Bill Cross reviews Academy''s new Tiger I (Late Version), along with help from David Byrden, noted Tiger authority.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Great review, how does it compare to the AFV club [usually agreed to be the second best Tiger maker, not Tamiya]

The decal sheet looks useful.

Bill, thanks for this great review, and thanks to David also for the insight. It is nice to see Academy made the effort to improve their Tiger, and frustrating to see them fall short in some areas, but it should please many modelers. I do really like the decal options also. The 10 base options, with some extras are a really nice touch. I wish this would catch on with others.

Academy looks just academic. Modelers have experienced many difficulties because of various issues concerning their products nevertheless their ideal. But I will try to think positive about them. Great review. Thank you.

Hi Bill
Nice review and not least very informative. I expected the Academy kit wasn't perfect, but considering the prices on the Dragon kits, this kit sounds like a good basic kit, if you want to go nuts with AM products.
Jacob

Thanks, Gents, for the kind words.


I am not familiar with the AFV kit enough to comment, and the kit is not widely available here even on eBay (except from sellers in Asia). Tamiya is usually the "other" Tiger here in the States after DML.



Jacob, you have hit the proverbial nail on the head.

Given that DML Tigers are either significantly more expensive or OOP, this might be a very good entry kit for many modelers. And if one of the AM resin guys would offer a correct turret roof and escape hatch, you don't really need anything else to build 80% of the camo schemes.

PS. I will be doing a build log of this shortly.

Any word about AM goodies for this kit anyone? Hisham? Frenchy?

Bill, you could get away with using AM (Aber,etc.) designed for Tamiya Tigers since the Academy kits are essentially knockoffs.

Thanks, Joseph!

Thank you for the review. I just received this kit as a gift and want to do decal option #6. You mention that this version can mostly be built from parts in the box. Any chance you have a reference list or guide for this build? (I am tiger novice having just recently finishing my second tiger model in 30 years of modeling.) again, thanks for the excellent review!

Quinn, let me see if David Byrden will step in here and point you in the right direction.

To build "300" of s.Pz.Abt.505 with this kit;

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The turret dates from October 1943. The correct roof is K1 or S3, though those parts both lack a weld line across the front. (In fact I'm not sure that S3 represents any roof correctly; does it protrude above the turret walls, anyone?)

K5 is the correct loader's hatch.

S1, S2 are the best turret wall parts in the kit. Use the pistol port K19.

Use the large muzzle brake, P6.

Use the oldest hatch hinge, K21.

Use P13 for the mantlet.

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The kit doesn't contain a correct hull roof for this Tiger. You could use Q18 only if you cut off the raised partial ring that surrounds the turret.
You could also use B1, but you'd have to cut off the headlight stands, the S-mine brackets, and move the headlight lighting wire for the middle position. Also, move the wooden block backwards slightly, to clear the headlight wire. In summary, make B1 look like Q18 without the raised ring (but put P16 along the left side of the turret, not in front of it).

Thanks, David! Appreciate your helping out this way.

Continued...

At the hull front use B22, B23.

The only hull rear that they provide is B6, which needs some work in any case. For this Tiger, you should add the welded mounts for Feifels, but not use the Feifels themselves.

You should use the Travel Lock, which is on the L sprue. See the instructions for Academy's Mid Tiger 13287.

Use the large idlers B4, B5.

Thank you for the information! I appreciate the help as I work to try and make this model as accurate as I can. I will try and post a picture once I get it done.