# Looks like those Dragon Avengers kits are vinyl after all.



## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

http://www.hlj.com/product/DRAK38315


despite them being promoted as plastic kits. Oh well........it was nice to dream of new Marvel injection plastic kits for a while.


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Nah, vinyl's not that hard. A little different but easy to get used to. Besides, with vinyl you can get much better detail and no two part seams to deal with.

He did say it "_looked like vinyl to me_", so it may not be maybe?

hal9001-


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Those photos of the parts and instruction sheet would seem to be a clear indication that they are indeed vinyl kits; I can't imagine being able to assemble a styrene kit that way.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Well, I just got the Iron Man kit, and it's definitely styrene. There's ONE small tree of vinyl parts with the hands and a couple of other things. But 95% of the kit is plastic.

maybe the non-armored figures are vinyl?


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Vinyl is a type of plastic. Its not like the kits are described as being bronze, stone, porcelain, etc.

Dragon also uses their own gluable type of vinyl called Dragonstyrene or DS. It is interesting stuff. I think they used to to mold the complicated superstructure towers on their 1/700 USS Arizona battleship, along with some 1/35 figures and tank tracks.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Whatever it's made of, the Iron Man kit must have some interesting multi-part molds. The lower legs, for example, are molded in one piece (as opposed to halves), joint sockets and all.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

hal9001 said:


> Nah, vinyl's not that hard. A little different but easy to get used to. Besides, with vinyl you can get much better detail and no two part seams to deal with.
> 
> He did say it "_looked like vinyl to me_", so it may not be maybe?
> 
> hal9001-





I've built a few vinyl kits without problem but that's not the point. Some of us like injection plastic kits. There's loads of vinyl Marvel characters about but hardly any hard plastic kits.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

John P said:


> Well, I just got the Iron Man kit, and it's definitely styrene. There's ONE small tree of vinyl parts with the hands and a couple of other things. But 95% of the kit is plastic.
> 
> maybe the non-armored figures are vinyl?






That could be the case. Maybe it's only Iron Man that's an injection kit.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

djnick66 said:


> Vinyl is a type of plastic. Its not like the kits are described as being bronze, stone, porcelain, etc.
> 
> Dragon also uses their own gluable type of vinyl called Dragonstyrene or DS. It is interesting stuff. I think they used to to mold the complicated superstructure towers on their 1/700 USS Arizona battleship, along with some 1/35 figures and tank tracks.





It is a type of plastic yes but vinyl kits are usually described as vinyl or PVC kits, not plastic kits. It's a bit misleading.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I don't know if its mis-leading really. HLJ uses standard, generic, categories for their kits. and it is "injection molded" and "plastic". The more detailed description clearly says it looks like vinyl. Either way, its not a big deal. Again this is probably that funky Dragonstyrene DS plastic they have been using in some of their other kits. It really is odd but you can glue it with normal model cement.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

djnick66 said:


> I don't know if its mis-leading really. HLJ uses standard, generic, categories for their kits. and it is "injection molded" and "plastic". The more detailed description clearly says it looks like vinyl. Either way, its not a big deal. Again this is probably that funky Dragonstyrene DS plastic they have been using in some of their other kits. It really is odd but you can glue it with normal model cement.







HLJ isn't the one at fault....it's Dragon. On their website it clearly states *plastic model kits*


http://www.dragon-models.com/d-m-item.asp?pid=DRA38315


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Checked my Iron Man again. It's definitely styrene, unless this Dragon Plastic is indistiguishable from styrene.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Hobby Search has the sprues/parts, instructions, and photos of the pre finished and kits for these figures.

Ironman does look like a styrene kit. The Hulk does not seem to be. Iron man comes molded on sprues with parts to cut out, glue together, paint etc. The Hulk "kit" is molded in 5 large parts (left leg, right leg, pants, body with arms, and head). While it is not pre painted like the other Dragon version, it comes in purple and green (vinyl?) plastic and snaps together.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10189439t2/60/2

There is no way you could mold regular styrene plastic into parts as large and thick as these are as far as I know. Anything much more than 1/8" to 1/4" and you start getting sink marks.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Yup, Hulk definitely looks like vinyl.


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## IslandBoy (Nov 10, 2012)

I've recently received all the current releases of these kits, and they are all vinyl, with the exception of the Iron Man kit. The only vinyl part in that kit are the hands, and a plug that the helmet is built over. I will be one to say, the engineering of these kits are EXCELLENT. 
I built the Iron Man in one night, and the way Dragon has broken it down is a complete godsend. The armor is built over a plastic skeleton (think Gundam here) and all parts only go together one way. I cut every piece off the sprues, and yes, it'll only go together the way they engineered it. Painting this kit will be a breeze due to parts break down. Granted, if you ever built a Moebius Iron kit, those are seam lines galore. Not this kit; they kept it extremely minimal.
There are several pieces in the IM kit that are whole, meaning one piece gauntlets. ZERO sinkholes. This includes the lower legs also.
The other kits are rendered in vinyl, and they do have some weight to them (although I fill mine with plaster to prevent sink. paper stuffed in 'em also works). Best part is ZERO parts to trim. I can't say that for the vinyl kits I've built in the past.
These kits are also highly detailed and pretty much a "plug and play build". They go together pretty quick outta the box, minus your paint job. Iron Man is the only one thats gonna tale some time due to all the various colors you gotta lay down on him. Hope this lil guide helps in your decision to pick up these great kits. I scored mine from HLJ when a couple of them were on sale. Those stateside prices are CRAZY!


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## IslandBoy (Nov 10, 2012)

Almost forgot, like the Moebius kits, the Dragon IM kit parts pretty much snap together TIGHT. I used Tenax7 to bond the inner skeleton on that kit. Not all parts snap together, some will have to be glued. The arms, legs, and helmet when completed, will snap right to the skeleton, just as the prebuilt versions do.


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