I have a strange (maybe dumb) question about a Tiger I...I am modeling Tiger 3-14-113 from s.Pz.Abt.502. I found 3 pictures. One is of the front and it is missing both front tow shackles. Another picture is from the side and it appears to be missing the right side tow cable. Would these two things have any impact on whether the rear tow shackles and/or the tow cable on the other side were present? I was thinking of adding both to give it some character, but I wasn't sure if there was some obscure reason that this wouldn't be correct or if the missing equipment meant that the other items would be missing as well.

The tank in the colorized pic is missing it's muzzle brake. That will add character, too! (Or reduce it!)

Dear Jason, equipment can always get lost. Or being absent for other reasons such as lack in supply stores, used by other tanks, trucks, whatever in a unit.
The "only" problem could be that in case it will be needed by the own crew they might have some trouble to find adequate replacement. And loss of time for a tank which can not be pulled away immediately could mean its end!
So, yes! You may leave out as much equipment as you like!
And everything not being the standard is possible. In your case: missing shakles and tow cables at one side does not automatically mean missing on the other side too.

Thanks. I thought it probably was lost, but wanted to make sure that there wasn't some odd reason that the visibly missing items meant it wouldn't have any towing equipment at all. I figured it would be better to make sure before gluing anything on,



I noticed the lack of a muzzle break when I was uploading it. Probably won't do that, though, as I spent the money on an Aber barrel. It'd seem like a waste not to use it

Every picture tells a story!

The missing shackles and cable could be either "lost", or perhaps just temporarily removed and just out of shot. Without further info we cannot know if these items were in a heap nearby because the crew was about to use them, or had just finished using them. Likewise the missing muzzle brake might be a maintenance episode, with the brake on the ground nearby...

There seems to be a muzzle cover, or a thread protector, on the end.

I think the cable is missing in both pictures. On the side shot, I think I see the barrel cleaning rod, which should be blocked by a cable in its normal position . That's what lead me to believe the left tow cable was missing

The Tiger is not missing its muzzle brake. The muzzle brake has been deleted from the photo by the German censors. There are some other examples of deleted muzzle brakes from the same period.

In various of the photos that you posted, the Tiger is missing its exhaust shields, its side mudguards, its front mudguards, its shovel, its smoke launcher arrays, and its gun cleaning rods.

David

I was thinking the tube or rod under the outlined 3 (just above head of guy second from right) was the gun cleaning rods. In the close up, it kind of looks like something else.

The photo of the tiger without the muzzle brake looks to have some tools on the front slope.

re: the "missing" muzzle break on the Tiger I. Darned! Here I thought that I might beat someone to that one and say that it was removed by German censors, and then I scroll down and see that David has already mentioned it. The funny thing about it was that at the time of the photo being released, that anyone would have believed it. Gosh, it looks almost Soviet with that thick, abrupt end. Thank goodness the censors were on the job! Almost as funny as this one book that I read that stated with grave authority that the missing muzzle breaks on Panthers knocked out in northern France were removed by American tankers who then affixed them to the barrels of their Shermans! I have my doubts on that one. On a different note: does anyone (David?) have any pictures or drawings on the canvas camo covers supposedly used on Tigers in North Africa that made them -sorta- look like trucks? I'd REALLY like to hear from you if you do! Thanks
Frank

No photos. Perhaps they were not used. Perhaps they were used and they worked TOO well.

David