Hello everybody,
Years ago I did a Tamiya Tiger I, and it was a handsome model. However, it got destroyed in a horrible accident. I still have its remains in a box in my closet. There was no Tiger on my shelf for the longest time. I had a King Tiger and a Panther, but I had no Tiger. That could no longer be tolerated. I saw a modern Tiger kit with MOLDED ZIMMERIT at Cincinnati's model show in the fall. It had a good discount.
The Tiger is a legend. I know, it wasn't perfect. It was underpowered and expensive. It stressed logistics, engines, final drives, and maintenance crews. Too few were able to be produced. BUT, it striked fear in every allied tanker on both fronts. It's still the boogy man of World War II. Kelley and Oddball fought the Tiger, until they made a "deal, deal." Private Ryan and Wardaddy took on the Tiger. Our Soviet friends battled the White Tiger (I want to see that one).
Sometimes modellers get sick of seeing the same old subjects rehashed. I understand that. I've expressed that sentiment a few times myself. But, what's an armor shelf without a Tiger?
This is Dragon's "Tiger I Mid-Production w/Zimmerit, s. Pz. Abt. 506 Eastern Front 1944," number 6624. I added Eduard's photo etch fenders and a figure from Evolution Miniatures (EM35127).
The kit has two tricky bits:
First, The instructions on the idler wheel axles are not clear. Setting them aft will make the tracks tight. Settng them forward will make the tracks loose (as they should be). I didn't test fit the tracks early, but I should have.
Second tricky bit. The molded Zimmerit is great. However, I had a seam line at the front of the hull. It was at the point where the upper hull meets the lower hull at the very nose of the tank. I sanded the seam, then I recut the Zimmerit with the back side of a #11 blade. Then I'd sand, then I'd recut, then I primed, then I sanded, then I recut, then I primed, etc.
I originally planned a display base showing the Tiger cutting through tall grass on a Russian Steppe. That base is now a goey mess in the trash-can. I may retry it someday, but not today.
I have build pics on my flickr page at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/156295224@N02/albums/72157669195138369
but I think I'll just post the built pictures here. I know it's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy.
20180310_234437 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234425 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234417 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234351 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234338 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234328 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234310 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234405 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
20180310_234257 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr
Thank you for looking,
Next Project is a CH-46A, Vietnam.