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Best 1/35 King Tiger?


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I usually build aircraft, but occasionally do tanks and ships.  It seems there's been a rash of King Tiger kits released over the last year or two, and I was wondering if there are recommendations on the "best" (knowing that "best" is very subjective) 1/35 scale kit with the Henschel turret.  Doesn't matter if it has Zimmerit or not.  Any thoughts from the 'experten'?  Thanks!!

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I am far from an 'experten' but I've built my share of Tigers over the years (Tiger I's are more my cup of tea). Odds are opinions will differ here, but here are my thoughts based on the King Tigers that I have actually built and not just stared at:

 

For ease of assembly/hassle free/quick build get the Tamiya King Tiger. Tamiya armor (for the most part) falls together, even their old stuff from the 70's. Great kits for the beginning armor modeler. However...the details will be simplified when compared to the competition and the tracks are going to be the one piece rubber band type tracks (although now they are more plastic then rubber and they take paint like a champ compared to the older 70's and 80's Tamiya tracks). I found the tracks to be too small and really put stress on the idler and sprocket (fixable by moving the idler a tad but a PITA). Some folks are put off by these types of tracks so its up to you. I will say this though, Tigers tracks always sagged and were HEAVY. It is much easier to shape individual track links then one piece rubber/plastic band type tracks. Aftermarket tracks are obviously available and I would go this route if I built the Tamiya kit again. Then again, if you are leaving the side skirts/fenders intact then shaping the upper run of tracks won't be as big an issue. Just food for thought.

 

For more detail, more accuracy, much MUCH better tracks, PE engine screens and just a whole lot more bells and whistles in the box then I'd go Dragon everyday of the week over Tamiya. Price wise the Dragon kits run a little higher (not much though) but you would need to drop considerably more coin on the Tamiya kit to bring it up to or surpass what you get inside the Dragon boxing(s). Consider also that if you are shrewd and take your time you can grab the Dragon KT's for less then the Tamiya kit (I just grabbed one off of EBay before Christmas for less the $30 shipped). But...and there's always that "but"...the Dragon kits that I have built were a little more fiddly and not as easy to assemble. You just need to study the plans and pay attention to your assembly sequences with the Dragon KT's then the Tamiya. But you will be rewarded with an awesome looking beast of a KT!

 

Now Takom has come out with a new King Tiger that looks absolutely stunning! Full interior and all the bells and whistles:

 

http://www.themodellingnews.com/2016/10/in-boxed-takoms-35th-scale-sdkfz182.html

 

I know nothing about it, haven't seen it with my own eyes and therefore obviously haven't assembled one. So I can't comment on ease of assembly or anything. But it looks like a dandy and cost wise isn't that far off of Dragon. But do you really want to mess with that full interior is a question you'd have to ask yourself.

 

Sorry about the long winded post. Like I said opinions will vary but what I wrote is based on what I have built.  Good luck with your King Tiger hunt. She's without a doubt an eye catcher and a true beast of a tank!

 

Cheers!

Don

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  • 4 weeks later...

Don -

 

Thanks - a lot of good info.  I was all ready to pull the trigger (no pun intended):rolleyes: on tracking down and getting a Dragon kit, when I saw that the Meng kit has just come out.  Read through some reviews of the Meng kit that were very complimentary, and I think I'm going to give the Meng kit a shot.

 

Al

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Murad!

 

I bought the kit, and the surface detail is fantastic.  I'm not interested in an interior, so the Meng kit really seems to fit the bill.  I only wish they'd have indicated which tank used which options (e.g. road wheel centers), but that's pretty minor!

 

 

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2 hours ago, arg said:

Thanks Murad!

 

I bought the kit, and the surface detail is fantastic.  I'm not interested in an interior, so the Meng kit really seems to fit the bill.  I only wish they'd have indicated which tank used which options (e.g. road wheel centers), but that's pretty minor!

 

 

 

iirc there were reports of axles having a camber out in the meng kit, so better watch out during the build - tho withtout the kit at hand i am not sure what could be done to remedy the problem.

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I read a review awhile back concerning the new Revell (ICM) King Tiger. He actually liked it, and for the price (about $35) it was steal. Good review over on Tracklink.

I have the Takom kit with zimmerit (505 ), and this thing has a scary parts count! Still a nice kit.

gary

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  • 5 weeks later...

I have a couple Takom Tiger II's and at least one Meng. These are in a class by themselves. On the cheap side (but still good), look at the Revell / ICM kit. It needs the track changing cable and maybe a couple other small bits, but at $35 it's a steal. The only real draw back with the ICM kit is the side shields being attached to the fenders, instead of being separate pieces. Not a big fix, but still wants to be done.

gary 

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