Henschel and Porsche Tigers

I am not an expert on the matter but here is what I know:

Tamiya has both the King Tiger Porsche and Henschel Models.

Tamiya kits have very good quality as far as details and molding are concerned. The kits come with vinyl tracks.

Dragon kits also come with good details and the molding has greatly improved compared to their previous releases. Dragon included PE parts for their kits as well as individual track links.

Between the 2, Dragon kits are cheaper than Tamiya ones.

I have built the Tamiya King Tiger Henschel Turret and it is a very good kit. But upon seeing Dragon's version, I think I'll get Dragon next time I decide to build a King Tiger.

Thanks Dwight, I appreciate the info. I am going shopping tomorrow at the lhs and I expect I will opt for the Dragon kit. I might even pick up the Tamiya kit (s) if they have them. Ya' really gotta love this hobby when you are an adult. More money around for goodies. And my wife is happy to see me doing something like this other than just working all the time... have I found heaven or what. Dwight, I have admired your dioramas since I signed on to the forums. Even bought a sherman 105 to try my hand at a "germans abushing a sherman in winter" after seeing your sherman diorama. Thanks for the inspiration and for the information. I will start having some photos to post pretty quick. Look forward to your comments.

Guy

I'm just starting the DML Henschel Tiger II, the only drawback to Tamiya are the rubberband tracks. I purchased the Osprey booklet detailing the production and service history of the Tiger II, it is fascinating to discover the infighting and politics behind the fielding of the vehicle and the turret choices. I highly recommend it, the book actually accounts for every production and pre-production King Tiger, even down to the dates shipped and to what units. There are excellent pictorial and color plates to use as refererance as well. The (50) Porche turrets were already built when the first production tanks were rolling down the assembly lines, so they were utilized. The other thing that fascinated me was the documented mechanical problems that the tank experienced in the field. More Kings were broken down in the rear than were in action. The Osprey book details the operational status of each unit using the tank.

Steve

Thanks for the info Steve, I will be picking up the book tomorrow. It is amazing that the problems we see now with the military industrial complex were present in a nation on a war footing 60 years ago. I am a political scientist by training (though not by trade now) and I am seriously considering doing something in this area as a break from my routine. Thanks again.

Guy

Guy,

I am greatly honored to be considered an inspiration. Thank you very much.

What kind of tracks do the dragon kits come with?

QUOTE: Originally posted by kwags What kind of tracks do the dragon kits come with?

Individual track links made of plastic.

Go with the Dragon kits: newer technology. indy track links, pe grilles. That adds up to a lot of value for much less.

let me state one thing first. i am not an expert. armor is not my forte. having said that i am in the process of building the dragon/dml king tiger w/porsche. it is a clean build so far, the only add ons have been wire for the handles. you will enjoy the build that i can promise. but be prepared there is no zim in the kit. you will have to either buy pe or do homemade stuff.

joe

I just started the DML kit. IT is sweet. The individual links go together easy and the cost was good too. I like the fact it inclided the PE.

If you are going to be in the Ardennes, you're going to want a Henschel version, regardless of who's kit you wind up with. A casual glance through my books fails to come up with a photo of a Porsche in the Ardennes. Looking at several dozen Ardennes Tiger II photos in front of me, they are all Henschels.

You can also get away with no zimm on an Ardennes Tiger II!

Thanks for the help guys. Just picked up the Ardennes version of the King Tiger from Tamiya. Don't know if I am ready for home-made zim yet. Never done it but I did pick up some milliput and tamiya's zim tool. Anyone ever used it? Looks pretty good. Now If I can get up the nerve to chance wrecking a perfectly good kit? Also picked up a couple of Normandy 60th anniversary Dragon kits. Came with indy links, metal barrel and some pe screens. Pretty impressed with kits: a panther and a jagdpanther. Great prices also. The only Tiger II dragon model they had had the porsche turret and I was looking for the Henschel. Let you know how it works out.

Guy

Guy,
Yep, The Henschel Tiger II was in the Ardennes and some of them did have zimmerit, but some did not, so you can get away without doing zimm..
Now if you were doing the "Porsche" version, it would be before the Falaise pocket retreat and all of those did have zimmerit..
Have fun building your Tiger II.. It should be a smooth build..

Here's a pic of the Dragon Henschel Tiger II I just finished..