Tiger I E
Unarguably the most famous tank of WWII, the potent Tiger I with its 88mm gun capable of penetration 110mm of armour from 2km away was a symbol of “German Invisiblity” which sent morale crashing through British and American camps This beast first joined the battle in 1943 on the Russian front , sadly for the Germans slow production and Hitler’s constant changes, on top of heavy RAF bombing only led to 1,360 being produced, again leaving Germany with shortages.
After constructing an Airfix Tiger and once again being unimpressed I purchased the Italeri fast assembly kit. For $20.00 the kit is worth the money as it contains two well detailed tanks, although it only has 10 parts which may seem like a rip off and a waste of time it can be good if the parts fit well, as you can’t stuff up wheels or other fiddly parts. Also of interest is the late war rear stowage box on the turret which I think give the tank a nice touch. Though unnecessary to say, the build when quickly and easily with all parts fitting well and painting commenced.
Two coats of desert yellow (Vallejo 977 or Humbrol 93) was followed by stripes of green. This camouflage was meant to resent the Tigers of the 101st panzer abteilung or heavy tank battalion which was joined to the LSSAH in Summer pattern, refer to the article on them for more information.
While the paint was drying the tracks were painted, first black (Val 950 or Hum 33), continued with a heavy dry brush of burnt umber (Val 941 or Hum 160) making sure to get in between the ridges of the tracks. Finally a dry brush of gunmetal (Val 863 Hum 53) to pick our the links. The tools and other details were painted on the tank, muzzle blackened and tracks glued to chassis (I left this off for ease of painting). Decals have not been added as I have not worked out the number sequence I want to use for my Tiger Battalion.
By Andrew
After constructing an Airfix Tiger and once again being unimpressed I purchased the Italeri fast assembly kit. For $20.00 the kit is worth the money as it contains two well detailed tanks, although it only has 10 parts which may seem like a rip off and a waste of time it can be good if the parts fit well, as you can’t stuff up wheels or other fiddly parts. Also of interest is the late war rear stowage box on the turret which I think give the tank a nice touch. Though unnecessary to say, the build when quickly and easily with all parts fitting well and painting commenced.
Two coats of desert yellow (Vallejo 977 or Humbrol 93) was followed by stripes of green. This camouflage was meant to resent the Tigers of the 101st panzer abteilung or heavy tank battalion which was joined to the LSSAH in Summer pattern, refer to the article on them for more information.
While the paint was drying the tracks were painted, first black (Val 950 or Hum 33), continued with a heavy dry brush of burnt umber (Val 941 or Hum 160) making sure to get in between the ridges of the tracks. Finally a dry brush of gunmetal (Val 863 Hum 53) to pick our the links. The tools and other details were painted on the tank, muzzle blackened and tracks glued to chassis (I left this off for ease of painting). Decals have not been added as I have not worked out the number sequence I want to use for my Tiger Battalion.
By Andrew