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.

Tiger tank kits seem to be one of the more popular armor kits around. It is easy to see why, especially when Dragon produces such nice ones. This kit is very nicely molded and in addition to the much appreciated DS tracks, this one has newly molded bits, a complete listing of which is provided below. I should add that I appreciate not having all those small road wheels as Dragon has wisely molded these linked together. The DS tracks are also the wider ones used in snow and mud.

The kit features:

- The greatest design of Tiger I Initial Production has 1/35 level of detail
- Finely detailed turret roof
- Commander's hatch w/internal detail
- Commander's cupola recreated in detail
- MGs w/hollow muzzles
- Seats for commander and loader
- Detail on underside of loader's hatch made from photo-etched part
- Delicate upper hull w/fully detailed engine deck
- Delicate exhaust parts and fording extention option for air intake
- One-piece slide-molded turret
- Interior components such as fuel tank, radiator and fans
- Photo-etched air-cooling grills
- One-piece gun barrel w/hollow muzzle brake made from slide-mold
- Gun mantlet reproduced w/bolt detail
- Gun breech w/full detail
- Optional photo-etched or plastic air intake
- Driver's and radio operator's hatches w/interior detail can be assembled open/closed
- Highly detailed DS tracks
- Detailed smoke dischargers made by slide-molds
- Detailed spare tracks w/brackets
- Fine detail on jack thanks to slide-molds
- Slide-molded exhaust flap
- Intricate tow cable
- Sprocket and idler w/intricate detail
- Delicate road wheels are presented

Markings are for two tanks with s.Pz.Abt.502, operating in the Leningrad sector. One in winter white wash from the winter of 1942/43 with a base panzer grey color, and a third in overall panzer grey from September 1942. As usual, the instructions are quite comprehensive showing any modifications needed to the kit as well as any specific bits needed for specific markings options.

This one is a real beauty and with the nice DS tracks will make for ease of construction. It is a neat looking kit that will make into an even nicer model.

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

October 2010

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

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