Book Review of Tiger I
German Army Heavy Tank, Eastern Front, Summer 1943
Tank Craft Series
Author: Dennis Oliver
Pen & Sword Ltd. Books
ISBN: 978-1-52-675582-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $26.95
Copyright December 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-52-675582-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $26.95
Copyright December 27, 2019
HISTORY:
The Tiger I tank, probably the most famous German armored vehicle of WWII, might have been a war-winner, breakthrough weapon if it had been produced in sufficient numbers and if it had been introduced earlier on the Eastern Front, before the balance of strength had tipped towards the Soviet Union.
At the Battle of Kursk, there were not enough Tigers to make a decisive difference and therefore the Tiger was forced to play a mainly defensive role as the Wehrmacht struggled to withstand the advances of the Red Army, It is this period in the Tiger tank’s short history that Dennis Oliver concentrates on in this, the third book on the Tiger in the Tank Craft series.
He uses 200 color and black and white archive photos and extensively researched color illustrations to examine the tanks and units of the German army’s heavy panzer battalions. A large part of the book showcases available model kits and after-market products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales.
Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined providing everything the modeler needs to recreate an accurate representation of the tigers of 1943.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Ltd. Books is located in the UK.
The book is soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows at the top a color photo of the DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I kit, built by modeler Naomasa Dairaku, with 13 color walk around type photos in his build review in the book, along with a wartime photo of the actual Tiger, who’s scheme he recreates. It is in a base of sand yellow, with dark green and red brown bands and a white division mark on the left side of its none and a yellow “TIKI” on the right side of the nose and forward end of the sides.
Below this are 3 wartime black and white photos of Tiger I’s. The one on the left is crossing a grassy field. The one in the center is a head on shot and the one on the right shows crewmembers atop a Tiger I.
Below these black and white photos there is a color side profile of a Tiger I Ausf. E, that is repeated inside the book. It is in bands of earth yellow, red brown and dark green, with a white outlined number 321 on the sides of the turret. It was with Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505, Summer 1943.
The book contains 51 black and white photos of Tigers and their crews, 2 maps, 17 unit consistency charts, illustrations of a hat and chest uniform insignia, 20 color side profiles are of Ausf. E Tigers and one is of a Ausf. F.
There is a photo of a Panzer assault metal badge and SS collar insignia.
The built models section begins with:
The AFV Club brand 148th scale Tiger I, built by Ralph Riese, with 7 color walk around photos of it being built.
The DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I, that is at the top of the cover (already described above) with 13 color walk-around type photos of it being built.
The DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I, built by Luciano Rodriguez, with 13 color walk-around type photos f it being built and a illustration of a postcard about the Tiger.
The DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I, built by Naomasa Dairaku, with 28 color walk-around type photos.
A color photo of Tamiya’s 1/48th and 1/16th scale Tiger made up.
Two color photos of DML Dragon 1/35th scale box arts and 5 color walk-around photos of the model made up.
Two color box arts of Italeri Tiger kits in 1/35th scale
Two color walk-around type photos of Hobby Fan/AFV Club’s 148th scale Tiger made up.
Four color walk-around type photos of Academy’s 135th scale Tiger made up.
A color photo of Trumpeter/Hobby Boss brand Tiger box art and the turret made up.
Three different color box arts of Rye Field brand’s Tiger and one shot of the model made up.
Revell and Airfix 1/72nd models with 3 color photos of the models made up.
Zvezda 1/72nd scale Tiger’s color box art and the model made up.
Star Decals 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/35th scale decal sheet are shown in color.
There are 2 black and white side view illustrations of Tiger I early production variant.
The last page of the book has 15 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword AFV books and a listing of 14 more that says 5 of these 14 will be forthcoming in the future.
This is a neat book and a MUST HAVE for modelers planning a build of a Tiger I. It will be also of interest to military historians alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor for Pen & Sword Ltd. Books for this review sample. All Pen & Sword titles can be seen on Casemate’s website at:
The Tiger I tank, probably the most famous German armored vehicle of WWII, might have been a war-winner, breakthrough weapon if it had been produced in sufficient numbers and if it had been introduced earlier on the Eastern Front, before the balance of strength had tipped towards the Soviet Union.
At the Battle of Kursk, there were not enough Tigers to make a decisive difference and therefore the Tiger was forced to play a mainly defensive role as the Wehrmacht struggled to withstand the advances of the Red Army, It is this period in the Tiger tank’s short history that Dennis Oliver concentrates on in this, the third book on the Tiger in the Tank Craft series.
He uses 200 color and black and white archive photos and extensively researched color illustrations to examine the tanks and units of the German army’s heavy panzer battalions. A large part of the book showcases available model kits and after-market products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales.
Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined providing everything the modeler needs to recreate an accurate representation of the tigers of 1943.
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword Ltd. Books is located in the UK.
The book is soft-cover of 64 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The cover art shows at the top a color photo of the DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I kit, built by modeler Naomasa Dairaku, with 13 color walk around type photos in his build review in the book, along with a wartime photo of the actual Tiger, who’s scheme he recreates. It is in a base of sand yellow, with dark green and red brown bands and a white division mark on the left side of its none and a yellow “TIKI” on the right side of the nose and forward end of the sides.
Below this are 3 wartime black and white photos of Tiger I’s. The one on the left is crossing a grassy field. The one in the center is a head on shot and the one on the right shows crewmembers atop a Tiger I.
Below these black and white photos there is a color side profile of a Tiger I Ausf. E, that is repeated inside the book. It is in bands of earth yellow, red brown and dark green, with a white outlined number 321 on the sides of the turret. It was with Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 505, Summer 1943.
The book contains 51 black and white photos of Tigers and their crews, 2 maps, 17 unit consistency charts, illustrations of a hat and chest uniform insignia, 20 color side profiles are of Ausf. E Tigers and one is of a Ausf. F.
There is a photo of a Panzer assault metal badge and SS collar insignia.
The built models section begins with:
The AFV Club brand 148th scale Tiger I, built by Ralph Riese, with 7 color walk around photos of it being built.
The DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I, that is at the top of the cover (already described above) with 13 color walk-around type photos of it being built.
The DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I, built by Luciano Rodriguez, with 13 color walk-around type photos f it being built and a illustration of a postcard about the Tiger.
The DML Dragon 1/35th scale Tiger I, built by Naomasa Dairaku, with 28 color walk-around type photos.
A color photo of Tamiya’s 1/48th and 1/16th scale Tiger made up.
Two color photos of DML Dragon 1/35th scale box arts and 5 color walk-around photos of the model made up.
Two color box arts of Italeri Tiger kits in 1/35th scale
Two color walk-around type photos of Hobby Fan/AFV Club’s 148th scale Tiger made up.
Four color walk-around type photos of Academy’s 135th scale Tiger made up.
A color photo of Trumpeter/Hobby Boss brand Tiger box art and the turret made up.
Three different color box arts of Rye Field brand’s Tiger and one shot of the model made up.
Revell and Airfix 1/72nd models with 3 color photos of the models made up.
Zvezda 1/72nd scale Tiger’s color box art and the model made up.
Star Decals 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/35th scale decal sheet are shown in color.
There are 2 black and white side view illustrations of Tiger I early production variant.
The last page of the book has 15 black and white cover arts of other Pen & Sword AFV books and a listing of 14 more that says 5 of these 14 will be forthcoming in the future.
This is a neat book and a MUST HAVE for modelers planning a build of a Tiger I. It will be also of interest to military historians alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers, the North American distributor for Pen & Sword Ltd. Books for this review sample. All Pen & Sword titles can be seen on Casemate’s website at: