Dragon Sherman Firefly Vc

Review by Andy Bannister - a(dot)bann(at)ntlworld(dot)com
Edited by Rob Haelterman

Dragon had a bit of a shaky start in the world of small scale armour but they have pulled up their socks and continue to go from strength to strength. Making extensive use of slide mould technology and including photo etched parts as standard, their latest kits are a joy to behold and for only a couple of quid more than Revell's armour kits. I'm pleased to say, at least in this case, that they go together as nicely as they look in the box. Be afraid Revell, be very afraid....

Parts fit was extremely good and I had absolutely no problems with construction. The DS Styrene tracks were very well moulded and worked as advertised though, being my first encounter with them, it did seem rather strange using standard styrene cement to hold them together. Some may complain that link and length tracks aren't included but frankly I often find them to be a royal pain in the ass to assemble so was more than happy with these "rubber band" tracks.

Of the four different markings options, two of them are captured German examples which I find rather odd. Of all the allied forces that used Fireflies, surely Dragon could have come up with something more original than this? I chose the Canadian markings for mine, the other option being British.

Picture from Henk of Holland website, used with permission.

Paint was Xtracolour Faded Olive Drab with the final finish PolyScale Flat. I must admit that the more I use Xtracolour the less I like it. It goes on like pudding and many of the colours bear little resemblance to the shades they're supposed to portray. Still, it worked well enough in this instance.

I have another of these kits in the stash which is well stocked with small scale Dragon armour in general. I look forward to repeating the great experience I had with this kit in future.