1/18 German Tiger

This Tiger I looks excellent and very imposing ! I have two diecast tanks but I believe they are 1/32-1/35 scale. An American General Lee tank and a German StuG III tank destroyer. They are both really nice and well detailed.

Great detail including some wear and tear. What are the white items showing at below the front two hatches? You have an impressive military collection Chris.

Yes definitely a impressive collection ,perticulary like the figures you’ve posed with them…

out of curiosity what does the Tiger weigh, mine has a plastic upper deck and still tips the scale at close 17 lbs.

Posted by: @mikedetorrice

This Tiger I looks excellent and very imposing ! I have two diecast tanks but I believe they are 1/32-1/35 scale. An American General Lee tank and a German StuG III tank destroyer. They are both really nice and well detailed.

I can't claim I'm an expert, but I've always liked WW II tanks. I have others packed away. One day, I'll bring them all out and set up a display on a baseball diamond!

Posted by: @david-green

Great detail including some wear and tear. What are the white items showing at below the front two hatches? You have an impressive military collection Chris.

Yes, when one can see 1/18 scale weld-beads.... I'd say that's great detail!  The "white items"  to which you refer are part of the interior storage.  I should've removed the turret assembly to show ALL that's actually inside this tank; it's realistic with seats, ammo, tubes, storage, etc..

Posted by: @larry-kemling

Yes definitely a impressive collection ,perticulary like the figures you’ve posed with them…

out of curiosity what does the Tiger weigh, mine has a plastic upper deck and still tips the scale at close 17 lbs.

Thanks, I have more "stuff"  (staff cars, G4, more solders, planes, etc..).   To be honest, I've NEVER weighed mine, but I doubt it's anywhere near 17 pounds despite being 65% diecast.  If your all plastic 1/18 scale tank weighs in at 17 lbs, I'd say, that pretty incredible!

Interesting way it's mildly distressed and the tread rusting looks great and the the bulk of the model looks factory fresh. It's a stark comparison between the tread and the drive and bogey wheels.

Posted by: @rich-sufficool

Interesting way it's mildly distressed and the tread rusting looks great and the the bulk of the model looks factory fresh. It's a stark comparison between the tread and the drive and bogey wheels.

One could certainly spend a week enhancing the weathering (I've done a little here and there ) but I'm not certain about the rest of the model looking "factory fresh."  Most of that side skirting (above the tracks ) is pretty beat up, the turret top shows wear, and the rear has a fair amount of damage. But yeah, those "rusty tracks"  look fairly convincing considering they're like rubber.

I say mildly distressed as those side armor panels with a bit of distressing usually got torn off in the field within a week just muscling their way through the hedgerows and the sides would slapped with anti-magnetic Zimmerit. If the gun was ever fired, the muzzle/brake would be blackened a good 8-12" down the barrel. I like the big dents on the exhaust covers... that's classic. The dark gray (dunklegrau) was discontinued early in the war and the Tiger was first introduced in the North Africa campaign in 1943 and there it would have been painted in desert Africa Korps yellow. By 1944 all armor and soft skins would have a base coat of brownish/yellow (dunklegelb) and could have various camouflage patches of dark green and a rusty brown, which is probably why I gave a relatively factory fresh look. I guess what I'm saying is I'm not sure this late war entry was ever painted in this dark gray. ( the Germans had actually run out of this paint by then). Possibly, there may have been a small window for this paint to have been on it when first introduced in the European theater. I'm not as well versed on this minutia that I used to be. I'm sort of down to looking at a piece and asking, "Is that correct?".

@chris 

you misunderstand,mine is probably 90% steel with steel tracks made by Imex it’s a brute that fully powered including a fully rotating turret with elevating main gun .definitely wouldn’t  want this puppy running over

any bare feet….lol

@rich-sufficool Wow! You sound like a friend of mine who knows everything about WW II Germany. Compared to you, I can only echo Sgt. Schultz, "I know nothing!"  Being a stickler for accuracy, I'm sure I've seen vintage color film of dark gray Tiger tanks...and I wanted gray  to match my other 1/18 German vehicles, but your insight explains why my other German tanks are not gray (and why I couldn't find many gray tanks ).

Thanks for all that history/pics! 

I'd really like to have one of these in 1/18 but there's nothing (not even close! )  I'll never possess the knowledge you have; I wouldn't even know where to begin to even consider scratch-building one.

@larry-kemling Oh, I get it now.... didn't realize yours was also an R/C with steel tracks!  Yes, I can easily see how that could reach 17 pounds!  I believe those were also manufactured in all-plastic absent of any R/C "guts." 

It's very authentically painted; I know the Swastika on top was to prevent being bombed by German planes.  It's a VERY impressive scale tank.

PS

I used to run/race 1/10 scale gas & electric R/C cars.... you're quite correct...   you NEVER want to get hit in the foot, ankle or leg!   😖 😖 

@chris When you're looking for historic accuracy in modeling and dioramas, you'll always find savants that know more than you'll ever do. I learned a lot from dioramist and historian Shepard Paine. For absolute accuracy  on single wartime engagements as to colors, equipment, accessories and even field modifications of vehicle, my ultimate guru is Steve Zaloga.... that man knows EVERYTHING! He's a modeler, but more importantly a master of military history. If you watch the Military Channel programs like "Weaponology" you'll see his name in the credits. As an example of time and place, The two dioramas will show the changes. Your dark gray, was present in the early days in Poland, the Low Countries, France and the Russian Invasion. The first dio with the Me-110 Zerstörer "Wespe" is set in a captured field in the Caucasus with the Horch staff car and zundapp w/ sidecar are in that dunklegrau. The second dio is set north of Prague just near the end of the war with day and night fighting Me 262s in German Air Defense markings. The Opel Maultier (Mule) and the  Kettenkrad tracked motorcycle are period camo. Because there was virtually no action in that zone throughout the war, I had the Krupp "Protze" truck looking a bit warn but having survived the war from the beginning. Also note the uniform changes (including the all black uniform of the jet engine mechanic) and even the small arms stacked that includes a Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle (that was later copied and dumbed down becoming the AK47 and its successor, the AK74). In the first dio, the SS soldier hailing the pilot carries a  rather vintage Bergmann 35 submachine gun and the staff car driver has the MP40 slung arounf his neck..

@rich-sufficool I love these dioramas, the considerations to accuracy make them all that more appealing. I am an "armchair"  model RRer, so I certainly appreciate scale authentic scenes & historical perfection.  It always makes me happy to know any model/diorama is as accurate as possible. These should keep you smiling for months! 😀 😀 No doubt my friend, your "Guru,"  and you too of course  could spend hours discussing Germany and WW II.

Great dioramas, love all that detail!!  Thanks for the info about my tank; now I know some history behind it.