The Introduction (Or things that you can skip)

This Page

Will follow a dedicated build of a Tamiya 30611, German Panzerkampfwagen (SD.KFZ 181) Tiger I Ausf. E. That being said, we will just call it the Tiger. I may call it a few other things along the way. But it will be the Tiger. In 1:25 scale.

More accurately, too, this isn’t a build. It is actually a salvage operation, and herein lies a story, and then we will get started…..

The History

We all know the history of the actual tank, so I am not repeating it here. Look at another website, or as my mother always instructed, “look it up”. And that was back in the days before the Internet, which involved pulling out a 28-pound World Book Encyclopedia. We are talking about this kit, in this scale. The 1:25 scale Tiger was produced by Tamiya starting in the late 1970’s, and was one of a series of tanks in this scale. After many years, the series was discontinued.

By the mid-1990’s, these kits started to become, and still are, collectible and expensive. This is where I came in. By the late 1990’s, I decided that I would corner the market on the 1:25 Tiger, buy as many as I could, and use them for fun and profit. I pictured myself making resin parts and photo-etched grills for them (both skills which I have), and selling my wares on the Internet until I could afford that vacation home in the Caribbean with a Porsche in the driveway. Obviously, life took over, that never happened, and I have quite a few of these Tigers on a shelf in the garage, ranging in condition from new-in-the-box to complete (but poor construction, paint, etc.)

Oh, yes, and Tamiya started to re-issue the series of 1:25 tanks, starting with the Tiger. The hissing sound that you may hear is the deflating balloon, which represents the above-mentioned riches from my cornering the market.

Our Subject

The subject will be one of these Tigers from the garage-stock. More correctly, it will be two. One of my Internet purchases (via ebay), were two Tigers that someone had constructed (yes, they had two), and wanted to get rid of. When I received them, they were fully assembled, but some parts were missing. The interiors had been installed, and about 1/3 of the interior was painted. No paint on the exterior, which is a good thing. What were evident, everywhere, were the seams. No seams were sanded during the original construction. And tube glue. We all know tube glue.

Because of missing parts, and the condition of both, I decided to use the two kits to get to one decent kit. That being said, this will be a “curbside” model. The hatches are getting glued shut. The former owner’s lack of tube-glue control made such a mess of the interior, that I will salvage what I can of the interior parts, and save them for another project.

The next decision was what Tiger to model. Decals from the original do give options, including that of Michael Wittman’s tank. But I have never done a Tunisian Tiger, and wanted to do one. This model accurately puts it into the timeframe of Tigers in North Africa, which works. Plus, the Bovington Tank Museum Tiger was a Tunisian-captured tank, so the photo references are everywhere. Check out the site at http://www.tankmuseum.org/

And another thing….I am not on a mission to recreate this sucker down to the last nut and bolt. If you after that sort of thing, go to a different site. However, the point is, there are few documented builds on the 1:25 Tiger, and this thing has it’s share of issues. With the number of old 1:25 Tigers out there, and the re-issue using the same molds, the thought of sharing my experience may be helpful. Or a fore warning.

So, follow along. I will post photos as I go, and updates as I can. Along the way, be patient. I am not the world’s fastest builder, and I may throw an odd opinion, too. This is my page, after all, which leads me to this thought….

About Me

I am a professional engineer, in my mid-40’s. I modeled as a kid, and then stopped in my late teens, and picked it up again 12 years ago. I have all the tools, skills, etc., but like many people, I sell myself short. I have also somewhat given up on the thought of spending hundreds of hours on a museum-quality piece. I build mostly straight from the box, and maybe add a few items that I scratch build or modify. I hate photo-etch. My fingers and eyes don’t like it. I don’t go to contests because I don’t think that my finished kits are worthy. I do this entirely for my own enjoyment, and a few oohs and ahs from my best friend, Todd, who is a fellow enthusiast. Everyone needs a Todd, by the way.

I am blessed with a great area to do my modeling. I have a desk in an office, adjacent to the man cave, where I can set up shop, not be bothered, and turn on some music. The cat will, at times, jump up on the table, but for the most part, it is my space. And I will advise having a good selection of music in the background.

I do not have unlimited time to do my modeling. I have a job, and chores, and home repair projects, and a family, and a fiancee. More accurately, a charming, beautiful, fiancee, with an unlimited amount of patience for my hobby.

So, hopefully, you are at the point of wanting me to shut-up, and get on with it.