet

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 10:16 am

Very nice Tman. Good to see some small scale customs.

SB, I'm at the other end. I started out with HO trains, so these would have been fun to use with them. But, having the 1/18 bug now, I have no desire to go back.

Gunner · Post by **Gunner** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 9:15 pm

Nice work!