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Author
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Topic: What happened to Dragon's space model line?
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jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 07-29-2014 09:08 PM
   
A couple years ago I was spending a lot of money on Dragon's models. I don't think they have released anything new in more than a year. Does anyone know what happened? |
GoesTo11
Member Posts: 1309
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 07-29-2014 10:39 PM
Yeah, same here... seems like at least a year since they released anything new in their Aerospace line, and I haven't seen any recent catalog updates either.On the one hand, I didn't mind a bit of a break as I'd somewhat neglected other areas of my collection in favor of models for a while... but there were several announced releases that I was looking forward to, of which I've heard nothing since. As noted previously here, the 1:400 Endeavour/MLP was announced and is now apparently in some sort of limbo... maybe that's a harbinger? Perhaps sales of the series have stalled and they've back-burnered further releases. No telling with Dragon, apparently. |
apolloprojeckt
Member Posts: 1447
From: Arnhem, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 07-29-2014 11:59 PM
I hope they still will come with the Saturn IB 1/72 version. |
mode1charlie
Member Posts: 1169
From: Honolulu, HI
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 07-30-2014 12:06 AM
Agree! And a 1/72 Mercury Atlas and Gemini Titan as well to round out the (early U.S. crewed spacecraft) line in that scale. But the Saturn IB would be especially nice, you're right. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 07-30-2014 02:06 AM
quote:
Originally posted by GoesTo11:
As noted previously here, the 1:400 Endeavour/MLP was announced and is now apparently in some sort of limbo...
Although that model has made its way back to Dragon Models USA with a March 2014 release date... Only the Discovery model was announced on Dragon's website; Atlantis was mentioned on Dragon USA only. The latest models announced were ISS models back in May 2012. Since then, as pointed out, nothing. Dragon Wings (Airlines) and Dragon Warbirds follow the same trend.My guess is that they not only flooded the market with models that were not that appropriate (the Delta II series for example) and may have rebutted collectors (quality of their models being one major factor) but are now focusing on more (?) lucrative markets like World War II and Marvel comics. I'm not sure that the space market is that big, compared to warbirds for example. That being said, Robert pointed out in another thread that Dragon was working on new models. We'll see. As for the 1:72 scale models, I agree that the Saturn 1B, Atlas, Titan models would be nice. And throw a shuttle of that size, and it would be perfect. |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 07-30-2014 10:52 AM
quote:
Originally posted by cspg:
I'm not sure that the space market is that big, compared to warbirds for example.
It's microscopic compared to WW2. I know someone who does marketing for another Japanese model maker and he's assured me several times that WW2 models, especially German aircraft and armor, have dominated the market since the 60s with no sign of stopping. |
Careos
Member Posts: 13
From: Dayton, OH, USA
Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 07-31-2014 11:12 AM
Several of the Dragon things are re-releasing. I believe the Challenger and Endeavour stacks are now available, the 1/72 Skylab kit and a few others. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 07-31-2014 12:00 PM
What Challenger stack?We were referring to the Shuttle on the MLP and crawler. Discovery and Atlantis have been produced, Endeavour "announced" but has yet to hit the stores. Correction: Dragon Models USA mentions August as a release date, so it may be finally coming out. As for re-releases, that's very true for Warbirds. Dragon is now grouping aircraft and sell them as pair (to lower their inventories?). The only space re-release I've spotted is "1/72 Apollo 11 "First Lunar Landing" CSM + Lunar Module + Astronauts" under a new item number.
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42982
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-31-2014 12:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by cspg:
What Challenger stack?
I believe this one. I've seen the others in the "Memorable Missions" series in good supply at NASA visitor center gift shops.
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cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 07-31-2014 01:52 PM
Those have always been easy to find (Flying Mule), no? |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 07-31-2014 05:37 PM
My issue is not that I can't find the released models; it is the lack of anything new coming out. |
Norman.King
Member Posts: 375
From: Herne Bay, Kent, UK
Registered: Feb 2010
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posted 08-01-2014 03:25 AM
Same here. I was hoping to see the 1/400 ISS by now and perhaps some more 1/400 Soviet stuff (Vostok/Voskhod would be nice). |
Careos
Member Posts: 13
From: Dayton, OH, USA
Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 08-01-2014 10:28 AM
Yes, I was referring to the memorable missions one. Sorry for the confusion. I just hope that Dragon continues the trend and we see all launchers in 1/72 soon. I got kits to buy and never build! |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 08-01-2014 10:30 AM
quote:
Originally posted by jjknap:
My issue is not that I can't find the released models; it is the lack of anything new coming out.
Too many (similar) models came out over a "short" period of time and since we're clueless as to the level of sales of this line of product, we can continue guessing as to what's going on. The fact that it affects the Warbirds and Airline lines as well is more troublesome to me than anything else. If you look at other manufacturers (Hobby Master, Century Wings, Corgi, Falcon Models, Herpa — ones I'm familiar with!  ), the ratio of actually new models (new molds) to variants of existing aircraft would tend to prove that even in the Warbirds field, the actual number of truly "new" models is relatively low (I have too many F-5/T-38, for example, with 4 yet to come). And as pointed out earlier, Warbirds is far bigger market than rockets. No one knows if it's financially worth it to produce those models (probably is with Bandai since they re-released Apollo 11 along Apollo 13, but even then I'm not so sure). |
blastr42
Member Posts: 17
From:
Registered: Jun 2014
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posted 08-13-2014 11:20 PM
quote:
Originally posted by cspg:
As for the 1:72 scale models, I agree that the Saturn 1B, Atlas, Titan models would be nice. And throw a shuttle of that size, and it would be perfect.
I'd prefer to see more of the 1:400 scale stuff (or 1:72 for capsules only). I'm a propulsion engineer and I have all my 1:400 models lined up in front of posters of launch vehicles and I can tell other engineers how the vehicles are similar and different and how they learned from each other. It's very instructive to show how a Long March is like a Soyuz, or a Delta II is like a Saturn Ib and a Saturn Ib like the Saturn V, or the Ariane 5 like the Shuttle or Titan III. |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 01-02-2016 08:04 PM
Has anyone heard anything about Dragon's space line recently? |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 01-03-2016 08:52 AM
No. They've launched their Star Wars models recently. As for space models, my guess is that they've flooded the market with many similar models with some quality issues. They probably put their line on hiatus or they cancelled everything. That being said some models from their existing line showed up on the Flying Mule website but I don't know if Dragon has produced more models or if they're getting rid of their inventories... |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 01-03-2016 10:55 AM
Too bad. If they had produced more models of rockets/spacecraft that were "different" I would have continued to add to my collection. A Viking Lander and a Skylab Workshop were at the top of my list. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 01-04-2016 04:52 AM
Note that it's not only their space line models which is affected: I haven't seen anything new in their aircraft line, both civil and military for the past two years. |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 12-18-2017 10:11 PM
Has anyone heard an from Dragon? Are they out of the space business now?Editor's note: Threads merged. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 12-19-2017 03:44 AM
Their space models are still listed on their website, like their commercial airliners (Dragon Wings) and military airplanes (Warbirds) but Dragon has not produced any new models for 4-5 years now. Are they out of business? No — they produce military WW2 vehicles. Out of space business? I have no idea.Edit: I emailed Dragon Models USA. We'll see. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42982
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-17-2018 06:32 PM
Dragon Models USA notes on its website that four of its space model kits will be reissued in June (2018): - 1/48 Apollo 11, Command/Service Module (CSM)
- 1/48 Apollo 11 Lunar Module "Eagle"
- 1/72 Apollo 11 "Lunar Approach" - CSM "Columbia" + LM "Eagle"
- 1/72 Apollo 11 "Lunar Landing" - CSM "Columbia" + LM "Eagle" + Astronauts
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cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-18-2018 11:16 AM
quote:
Originally posted by cspg:
Edit: I emailed Dragon Models USA. We'll see.
By the way, I never had any response from Dragon. |
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