Dragon Tiger Michael Wittmann S04 in 1/35 scale

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 7:08 pm

As i announced a while ago my entry is Dragon´s 1/35 scale Tiger I S04 which was operated by Michael Wittmann on the Eastern front. The kit comes with the crew figures posing for a photograph which is really neat.
My plan is to build a diorama for the model aswell which should resemble the scene of the famous photographs. How and to what extend i will do that - well, we shall see that in the course of this project! Coen made a diorama of this scene already, so i will ask you buddy for info, i´m sure you can provide lots of it

I shall study those reference pictures in detail

I also found this interview with Wittmann after the Villers Bocage rampage which is really interesting. I doubt that most of you can actually understand it, but his voice is a bit different than i thought (the first minute is not him, it is the interviewer waffling). It is cool to dive into a subject in such detail, in this case it is not only about the tank model itself, but also about the crew and the background of them.

[youtube]_GjmscmwQ3k[/youtube]

Post by **eightfooticeman** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 10:01 pm

Man O Man I can't wait to see you build this Hamilkar. Also looks like you found the perfect reference photos too.

Post by **rwsmith14** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 12:02 am

Going to be GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD !!

what are the markings on the gun?

Great pictures !!

Post by **eightfooticeman** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 12:11 am

rwsmith14 wrote:Going to be GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD !!

what are the markings on the gun?

The markings on the gun are kill rings. I'm assuming the 10 means each ring is worth 10 kills but somebody with more knowledge may be able to shed more light on the situation.

Post by **mannloon** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 6:30 am

Looking forward to this one Michael. This kit is in the stash now, but i don't plan to build it for some time so i plan to vicariously enjoy it through you.

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 4:21 pm

eightfooticeman wrote:
rwsmith14 wrote:Going to be GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD !!

what are the markings on the gun?
The markings on the gun are kill rings. I'm assuming the 10 means each ring is worth 10 kills but somebody with more knowledge may be able to shed more light on the situation.

correct assumption! I guess at some point they ran out of space for the kill-rings, so they made rings that count for 10. there are also some individual kill marks left.

Post by **amsvkng** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 6:30 pm

Hiya

The rings are indeed kill rings, where the thick lines represent 10 kills and the thin lines represent induvidual kills. For even more information on Michael wittman there is a documentary on him (almost an hour long) that should provide nice referance and inspiration.

[youtube]w1fUuTvsuXA[/youtube]

Hope it helps

/Karim

Post by **Nige99** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 7:57 pm

Awesome, can't wait to see this kit built and painted. It's on the top of my wish list.

Post by **gosselin2112** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 6:57 pm

Nice subject, Michael. There are certainly a lot of subjects to build of the various vehicles that Wittmann commanded. Been thinking of building the StuG III, but I haven't seen any photgraphic references of it. Model on

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 8:00 pm

gosselin2112 wrote:Nice subject, Michael. There are certainly a lot of subjects to build of the various vehicles that Wittmann commanded. Been thinking of building the StuG III, but I haven't seen any photgraphic references of it. Model on

There you go, good that you raised this point!

(dude on the left is Wittmann, July 1941 next to his StuG III A

There is also a kit available.

Wittmann also had a Sd.Kfz. 222 in the beginning, but i have not yet found a picture of that.

Post by **gosselin2112** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:55 pm

Michael, you never cease to amaze me. Big thanks!

Post by **Coen** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:44 pm

And so it begins!!!

Post by **mannloon** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 12:53 pm

I've been waiting for one of you (Hamilkar or Coen) to post a review of 6730. I assume you'll be doing a video build Hamilkar?

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 6:48 pm

mannloon wrote:I've been waiting for one of you (Hamilkar or Coen) to post a review of 6730. I assume you'll be doing a video build Hamilkar?

I intend to make a kit review but lack of motivation prevented this from happening. not sure about a video build though, i don´t think so. Next one will be about the sho´t kal diorama. I need to restrain myself because making these building review series is exhausting.

Post by **Nige99** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:41 pm

The German film crew out of the initial Tiger would look cool as a dio.

Post by **mannloon** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 5:26 am

HamilkarBarkas wrote:
mannloon wrote:I've been waiting for one of you (Hamilkar or Coen) to post a review of 6730. I assume you'll be doing a video build Hamilkar?
I intend to make a kit review but lack of motivation prevented this from happening. not sure about a video build though, i don´t think so. Next one will be about the sho´t kal diorama. I need to restrain myself because making these building review series is exhausting.

I understand that completely Michael. Lack of motivation is exactly why I hoped you guys would spoon feed me what I needed to know by reviewing it. To tell you the truth I almost did a review of it as I was the first person I knew of that got his in the mail. And then I didn't. So no worries man.

Post by **wappynutter** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 11:20 pm

Sat...... Watching......

This is gonna be a good one...
All the best Michael, Happy Modelling..

Post by **Donkeywalloper** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 4:25 pm

Now this is the build to sit down with this

and a favourite beer and watch the expert.
Way to go Mike,
John

Post by **rodrant** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:52 am

This one will be nice to watch !

Just to you to know Michael , that you also have some responsibilities that I'm getting to modelling again !

,

one of the first videos that I remember to see was your build of a Tiger in the snow with a lot of mud , some years ago ...now on this I'm expecting something very nice , the subject is just great !

Enjoy this build mate !

Post by **PaulAyrey** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 6:42 am

Can't wait to see what you do with this,really looking forward to it!

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 8:41 pm

I finally got round to review the kit and edit the video. It is a good kit, but there are some issues with it.

[youtube]KSnyma68acA[/youtube]

Post by **DByrden** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:58 pm

Could you tell me, in English, what the issues are?
Thank you.

David

Post by **Tarasdad** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 3:25 pm

I really want this kit but the price ($75 with shipping) is a killer.

Post by **Coen** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 4:01 pm

DByrden wrote:Could you tell me, in English, what the issues are?
Thank you.

David

Do you not have this kit yet David?
I thought that you would (of all people) already have this kit. Or at least had a wee peak inside it.

Post by **DByrden** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:55 pm

Well, yes and no.
I don't yet have a complete, boxed copy of the kit, for some reason.
But, I've had its various new sprues and parts for up to 2 years.

Anyway, I'd like to hear what somebody else sees in it. More eyes, more information.

David

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 8:01 pm

DByrden wrote:Could you tell me, in English, what the issues are?
Thank you.

David

click on the cc button and in a magical way english subs will appear if you want details

with few words i´d describe this kit that way: very expensive for what you get in the box, but the content itself is not bad. everything is very detailed. you do not get antennas, the DS tracks are wrapped and building a dragon kit can be quite annoying in general. the instructions improved a bit and the crew figures are amazing.

Post by **rwsmith14** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 8:07 pm

As always.. Great Review, Michael !

Post by **Coen** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 11:05 am

The loss of the dragon card, the reduction of PE options, and the removal of the protective cardboard sleeve for the DS tracks are my peeves. But they're peeves dragon/cyber hobby in general. This kit is no different.
The figures are a gimic and the short run on them is really irritating.
I hope that they issue the figs as a separate offering later.
For the most part the kit looks like the otto carius kit with a Sprue set for the command option. I did see a few new sprues in the box that I've never seen before. When mine arrives I'll take a closer look myself.
I'm certainly with Mike though, it's certainly not worth the price they're charging for it when your decals are packed with the PE and scratched to bits, and the DS tracks guild teeth are all bent and broken.

Post by **DByrden** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 1:44 pm

Thank you for those views, I will pass them on to Dragon.
Interesting comparison to the Otto Carius kit...this one doesn't have Zimmerit, and is an Early Tiger, so there are major differences; but all Dragon Tigers do share some sprues.

David

Post by **Coen** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 3:09 pm

Sorry David, I was referring to the small parts, not the zimmeritted surfaces in the Carius kit.
I should have been more clear.

Post by **Hillbilly** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 7:45 pm

Coen wrote:The loss of the dragon card, the reduction of PE options, and the removal of the protective cardboard sleeve for the DS tracks are my peeves. But they're peeves dragon/cyber hobby in general. This kit is no different.
The figures are a gimic and the short run on them is really irritating.
I hope that they issue the figs as a separate offering later.
For the most part the kit looks like the otto carius kit with a Sprue set for the command option. I did see a few new sprues in the box that I've never seen before. When mine arrives I'll take a closer look myself.
I'm certainly with Mike though, it's certainly not worth the price they're charging for it when your decals are packed with the PE and scratched to bits, and the DS tracks guild teeth are all bent and broken.

Before I get into my post let me say that I love the challenge of building Dragon kits and also love the detailed results.But I have to agree with Mike's post 100%.I have just received my Wittmann Tiger today and here are a few problems I found.

The DS tracks were thrown on top of all the sprues and you can guess the result.

The only other gripe was the P.E.(what there is of it).All of the grills are packaged separately in a bag with the decals.For the most part everything was ok except for one grill that has a pretty good bend in it.The grill is salvageable but is going to take some work to straighten out.

Now this will not deter me from continuing to buy Dragon kits,it's just a little bit disappointing considering the cost of this kit.

*climbs off soap-box*

Post by **Donkeywalloper** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:11 am

Hi Steve

The bloody money that we modellers pay out for these kits you would think the likes of the big manufacturers would start to put some due care into packaging.
But hey, am I talking guff and out of my ass?
I do believe in writing to any companies that have given me crap or damaged products and for the most part they do pay attention and react (those that don't, don't get my business anymore).
I firmly believe though, until we all start dropping letters to CEO's of companies en masse, that only then will manufacturers start to package our kits properly. That may put me in a minority and to some I maybe living in fairy-land.
If your handed crap, then had it back to the person giving it you.
£40, £50 £60 for kits is a lot of money (in my eyes), and when you open the kit to find crucial bits bent, broken and un-salvageable, then it really starts to Grind the Gears.
Room for a couple more on this Soap Box

.
John

Post by **DByrden** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 1:02 pm

Dragon tell me that they're willing to replace tracks...write to forward@dragon-models.com quoting the kit number #6730.

David

Post by **Coen** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 1:53 pm

Thanks David,
Will they be reintroducing the cardboard sleeve to prevent future damaged parts in the newer kits?

Post by **DByrden** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:09 pm

They tell me they will do something about the track situation, but I don't know what.

David

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:58 pm

DByrden wrote:Thank you for those views, I will pass them on to Dragon.
Interesting comparison to the Otto Carius kit...this one doesn't have Zimmerit, and is an Early Tiger, so there are major differences; but all Dragon Tigers do share some sprues.

David

I think that in some way they are right
They shares some parts with the Carius Tiger but i have noticed all of dragon's share a number of sprues
I am building 4 different versions and have seen some sprues in all of them
But indeed the end result is different because of some extra parts or parts that go with that production variant
I only think that they need to pay more attention to packaging some parts like the ds tracks and they need to check the instructions before releasing
I have found some misslabeling of parts in several kits and that gives the impression that the kit was rushed to get released
Wich is a bit of a shame really
But on the otherhand most of my kits are dragon kits and i still enjoy building them

Post by **Donkeywalloper** » Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:11 am

DByrden wrote:Dragon tell me that they're willing to replace tracks...write to forward@dragon-models.com quoting the kit number #6730.

David

Nice one.
John

Post by **Homerlovesbeer** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 3:56 am

I've just picked up one of these and was wondering if there was a build thread yet?

Cheers

Post by **DByrden** » Tue Mar 17, 2015 8:00 pm

You might find this useful. He built S04 by converting another kit. Did a very good job;

http://www.network54.com/Forum/110741/m ... /Tiger+S04

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 5:18 pm

I doubt i will even able to start the kit before the deadline, sorry guys! i´m very busy at the moment, but it will happen at some point, i promise

Post by **Donkeywalloper** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 7:07 am

HamilkarBarkas wrote:I doubt i will even able to start the kit before the deadline, sorry guys! i´m very busy at the moment, but it will happen at some point, i promise

Still, it will be worth waiting for.
I have made a awesome cock-up in the fact that I thought the SIG ended 30th April

No chance of a finish on this Tiger.
By the way Mike love your vid on signature.
John

Post by **DByrden** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 1:53 pm

That's an interesting Tiger, C11, because it has Early turret armour walls but the rest of the turret is Mid. I can't see anybody ever selling it as a kit; you'd need dedicated tooling for the turret shell, and the demand just isn't there.

David

Post by **Hillbilly** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 2:08 pm

DByrden wrote:That's an interesting Tiger, C11, because it has Early turret armour walls but the rest of the turret is Mid. I can't see anybody ever selling it as a kit; you'd need dedicated tooling for the turret shell, and the demand just isn't there.

David

That's interesting

As I like unique armor subjects,could you please point me to some info on how this odd duck came to be?

Post by **HamilkarBarkas** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:02 pm

We all learn something new and discover new things all the time

Post by **DByrden** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 7:16 pm

It's easy to guess what happened.
When they introduced the Mid Tiger turret, with its new armour shape, they had a stockpile of a few Early ones that had been started; the armour had been cut and the roof and the smoke-launcher supports welded on.

Now, the smoke launchers were history at this stage, so these turret armour shells must have been at the back of the pile to begin with. And suddenly they were obsolete. BUT the holes in the turret roof had not been cut. So, somebody decided to finish them as Mids, with the new small pistol port, the new cupola, etc. The smoke launcher arms were simply cut off.

Here's a clear example;

We don't know how many of these turrets existed, but they were of course among the very first Mid Tigers, so their cupola hatch opened forward.

The hull would be the same as the final "Early" Tiger hull (2 headlights, no bolts by the MG).

Here's the unusual thing about the turret;

David

Post by **burnie43** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:01 pm

This is great ...you have saved me the research that I usually don;t do....I just like to build...
Great post
Thank you

Post by **Hillbilly** » Tue Mar 24, 2015 2:42 am

That's a cool bit of history there,David.Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Might have to add one of these hybrid tiggers to the ever growing to-build list.