The vehicle as one of the 45 Tigers that equipped the 508th Scwhere Heeres Panzer Abteilung in late 1943 before the unit was deployed to counter the Allied landings in Anzion in January 1944. The 508th took it upon themselves to modify one of their Tiger Is by removing the main gun and adding heavy winch on top of the turret. The winch could not be operated from within the vehicle, so as far as I can tell, a crewman or crewmen would have to exit via the rear turret escape hatch to operate the winch under fire and lay the demolition charges. This vehicle was eventually abandoned by the Germans, and when the Allies happened upon it they thought that it was a recovery vehicle - this is probably why Dragon gave it the incorrect designation.
The model is accurate according to the two reference pictures in Osprey Military's "Tiger I Heavy Tank 1942-1945" (page 43). It is configured properly to represent what was a late-production Tiger I when it was converted. It has excellent zimmerit all 'round the turret, on the mantlet, on the vertical hull plates and on the nose. The quality of the zimmerit is excellent and is incredible considering the small scale of the vehicle. It still has rubber-tired roadwheels, but the headlight, armoured covers for the mufflers and commander's cupola are all as they were in real life. Heck, there are even six chevrons on on every track link face for better traction on snow and ice, which the Germans started doing in December 1943. One never has to worry about realism when it comes to Dragon Armor. It is made entirely of plastic but has a metal weight installed inside the hull. The turret moves freely and can be removed. The tracks and running gear are fixed in place.
Here are some pictures!
A profile shot, showing the winch:
Left side profile with better lighting:
Right side profile. Note that the roadwheels are only painted black around the rim, which is one of the only things one could complain about:
Hull rear:
Engine deck. Note winch details:
The running gear. The wheels aren't painted properly and the tracks look like they're fresh off the production line, but then, the whole vehicle looks fairly clean:
Top profile shot:
Weight inside the vehicle:
CONCLUSIONS
This rare panzer would make a fine addition to anyone's 1:72 collection. It is the only truly unique Tiger I release by Dragon Armor. It looks great next to my Sturmtiger (also by Dragon) and my two Tiger Is (Forces of Valor). The original vehicle has been faithfully reproduced in even the tiniest details. The fact that the running gear doesn't work isn't a bother at all considering that this is meant to be a display piece.
The only thing that anyone could complain about is the lack of weathering. I don't know much about Italian weather, but I'm fairly certain that the vehicle would be a bit muddy. I've read that coastal weather in Italy during the winter months is mild and wet. However, Dragon doesn't generally muddy up and weather their vehicles - consider the scale.
I recommend this release to anyone interested in WW2 German armor in 1:72 scale.
