After finally tracking down Dragon’s elusive #6575 Ausf J kit last year I was curious to know how this well-respected 2012 kit stood up to a much more recent release in Border Models 2019 kit #BT-008. This came out around the same time RFM and Miniart both released Ausf J's, and although manufacturer's moved the 1/35 armour game on to StuG kits in 2021, I thought it would be interesting to do a side-by-side build comparison.
I’ve built a few Dragon Pz.IV variants over the years and although it appears I was fortunate, I have since discovered many turn out to be less than enjoyable to build. Dragon's heyday is very much perceived to be in the mid noughties where they offered not only great value, but produced some of their most accurate and well-engineered kits. Sadly, releases have been thin on the ground since, with what they do offer being re-packaged kits, often with a much-depleted parts count. The rest of the industry has since moved the game on but as we will see there are an alarmingly number of similarities that are proof that the Dragon recipe still remains the gold standard in many departments.
My kit, although identical in box art and kit number is infortunately from a later released batch. The photoetch sheet has shrunk, and the magic tracks have vanished; replaced with their much-maligned rubber band type! I will replace these with an already constructed set of T-Rex’s 3D printed tracks. Although hugely expensive, my set was extremely durable and easy to assemble. Beware though, quailty does not seem to be consistant, but thats another story!
I’ve written a fairly lengthy Step-by-step blog and tweak list to illustrate both kit’s highs and lows. This includes a list of incorrect and missing parts, instructed processes of construction I figured best to avoid, a fix list to resolve fit issues, and ultimately my take on which kit I felt came up trumps.
The full construction build log can be found here: Which one is best? Dragon #6575 & Border Models #BT-008
*I realise
this site might not be around forever and I have since spotted a few typos and
terminology errors, so here is an updated errors and fix list link Dragon Pz.IV Ausf J kit #6575 errors and fixes
Border kit on the left. Dragon on the right
Dragon kit 6575 fully built with T-Rex resin tracks
Border Model kit BT-008 fully built with T-Rex resin tracks.
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