The Tiger tank needs no introduction, so I’ll get straight to the model kit.

The Revell offering has been around for more than a decade – it was the first MODERN rendition of this important machine after the Hasegawa and Fujimi (which is 1/76) offerings. Technology advances have made the inclusion of much better detail possible, so at the time of release the model was what we call “state of the art”. After the very early H model came the late Ausf. E, with the appropriate changes – new wheels and different right turret half.

Let’s have a look at the parts.

Sprue A – hull parts, tow cables and shackles, parts for the telescoping gun swab.

As you notice both the suspension arms and the tools have been molded as a part of the hull. While the first is OK considering how much hassle it is to get a kit firmly sitting on a flat surface, the second has become a big no-no. And it is much more then ease of painting for the tools. Having them separate allows for better mold quality and easier conversions to field mods that are so typical of the Germans.

Hatches are molded shut. The visual block guards are solid – if you want to depict the periscopes you will need to remove the guards and make new ones. The rods for the cleaning swab are molded together with the tow cables.

Sprue B – Ausf. H wheels, parts for the hull and turret.

Roadwheels can be sent directly to the spares box, as there’s a separate sprue with steel wheels in the kit. The bin behind the turret is molded with its bottom opened. The mantlet has openings for a binocular gun sight, which might be inappropriate for the machine you are building. There is a separate part to simulate the additional armor around the sight’s ports found on some machines.

While the gun is offset on the mantlet you will notice that the turret roof is symmetrical, which is probably the biggest issue with the kit. Also, the anti-infantry mortar is not represented in any way. I’d suggest plugging the mounting holes for the track links on the turret sides – if you chose to install link holders (not included in the kit) these openings will be visible.

Sprue C – tracks, aft bulkhead, upper glacis, etc.

As on the real deal the tracks for the left and right side are identical. The big problem here is there are no actual holes for the sprocket teeth, meaning you will have to shave them off the sprocket when building the model. Actually the teeth are molded as already in the slot of each track – for all of them…

Rear hull wall – uneventful. Upper glacis – the machinegun can only be pointed to the right and up the way its Kugelblende is molded. Exhausts – the top section is molded solid, with a hint of the 5 rods supporting the “roof”.

Sprue D

Roadwheels – details on the sides is nicely molded. There is a seam line around the perimeter of the double-width “middle” wheels that needs to be removed.

Sprue E

Right-hand side turret half with the ammo-loading/escape hatch, the new commander’s cupola with the MG, exhaust heat shields and new motor cover. The MG-34 is beautifully molded, there is no ammo canister or belt included though. For late machines – remove the detail in the center of the circular inlet cover.

Decals

As is standard these days – two machines from “unknown units” – 2 balkenkreuze, “red 213 with white border”, and “white border 912”.