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Posted

Hi,

I'm thinking of building a Tiger I as a break from aircraft. I've settled on a Tamiya Tiger I, but there appear to be quite a few options available. Is the 'Late version' , kit no.35146, one of the better kits? Are there particular Tiger I boxings to avoid (age etc of kit)?

Thanks in advance,

Parabat

Posted (edited)

I built one or two of the Tamiya kits and they are all great. They don't come with the Zimmerit coating though.

The last Tiger I built was this one. About half the price of the Tamiya kit and it comes with the zimmerit, etched side skirts and a host of other bits and pieces. The fit is a bit tricky in some places but it builds up into a great kit, especially with all the details.

That being said though, i'm no expert on armour and the Italeri kit could be hopelessly inaccurate for all I know!

Dave

Edited by DaveJL
Posted

Italeri kit looks interesting, esp. as you wouldn't have to make the zimmerit from putty... Cheers for the link!

I've found a Tamiya Tiger I for about the same price though, so I'll see what the consensus is.

Posted

ive bulit the tamiya one found it to be great kit but its tamiya easy to build its not spot on but neither s italeria,s id go for the tamiya one for ease of build italeri,s for the detail

Posted

Technically, the Dragon kits are the ones to have, but they're getting hard to find, as they seem to have been out of production for a while. I've got a couple myself, but I'm almost suffering from "build fear" because they're a ) valuable, and b ) I've got so much aftermarket for them, it's kind of overwhelming. I have also got a late Tiger I from Tamiya, and although it shows the zimmerit on the box top, there's none on the kit... odd that :hmmm:

Zimmerit was only applied from Dec 1943 to Sept/Oct 1944, so depending on which era you're modelling, it might not matter if you get a kit without moulded in zimmerit. If you want to add it to a non-zimmeritted kit, you can either do it yourself by applying filler and texturing it with a screwdriver blade of the right thickness, or buy a tool to do it, such as those available from ET Models via WEM. Your other option is to buy pre-cast and sized resin zimmerit designed specifically for your kit from the likes of Cavalier. They are a bit expensive, but if you don't fancy doing it yourself, they're a quick & easy solution :)

Posted

Thanks Dave, Hood and Mike,

Some good feedback here. Mike - I'm not too worried about doing the zimmerit with putty, I remember reading an article in the 90's demonstrating it. Hood - I'm not overly fussed with uber detailingand would probably follow your suggestion of heading in the Tamiya direction for ease of build.

If I do get a Tiger, I think I will try keep A/M to a minimum, apart from zimmerit!

Thanks for the feedback guys, if anyone else has an opinion, let me know.

Parabat

Posted
I'm not overly fussed with uber detailing and would probably follow your suggestion of heading in the Tamiya direction for ease of build.

Yep the Tamiya kit is probably your best choice in that case, reasonably accurate and easy to build. If you don't fancy doing the zimmerit get the early Tiger (only as long as you like grey tanks though) :)

Posted (edited)
Yep the Tamiya kit is probably your best choice in that case, reasonably accurate and easy to build. If you don't fancy doing the zimmerit get the early Tiger (only as long as you like grey tanks though) :)

tamiya do a great tiger in desert colours about 20.00 on ebay now easy to build and distintive to set it apart from other tigers( kit no 227 tiger 1 afrika)

Edited by hood
Posted (edited)
tamiya do a great tiger in desert colours about 20.00 on ebay now easy to build and distintive to set it apart from other tigers( kit no 227 tiger 1 afrika)

I think I just found my Tiger! Thanks Hood!

What is the difference between 35227 and 32529? Just re-box, or new stuff in the box?

Edited by Parabat
Posted

The best thing about Tamiya kits is that they go together superbly, but IMHO, they lack a lot of detail.

Where as, the likes of Italeri have lots of detail but can be a PITA to assemble.

Plus, i think that at times we all suffer from too much exposure to media articles slagging kits off for various reasons that we forget that a model can be built OOB and still look great.

If it looks like a Tiger then it is a Tiger.

Also think about who will see your models, do they know the difference between a Tiger and a Challenger, the majority who see mine look at me funny when they see my collection, as though i was from another world,because i build models and they stare blankly at the models because they don`t have a clue what they are looking at.

The best i can tell you is go for the one you like most or is within your budget and build it the way you want to and not as you think others would like you to.

Other than that i can`t say as i don`t build WW2 German.

Malcolm

Posted (edited)
I think I just found my Tiger! Thanks Hood!

What is the difference between 35227 and 32529? Just re-box, or new stuff in the box?

i dont know :fraidnot: ive never done 1/48 allways 1/35 scale sorry chap

Edited by hood
Posted (edited)
i dont know :fraidnot: ive never done 1/48 allways 1/35 scale sorry chap

They're both 1/35, 32529 looks like it's an earlier release...

It appears to be the same kit, just the earlier release 32529 has a die-cast chassis and one less decal option.

Don't know about coming over to the dark side! I have far too many aircraft to build!

Edited by Parabat
Posted
They're both 1/35, 32529 looks like it's an earlier release...

It appears to be the same kit, just the earlier release 32529 has a die-cast chassis and one less decal option.

Don't know about coming over to the dark side! I have far too many aircraft to build!

32529 comes up with a 1/48 scale on ebay the 35 227 is 1/35 . only 1/48 scale have diecast chassis not 1/35

Posted

Hi,

35227 is 1/35

32529 is 1/48

They represent the same version namely one of the 20 Tigers of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 501 in North Africa Dec '42 to the end of the campaign (though the survivors would be pretty beat up by then).

It's not really suitable for other units. There's no turret escape hatch so it only represents one of the first 45 or so Tigers and includes several features unique to 501.

The Early production kit is more versatile (I'm building one now) as it represents a vehicle built from Jan-Mar 43, and with a few changes to the engine deck it can be usd to represent a vehicle built up to May. It is the boxing with the tank painted grey on it although few if any were gray (Tiki from 2nd SS was but had Dark Yellow bands). It can also be used for North Africa as one of the 11 Tigers of S Pz Abt 504. Hardly surprising as its based on the vehicle at Bovington which was a 504 tank.

The Mid and Late production kits need Zimmerit. The Mid is a late mid built Nov 43 - Jan 44 while the Late is representative of the tanks built in April 44 if you remove the pilsen sockets on the turret roof, and afterwards if you add the weld line where the roof kinks (it was one plate with a bend in it prior to May 44, afterwards it was two plates welded together).

The Late and Mid kits have individual track links, the Early and Africa ones have Vynil tracks

The Dragon kit is more detailed but I for one find them over-engineered. If you want super-accurate go Dragon. If you want an easy build that results in a nice looking model go Tamiya. I bought the one I'm on with on Thursday and the first coat of Dark Yellow went on today. If I'd bought a Dragon one I'd probably still be on with the suspension! I build OOB with the exception of the Tamiya engine deck screens. If you go in for lots of aftermarket then Dragon might work out better.

Stuart

Posted

Thanks for clearing my mess up!

Sorry, clearly not focussing here... Thanks for the info Stuart, that really clears alot up. I'm not going for mega detailed, just want something that is pleasant to build and results in an imposing Tiger tank! So it's defo Tamiya, and I'm now leaning towards the early Afrika Korps 35227.

Cheers!

Posted
I think I just found my Tiger! Thanks Hood!

What is the difference between 35227 and 32529? Just re-box, or new stuff in the box?

Ahh, but now you've strayed into the 'what is the proper colour for my North African Tiger', lol!

Pick your poison - Desert Sand, Luftwaffe RLM79, Light Olive Green, Sandgrau, no-one seems to agree on the correct shade

Graeme

Posted
Ahh, but now you've strayed into the 'what is the proper colour for my North African Tiger', lol!

Pick your poison - Desert Sand, Luftwaffe RLM79, Light Olive Green, Sandgrau, no-one seems to agree on the correct shade

Graeme

I'll go for Humbrol 250... ;)

Nah, more like RLM 79 of some type...

Posted
Ahh, but now you've strayed into the 'what is the proper colour for my North African Tiger', lol!

Pick your poison - Desert Sand, Luftwaffe RLM79, Light Olive Green, Sandgrau, no-one seems to agree on the correct shade

Graeme

Don't even go there LOL :D

Posted

There was no one colour for tigers sent to North Africa - depends which unit and when they were sent.

Interesting thread here.

regards,

Jack

Posted
There was no one colour for tigers sent to North Africa - depends which unit and when they were sent.

Interesting thread here.

regards,

Jack

Interesting link Jack,

Hmmm, seems to be as bad as the Luftwaffe for paint schemes! No worries, like I said, I'll be looking for an easy-ish build, with a pleasing Tiger at the end, so thinking of a dirtied up Humbrol 84 Mid Stone lightened up a bit, but maybe with a thin OD undercoat....

Cheers for the replies guys,

Parabat

  • 2 weeks later...

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