I have often wondered if Dragon has a problem with importers. The policy described above would explain why Dragon model prices are much higher in North America versus Hong Kong.
I did not see any of the errors mentioned by Peter in reviews. Perhaps I skimmed too quickly or read the wrong ones. That is a constant problem for me. If a model has problems, that information is usually deep in a forum discussion and hard to find.
Each to its own. Besides the shadiness of DML from many years ago, like others said, there is no reason for me to buy these re-releases of DML anymore. Not interested in Nazi stuff, the 2nd hand previous releases are readily available at reasonable prices on evil-Bay or I already have them in stash, and there are better, improved alternatives from other makers.
I have one re-release I bought from Aliexpress last year during Black Friday sale: M48A3 just because it was a low price ($40 with shipping) and came with a VN War USMC figure set. Very rare occasion.
Even if DML disappears from the market, I won’t miss them for sure.
I don’t know, I’ve always liked Dragon kits, I know I’m slightly off. I must have a couple hundred Dragon kits in the stash, ranging from the early Imperial [ex-Gunze Sangyo] Series to their recent Panther Ausf. G Premium Edition, which is a fantastic kit. I’ve never had a problem following their crazy instructions and have always gotten a good build out of them. They were, you have to admit, a revolution in the industry.
The whole Blogger Hiroshi debacle was a disgrace. That a–hole not only denigrated Terry, he tore apart Tamiya and every other manufacturer in disgusting tirades worthy of Hitler. Just bad business practice, but it is the Chinese way to declare themselves superior and ignore defects. Border Models now has a similar schill on Missing Lynx - he tears people a new one and blames individuals for poor sales.
I miss the halcyon days of Dragon in the 2000’s. I won’t pay $80 or $90 for a re-release, thats crazy money and I’ve probably already got it. Dragon made a big mistake, IMHO, when they stopped concentrating on models and branched out into Battle Barbies and toys. But they were a shining star in the market, and where would we be without them, eagerly waiting for 2 or 3 Tamiya releases a year?
I’m not particularly a Wehrmacht modeller but if I were, I imagine Dragon have produced just about everything I’d ever want in 1/35.
I am however, a Cold War modeller, and I recall the tingle of interest when, back I think around the late 80s/early 90s, Dragon produced their T-72, T-80 and BMP kits (and more). I mean Wow; the trouble was, I was still serving then and the hobby just wouldn’t withstand all the moves I had to undertake.
I was just so pleased that someone had bothered to produce Soviet/Warsaw Pact stuff. Sure, they don’t really stand up to later iterations produced by say, Trumpeter, but I always had a soft spot for those models and some are now in my stash.
I promise to tackle them some day(!)
There’s definitely been many times Dragon provided great delight by providing kits that overly conservative Tamiya ignored completely or only released after Dragon proved the subjects would sell.
A few of my favorite butt kicking releases by Dragon from the good old days…
M26
NATO MLRS
FW-190D9
Nashorn (the 1st one, despite flaws)
Pz IV’s (old Gunzy’s)
Type XXI submarine
The original Nashorn, their first release, was a total disaster. But the all-new, second versions are very nice kits.
Agreed, Dragon #6001 had a multitude of accuracy errors & issues but at least it looked like a Nashorn. Paid $10 for one after the faults became widely known. Was a decent enough Out of the Box build.
I’ll also add M1A1 AIM #3535 to your list. That really raised the bar high for all future Abrams releases.
But times have changed. Technology has advanced. AFV Club, Meng, RFM, Takom, Miniart, Bronco, Gecko all spoiled us - even Academy and Tamiya improved their accuracies.
Dragon and Italeri just want to live in the past and re-release, re-re-release. Nostalgia aside, I’m moving on.
20% off all Dragon products this weekend at Sprue Brothers.
they musta been readin’ this thread…
… and all the old Dragon kits be singin’ …
and deep deep down in your heart there is a little part of You that screams
I AM NOT COMPLETE as long as this one is missing …
Whoa! Dragon kits on the top shelf next to the really good whisky. Hey Robin, can a borrow a hundred?
Puhahaha! 
Sorry, I’m being a hater here - Sprue Bros’ 20% off is a joke though.
The Dragon kit prices are so inflated that even with 20% off, those are the same prices you get buying directly from eBay or Aliexpress sellers in China after tax + shipping.
HARD PASS for me
Plus, 2nd hand Dragon kits are usually plenty on evilBay.
Like this one:
I bought one for $35 total including shipping and tax last year on evilBay.
$20 more for a 30+ year old moulding? No thanks.
Slacker.
Doug, I know…that’s probably $50 if the panzer police 
find out
@Petition2God James, the trick with Spruebrothers.com is saving stuff in the wish list, then adding it to the cart with the 20% off for Dragon kit(s) or whomever is on sale to get an order total over $200. Next select the standard shipping which is free for $200+ orders.
$55 for basically a 2005 era Dragon Pz IV with some 2023 release updates and free shipping is an acceptable deal to expand my Pz IV collection and fill a niche.
Thank you, Wade. Good tip but I’m trying to minimize my hobby spending so I don’t see going over $200 purchases from Spruebros anytime soon…
Hmm - all opinions & reportage of facts above are valid, of course, I’m not arguing with anybody. I just think it comes down to one’s personal approach to model-making. Mine is basically…
In other words, I think I’d get bored real fast if I was building a model which was actually 100% accurate. So whatever imperfections there are, I don’t really care because (a) I want to build X (b) I’ll get a kick out of making X better.
I bring my own imperfections to the party.
