Tiger I Late production (Dragon 6253 1/35) Chapter 1: Whats all the fuss about?

With the 80th D-Day anniversary just around the corner and just the one decade on since I purchased this, I have finaly got round to popping the lid!

What can I say about this kit? Well after 19 years since its release it still looks to be the gold standard for Tiger I kits. Tiger guru David Byrden had a hand with technical advice with this one and his website https://tiger1.info/ is invaluable to anybody who likes to model these big cats. He even has a page dedicated to pointing out both errors and fixes for pretty much every Tiger 1 release to date https://tiger1.info/kits.html 

Scrolling down to this particular kit https://tiger1.info/models/products-page/DR6253 there are still a few small issues to address. No real cause for concern, just a few little anamolies that David points out and advises how to solve. Looking at all the current big box Takom builds on his site, I notice even these current releases still have there issues. Some of which were not present on this kit 19 years ago The one big bonus they have over this Dragon kit and one that the current crop of Tiger I late kits over the last decade have adopted, is the inclusion of moulded on zimmerit. Although some folks still prefer to make there own or use resin sets, I think the majority of modellers welcome this.

There have been a few re-releases of this kit, with the first omitting almost all of the PE, the metal barrel, and even replaced the magic links with rubber band tracks Further releases did eventually add moulded on zimmerit, but they still excluded many of the original bling! I notice the most recent re-release this year, does add a metal barrel, a few 3D printed items, and a new figure, but it's still not a patch on the original release IMO. Although the very first boxings came with this huge host of additional multimedia parts, it’s not all doom and gloom if photo-etch is a big turn off. There are styrene alternatives. 

 

So, let’s pop open the box and inspect what is reputed to be one of the very best of what this manufacturer produced back in the day.

You will find a comprehensive 3 in 1 package in which you can build three different Ausf E variants. A late, a late command vehicle, and the final version. There are a full five frets of PE, including track guards and extensions, preformed exhaust surrounds, engine grills, command tank aerials, and multipart tool clamps, to name just a selection of the goodies included. As well as the slide moulded styrene item there is a lovely turned metal barrel and seven different brass ammunition shell types. Two types of metal shackles and pins, metal tow cables, and yes, there is even a pre-formed metal bucket   You will find two plastic ammo crates and a figure resembling the famous tank ace Michael Wittmann. You also get simple to install working torsion bar suspension. There are plenty of options depicting the differences between late and final versions including two turret roof types and final type patterned steel wheels. TBH the box is packed with almost every conceivable extra and bar the lack of zimmerit, was considered back when released, everything you could possibly need to build an accurate vehicle. 

 

As already mentioned, unlike later releases with far fewer parts and rubber band tracks, this kit does NOT have any moulded on zimmerit. Although the inclusion of anti magnetic paste ended in Sept 1944, production of the Tiger I ended in August, so all late and final builds would have received factory zimmerit. Why this kit didn’t come with any moulded on I couldn’t say. I don't possess any other Tiger I kits so I’m not qualified to say how successful their later moulded on zimmerit was. It was never a massive issue as aftermarket manufacturers soon released their own. 

 

Although aftermarket zimmerit for ths kit is fairly tricky to track down these days, I’ve gone for a safe pair of hands with the ATAK specific set. This includes two resin mantlets, two pattern types for the turret (one course type and one matching the hull), two equivalent matching patterned escape hatches, and vision ports. I also tracked down a set of Friul metal tracks back when I purchased the kit to add some track tension realism, not to mention a huge chunk of heft to the build. 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2