In Box Review of Tamiya 135th Scale
Jagd Panzer, Jagd Tiger, Pz.Jg. VI (Sd.Kfz. 186s)
Motorized kit no. MT 121-650
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $134.99 for the 2013 re-release that is NOT motorized from Sprue Bros. My kit has a copyright date of 1963 and this motorized version is out of production.
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $134.99 for the 2013 re-release that is NOT motorized from Sprue Bros. My kit has a copyright date of 1963 and this motorized version is out of production.
HISTORY:
The Jagdtiger (German for Hunting Tiger) was a heavy tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht Panzerjagers during World War II. It was built in small numbers in 1944-1945 using the chassis from the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf B. with a casemate turret and 12.8 cm cannon in place of the rotating turret and 8.8 cm cannon. The first tanks used the Porsche suspension system with eight road wheels but the later ones used the Henschel suspension system with nine road wheels as is modeled in the kit.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Heavy tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
Production history: Designer: Henschel
Designed: 1943
Manufacturer: Nibelungenwerk (Steyr-Damilar-Puch)
Produced: 1944-1945
Number built: 88
Weight: 71.7 tonnes (158,000 lb)
Length: 10.65 m (34 ft 11 in) with gun
Width: 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Crew: 6 (driver, radio-operator, commander, gunner, two loaders)
Armor: 250 mm (9.84 in) maximum
Main armament: 12.8 cm Pak 44 L/55
Secondary armament: 7.92 mm MG 34
Engine:V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 700 PS(690 hp,515kW)
Power/weight: 9.8 PS (7.2 kW) / tonne
Suspension: longitudinal torsion-bar
Operational range: 120 km (75 mi) on roads, 80 km (50 mi) cross-country
Speed: 34 kilometres per hour (21 mph)
The Jagdtiger (German for Hunting Tiger) was a heavy tank destroyer used by German Wehrmacht Panzerjagers during World War II. It was built in small numbers in 1944-1945 using the chassis from the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Ausf B. with a casemate turret and 12.8 cm cannon in place of the rotating turret and 8.8 cm cannon. The first tanks used the Porsche suspension system with eight road wheels but the later ones used the Henschel suspension system with nine road wheels as is modeled in the kit.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Heavy tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
Production history: Designer: Henschel
Designed: 1943
Manufacturer: Nibelungenwerk (Steyr-Damilar-Puch)
Produced: 1944-1945
Number built: 88
Weight: 71.7 tonnes (158,000 lb)
Length: 10.65 m (34 ft 11 in) with gun
Width: 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Crew: 6 (driver, radio-operator, commander, gunner, two loaders)
Armor: 250 mm (9.84 in) maximum
Main armament: 12.8 cm Pak 44 L/55
Secondary armament: 7.92 mm MG 34
Engine:V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 700 PS(690 hp,515kW)
Power/weight: 9.8 PS (7.2 kW) / tonne
Suspension: longitudinal torsion-bar
Operational range: 120 km (75 mi) on roads, 80 km (50 mi) cross-country
Speed: 34 kilometres per hour (21 mph)
THE KIT:
Tamiya is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art is one of Tamiya's SIGNATURE type that has the kit subject posed against an all white background.
It shows a Hunting tiger that is overall panzer-grey. It has a black cross outlined in white above a white skeletal number 330 on the sides of the hull. On the left side of the bow is a white shield with a key on it. I believe this was the Hitlerjugend Div. mark. The tank commander is wearing a black uniform and is standing in the roof hatch. He has a pair of earphones on his head and is holding a pair of binoculars.
One side panel has a one-paragraph history of the Hunting Tiger in English and Japanese with a color side profile of the Hunting Tiger in overall earth yellow with no markings.
The other side panel shows 3 color box arts of other tank kits that Tamiya makes: a Soviet Medium Tank T-55 (series no.12), a German Army 70 ton Heavy Tank (series no. 20) and a Great Britain Crusader II 18 ton Light Tank (series no. 2).
These are followed by a paragraph in Japanese and Tamiya's street address in Shizuoka City, Japan.
Tamiya is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art is one of Tamiya's SIGNATURE type that has the kit subject posed against an all white background.
It shows a Hunting tiger that is overall panzer-grey. It has a black cross outlined in white above a white skeletal number 330 on the sides of the hull. On the left side of the bow is a white shield with a key on it. I believe this was the Hitlerjugend Div. mark. The tank commander is wearing a black uniform and is standing in the roof hatch. He has a pair of earphones on his head and is holding a pair of binoculars.
One side panel has a one-paragraph history of the Hunting Tiger in English and Japanese with a color side profile of the Hunting Tiger in overall earth yellow with no markings.
The other side panel shows 3 color box arts of other tank kits that Tamiya makes: a Soviet Medium Tank T-55 (series no.12), a German Army 70 ton Heavy Tank (series no. 20) and a Great Britain Crusader II 18 ton Light Tank (series no. 2).
These are followed by a paragraph in Japanese and Tamiya's street address in Shizuoka City, Japan.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 4 light tan trees of parts, a light tan hull tub and hull roof part, black vinyl treads, the decal sheet, the instructions and a small color kit catalog.
The instructions consist of 2 sheets. One sheet accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 6" x 8 1/4" page format. The other sheet is 7 1/2" x 10 3/4" format.
The first sheet is the instructions.
Page 1 begins ith a black and white photo of the model made up. It is in a dark color with light spots on it. I haven't a clue what these two colors might be. This is above a 2-view line drawings of the King Tiger, showing its side and tip. It has the German cross above a no. 344 on the sides of the hull.
Page 2 through 7 give a grand total of 21 assembly steps.
Steps 9 to 12 are for the motorization assembly.
Step 21 shows the model as having the road wheel set up for a static model or for the motorized one. The motorized one takes less wheels.
Page 8 has two side profiles for painting and marking purposes.
One shows a Hunting Tiger in earth yellow with red brown bands. No markings is shown.
The other one shows a Hunting Tiger in dark grey and speckles of olive drab. Again, no marks are shown. Below these is a listing of the names of the kit parts.
The second sheet has the parts trees illustrations on one side.
The two runs of black vinyl rubber band type treads, the decal sheet, the color kit catalog, the electric motor and the motorization hardware completes the kits contents.
The trees are in 3 sealed cello bags and the hardware is in cellos too.
Light tan letter A parts tree holds: the main gun barrel and breech halves, mantle parts, name plate, hatch doors etc. (27 parts)
This kit holds 4 light tan trees of parts, a light tan hull tub and hull roof part, black vinyl treads, the decal sheet, the instructions and a small color kit catalog.
The instructions consist of 2 sheets. One sheet accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 6" x 8 1/4" page format. The other sheet is 7 1/2" x 10 3/4" format.
The first sheet is the instructions.
Page 1 begins ith a black and white photo of the model made up. It is in a dark color with light spots on it. I haven't a clue what these two colors might be. This is above a 2-view line drawings of the King Tiger, showing its side and tip. It has the German cross above a no. 344 on the sides of the hull.
Page 2 through 7 give a grand total of 21 assembly steps.
Steps 9 to 12 are for the motorization assembly.
Step 21 shows the model as having the road wheel set up for a static model or for the motorized one. The motorized one takes less wheels.
Page 8 has two side profiles for painting and marking purposes.
One shows a Hunting Tiger in earth yellow with red brown bands. No markings is shown.
The other one shows a Hunting Tiger in dark grey and speckles of olive drab. Again, no marks are shown. Below these is a listing of the names of the kit parts.
The second sheet has the parts trees illustrations on one side.
The two runs of black vinyl rubber band type treads, the decal sheet, the color kit catalog, the electric motor and the motorization hardware completes the kits contents.
The trees are in 3 sealed cello bags and the hardware is in cellos too.
Light tan letter A parts tree holds: the main gun barrel and breech halves, mantle parts, name plate, hatch doors etc. (27 parts)
Light tan letter B parts tree holds: the fenders, tow cables, rear hull wall, exhaust pipes and their shields, tow rings, machine gun, tools, crew figures (molded from the waist up) spare track links, head light etc. (73 parts)
Light tan letter B parts tree holds: the fenders, tow cables, rear hull wall, exhaust pipes and their shields, tow rings, machine gun, tools, crew figures (molded from the waist up) spare track links, head light etc. (73 parts)
Light tan vinyl letter C parts tree holds poly caps etc. (37 parts)
There are 2 identical light tan letter D parts trees. They each hold: road wheels, idler wheels, bogies and drive sprockets (46 parts per tree)
The black vinyl 2 long runs of treads is next.
The electric motor, hardware, decal sheet and small color kit catalog are next.
The electric motor, hardware, decal sheet and small color kit catalog are next.
The one piece upper and lower hull parts complete the kit.
This is a nice kit.Opting to build it as a static shelf model will require filling numerous motorization holes in the hull.
It has a lot of parts and is not for the novice modeler or a weekend project.
Recommended to modelers with experience.
It has a lot of parts and is not for the novice modeler or a weekend project.
Recommended to modelers with experience.
I bought my kit years ago at my local hobby shop that went out of business.