Armor History (from Wikipedia)

The Tiger I was a German heavy tank used in World War II, produced from late 1942 as an answer to the challenge of facing the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armor encountered in the initial months of Operation Barbarossa. The Tiger I design gave the Wehrmacht its first main battle tank that was capable of using its most formidable piece of ordnance, the 88 mm gun, which had previously showed its convincing effectiveness against both aircraft and other tanks.

The tank was given its nickname Tiger De-Tiger-pronunciation.ogg listen (help•info) by designer 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. The tank also had the ordnance inventory designation SdKfz 181.

Model History

This particular Tiger I tank is from the sPzAbt. 502, as indicated by the mammoth marking on the tank's forward hull, which saw all of its action on the eastern front between May 1942 and May 1945. The battalion did not see much success at any point during the war and struggled for most of its existence. The 502nd were the first panzer company to receive the Tiger Tank. A hasty deployment, mechanical problems, and poor terrain conditions contributed to the overall failure of the Tiger tank in this theater of operations.

Review

The Tiger tank is one of the, if not the, most recognizable German tanks from World War II. The Tiger may also be one of the most coveted pieces of armor by 1:18 World War II collectors aside from the extremely hard to find Panzer IV. But unlike the Panzer IV, 21st Century didn't hold anything back on the Tiger. This is one of the best pieces of armor created by any company, from any era, to date.

External

The Tiger is an amazing display of molded details. Once you get your hands on one, you cannot stop exploring every detail of the piece. I would even go as far to say your eyes will be molesting this toy for hours. We haven't even started talking about the interior yet. There are still subtle details that I notice for the first time. Even taking the pictures for this review, I felt like I was rediscovering the tank all over again.

This version of the tank, as mentioned, is from the eastern front, which fought Russia in operation Barbarossa until the German surrender in May of 1945. The tank is colored in the eastern three color paint scheme with German Olive drab as a base color. This paint color lends itself to exposing every detail, including the textured surface. This version doesn't sport the anti magnetic zimmerit coating as seen on the Forces of Valor version though. Weld marks, simulated hull damage(which I mistook for my sons play wear... I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't), panel lines, bolts, hinges, and other "greebles" that cover every surface of this tank.

The hull is also covered in numerous attachments such as shovels, pry bars, tow cables, and sledge hammers so your 1:18 scale German Soldiers can get the tank out of the inevitable bog down it will have in the muck of eastern Europe. These small pieces are all detachable with a little bit of finesse. You have to be careful, 21st Century's infamous brittle plastic holds these pieces to the hull. I haven't broken any yet, but I'm constantly aware that I could at any moment.

The only thing you might notice after a few weeks is that there isn't any weathering on the vehicle. Sure, the armor is beat to hell, but there aren't any burn marks, scratches, or other surface damage to the vehicle. Only the actual gun has a few painted on scratch marks.

The Tiger has an abundance of opening hatches for the driver, the machine gunner, the loader, and the Commander. You can actually fit five figures inside for a full crew complement, although it would be tight for the commander. The commander's cupola also has molded periscopes and an MG-42 ring. The MG-42 with mounting bracket is included. On the interior side of the hatches are valve type locking mechanisms that just add even more detail. These types of things are unexpected and blow you away when you start fiddling around.

Interior

Did I say interior? Yeah, I said interior.
This beast comes with a completely detailed (well moderately compared to its 1:1 counterpart) interior that puts all other armor to shame. The interior is the show stopper. Not because it is immensely detailed, but for the sheer fact you can remove the turret and have direct access to the main gun and the driver and machine gunners areas. There is seating for all five members of your crew, but like I said the commander will look like he is the last guy to show up to a college prank. It's tight in the turret.

The interior is weathered with mud and grime moderately covering the metal plated floors. Stored shells are stacked up along the Tiger's interior walls. An expended shell and a troops equipment satchel round out the details within the turret. Noticeably missing from the interior details are any driving mechanism and the internal mechanics (i.e. gun handle) for the front end machine gun.

The next cool "interior" feature is the triple hatch engine compartment. You get full access to the engine block and the air intake ports. There are some moderate details on the block, but not many. Just having access, like removing the turret, is cool to have. Again, you can set up great dioramas like the maintenance crews removing mud and debris from the intakes.

Figure

The Eastern Front Tiger comes with a single pack in figure, A Commander, complete with a set of headphones with wires molded right on. The figure is an older style and uses the terrible swivel style of articulation from 21st Century's first series of figures. This articulation style is often exploited by Hasbro when they need to cheap out. The figure doesn't hold up to the newer tank crew figures such as those packed in with the Panther and those available as single packs, like the Battle of the Bulge series of figures.

Summary and Verdict

A-

This is one incredible piece of armor that is only missing a minute amount of details to make it the best piece of 1:18 scale World War II armor. The figure is not up to current par, but can be easily replaced. If you love World War II armor, buy immediately.

Notes

JSI, the company that now has ownership of 21st Century's molds, is producing a new version of this Tiger I. The new version will probably be a direct remake of this tank, just with a different and better paint job. It is unlikely that they will include a pack in figure. Look for this at your favorite 1:18 scale online shop.

[ May 13, 2009: Message edited by: Paul Pratt ]

[ May 13, 2009: Message edited by: Paul Pratt ]

The cupola gun is actually an MG 42

[ May 13, 2009: Message edited by: Konigstiger ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Konigstiger:
Ach, they painted the bow gun the color of the tank.

The cupola gun is actually an MG 42

[ May 13, 2009: Message edited by: Konigstiger ]

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Yeah i know, that sucks. When i get done with all these reviews i want to work on detailing some of these up. That is one thing on the to do list. Probably have to wait until we get settled from the PCS...

[ May 13, 2009: Message edited by: Paul Pratt ]

GIJOE best of 80's DVD pack
25th Anniversary Cobra 5 pack (not legions)

Red ninja leader