Hello, I’m Bill.
I’ve been making military ,models of all types for 40 years. My only real emphasis is BIG, BIG, BIG!!! I build planes, armor, and ships.
Having been in the U.S. Air Force, I enjoy modeling big scale plastic aircraft, but have recently begun modeling large scale RC Armor. Recently completed a 1/16 scale Tamiya Full Option Tiger I, and I was happy until I discovered a 1/6 scale (yes!!! ONE SIXTH SCALEwww.armortek.co.uk !!!) all metal Tiger I tank produced by Armortek in the UK. Now the monsterous hull is under construction in my garage shop. The complete RC model will weigh over 200 pounds!
http://www.pbase.com/image/19109377/original
Bill
Hi Bill, jeez i wouldn’t want that thing driving over my foot. i was at a car show this year and one guy had built some landrovers out of sheet metal to about 1/6 scale he had a lightweight and an FC101 (see caption comp thread there is one pictured there) and they looked cool. he told me he was thinking of doing a Hummer, bet that would look cool. Can you post pics? i would love to see that tiger when its done…Greg
Welcome to FSM Bill. It’s great to have a more experienced modeller come and join us here.
I could never get something like that past my wife, but like Greg said … pics please.
Dear Robert (Shermanfreak):
HaHaHa! Bet THAT Tiger was a casualty of close air support or self-demolition by the crew for mechanical failure or lack of fuel… as about 50% were. Note how the turret roof is blasted upward by an internal detonation.
Bill
Hello Bill, welcome to the forums. hope you enjoy them
I don’t know if you 've heard this before but, PICS PLEASE. [:D] Those tanks are awesome.
Actually that tiger was the mount of Michael Wittmann, Germany’s leading panzer ace, after a meeting with a Sherman VC Firefly with a 17 pdr gun at 800m
Glad you like the pic Bill … actually it’s a pic of Wittmann’s Tiger 007 (obviously his last one). According to the various stories;
- taken out by a Typhoon
- taken out by 5 Canadian Shermans
- taken out by Polish Shermans
- taken out by a Sherman Firefly
After reading a few reports on how this came about the best answer is 4), the records of the time seem to validate that it was indeed a Sherman Firefly of the Northamptonshire Yeomonry with a single penetrating shot that ignited the internal stored ammunition.
Dear Derek (Claymore68):
I thought I recognized that Tiger as Wittman’s…and there exists a great deal of controversy about how it was actually destroyed.
According to official German accounts, Wittman and his crew succumbed to aerial rocket attack by a Typhoon fighter-bomber.
British accounts have attributed Wittmann’s destruction to a variety of armored units and personnel.
The website
users.pandora.be/dave.depickere/Text/wittman.html discusses the controversy at some length, including independent postwar investigations. They, and Wittman’s comrades in LAH attributed the loss to the Typhoon attack.
Guess the controversy is destined to remain controversial!
Bill
Welcome to the forum, Bill.