Problems with Dragon's "Wachtmatel" figures?

[DioRandy]

Hey gang, I need help!
I just purchased Dragon's "German Infantry in Wachtmantel" and the extremely poor fit is driving me crazy. Getting the coats and arms to lineup seems impossible and I'm losing my patience.
I've only assembled one of the four figures ("A"), but with the amount of filler I'll need to salvage it, I could have sculpted it from scratch.
Do any of you have experience with this kit? And, if so, can you provide me with some helpful insight? I can't find a review from anyone who has actually assembled this kit.
Although I've had fit problems with Dragon figures in the past, I decided to give them another shot. Now, if my legs where long enough, I'd be kicking myself in the ass!
Thanks, Randy

 

[Jenny Croft]

Hi Randy ,

I have not got the figure set you mention , possibly it is just the big overcoats tha is making it so bad , generally I find Dragon figures go together as well as any plastic figure , I think overcoats are harder to get right as the figure has to come split along its length so it can model the both sides of the long coat , normally I find it better to work outward from the legs etc so the outer coat has a stable surface to marry up to .

Jenny :kiss:

 

[DioRandy]

Thanks, Jenny
However, the coats are in four separate pieces, all of which have to be glued to the body -- two halves for the back and two halves for the front. They just don't match up well along the seams or where the arms are then attached. The figure using the binoculars adds an even higher level of difficulty. The inside of the gloved hands need to be trimmed in order for the binoculars to fit inside. The gloved hands, which are separate from the arms, then need to be aligned just right to match up with the face.
Now, I remember why I prefer to work with resin figures.
Randy

 

[Ozzie Jo]

I am wondering if your kit parts have been warped as I have put this one together a couple of months ago and while the coats did slow the construction process down they were not a great hassle.
To provide a larger surface for stability when building I placed some putty on the body and pressed the coat quarters into it. This helped immensley to stop them sliding around and was the one step that helped more than any other. White Milliput was used between larger joins and wiped down with a wet cloth and thankfully there were not many to do from memory.
The rest only needed a once over with liquid Milliput and a brush to fill the joins.... they didn't need it but I was being fussy.
Although it doesn't aid in actual construction, once the build was complete I placed a thin sheet of Milliput over the exposed sheepskin areas and re-sculpted the fluffy bits to make them look snug and warm.

 

[DioRandy]

Thanks, Ozzie Jo
The use of putty to stabilize the coats during assembly would have made it much easier. They did slip around a bit. Fortunately, the three remaining figures came together much better than the first.

 

[Ozzie Jo]

I'll show you mine if you show me yours When finished of course... it is interesting to see someone else's take on the same thing.

 

[DioRandy]

Okay, Ozzie Jo
I still have a little work to do on them, but I'll post them when they're complete.
It took a while (and I'm still not totally satisfied) to achieve an acceptable appearing color of the coats.
Randy

 

[DioRandy]

These guys really tried my patience, but, in the end, I think they'll look okay.

Here's some shots of the guys after applying some paint. I also found it difficult to come up with an acceptable appearance of the coats regarding the color. The first photo appears a little over-exposed and, therefore, doesn't really show the true color. The second photo is a little under-exposed, but it a better representation of the color.

 

[Cheyenne]

Randy , nice job on the figs.
I just got this set about a week ago and thanks for showing your work on them !!!

I think you've done a great job so far and I'll keep an eye out for any construction glitches when I build mine .


Sorry for posting even more ref. pics. :laugh: :laugh: , .......... just trying to be helpful .
I just wish I had some color ones !!!

 

[DioRandy]

Hey, again, Cheyenne
Thanks for the pics. I agree, too bad the only color to go by is off the box art.
The texture of the coats is difficult to reproduce with paint on plastic. Or, maybe, after the trouble I went through to assemble the little buggers I was just too damn impatient to do the required research. However, it appears research is one of your strong points.
I can't wait to see what you can come up with.
Randy

 

[Ozzie Jo]

I have to second the thanks for the ref shots.... I would have painted my collars the wrong colour and we can't have that!

The diorama is going to look great when finished and the coats have not turned out too bad.I can see the trouble you had with the fit and subsequent filling so it is even more impressive that they look great with a coat of paint.

While I am the first to admit that my knowledge on such things is limited I can't see a problem with the actual colour itself.If they are older and well worn coats the colour can become very dark over time.Having had relatives who farmed and made their own hide products I remember seeing a wide variety of colours, particularly on aged skins, from the light tan to dark brown and grey.

 

[Dario Risso]

Nice job!! I like the scene you has planned too

And Thanks Cheyenne for the data

Darío

 

[DioRandy]

Okay, Ozzie Joe
I've shown you mine, now let's see yours. hmy: That goes for you, too, Cheyenne.
Thanks guys,
Randy
By the way, that's not the diorama I intended to use the Wachtmantel figures in, although it works. Initially, I planned on depicting a squad from the 75th Infantry Division, also known as the "Bulge Busters," coming across the abandoned Panther G as they chase the Germans back to the Fatherland following their ill-fated Ardennes offensive.
However, I fouled up and then broke a couple of the expertly sculpted five-figure resin figures produced by S&T. As a result, I re-ordered the set late last week. There goes my tax refund!

 

[Ozzie Jo]

A promise is a promise and I should post a pic before too long. I had put mine away for a while as I get bored very easily but your post has given me a boot up the frontally challenged body part.

They are now back out on the painting table.