Small Scale Military Headquarters

60112 - Jagdtiger (Porsche Version), sPzJgAbt.653 Germany 1945 w/Zimmerit (June 2005)



60137 - German Super Heavy Tank Maus (V2)



60111 - Jagdtiger (Porsche Version), sPzJgAbt.653 Alsace 1945 w/Zimmerit

They look cool, but it looks like Dragon has left off the tools, etc., on these too. They've been doing that with their latest KTs with zim also, no tow cables, etc. I wonder why they are doing this? I guess maybe they don't want anything to obstruct the view of their highly detailed zim Doesn't matter, I'll still buy them!

easy8

no tow cables, etc. I wonder why they are doing this?

I suppose its because if they ever got stuck...there'd be no hope of retreiving those mammoths.

Hi,
I think it may have more to do with the way Dragon is recreating the zimmerit. Its possible the rippled exterior prevents them from attaching entrenching utensils and other paraphenalia along the sides of the vehicles. Otherwise, I cant see why huge tanks like these would be sent into battle without their all-important tow hooks.

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.bigstep.com

Here's one of the few pics of a Maus at the factory

http://216.194.68.99/~admin2/eBay/Germa ... sBook2.jpg

I would agree with the argument about the Zimmerit except for ....
the 'King Tiger in Hungary' and the 'Feldernhalle' were both Dragon CyberHobby Exclusive
King Tigers with Zimmerit paste and both replicas had tow cables, tools, etc. mounted on the vehicle
over the Zimmerit paste.

Browsing through the Tigers in Combat I and II books, I recall that there were a few pictures of vehicles
(with and without Zimmerit paste) that were minus equipment, tow cables, etc.

Just some thoughts to consider ......

You fellas could be right but to me, they look sort of bare. I'm also a little tired of all the Jagdtigers. With these two Jagds, that makes a total of eight plus all the special edition variants, which brings the tally up to 16! Lets go with the StuGs, halftracks and Brummbars already. I do believe Dragon is trying to create as many different versions of the Jagdtiger as there were fielded by the Germany Army!

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.bigstep.com

Lightning, If thats the case, we're looking at 77

I think someone over at Dragon must really like the Jagdtiger. I wish we would see some of the new stuff come out, not just different versions of the tanks already released. The Maus is kind of neat, but how about the Brummbar, Stug, Nashorn, Hummel, and Jagdpanzer! Well, at least it looks like May will at least give us a T-34.
Eric

Hi,
I have a sneaky suspiscion that they're looking to get as much mileage out of these pups as possible ahead of the second half lineup announcements. We can conclude that a Jagdpanzer IV L70 is in the offing (because an exclusive version is due out at Dragon Hobby Expo). I think we can also safely say that Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs are in the offing because they have two versions of the Sturmgeschutz due out soon (not to mention the Hummels and Nashorn), both of which were based upon the chassis of the Pz III and IV.

I also think there's an excellent chance we'll start to see some Allied armor besides the T-34s. If you notice on the Dragon site, they had a large image on the home page that said the "Americans Counterattack" while underneath were portrayed three American soldiers. Dragon has cultivated a reputation for releasing identical product across many different sectors of the hobby, be they models, diecast, smaller replicas, etc. So, I'm led to believe that a great many armor pieces (probably based upon the Sherman chassis) are in the offing.

I also think that you can expect to see more exotic weaponry coming out. I know for certain that they're coming out with a 1:144 scale German armored train and I wouldnt be surprised to see a T-28 to combat the Maus/E-100 attack. Food for thought if you're wondering what's next...

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.bigstep.com

I'd still like to see a Barkmann Panther as a Cyber-Hobby Exclusive.

I'd also like to see an Afrika Korps Tiger, perhaps even a set.

How great would it be for collectibility for them to slowly release an entire set of Afrika Korps themed vehicles? Beginning with the Tiger, expanding to the new Stug, Nashorns, Pzkw IV's, Pzkw III's, etc. They could even do a "GREIF" sdkfz 250 for Rommel.

Hell, they should go ahead and hire me as their Marketing Director. I'll whip'em into shape

How do you know these items arent already on the drawing board? I'll wager that they're examing each potential release as far as regular and limited edition possibilites go long before they're ever announced to the public. I'll bet the 251/1 halftrack, for instance, will be made in tons of iterations...

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.bigstep.com

Well, I hope they're on the Drawing board...but I thought I'd post the ideas just for fun

I'm with you Lightning2000.Too damn many heavies and not enough stugs,panzer 3&4's.

Mark

Hi Kamikaze,
Actually, Mr. Football raised an valid point awhile back -- how about a Barkmann Panther or an Afrika Korps Tiger? I understand they're trying to get the most mileage out of each mold but they can just as quickly turn off the consumer by constantly pumping out the same vehicle in different patterns. Anyway, I'm speaking from a consumer's standpoint. Just my two Yen...

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.bigstep.com

What gets me is that it was the Pzlll that led Germany to their victories. Even the PzIV was little more than a complementary/supplementary tank. Yet we see so many versions of the later tanks- Tigers and Panthers and KTs oh my- that were little more than stopgaps on the road to defeat. Is it that the real "mythos" of the panzertruppe was the hopeless defense and not the victorious conquering? I just find it fascinating and have hoped for more of the early war tanks (PzlllF/G/H/J/L/M/N, Pzll, Pz38(t), etc.) although I must admit that I recognize the marketability of the Tiger. Perhaps the Japanese want the Tiger tanks because they never got the one they bought and paid for in the war??