Hi,
I decided to put the Trumpeter Morser Karl back for a couple of days, not due to any 'burn-out' effect so much as I'm getting somewhat tired of just looking over this new Dragon Tiger and not actually doing SOMETHING to it.

So yesterday I did the first 3 steps of this kit and I am totally blown away by the sharpness, and amount of small little details just everwhere on this thing! Little bolt heads, weld seams and such simple litter this kit all over , and this is just in the first 3 steps.

Thanks to the article that Teacher wrote and the photos that he posted on the kit he built, it has been pretty easy to see exactly what the instructions mean here and there, as Dragon's instructions can sometimes get a tad bit confusing.

I decided to just leave the axles in their fixed position, as I've had a lot or problems with Dragon's tracks in the past and I didn't want to risk damaging the axles/torsion bars if I made them movable when I try to fit the kit track on. If I have as much luck with these 'magic tracks' as I've had with their others, I would imagine this kit will be a candidate for some Fruilmodel tracks. But I can live with that. (Maybe this is just and excuse to get a set of Fruils.)

So if any of your folks are considering whether or not to buy one of these kits, even if you aren't one to be seduced by the 'dark side' of this hobby, I think it's well worth the money spent to get one and put it together just to see what real 'state-of-the-art' plastic injection molding is all about. I think you will be pleasingly surprised. I know I am.

Have fun and take care, Sgirty

oooh....

the kit arrived in my LHS today.. and i'm getting it tomorrow!!..

i cant wait!!!!!!

the guy at my LHS hadn't even heard about the kit, said he would be getting a mixed box of stuff from the distributors on occasion (also didn't know about Trumpeters Lexington or Vigilane)

Man....I can't wait I have two on order from different companies. I would kill to get my hands on one. You make me jealous!!!!

Mine came in the mail last week. It looks like it's going to be an awesome build. Can't wait to get started on it.

I'm nearly finished with mine...just need to finish up the tracks, weather them, and put 'em on. Did mine in a winter whitewash scheme and am really pleased with the results! This is the first 1/35 armor model I've built since I was a little kid.....and now I must take a break from aircraft and build more!! This kit has been very, very enjoyable project and I highly recommend it.

JK

When LuckyModel get their next shipment in, i'm definitely going for one as well. A very dangerous move in my opinion as in a few months the Late model will be out from DML and the added temptation that brings....

I haven't actually built a German Vehicle in 20+ years....Jim

I have got it in HongKong!
Just $168HKD!

Now that is a nice price...Jim

i am told by my 'expert' friend that the shells are too small to be a tiger's..they are more for panthers
and the metal barrel is slightly thin on the front..

Hi,
There are always going to be those 'rivet counters' who will find something or other to gripe about on every new kit that comes out, but hey, that's okay. I imagine some of these folks would gripe if they had the real thing right in front of them about how this or that or the other isn't quite right somehow or other.

The only 'gripe' that I have with it so far is not due to the kit, but the actual vehicle itself. All those d------- wheels! I understand the logic of the design, but man I would sure have hated to be the crew in having to repair and replace those things after combat operations. They must have been a real pain in the a--! Guess this is just one of those 'over-engineered' design things of German AFVs at this particular time.

By the way, has anyone checked out the Tiger that is posted on the top of the page over on Missing-Lynx? By a Tim Lehmann. It is just fantasitc with it's battle damage effects and weathering.

The only other drawback to this kit is that it sure will spoil us modelers who have to go back to another kit that is somewhat less well designed and molded. But hopefully this kit will point the way for this company and others out there to keep raising their standards of molding in order to keep the consumers happy. What with the upgrades by the manufacturers in the last 5 years or so since I've been back in this hobby, it boggles the mind just to thing what it will be like say 5 years from now. Wow!

Take care, Sgirty

Well, it's pretty mind-blowing if you go back just a couple of months... Now a lot of people were beginning to think it was going to be something fairly special when it was announced. A lot of good things were also getting said about the other 3 in 1 Tiger kit, however, when this one was finally seen, it blew everyone away.

I had a hunch it was going to be something special when I first covered it back in january in the news section - no reason, what I know about Tigers can be written in marker on the back of a postage stamp...

My first inkling came when I bought the 'Russian' M4a2 from DML - it was obvious that something had changed dramatically in the quality of DML kits....

How many of us 'dyed in the wool' Allied Armor fans can (HONESTLY) say that they aren't tempted...Jim

Tempted enough to try to buy one but I sure can't locate one. It's out of stock everywhere.

I did grab that M4A2 Russian and that is also a very nice kit which makes me want the Tiger even more.

Rob, that's what's weird about it - buying a Sherman makes you want to buy a Tiger? Iunderstand although it's difficult to explain...Jim :-)

Well, can someone finaly show us some pics of started building the Tiger?

Mirko, there is a Full-Build feature on building the Tiger by Vinnie (Teacher) , it can be seen: ..Jim

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/527

Heh, thanks Jim, i was barely online last few days so i somehow passed to notice that article!

stupid me

If I have as much luck with these 'magic tracks' as I've had with their others, I would imagine this kit will be a candidate for some Fruilmodel tracks. But I can live with that. (Maybe this is just and excuse to get a set of Fruils.)


Sgirty,

I don't think Friul makes a set of "handed" tracks to match the first 20 tigers produced...so if you wanted to represent one of those vehicles, you may be stuck with the Dragon tracks unless Model Kasten makes a set.

I asked Model Kasten about that. There are tracks for an early Tiger for Tamiya and Italeri but he had reservations about Dragon. Not reservations, he just did'nt know. His concern, though, squashed the deal for me. I'll have to live with the magic tracks, which are fine except I put them on...crooked

OK...this isn't a complaint, but my kit just came in yesterday and I realized that when I preordered it 100 years ago it was because I was soooo excited about the "real cloth national flag" that was originally on the parts list at that very early stage in the advertising game. It was obviously removed from that list early on; I wonder if it may show up in a future release, or if DML just decided to can it altogether.

This is tough. I've tried to stick to 1/72 scale and liquidate most of my 1/35 armor that I would never end up building (read: WW2 German armor). This kit makes me want to grab one just to have in case I decide to go back to building the bigger stuff after I retire. It looks beautiful and all the extra doodads really make it a stand out kit.

This kit has really raised the bar. I thought the Tristar Pz.Kpfw 1 raised the bar a notch, but Dragon has raised it through the roof!

However, added to this in the release (in april) of Tristar's new PzIV, which if early indications are anything to go by, will be spectacular....Jim

Shame my 7.92mm machine guns I did for the Ac builders never took off; they would have be perfect for this kit
Fully detailed and in 2 parts; drilled to match the muzzle flare; talk about missed the boat

Here is a photo of one; i did them in 1/32nd and 1/24th
Even have a few of the 1/24th left

Steve, Beautiful guns you produce, I've seen them pushed in a few forums. Why don't you post them in the seller's forum?

Vinnie

maybe because I did not see a forum for sellers

but I killed the AC line as the was a total apathy by most aircraft builders for good looking guns; which is strange as a warplane with no guns (or bad looking ones) is just drab painted strange looking plane

I doubt I'd rehash that line; too much work for little return

BTW which part of the north west are you from
I'm originally from Rochdale-Bury area