Scale: 1 / 35
The kit
This non-interior kit represents a Tiger from the very start of Tiger history; the commanding tank of the first active Tiger company. It served at the siege of Leningrad and was captured by Soviet troops on 18 January 1943. Most photographs of this Tiger - like the kit's artwork - show it in Gorky Park on display to the public.
The Tigers of this company were unique. Due to pressure of time, they went into service without the usual tool storage, side skirting, air filters and many more items. This Tiger in particular was given custom-made turret bins on both sides of its turret, replacing the Panzer 3 bin that it got at the factory.
This specific Tiger has also been modelled by Dragon Models and Border Models.
The first Tigers
When the first production Tigers rolled out of the Henschel factory, they were sent to the training grounds at Fallingbostel to equip the 502nd Heavy Tank Battalion. Although their tanks were still unreliable, they were sent to reinforce the siege of Leningrad after only 3 days of practice. Immediately on arrival in Mga they were ordered to the front line.
A total of 9 Tigers were sent to this battalion, filling out its 1st company, before events in Africa diverted new Tiger production to that theater. The 502nd fought in forests and swamps south of Leningrad and achieved only limited success. Technical problems with the tanks caused as much trouble as the terrain, and so the more reliable Tigers, notably "111", were given the best components.
On 18 January 1943 a breakthrough by the Soviets cost 5 Tigers, including numbers "121" and "100" which were captured intact. Only 2 of the original 9 Tigers remained in February, when they were joined by 3 new ones.
These first 9 Tigers had a unique appearance. They had no fenders or storage on the hull sides. Their mudguards at front and rear did not project beyond the hull side (these were also used in Tunisia). They were issued with "mirrored" tracks, i.e. the right and left tracks were different, unlike those of any other German tank; the crews disliked the inconvenience and eventually put just a single type on each Tiger.
My ongoing review and comments;
| Smoke launchers | Rear mudflaps | Sprocket wheels |
| Engine hatch intake | Track types | Starboard gun port |
These are reviews or examinations of the kit;
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