Tanmen's Dragon II kit completed

[cool8or]

Hi Guys!

Recently I completed my Dragon II resin kit, it's a Tanmen original kit.

An anecdote from this kit is that I purchase with a broken wing, but I fix it and now I forgot what was the broken wing

As you know, this kit never was completed and don't have landing gears neither landing doors.

So I adapt parts from a F-14 and VF-1 landing gears and VF-1 wheels. I don't make the landing doors yet, but I'll make it with plastruct in the next few weeks.

I take the pics in a convention where I and my group (SDF-Crew) participate. Because of that I can't improve the light conditions, but isn't bad at all.

I never saw pics from this model on internet, so I want to share with you. I'll be waiting your opinion.

Thanks!

Edited August 30, 2007 by cool8or

[Wicked Ace]

I've never seen one of these before -- pretty cool.

[PetarB]

That's cause you can't buy anywhere, even from Tanmen...

It looks really nice. Thanks for sharing pics of this very rare kit!

[captain america]

I think you did a great job. I've seen the original tanmen kit and, well... I know full well that it's far from a stellar starting point.

[jardann]

It's really cool to see one of these completed!

You did a great job on it. Thanks for showing it off!

[TheLoneWolf]

Great work! We finally get to see it completed, plus it's next to a VF-1 for comparison!

[honneamise]

Great work Cool8or!!!

I have only seen the lineart and some small pics of the unbuilt parts so far.

This is the first time I see a completed Dragon in all its glory. The landing gear you added looks believable and you made the canopy fit like a glove. A beauty, very well built and painted!

[elintseeker]

great works! love it

[baronv]

Real nice work there, I was just reading the Wildstorm Robotech comics where they showed Roy flying one of these and I was wondering if anything was produced. Too bad this hasn't been made into a kit, maybe for the 25th anniv. release Hasegawa will make it?

[Mr March]

Gawd, that is one ugly, boring fighter design, but you sure did a great job building the model! Nicely done. It's really cool that you were able to put landing gear on it. I think the light in your pictures is good. It's enough to clearly see the model and all the details. Thanks for sharing pictures!

[007-vf1]

You know... I was thinking the same thing...is lacking something...and then I realize, panel lines...!!

Is probably the first one I have seen build up in the last 5 years..

Good job cooler

Buen trabajo...

[captain america]

Oh, it's not just lacking panel lines lemmie tell ya!

To me, it's just a mediocre resin offering created without love or passion. Notice that the trailing edges of the control surfaces are as blunt as the leading edges, the exhaust petals are blunt, blocky and way too thick in scale, the nosecone and intake trunks look like little more than blocks of resin: no elegance or flowing of shapes whatsoever. As for the few panel lines that ARE there: they look to me like a guilty last-minute addition to make the sculpt look less uninspiring than it really is. I don't intend this to turn into a tanmen-bashing thread, but I call 'em as I see 'em.

What I find amusing is that between Honneamise, Cobywan, myself and a few others, we are able to turn out unlicenced models that run circles around most of what resin came out of Japan... Or elsewhere, for that matter.

[TheLoneWolf]

Oh, it's not just lacking panel lines lemmie tell ya!

To me, it's just a mediocre resin offering created without love or passion. Notice that the trailing edges of the control surfaces are as blunt as the leading edges, the exhaust petals are blunt, blocky and way too thick in scale, the nosecone and intake trunks look like little more than blocks of resin: no elegance or flowing of shapes whatsoever. As for the few panel lines that ARE there: they look to me like a guilty last-minute addition to make the sculpt look less uninspiring than it really is. I don't intend this to turn into a tanmen-bashing thread, but I call 'em as I see 'em.

What I find amusing is that between Honneamise, Cobywan, myself and a few others, we are able to turn out unlicenced models that run circles around most of what resin came out of Japan... Or elsewhere, for that matter.

You know, I don't think anyone here would mind seeing a captain america version of the Dragon II

[Duymon]

It's hard to believe that dragon was sculpted by the same guy behind the kick ass Club M 1/72 valks in the late 90's and the 1/48 ultimate O_o

[cool8or]

May be is not the best sculpt ever made, but at least it's exactly that we can see in the lineart. May be if I having more expertise, I could made more panel lines, but I didn't think before.

My next build proyect would be the Tanmen's Cat's Eye. This kit also don't have many panel lines... Do you think that I should try to make it?

[PetarB]

You know, I really quite like the design of this subject. If I had the kit I would have to go to work on it though... as the Cap'n does have some very valid points. In anycase, we are still very grateful for these rare pics and Cool8or should be commended on bringing a sub-par kit on an interesting subject to life for us!

And yes, I too am waiting for the Cap'n to tackle something with wings...

Edited August 30, 2007 by PetarB

[neptunesurvey]

Nicely done.

[wm cheng]

I for one is very grateful to see this built - thanks for posting cool8or! Yes, its not a great kit by todays standards, but it is anime accurate as far as the older ARII or Imai kits and to the lineart - I think you did a great job with what you had. We can all thank Hasegawa for finally raising the bar on Macross kits!

It seems like everybody buys up these kits but nobody builds them! or at least post pics of any of them built!

I love seeing them whenever they get built!!

[cool8or]

Few weeks ago I purchased the 2 set of Wave Macross Decals. Maybe adding some decals I can make this kit less boring..

[warpaint22]

Great Work!!! Looks nice, I would have liked to see a little pre shading and panel lines but it looks really good. Now I can see where the VF-0D design came from as the Dragon looks like a F-22 crossed with a VF-0D. The front view gave me this impression the most with those little fins on the bottom of the intake and the delta wing.

Really nice work!!!

I'd also like to see a better resin sculpt by one of the MW casters, beats doing it myself hehehe.

[orguss01]

OMGosh i have always loved the DRAGON, one of my favorite "background" valks.....I love the delta design/shape. I'll agree with the lack of detail comments..

I couldnt imagine having to scribe all those panel lines by hand though....

I humbley disagree about the nose cone.(maybe i dont see what CA is seeing)..i like the shape of tit.. but those intakes look so blocky...from the intake to exhaust it needs to be resulpted a bit..

Good job cool8or. Thanks for building and posting...you def made sweet lemonade out of sour lemons..

Maybe add some skulls to the vertical stabilizers to break up that space back there...

Now that we see how this kit looks built and everyone wants one

WHOS gonna recast/resculpt/recast this????it has to happen..for under $100????

Edited August 31, 2007 by orguss01

[honneamise]

I like the Dragon design and how this specific kit came out.

Of course it is not Hasegawa. It IS lineart-correct, but, since the dragon was just seen very briefly in the series, there was no need for more details in the Sketches. When Tanmen decided to make a model of this, he should have at least "upgraded" the panels to the then-standard IMAI-treatment of the VF-1 kits. Those have less detail than the Hasegawas but they still convey the look of an actual plane and do not just look like an animated one.

As I consider it completed, I´d not try to add more panel lines and stuff. Depending on the resin and if it was pressure cast, you may end up digging up little bubbles under the surface, resulting in uneven scratches instead of consistent lines.

Maybe you should consider adding lots of small stencils to liven up the big surfaces. The Hasegawa VF-1 J-kit comes with the standard stenciling in black and also in white for the Max/Millia-Versions, so if you have the kit and plan to do the red or blue scheme there should be enough spare decals to use on the Dragon.

As for preshading (or postshading): it is a matter of taste, looks great on low-visibility Tomcats, but I think on a white surface with very few panel lines it easily tends to look forced and pretty unnatural if not done very subtle.

[Fly4victory]

You can look at the top side and vertical fins on an F-15 for ideas but I would not cut panel lines after putting on your final colors and decals.

You can always draw or paint them on but I think it is a great looking model and a rare find.

Better than trying to crowbar an F-15 and a VF-1 together which is what the rest of use will have to do for a copy.

May be is not the best sculpt ever made, but at least it's exactly that we can see in the lineart. May be if I having more expertise, I could made more panel lines, but I didn't think before.

This kit also don't have many panel lines... Do you think that I should try to make it?

[wwwmwww]

What I find amusing is that between Honneamise, Cobywan, myself and a few others, we are able to turn out unlicenced models that run circles around most of what resin came out of Japan... Or elsewhere, for that matter.

I agree with the spirit of that statement but as a fan if the IHP (Liquid Stone, Experten, or what ever else they are calling themselves today) and SHE (Studio Half Eye) I'm curious... have any of you released a variable kit yet. I'd include a kit that could be built in different modes if not truely variable. For example I'd certainly count this:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mospeada/john_...ohn_moscato.htm

if it were released. I'm not trying to open old wounds or anything but I'm honestly curious if any of you have released something I missed. My free time sure isn't what it used to be so I'm sure I've missed a few things.

For those that have seen the IHP kits up close many of them wouldn't be too hard to beat in the quality department but I'm still a big fan of the engineering involved in actually making these kits variable.

Just my 2 cents...

Carl

Edited August 31, 2007 by wwwmwww

[cool8or]

... and Cool8or should be commended on bringing a sub-par kit on an interesting subject to life for us!

Sorry PetarB but I don't understand what you said me... What is a "sub-par kit"?

[valkyrie13]

You know, I don't think anyone here would mind seeing a captain america version of the Dragon II

I was thinking the same thing! (Great minds think alike? ).

Captain, show us what you've got once again!!! PLEASE~~!!!

[captain america]

Sub-par = below standard, or inferior.

Howdy Carl. Nope, I've never released any variable/transforming/transformable model anything, and have no plans to do so. IHP (International House of Pancakes?) and SHE are free to do or persue whatever their hearts long for. I myself tend to favor scale accuracy and realism, others lean towards playability at the expense of accuracy or realism. The transforming SHE models I've seen in the past, complete with visible screws make my head hurt. Why go to the trouble of creating a toy that retails for 3 times what a "proper" toy would cost, all while being infinitely less playable?

My attempts at a "build it in the mode you want" model (in the form of the 1/32 Legioss) were only moderately successful. I was able to prove to myself that it could be engineered and sculpted, but the logistics of outright production proved too troublesome for the financial revenue that it would bring back. Doesn't mean it can't be done, because it can. The question one must ask one's self in regards to such a project is: how large of a financial loss am I willing to accept in order to prove a point?

[big F]

Nice Ive never seen one before but looks like you did well there.

[MechTech]

Looks great man! Don't worry about the details and such. How many people can say they have one of those or even have one built up that good. Do you get my point? - MT

[wwwmwww]

Why go to the trouble of creating a toy that retails for 3 times what a "proper" toy would cost, all while being infinitely less playable?

In principle, I agree. Still a company like Yamato has alot more resources then a group the size of IHP or SHE and I certainly appreciate their efforts to do what they can. Being an engineer I enjoy just knowing that it can be done even if it can't stand up to the playable or perfect accuracy or realism tests.

The question one must ask one's self in regards to such a project is: how large of a financial loss am I willing to accept in order to prove a point?

With regards to the 1/32 Legioss, a kit that I agree would top any IHP or SHE kit I've seen, I certainly understand your desire to not incure a financial loss. I also remember some legal issues came up... to put in nicely. Still with the recent stuff from IHP/Liquid Stone/Experten selling for over $1000 a kit and I've seen the rarer SHE kits also selling for over $1000 a kit, I would like to hope there is some way you could find to make a profit with this kit down the road. Still even if so I imagine that profit could more easily be made spending the same amout of time on less complex projects so I do understand your perspective. Still, I keep some measure of hope alive.

Thanks for the response,

Carl

Edited August 31, 2007 by wwwmwww

[wwwmwww]

Cool8or,

Great build up of the Dragon II. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Carl

[TSP]

Good to see someone build his Dragon II kit. Very nice model although it has a vintage look. Thanks for sharing your work with us.

[Grayson72]

Hey thanks for sharing, I have this kit as well and would love to build it someday. I really like the design and I think you could really add to the realism of the kit by applying some more detailed decals to it. Just copy the application of the decals on the Hasegawa VF kits.