1/35 Meng Sd. Kfz. 182 King Tiger (Henschel) - My First Tank

[speedgraflex]

Carlos!

[Stikpusher]

I got into Tigers a bit several years ago when our AMPS chapter did the Tiger Group Build....

[KSaarni]

So much info!



- Kari

[mostrich]

This might come handy:

[jkim]

Thank you for the comments and insights everyone! Every bit is going to help. When I received notice that my Tiger was delivered, I thought that I'd be able to share a little about the kit but the package tracking showed that it was delivered to Gunter, TX, not Carlsbad, CA. No package at my address or mailbox. Maybe I got sent someone else's tracking number? After non-response from Ebay seller, I filed a complaint at the Ebay resolution center. Hopefully, I'll get the model SOMETIME soon but I have lots of other things to keep me busy in the meantime.

[Stikpusher]

Texas? Somebody is a several hundred miles off target...

[jkim]

EBay resolved my claim by issuing a full refund. I was hoping that the Texas dude was given my tracking number by mistake and that the kit was on the way but EBay said that it was unable to receive a valid tracking number for my address from the seller. Bummer because it was the cheapest price by far that I've found... $27 shipped.

Bruce, I saw the kit that you posted but since removed. The MIG limited edition of the Takom King Tiger. It is interesting to me because it doesn't have an interior like the Meng kit. But it is also more expensive so I think I'll stick with the Meng. I'll have to pay a little more for it now... around $34 now.

Taking a look at the MIG instructions, I found a scheme that I liked: Green 421.



It appears to have no zimmerit, has a hard-edged tri-color camo pattern with the ambush spots. I'll have to do research on this machine to see if there are any available photos of it.

[speedgraflex]

Yes, I did not want to bother you while you were working so well with your Me 262, John, which is why I removed the Takom kit. I did find that with shipping for 40 bucks on eBay, so the point is moot right now. I guess I was wondering at the time why you chose Meng. I tried hard to connect with them about their 1/32 Komet, which I still really really really REALLY want to own, but my repeated attempts at making myself heard fell on deaf eardrums, so I crossed them off the list, thinking perhaps the Hasegawa version really is not too bad after all, but in the end I will have to find their kit on eBay, if I really want one. So, my apologies. I sincerely did not want to bother you while you were painting all that lovely black onto your Schwalbe.

[jkim]

No bother at all! I picked the Meng kit because it appeared to be a state-of-the-art representation of a Tiger II without the complication of a full interior. I didn’t realize that there were other alternatives. Also the reviews were largely positive. Online builds revealed a possible issue with the alignment of the wheel axles but it seemed fixable.

I’ve read some negative comments about the poor fit of the Meng 163 kit, especially the wings. Since the 163 is basically a large wing, that would be a major concern for me. Did you try to buy the kit directly from Meng?

[Stikpusher]

That should be a nice one. That Takom King Tiger looks sweet!
I don’t think that the Germans ever used green as a turret number color. Red or black outlined in white were the most common late war, or plain white outline style, although one Tiger unit did use blue outlined in yellow.
There is actually a system for Panzer turret numbering, the first digit being the company in the Battalion, the second digit being the platoon within the company, and the last digit being the vehicle within the platoon. Commander tanks had designated numbers, usually with a 0. Regimental Command Tanks can have an R prefix and Battalion Command Tanks will have a Roman I or II prefix.
Also the second battalion within a Panzer regiment will have their company numbers starting in the 5 thru 8 series. Heavy tank units (Schwere Panzerabteilung), being single independent Battalions not part of any regiment, only had the companies 1 thru 4.
Of course there were some variations from this system, but overall it was in constant use for all of WWII.