Hi Jonathon. Yes indeed! The Border Model kit looks a LOT like the Dragon kit! This certainly is not the first time that a company has re-boxed a Dragon kit. About two years ago, Das Werk released a StuG IIIG with waffle zimmeritm with the option for either the 75mm gun or the StuH 42 with the 105mm howitzer. That 2 in 1 kit was a re-box of a well-regarded Dragon kit. And, quite recently, Das Werk released a Tiger I Late with zimmerit that is a re-box of the highly-regarded Dragon kit (which you just built, except that your kit had a few extra sprues to match either Whitman's early or last Tiger I). With both Das Werk re-boxes, the prices were definitely lower than what the Dragon kit cost, so I picked up the re-boxed...although - for me - the Tiger I kit just has Dragon's 'rubber band' tracks, so I will have to spend some money on some workable tracks like you did. BTW, I think the reason that the 88mm Flak crew member would be holding the shell upside-down is that the German flak guns had a tool for setting the timing of the fuse (for anti-aircraft or timed shell bursts against infantry), and it required the crew to insert the pointy end of the shell down into the fuse setting tool, then rotate the shell or tool to set the timing of the fuse. Finally, a question: Is there rifling in the metal barrel for the 88mm flak gun?
Das Werk very rarely does its own moulds. Only some very late war Anti Aircraft cannons. I think they just rebox the best models and give them new decals and paint schemes.
@@Jonhistorymodel Yes, they usually take an existing kit & modify it. For example, Takom's very good Panther A kits come with interiors, but Das Werk sold them without interiors for a very good price. They are really nice kits & quite affordable (and are still available, unlike some of their other re-boxes). Two fantastic kits that I think Das Werk did on their own were the Faun L900 transporter truck & SdAh 115 trailer. On top of that, they did a kit of a rare tank destroyer that had a 50mm L/60 gun mounted on a Borgward (sp?) chassis.
@@derekbaker3279 the L60 should have been on the original Panzer III Es. Why the Heer wanted the 37mm is beyond me. When Hitler found out he cracked it and they still wouldn’t put it on. They put on a 50mm L42.
i bought the original dragon release (No. 6260) back around 2005 and it was pretty expensive (fwir ard $100). dragon subsequently re-released this kit as reissues with new parts. not sure what new parts they added but the original release was already extremely good. did they simplify this kit? because the original kit was rather.... complicated... but then again its Dragon!
@@optiondezzo1513 Yeah I’m not sure. They have upgraded parts on the box bordered in red. But I’m not certain. Like you said maybe they updated those parts. Not sure. Dragon are good but with these new companies rising like Miniart, Border, Ryefield ect they are quickly losing their edge.
Hi Jonathon. Yes indeed! The Border Model kit looks a LOT like the Dragon kit! This certainly is not the first time that a company has re-boxed a Dragon kit. About two years ago, Das Werk released a StuG IIIG with waffle zimmeritm with the option for either the 75mm gun or the StuH 42 with the 105mm howitzer. That 2 in 1 kit was a re-box of a well-regarded Dragon kit. And, quite recently, Das Werk released a Tiger I Late with zimmerit that is a re-box of the highly-regarded Dragon kit (which you just built, except that your kit had a few extra sprues to match either Whitman's early or last Tiger I). With both Das Werk re-boxes, the prices were definitely lower than what the Dragon kit cost, so I picked up the re-boxed...although - for me - the Tiger I kit just has Dragon's 'rubber band' tracks, so I will have to spend some money on some workable tracks like you did.
BTW, I think the reason that the 88mm Flak crew member would be holding the shell upside-down is that the German flak guns had a tool for setting the timing of the fuse (for anti-aircraft or timed shell bursts against infantry), and it required the crew to insert the pointy end of the shell down into the fuse setting tool, then rotate the shell or tool to set the timing of the fuse.
Finally, a question: Is there rifling in the metal barrel for the 88mm flak gun?
Yep the metal barrel has its riffling
Das Werk very rarely does its own moulds. Only some very late war Anti Aircraft cannons. I think they just rebox the best models and give them new decals and paint schemes.
@@Jonhistorymodel Thanks! 🙂
@@Jonhistorymodel Yes, they usually take an existing kit & modify it. For example, Takom's very good Panther A kits come with interiors, but Das Werk sold them without interiors for a very good price. They are really nice kits & quite affordable (and are still available, unlike some of their other re-boxes). Two fantastic kits that I think Das Werk did on their own were the Faun L900 transporter truck & SdAh 115 trailer. On top of that, they did a kit of a rare tank destroyer that had a 50mm L/60 gun mounted on a Borgward (sp?) chassis.
@@derekbaker3279 the L60 should have been on the original Panzer III Es. Why the Heer wanted the 37mm is beyond me. When Hitler found out he cracked it and they still wouldn’t put it on. They put on a 50mm L42.
i bought the original dragon release (No. 6260) back around 2005 and it was pretty expensive (fwir ard $100).
dragon subsequently re-released this kit as reissues with new parts.
not sure what new parts they added but the original release was already extremely good.
did they simplify this kit? because the original kit was rather.... complicated... but then again its Dragon!
I’m not sure, they included a metal gun barrel and a 88 crew. That is what they claim they added on the box.
@@Jonhistorymodel LOL that was in the original box too! includes PE and some metal chains.
@@optiondezzo1513 Yeah I’m not sure. They have upgraded parts on the box bordered in red. But I’m not certain. Like you said maybe they updated those parts. Not sure. Dragon are good but with these new companies rising like Miniart, Border, Ryefield ect they are quickly losing their edge.