Small Scale Military Headquarters

Tiger experts:

I would like your detailed opinion of the 21st Century 1/18 Tiger I, Series 2, Red 326.

(I just ordered one at $34.99--Monkeydepot)

Thanks for your input

Actually, all the 21c Tigers were "Red 326", just with different base paintschemes: panzer gray, eastern front tri-color cammo, and winter whitewash. There were also two diecast variations, but these sported the same gray and winter whitewash schemes as the plastic versions. The diecast vehicles were also identical in construction.

I have the original plastic S1 gray version (at TRU exclusive from 2002) and the S2 "Eastern Front" cammo version. Here's a photo of my S2 cammo version. Please note that I have customized it a little, including the Build-a-Rama stowage accessories and the (inaccurate) white paint on the insides of the hatches.

S2 Tiger I with crew and riders




Overall, it is in my opinion an excellent tank - and one of the best pieces of 1:18 armor even six years after it was first released in 2002! There are some inaccuracies that other boardmembers can fill you in on, but overall, the 21c Tiger I represents a late-production model without the zimermitt.

What this model really has going for it is the sheer level of detail. On the outside, all the tow-cables and tools are removable. The engine opens as do the radiator gratings. All hatches open, even for the storage bin on the rear of the turret. The main hatches have the latches detailed.



The best feature of the 21c Tiger is that it has a full interior. The turret can be removed to open the tank up. The hull interior features the flooring around the turret, ammo rounds, storage space, and seats for the driver and radio operator. No controls, radio, or hull MG are included, though I customized the hull MG stock on my tank (not seen in the pictures).

Hull interior, looking forward. Ammo rounds, flooring, stowed accessories, driver figure and seat can be seen.


Hull interior, looking aft. Ammo rounds, flooring, and stowed accessories can be seen. I also added the propaganda posters and I thought they were a nice touch


The turret interior, which is sort of hard to discern from my pictures, features a detailed gun breach with the turret basket. The seats for the commander, gunner, and loader are all there, as are a few "extras" including a jerrycan and two haversacks. A spent shell is left in the tray behind the breach. Also, the MG-34 is detailed. You can fit an complete crew of five figures inside the tank, even with all the hatches closed. That in itself is a really neat feature.

Turret interior looking forward. Gun breach, ammo tray, spent casing, jerrycan, haversack, loader's seat, commander's seat and seated figures can be seen.


Turret interior looking aft. Gun breach detail, MG stock, loader and gunner figures can be seen.


I think you will be quite impressed with the tank and it is certainly worth the purchase. This is one of the best tanks in 1:18 as far as the detail is concerned. 21c really set the bar with their Tiger I and has not really recaptured it with their subsequent armor releases.

Hope this review helps

TMANTHEGREAT:

Thanks for the great review and the photos. Your review makes me feel good about my new Tiger---Monkeydepot sold out of it minutes after I ordered mine.

Two more questions:

1. It's described as being an Eastern front Tiger, but would its green/brown camouflage, also be compatible with a Normandy Tiger paint scheme?

2. What was the original price back in 2002?

I just ordered one at $34.99--Monkeydepot

Where did you find it at Monkeydepot...??? I checked the site, and I'll be darned if I can see it anywhere I'd sure like to know, it's a great price and I will order one too...if I can ever locate it that is...

I looked too none left bummer

Original price for the first issue all plastic grey one was $49.99 at TRU

OSTKETTEN:

Maybe I bought the last one---minutes after I placed my order, they were sold out.

minutes after I placed my order, they were sold out.

Drat!! Oh well...I actually have one of these NIB tucked away somewhere, but that was a great price, and I would have got another. As Tman said, this is a really nice model, you will not be disappointed.

OSTKETTEN:

Thanks. Finally I got lucky. I'm surprised Monkeydepot still had the Tiger I in stock since it's an old tank.

Now I'm hoping to find a 21st Century 1/18 green Sherman go with the new Tiger.

Although the cammo pattern is more approporiate for the eastern front, I don't see why it wouldn't work for a Normandy setting as well. Tanks in that theater sported tri-color cammo patterns. The tank does not look out of place in a woods or grasslands setting, going up against Allied armor. In fact, I find that particular pattern much more adaptable to different settings than either the gray or winter Tigers, which was the reason I got my example. The tank goes well with the S2 paintscheme for the SDK-251 Hannomag, which sports the same paintscheme. Kim is right on the TRU price and the tanks usually went for around $60 at many small retailers.

TMANTHEGREAT:

Thanks again for the info.
Last week I passed up a good deal on a used grey Eastern front Tiger I (broken, no crewman) because I hoped I could find a used Series 2, but doubted I would. So several days later, I lucked out by finding a new Series 2 on sale at Monkeydepot and getting one of the last ones.
The Normandy Tigers models I've seen have more brown in them than the 21st---I think FOV's 1/16 Wittman Tigers are Normandy camouflage.
Here's a "Normandy" Tiger camouflage:

http://www.flyingmule.com/products/UM-85404

That is the exact Tiger I had in mind when I made my above comments (the FOV 1:72 version). It does have more brown, but the S2 XD Tiger is not too far off the mark.

TMANTHEGREAT:

The FOV 1/72 Normandy Tiger has zimmerit while the 21st Century Tiger doesn't. But as the saying goes, "beggars can't be choosers"---I'm thrilled I finally found a 1/18 Tiger.

The tank crews usually painted ttheir Tigers in the field so some variation and difference are to be expected.

GROCKWOOD:

Yeah, I first read that here on SSHQ. I like knowing that the experts, in this case, FOV, agreed with me and used a similar camouflage from the 21st Century 1/18 Eastern front Tiger on their 1/72 Normandy Tiger.

TMANTHEGREAT:

3 more questions about your Tiger I:

1. Did your turret machine gun come with an ammo drum or did you add it yourself? (mine doesn't have an ammo drum)
2. Did you paint your hull machine gun (my hull machine gun is light green or whatever color it is, but it's not black).
3. Did ALL Tiger Is have zimmerit?
4. What is the rack-mounted object mounted on the glacis plate next to the hull machine gun---a spotlitght?

Thanks

dragon53

check this site out, has a ton of Tiger 1 info

http://tiger1.info/topicIndexEN.html

Dragon, to answer your questions:

I added the ammo drum to the turret MG. It just looked better

I also painted the hull MG, as well as the inside of the hatches. Nothing else has been modified, however, I have considered adding kill-rings on the gun barrel.

Not all Tiger Is had zimermit.

The object on the front glacis between the MG and the driver's viewport is the headlamp. I've hung a coil of wire from mine, which is in turn securing a section of spare track-links taken from my gray 21c tiger. I thought it looke alright

Hope this helps!

All Late/Final Production Tigers have zimmerit. Even though there were a few hybrid Tigers like the Fehrmann Kampfgruppe Tigers, that is not the norm, and those hybrid Tigers certainly didn't look like 21st's Tiger.

*EDIT* Oops, my bad. I just look at the pics I have of a couple of hybrid Tigers, and realized that even though they have early Tiger turrets with the drum cupola, they still have zimmerit.

TMANTHEGREAT, ET AL.:

TGuys, thanks for the info. I was worried my 21st Tiger had problems like my other 21st models (P-51 was missing screwhole covers and parachute; F-86 had incomplete paint job).

Question 3: Is the hull machine gun SUPPOSED to be painted black?....I would think it should be.

Also, I would prefer the 21st Tiger have zimmerit for authenticity, but I still like this model a lot---it looks a lot better than in the 21st PR photos.
I sure would like to have FOV's 1/16 Wittman Tiger I...and the new 1/16 Sherman.

Dragon53
in answer to your Question 3: Is the hull machine gun SUPPOSED to be painted black?....I would think it should be.

If it were painted, the heat from firing wound burn the paint and turn balck anyway...
barrell should be gun metal...

here is a fast and easy fix, paint it flat-balck and then rub a #2 pencil on the barrell...it will look like a well used, gun metal, MG