[In The Stash] Monogram 1:48 Draconian Marauder
Hi, Everyone!
In 1978, the year after the original Star Wars became a successful worldwide phenomenon, Glen A. Larson and Universal Studios began production on a planned series of Buck Rogers TV movies for NBC. During that same year, the pilot for Battlestar Galactica was re-edited into a theatrical movie which ran in some countries and in key locations in North America. That film did well at the box office, so Universal decided to release the first Buck Rogers TV movie in theaters as well. The box office returns were good which led NBC to commission a weekly TV series instead of more television movies. Thus Buck Rogers In The 25th Century began on September 20, 1979.
Given the subject matter, the show was decidedly campy with production values that easily date the episodes with 1970s futurism. However, the two seasons of Buck Rogers gave viewers a few iconic goodies including the suave and charming Captain William "Buck" Rogers, the oftentimes Spandex-clad Colonel Wilma Deering, Buck's sidekick robot Twiki, and several memorable spaceship designs.
In 1979, Monogram released two model kits based on the ships from the Buck Rogers movie: the 1:48 Earth Defense Directorate Starfighter (kit number 6030) and the 1:48 Draconian Marauder (kit number 6031). The Starfighter kit would go on to become a highly-prized and somewhat rare collector's item among sci-fi scale model builders, particularly during the online auctions era. However, the Marauder kit can usually be found quite easily and can be had for much less than its good-guy counterpart.
When I was a kid, I could never find the Monogram Starfighter kit on store shelves. I did get a hold of a Marauder, though, and strangely enough, it is one of the few models I built back then that fully survived my childhood intact. I have plans to refurbish that model, cleaning it up, removing the way-too-much gobs of cured model cement, and finishing it up in a more proper fashion. A few weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to acquire an unbuilt Marauder kit. I already have a Starfighter kit in the stash, so I decided to add the enemy kit alongside it.
Let's take a quick look at the Draconian Marauder kit...
Here is the box top.
Here is a closer look at the assembly instructions sheet and decals. Note that there are only twelve steps, all of which are quite simple.
The parts count for this kit is only 19. This includes a clear red part and two parts that make up the stand. The model is considered to be 1:48 scale and comes out to 10.75 inches (27.305 cm) long when built.
We can take a closer look at some of the parts while comparing them to the filming miniature (reference pictures can be found here: https://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongallery/thumbnails.php?album=695). The upper fuselage is decent, although greeblie-type details are missing.
The engine exhaust nozzles are all there. However, the nozzles themselves are not aligned accurately.
The cockpit is non-existent, and it features a single simplistic seat part.
The weapon pods parts arguably have the most issues. Each finished pod has four rear fins which is incorrect as there should be eight fins back there. Also, there should be some kind of nozzle assembly at the rear which is not represented at all.
Being a model kit from the 1970s, one should expect some level of raised panel lines on some parts. Luckily, such detailing is only found on two parts. The question of accuracy of these raised panel lines does come up since they don't seem to exist on the original filming miniature.
Here are the parts for the lower fuselage, the cockpit hatch, and some kind of under-the-nose sensor part thingie. As one can see, there are certain sections of the lower fuselage that are very under-detailed which give it a flat, Monogram-just-gave-up, look.
The canopy is a single piece of clear red plastic which is also inaccurate as being overly-large and not broken up into several smaller parts.
And here is the box top again with the model I built as a kid placed in front of it. It should be interesting to refurbish this one of these days.
As a bonus, check out this Target newspaper ad from December 20, 1979 featuring Monogram models. In it, you can see that both the Starfighter and Marauder kits (and even the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper and Cylon Raider kits) originally sold for $3.99 U.S.D. each. Oh, what we all wouldn't give to see model kit prices like that again! :D
In many cases, the kit can now usually be had between $25.00 U.S.D. to $35.00 online. Is the Draconian Marauder kit worth getting, though? Well...maybe if you are a fan of the show and if you already have the Monogram Starfighter kit and wanted to pair it up. This is the kind of spaceship design that screams ugly with its odd, sharp, angular shapes and overall cheap looks. However, it is also one of those designs that tend to grow on you, and with some accurizing and detailing, the model can end up looking close to the original filming miniature.
:)
In 1978, the year after the original Star Wars became a successful worldwide phenomenon, Glen A. Larson and Universal Studios began production on a planned series of Buck Rogers TV movies for NBC. During that same year, the pilot for Battlestar Galactica was re-edited into a theatrical movie which ran in some countries and in key locations in North America. That film did well at the box office, so Universal decided to release the first Buck Rogers TV movie in theaters as well. The box office returns were good which led NBC to commission a weekly TV series instead of more television movies. Thus Buck Rogers In The 25th Century began on September 20, 1979.
Given the subject matter, the show was decidedly campy with production values that easily date the episodes with 1970s futurism. However, the two seasons of Buck Rogers gave viewers a few iconic goodies including the suave and charming Captain William "Buck" Rogers, the oftentimes Spandex-clad Colonel Wilma Deering, Buck's sidekick robot Twiki, and several memorable spaceship designs.
In 1979, Monogram released two model kits based on the ships from the Buck Rogers movie: the 1:48 Earth Defense Directorate Starfighter (kit number 6030) and the 1:48 Draconian Marauder (kit number 6031). The Starfighter kit would go on to become a highly-prized and somewhat rare collector's item among sci-fi scale model builders, particularly during the online auctions era. However, the Marauder kit can usually be found quite easily and can be had for much less than its good-guy counterpart.
When I was a kid, I could never find the Monogram Starfighter kit on store shelves. I did get a hold of a Marauder, though, and strangely enough, it is one of the few models I built back then that fully survived my childhood intact. I have plans to refurbish that model, cleaning it up, removing the way-too-much gobs of cured model cement, and finishing it up in a more proper fashion. A few weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to acquire an unbuilt Marauder kit. I already have a Starfighter kit in the stash, so I decided to add the enemy kit alongside it.
Let's take a quick look at the Draconian Marauder kit...
Here is the box top.
Here is a closer look at the assembly instructions sheet and decals. Note that there are only twelve steps, all of which are quite simple.
The parts count for this kit is only 19. This includes a clear red part and two parts that make up the stand. The model is considered to be 1:48 scale and comes out to 10.75 inches (27.305 cm) long when built.
We can take a closer look at some of the parts while comparing them to the filming miniature (reference pictures can be found here: https://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongallery/thumbnails.php?album=695). The upper fuselage is decent, although greeblie-type details are missing.
The engine exhaust nozzles are all there. However, the nozzles themselves are not aligned accurately.
The cockpit is non-existent, and it features a single simplistic seat part.
The weapon pods parts arguably have the most issues. Each finished pod has four rear fins which is incorrect as there should be eight fins back there. Also, there should be some kind of nozzle assembly at the rear which is not represented at all.
Being a model kit from the 1970s, one should expect some level of raised panel lines on some parts. Luckily, such detailing is only found on two parts. The question of accuracy of these raised panel lines does come up since they don't seem to exist on the original filming miniature.
Here are the parts for the lower fuselage, the cockpit hatch, and some kind of under-the-nose sensor part thingie. As one can see, there are certain sections of the lower fuselage that are very under-detailed which give it a flat, Monogram-just-gave-up, look.
The canopy is a single piece of clear red plastic which is also inaccurate as being overly-large and not broken up into several smaller parts.
And here is the box top again with the model I built as a kid placed in front of it. It should be interesting to refurbish this one of these days.
As a bonus, check out this Target newspaper ad from December 20, 1979 featuring Monogram models. In it, you can see that both the Starfighter and Marauder kits (and even the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper and Cylon Raider kits) originally sold for $3.99 U.S.D. each. Oh, what we all wouldn't give to see model kit prices like that again! :D
In many cases, the kit can now usually be had between $25.00 U.S.D. to $35.00 online. Is the Draconian Marauder kit worth getting, though? Well...maybe if you are a fan of the show and if you already have the Monogram Starfighter kit and wanted to pair it up. This is the kind of spaceship design that screams ugly with its odd, sharp, angular shapes and overall cheap looks. However, it is also one of those designs that tend to grow on you, and with some accurizing and detailing, the model can end up looking close to the original filming miniature.
:)
Great review! Yours are always so complete!
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