Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Scifi and Fantasy => Topic started by: Frank3k on June 08, 2026, 03:54:12 AM
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I saw Dr. Yo's build of the Dracoon/Aminga (https://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=11741.msg236928#msg236928) and it looked like it would fit well into the Strategic Space Command universe, which includes the Leif Ericson. I'm the guy who calculated that the original LE was around 1/500 scale (and that's what Round 2 put on the box) so now it's cannon. However since the deck spacing and hatches (both in and outside of the ship) vary widely in size, anything from around 1/300 to 1/700 would work for the scale.
For the Dracoon (which I keep thinking of as "Racoon") I imagine it is an older vehicle than the LE, primarily used for solar system exploration and cargo transport.
In any case, I found that the Dracoon was quite cheap on Ebay. I bought two of the Takara/Nitto boxing of the Dracoon (listed as 1/1600 on the box). It's a fairly simple kit, but the fit is not great; hats off to the evil Dr. Yo for making the kit plastic yield to his will. I struggled (and am still struggling) with mine.
I'm building two versions: one landed, with the rear cargo hatch open and landing gears deployed and another in flight. The in-flight version is almost ready for paint. I printed larger vertical fins in ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate - basically, styrene) to make it closer to the Leif Ericson design style. I also used the exhaust from an old Testors 1/72 F-19 as the "impulse" engines:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55319301132_8689eb8571_b.jpg)
The neck joint required extensive trimming and sanding to prevent a noticeable step. The engine pods have a gap between them and the main body that is just wide enough to call a feature, rather than poor fit:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55320371548_ef30e220f2_b.jpg)
Throughout this build, the shape of the Dracoon has reminded me of the Terran Trade Authority "Interstellar Queen" and of the "Hooded Swan" from the series by by Brian Stableford:
(https://sciencefictionruminations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/the-halcyon-drift.jpg)
(artwork for both is by Angus McKie)
I added two doors for the forward landing pads (as seen on some "Interstellar Queen"/"Hooded Swan" images). Some 1/700 railing on the forward stepped area under the nose acts as a sort of intake. I filled in the step behind them to streamline the lower front fuselage. A frame from a 1/350 scale hatch on the lower rear body acts as a crew hatch. Finally, I made landing gear doors out of styrene to replace the lumps that acted as missile bays :
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55320426534_2d44761f77_b.jpg)
I have some LE engines I printed a few years ago so I placed one set (and the resin "engine inter-adapters" that I cast more than 20 years ago) on the Dracoon,; maybe it's being used as a testbed for the new LE engines:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55320622360_666fffd333_b.jpg)
Here's a 1/350 scale astronaut standing over the cockpit area. At this scale, the cockpit area is roughly about the size of a modern airliner's cockpit. In 1/500 it would be roomier and in 1/700 it would be a ballroom:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55319301042_23b5808046_b.jpg)
Here's where I am with the landed version and mocked up cargo hold:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55320371533_1c12c6b574_b.jpg)
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...In 1/500 it would be roomier and in 1/700 it would be a ballroom...
And in the stated scale of 1/1600, it would be a hanger deck :D
I think scale in most Japanese sf kits from that era is more "something like that" than a direct correspondence. ;)
This is coming along nicely-I hear you about the fit issues, though-my build has the same gaps between the engines and hull, and I do remember
a fair amount of filling and sanding. Our minds do move in similar tracks, though-the other partially constructed Dracoon in my stash is half way to being a landed transport with a open cargo bay as well-I have a set of wings from an old 1/100 Ilyushin Il-28 (Tamiya kit, I think?) to turn it into a Gundam style mega plane. (It's also getting scale=o-rama'd to 1/550. I'll have to dig it out soon.)
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The old Tamiya 1/100 Il-28 is a pretty nice kit, despite its age.
(https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/0/9/7/134097-54703-51-1440.jpg[img]
I sprayed the ship with Badger Stynylrez gloss black primer mixed with some Vallejo white aluminum. Surprisingly few areas that need more work plus a few that I'm just going to ignore.
It's pretty dark overall, even in direct sunlight. I'm tempted to leave some sections in this color:
[img width=800 height=600]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55320898446_056fd783f7_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55320898446_056fd783f7_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55321309440_f62bc7bc95_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55319989792_06d585f0b7_b.jpg)
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Nice color on a nice build! :smiley: