Damn right, we haven’t even covered the modelmaker’s ability to execute a perfect model, let alone one with imperfections.
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Yeah, I second that. Great kit.
I’d also add the very first 6252 Tiger 1 Initial production to that list. The wow factor of brass ammunition, figures, PE, indy tracks, etc, in the one box at a price that was very reasonable. Only real let down was the solid guide horns on the tracks.
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When there’s a need or desire for very imperfect, fault, flaw filled and inaccurate 1/35 AFV model to build, that need builder improvements, Italeri excels and is a world class provider of many such kits for a premium price, in my experience. Italeri is my manufacturer of choice for such “challenging but interesting” builds.
However, Alan is absolutely unbeatable for needy fault filled kits to challenge builders.
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Nice.
Yea, Italeri, Alan, Skif… Nostalgia, nostalgia.
Remember how Verlinden disappeared into the sunset and we don’t even mention them anymore.
Ah, memories. Survival of the fittest and cheapest I suppose. Haha 
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Huh. I have sealed copies of M1A1 AIM 3535 and Tiger I Initial Production 6252 in the closet. For some reason, I purchased Model Kasten (?) replacement tracks for 6252. Or, maybe they were for Tiger I Late Production 6406. Weird. Cannot remember what I was up to.
Should probably build all those old models instead of purchasing a bunch of new old models. Heh.
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Yep!
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It is psychotic. I have some excellent models in the closet. So what did I just do? Bought three old Alanger models…and I am really excited to build them as soon as they arrive. 
…
A few months back, I built Dragon and Meng Jagdpanthers side by side. In my opinion, the much older Dragon model is significantly better. The most fun model I built in 2024 was an old TriStar Panzer 38(t).
Very happy Hobby Boss continues to release old TriStar Panzer 38s and Panzer IVs. Lots of old Dragon models still have strong appeal. Dragon German MBT 70 is another one I want.
Would love to build all the Italeri 1/35 torpedo boats. For modern stuff, definitely want some ESCI/Italeri M60s.
I know what the difference is. I have not built models for 40 years, solid. It is a giant candy shop to me. The Alan Su-76 psychologically scarred some of you. You have Post Traumatic Model Disorder–PTMD.
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Aww Doug…now you’ve done it, nearly 20 years of therapy up in smoke…
So – one of those is/was Dragon’s re-box of Alan’s SU76-M which (IIRC) was supposed to represent the post-WW2 modified version of the WW2-era SU76…which MiniArt eventually produced and is the other one in the photos.
Well actually, in truth maybe therapy has successfully repressed the memory of building the Alan/Dragon, but I don’t recall any particular issues with the build itself. The main problem was accuracy, which the MiniArt version (assumed to be more accurate) highlighted. Whatever, for my purposes as background for Kursk dioramas the differences were barely detectable – but I readily concede that for purists it’s another matter entirely.
So - which is which?
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9 is Miniart and 126 is Alan/Dragon.
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It is fantastic that you built both of those.
Many years ago, when I belonged to an IPMS club, a number of members claimed the Alan/Dragon Su-76 is the worst model ever made. To me, it looks like every other 1990s tank model but I regularly run with the joke because it gets laughs. 
Before reading Ryan’s response, my guess was Alan/Dragon on the left and ICM on the right. Details on the right vehicle are more petite and better defined. Both models are very well done examples of the ‘dirty tank’ style and remind me of your diorama with the Bogward.
An experienced model builder can win with anything if the will is there.
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Well there’s a few of us (you know who you are!) who have always known never to mess with Ryan, because he’s ALWAYS right. And Doug too (of course you meant Miniart not ICM)
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Thanks Doug, yes I’m familiar with the Alan reputation too – but as mentioned I think their SU76(M) was reviled more for its lack of accuracy & extreme clunkiness, and the fact it wasn’t (as advertised by them and/or Dragon) a WW2 version but a Korean war version. And yes, nothing a severe weathering couldn’t cure.
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ICM and MiniArt became smooshed together in the memory banks back in 2023. Eastern European companies like Alan, Alanger, ICM, Mirage, RPM, and Zvezda share molds. AMT, Dragon, ERTL, Italeri, and Revell also have a shell game going. I cannot keep it all straight. It is hopeless.
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@Dioramartin Tim, kudos 
on the Su-76 builds. Nicely done, A++
@Damraska Doug this might be of interest Armorama Archive: Alan Hobbies: SU-76M
My Prespective
Ah the the early 1990’s and Cookie Sewell calling out kits as a dogs 
fun times! I remember having nothing but love for Dragon as a manufacturer before building the Dragon boxed Alan Su-76 in ~1993 or 1994. The Alan Su-76, was the first of several Dragon boxed turds that gradually shifted my view of Dragon.
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Twenty years ago, I did not know model companies rented molds. To this day, I have never purchased a model magazine. If a model with Brand X on the box was of poor quality, I stopped purchasing Brand X models.
In 2025, the slate for every model company is wiped clean! ScaleMates, hundreds of online model reviewers, and model forums allow me evaluate every model before making a purchase. The company logo on the box is, at best, a rough indicator of what may reside inside.
My outlook on what makes a good model continues to evolve. I want a model to look really good and be fun to build.
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That is a really solid statement. Very true. A good model should score high marks in engineering, fit, finish, detail, and accuracy. It should have a reasonable amount of parts. It should take an average modeler a week or two of work to build. It should have individual tracks, but at 1 - 3 parts per link, not 9. It should have a non - fictional color guide and good quality decals.
I built the RFM 5028 M4A3E8 Sherman kit in 3 days and it required NO putty, anywhere! It just went together. It included PE or styrene light and periscope guards. It was a joy to build, except for the tracks. The tracks were 5 parts per link and I replaced them with R-Model T66 metal tracks, which came with brass pins and were a breeze to assemble. It had nice decals of a number of real, researched tanks to portray. The tracks let it down, but it “looks really good and was fun to build”.
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Matt, great description of excellence in a model kit!
Agreed. Those are the key weak areas of today’s best kits.
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Speaking of Alan, I have an Alan Grille I’ve been working off & on with. If you get it cheap (I think I spent $14 on the kit), & are not afraid of some AM parts (the kit came with a JR barrel already in the box, plus I added several Tiger Model Designs upgrades; still to purchase will be workable tracks) or minor detailing (lower hull is missing quite a bit of detail), then it works as a nice canvass to upgrade, & avoids the cost of the Dragon kit (something like $80)
Damon.
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