hetzer problem !!!!!

John Van Kooten
Wow... 😮 I see what you mean now 🤔 that's not looking good...

Hunter Cummins
I know right !!!!!!!!!! What the h**l do I do ?!?!?!?!

John Van Kooten
Are you 100% sure it was constructed properly? Because if I check the instructions of the kit it would seem there can't really be any gaps? It's really strange...

I have tried to explain what I mean in the image below.

But of course, it being a Dragon kit and all, I wouldn't be surprised if you have a kit that has received updated parts to correct errors during the course of it's existence and you have a box from before the updates 🤔

The problem is, what you have there looks totally wrong. The Hetzer didn't have any gaps like that at all. The ball joint, on which the barrel is connected in the interior (to be able to turn the gun), should be tightly pushing against the walls of the outer mantlet (the part welded to the upper hull).

[img1]

John Van Kooten
Actually, it looks like the hole in the outer mantlet (which I numbered [2] in my previously posted image) looks way too big... ?

Anyone else have any suggestions?? 🙁

Hunter Cummins
I will try to contact academy and see if I can get one of their sprues... and yes. Totally constructed correctly . But the cyberhobby mid version was perfect.....

John Van Kooten
Man, that is weird...

It's definitely one or two parts that are not correct. Maybe you should contact the Dragon Importer for your region and see if you can get hold of proper parts? I mean, if you show them this image they should damn well recognize that something is amiss!

Hunter Cummins
Ok will do

John Van Kooten
Good luck, mate! 👍 Let us know what happened, alright?

Fabian D.
It looks pretty bad, but I guess if you´re putting the barrel far down, it wouldn´t look that empty... just an emergency solution, but maybe a solution...

Hunter Cummins
Sxrew it
thisnis a tank fro~ the last days of the reich. I will cover the front in camo netting 🙂

John Van Kooten
Hahaha! That would solve the problem too, I guess! 😄 👍 Good call! 😄

Hunter Cummins
Thanks !!!! 😄 but dragon should release an al new tool of a mainstream kit of the early, mid, and late production of the hetzer

John Van Kooten
I agree! I am still waiting for them to release a new Hetzer, not a re-box of the old stuff. But yeah, Dragon still has a few fairly new molds they need to milk, so I'm not holding my breath 😉

Fabian D.
Honestly, I think that market is (at least pretty much) lost to Academy... offering pretty good quality for a price Dragon can´t beat... (in fact half of the normal retail of ordinary Dragon kits)

John Van Kooten
While the academy kits are good, they are not great. Dragon could do MUCH better. If nothing else then at least with some magic tracks 😉

But no, honestly, I think Dragon could slide mold a Hetzer where no PE or any after-market items would be needed. If they do that, I will buy it! 🙂

George Bacon
Looking at photo's of the real thing, it looks like an the lower interior mantlet is missing. If it's a kit-design flaw, can you fabricate something to fill the gap (perhaps a u-shaped piece of plastic sheet)?

H K
Looks like the kit is flawed. Check this for example modellversium.de/gal..8t-frueh-dragon.html last picture.

Hunter Cummins
It probably is flawed and now im sure of it
I will try that george.
but if no luck, then I will just throw on some camo netting 🙂

George Bacon
Good luck! What kit is it?

Hunter Cummins
Its sadly this kit.
Sd.Kfz. 138/2 "Hetzer" (Dragon 6030, 1:35)
im glad I used the crappy aber set on it lol

Hunter Cummins
It worked 🙂 thanks george for the suggestion
but lets see how it looks under some paint

John Van Kooten
@hunter: yeah, indeed! Glad you used that Aber set instead of something more worthy!

Closing the gap shouldn't be a problem with some plastic card, etc. but the actual problem is that the outer mantlet and hole in the mantlet (where the barrel exits) simply aren't correct.

In the model: the ball joint of the barrel is recessed too far inwards (leaving one gap) and the hole in the front of the outer mantlet is way too big (making the gaps even bigger). See comparison image below.

I probably wouldn't put too much effort into this, as it will still look weird and incorrect even if you close the gap, and stick with your plan of camouflaging the issue, literally 😄

[img1]

Hunter Cummins
I will for sure stay with the camo metting. Plus it will look cooler lol
im glad I didnt use my eduard set that has fenders boxes side skirts and ecery thing else
if I did I would have called dragon a reamed there a*ses for a new kit lol
but I still gotmy engin set and metat barrel and eduard set thankfully lol
so until dragon re toold their early kit and co, es out with an all new tool of a mid and late production one
academy is the way to go. I built the black night series mid production version and it was perfect all around. They fixed the mantlet and gun ball. And theres o gap.
but I still hear the academy kit is better besides the tracks lol

John Van Kooten
Yeah, absolutely! Lucky you didn't use anything worth while on that kit.

If they updated the Black Knight Hetzer, I wonder if they also did that with the #9148 Orange Box Hetzer? I can't really find any images of what's in the box in that one.

Don't forget the Tamiya Hetzer 😉 it is better compared to the Academy kit. But then again, also twice the price. I just didn't think it was worth it, so I went with the Academy kit. And that really IS a fine kit. I can recommend getting it 👍

No issues at all. No flash anywhere. Everything fits perfectly. And while the detail is not great, it most definitely is good enough. Especially when you do some PE upgrades here and there. The detail is a little bit soft in some areas but I don't think anyone would really notice on a finished model 🙂

Hunter Cummins
Yaaay but im going to get the late production because of the mask set 😄
I love hetzers
I just wish for dragon lol

John Van Kooten
I'm doing the Late Version in my new project (damn you, Hunter! 😛) mostly OOB. So you can judge detail levels for yourself easily 🙂 kind of a "try before you buy" 😉

But yeah, I also still have hope for Dragon to do the right thing 😉 I seriously love Hetzers as well!! 👍 👍

Hunter Cummins
You are so dang lucky lol
arent you happy? 😉 😛 I will contact dragon about it tommorrow acctually lol and how cant you haha

John Van Kooten
I am very happy! 😄

And I'll also go annoy Dragon about it 😉 in fact, let's all do that, kind of a "group annoy", entirely in the spirit of this forum 😄

Hunter Cummins
Yes thats a very smart thing to do lol
I love that idea!!!!!!!!!! 😄

Hunter Cummins
Shes finished!!!!!!!!!!

Fabian D.
He looks cool, You've tried octopus cameo?

Holger Kranich
YES!
Thats a nice one!!! Well done Hunter!👍👍👍

Hunter Cummins
Fabian,
yea becuase on my mig ammo late war colors set it has a KT in that scheme. My review of the set is on armorama soon.
Holger, thank you !!! I might work on the track mud a nit more and alter the mud a lottle but other than that, shes done ! 🙂

Gábor Bélik
Very nice finish!

Hunter Cummins
Thanks Gabor! Stunning to get such a nice comment from someone with your skill

John Van Kooten
Wow Hunter, you did a very good job on this one!! 👍 Really great! 🙂

Hunter Cummins
Thanks john, my stug three in kursk will be better I hope 🙂

Luis Ferrer
Hey That is very Good I like your camo pattern. How was the Photoecthing?

Hunter Cummins
I love photo etch but the aber set is so inaccurate and badly done. Get eduard or anyone else but aber!!!!!!
And thank you verymuch I like the camo to lol
I used mig ammo late war german camoflage set