Cyber-Hobby 1/35 Tiger I MID

The Tiger I was a German heavy tank used in World War II, produced from late 1942 as an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of Operation Barbarossa, particularly the T-34 and the KV-1. The Tiger I design gave the Wehrmacht its first tank mounting the 88 mm gun, which had previously demonstrated its effectiveness against both aircraft and tanks. During the course of the war, the Tiger I saw combat on all German battlefronts. It was usually deployed in independent tank battalions, which proved to be quite formidable.

While the Tiger I was feared by many of its opponents, it was over-engineered, expensive and time-consuming to produce. Only 1,347 were built between August 1942 and August 1944. The Tiger was prone to mechanical breakdowns and in 1944, production was phased out in favour of the Tiger II. It is thought that more Tigers were abandon due to getting stuck than were knocked out in enemy action.

The tank was given its nickname Tiger by Ferdinand Porsche, and the Roman numeral was added after the later Tiger II entered production. The initial official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausführung H (‘Panzer VI version H’, abbreviated PzKpfw VI Ausf. H), but the tank was redesignated as PzKpfw VI Ausf. E in March 1943. It also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 181.

Today only a handful of Tiger Is survive in museums and exhibitions worldwide. Perhaps the most notable specimen is the Bovington Tank Museum's Tiger 131, currently the only one restored to running order.

THE KIT

This isn't the first Tiger produced by Cyber-hobby or Dragon, but it is probably the best so far. The features list below highlights a lot of the detail provided in the kit, but a few things I like are the recoil spring in the barrel, the preformed engine intake screens and, of course, the great DS one-piece tracks. To be sure, there are individual links included, but those are to be placed around the hull. The kit can also be build without the outer road wheels, which I guess was something done on late Tigers.

There are a number of optional bits and pieces to add to the accuracy of the kit and those of you who really know their Tigers will appreciate these items. This is one of those one time special boxings to do a command tank, so the kit includes the additional radio gear provided on these tanks.

So anyway, here are all the features:

That is a lot of stuff for sure. The 20 construction steps are very detailed and really pack the instruction sheet. Good idea to check off those parts you add to keep things straight. Four markings options are provided, all which are on a base of panzer yellow. The first three are from Pz ABT 507 in Italy during 1944, and two from Pz ABT 507 from Tarnapol in mid 1944. These have green and brown variegated camouflage on the upper surfaces. The fourth is in winter white with Pz ABT 503 in the Balabonowka Pocket in early 1944.  

Seems like a great kit and since the command tank versions of the Tiger were somewhat rare, it is nice for Cyber-Hobby to produce this one for us. Not a quick build, but one that should bring a great deal of satisfaction when done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_I

March 2011

Thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. Get yours today at your local retailer.

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