Tiger II Ausf. B
Manufacturer: Revell AG.(Kit #03129)
So, did Revellintentionally steal Italeri's thunder with the release of acompetitive King Tiger kit? Or was it in their plans long beforeItaleri decided to re-release the old ESCI Tiger kit? I suspectthe latter, but regardless, it was rather bad timing as far asItaleri is concerned, because this new King Tiger is a muchbetter kit in most regards (but not all, surprisingly). Forspecific comparisons between the two kits, please refer to my King Tiger Comparison article.
Sprue 1 shows one of thethings I like best about the way Revell engineers their latestkits: the chassis molded as parts separate from the lower hull.With the advent of link-and-length tracks, it is most difficultto attach tracks beneath over-hanging hull sponsons (it wasdifficult even with the vinyl tracks). With the separate chassisparts, it is possible to completely paint and assemble the wheelsand tracks, before having to attach them to the hull. This isincredibly helpful, and I wish that other manufacturers would dothis regularly. You can also see on this sprue some separatepioneer tools, which is very good. But for some reason, Revellmolded some other tools directly onto the hull, such as the axe,hammer, and fire extinguisher. That is unfortunate. Spare tracklinks are included for hanging on the turret sides.
Sprue 2 holds the upperhull and other details. The hull is fantastic, fully up to thecurrent standards set by Revell's other kits. Too bad the hullhatches are molded shut. Revell seems to be very inconsistent insuch details. Some hatches are molded closed, while others aremolded open (on the turret); some tools are molded onto the hull,others are separate; some periscope covers are molded open(cupola), and others are molded solid (driver). I find this veryodd. Do they do this only to give nit-pickers like me somethingto complain about? Anyway, back to the kit ... Although it is notreal obvious in this scan, the AA machinegun is fabulous; niceand petite, and very detailed.
The turret sports openhatches, which is very good. Now where are the figures to put inthem? I guess we have to stick with Preiser for the time being.The turret hatches, on the previous sprue, have no interiordetail. The shape and detail of this turret is very accurate, andhas the pilzen common to later Tiger II's. The two odd-shapedpieces above the turret are supposed to be protective,anti-grenade grates for the engine deck. Of course, they lookpretty poor molded in plastic, and are best replaced. (Note: thissprue is clearly marked "Henschel" because Revell willlater release the Porsche version of this tank.)
The wheels areextraordinarily well done.
As are the tracks.
The markings are simple,giving two options: one eastern front, one western front.Although thin, as you can see, they once again are printed out ofregister.
I go into greater detailabout the kit's accuracy in my King Tiger Comparison article, butI will summarize here by stating that this kit is very accurate,with only very minor errors.
Overall, once again, thisis an excellent kit. But did we really need a new King Tiger? Ifthis was the Porsche version, then I would have said yes, butwe'll have to wait a little while yet for that one to bereleased. Until then, we'll have to stick to resin conversions.But even considering the high quality of this kit, I wasperfectly content with the ESCI/Italeri Tiger II, and I thinkthat we would have been better served had Revell GIVEN US A DAMNSHERMAN INSTEAD!! I mean come on now! There were more Shermantanks built during WW II than all of the German tank designscombined, and yet we still have no decent Sherman currentlyavailable in 1/72nd plastic. But I digress ... This is anothergreat model, of another German tank, and I'm sure that next yearRevell will bless us with more great models of yet more Germantanks. Oh boy, I can hardly wait.
I think I need to go takea prozac ...
References:
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