Post by stilljustharley on Jan 29, 2023 2:16:08 GMT -6
OK, I hope you’re sitting comfortably because there’s a story to be told about this Dragon Wagon (not a Circus Wagon!).
A very long time ago, before the Internet, I was lucky enough to find an incomplete Dragon Wagon in a charity shop – a very rare find in the UK back then. I put it together as best I could, using alternative parts to get it finished. Stuff like Fujimi wheels and tyres, front axle from some Lindberg kit and so on. It wasn’t 100% accurate but I was pleased enough with the end result (sorry about the dodgy photos but that was the best I could do 35 years ago!).
www.showrods.com/gallery_pages/dragon_wagon1.html
Fast forward about ten years and I had another stroke of luck with an Ebay win for a pile of parts. A pile of parts which, if you examined the auction photos really closely, contained all the missing parts for my Dragon Wagon – and with loads more to spare.
However, and for reasons I don’t fully understand, as soon as the parts turned up I ripped the above built up version apart, and used the freshly acquired spare parts to build a “vintage” Dragon Wagon i.e. before Tom Daniel got his hands on it. Various AMT model T parts were used to complete this project.
So, the parts to build a “stock” Dragon Wagon ended up sitting on a shelf for many long years until I finally decided to build the kit I’d started over thirty years ago. I decided from the outset that I would add a little detail, mainly around the engine which Monogram had tooled up without any ignition parts etc., but it would otherwise be pretty much box stock. I drew the line at attempting to correct stuff like the steering which, if you look closely, has the steering column running into the floor of the cab but a steering arm appearing out of the side of the cab. Problems were limited to some badly warped panels for the cage and the running boards and, not surprisingly, the decals didn’t want to play at all. I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out and it does make a nice companion piece for the stock version!
A very long time ago, before the Internet, I was lucky enough to find an incomplete Dragon Wagon in a charity shop – a very rare find in the UK back then. I put it together as best I could, using alternative parts to get it finished. Stuff like Fujimi wheels and tyres, front axle from some Lindberg kit and so on. It wasn’t 100% accurate but I was pleased enough with the end result (sorry about the dodgy photos but that was the best I could do 35 years ago!).
www.showrods.com/gallery_pages/dragon_wagon1.html
Fast forward about ten years and I had another stroke of luck with an Ebay win for a pile of parts. A pile of parts which, if you examined the auction photos really closely, contained all the missing parts for my Dragon Wagon – and with loads more to spare.
However, and for reasons I don’t fully understand, as soon as the parts turned up I ripped the above built up version apart, and used the freshly acquired spare parts to build a “vintage” Dragon Wagon i.e. before Tom Daniel got his hands on it. Various AMT model T parts were used to complete this project.
So, the parts to build a “stock” Dragon Wagon ended up sitting on a shelf for many long years until I finally decided to build the kit I’d started over thirty years ago. I decided from the outset that I would add a little detail, mainly around the engine which Monogram had tooled up without any ignition parts etc., but it would otherwise be pretty much box stock. I drew the line at attempting to correct stuff like the steering which, if you look closely, has the steering column running into the floor of the cab but a steering arm appearing out of the side of the cab. Problems were limited to some badly warped panels for the cage and the running boards and, not surprisingly, the decals didn’t want to play at all. I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out and it does make a nice companion piece for the stock version!
