Dragon – 7439 – Long Range Desert Group Patrol Car w/Lewis Gun (Review)

Recently I’ve seen a picture of a LRDG Chevy used by the British army in the desert in WWII, and I instantly fell in love with it. I checked the offer in 1/72 scale and found this Dragon kit. 

Well, what’s inside this box doesn’t provide the quality you would normally expect from a Dragon kit… at least from their golden era. Though there are good parts, the general impression is the kit was done in a hurry.

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The biggest disappointment are the wheels; they are one piece, not like the CAD drawings on the box showing separate tires and wheel rims. All four road wheels look the same, but in reality the bolt circles of the back wheels is noticeably larger. The tire tread is not very deep and a there is an ugly moulding seam, whose removal will further damage the surface. And there is more bad news: all wheels were moulded with a hollow back!

So I’ve searched for a good PE set and Hauler came to my rescue. Besides metal parts, you get two beautiful Lee Enfields, a crate, some cans, a shovel – all in resin.

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Hauler also provides, as a separate upgrading set, four road wheels and two spares, an excellent representation of the real thing. 

With the Dragon wheels.

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In conclusion, this is rather a mediocre kit compared with Dragon’s own high standard visible in their previous releases. At least an upgrade set for the wheels is a welcome addition.

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