The German Tiger I was one of the most successful and feared tanks in the Second World.
The first Tiger-tank left the factories in July 1942 and was first used on the battlefield on September 23th of 1942. In April 1944, the production per month was at his highest when 104 tanks were manufactured. The tank was produced until August of 1944, when the Tiger I was replaced by the Tiger II. In total the Germans made, including the first prototype, 1347 Tiger I tanks.
Unlike other German armored fighting vehicles, the Tiger I did not have an official 'Ausführungen' but there are many differences. For example: some vehicles where equipped as "Befehlspanzer" (commander tank) with enhanced radio-equipment.
Packaging
The kit is packed in a very strong, brown cardboard box. With a sticker on it, displaying the product's box art. The contents of the box are wrapped in bubble wrap.
Contents
This set has two components: a closed storage box to add to the turret of the Tiger I and barbed wire 'to decorate' the tank.
The storage box
The closed storage box is cast in one piece of yellow resin. The details, like the locks to close the storage box, are very well done. The quality is good but in my opinion Neograde has missed a chance here. The possibility to choose for an open storage box would have added much more value to this product and it would not even taken too much effort to produce both versions. A missed opportunity.
the wire
To mount the barbed wire, Neograde added two brass pipes and a sheet of PE. How to install the barbed wire isn't clear at all (see "manual")so it takes some time and creativity from the modeler to puzzle that out.
Manual
The manual provided by Neograde Military is very limited: two pictures printed on a small paper showing how the parts should be mounted on the Tiger I. Very scant but with a lot of creativity from the modeler it should be enough to update your Tiger with this set. Anyway, more clarity should have been a welcome addition.
Conclusion
This set from Neograde Military is a way to personalize your Tiger in a very limited way: it has only 2 parts. The quality of the storage box and the barbed wire is excellent. The option to choose an open or closed storage box would've added much more value to this product. A bit more clarity on how to mount the barbed wire would have been a plus.
The parts are very well packed. Due to the fragility of the parts, this is necessary!
More information and sources
Source: Tiger Info.
SUMMARY
Highs: quality of the parts is very good as well as the packagingLows: manual could have been better, limited set for high priceVerdict: good but expensive set, limited but well executed
18 euros for that set is completely insane, ive seen some overpriced stuff in my mind but this is just plain crazy. I see no justification for that price what so ever, that stowage box would be as easy as anything to scratchbuild and you can easily source 1/35 barbed wire for about £6.00 max. I think in a time when most people are struggling to make ends meat they wont be shifting too many of these sets in a hurry. Im getting a bit sick of companies producing simple and boring sets in order to try and make a quick buck, why not put some effort and research into useful products that are more worthwhile and worth the money......
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