The Tigers im Focus site is an excellent resource.
I’ve built the Italeri initial production Tiger I, and it will look like a Tiger OOB, but needs help. The parts show the compromises made to kit both an early and later Tiger with using as many common sprues as possible. The tracks need to be replaced as they are of the late type. The upper hull tool stowage needs to be modified as it is again late type, and initial production Tigers had changes in the arrangement. This is where the good reference comes in very useful. The spare tracks on the turret and hull front are also in that category-missing on the earlier vehicles, but showing up on later ones.
When they first came out, the Italeri Tigers were a bargain compared to the Tamiya or Academy kits. The only other option being the older Nichimo Tiger I. Nowadays, have plenty to choose from, in pretty much every possible sub variant, from multiple companies.
Personally I prefer the Tamiya Tigers, just for their lower parts count and ease of assembly. I know there are more accurate and more intricate kits available, but those do not appeal to me. If you’ve got the time, mind set, and finances for those new ultra Tiger kits, go for it!
I was watching a YouTube video two nights ago that was comparing and contrasting “all the different Tiger I kits in 1/35 scale.” The producer was showing the different kits by production models, Tiger I Early Production, etc. And it struck me that the kits seemed very similar, except that some included interiors, and other had enormous amounts of parts that would not be used. He posted the different completed models side by side, showing that there was little to choose between them. He then denigrated several manufacturers kits without stating his reasons for claiming that these kits were poor. We all could easily predict those he chose, naming specifically Zvesda and Italeri. Hence, I resurrected this old thread to try to address the specifics of what makes one kit great and another poor.
Anyway . . . Happy 4 July!
Bill
I have yet to try one of the new kits from Rye Field or Meng as i have had an extended hiatus from modelling.
However as Tigers is my area of expertise i will throw in my 2 cents worth. I will link to an OLD thread i had under a different username way back. It’s a WIP thread of a DML Tiger II.
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/p/100756/990435.aspx#990435
Now i have looked at alot of reviews of the new kits, and they look great and i will try them at some point, no question about it. But if you are not intending on doing an interior, i don’t see much reason to pay the extra buck. I was extremly satisfied with the quality of the DML kit for my build (which still isn’t finished), and when i find myself in the market for another Tiger kit, which i most certainly will, i’ll make sure to get one that fits the build i have mind (interior or no interior) no need to pay extra for the interior if it isn’t needed.