I finally started the Tamiya Tiger I with the Lion Roar photo etch set. The PE set is very nice and includes an brass barrel. I do not pretend to be a Tiger expert but so far the parts look good and well detailed. I have a feeling it will look like a Tiger once completed.
So far I have started assembly on the lower hull and running gear. The road wheels go together nicely and are well detailed. It is a shame that most of it will be hidden behind other road wheels. The choice of two drive sprockets is a good feature.
As Terry Ashley pointed out in his review on the LR set, their barrel does not taper at the end that inserts into the mantlet. This requires some filing at the turret end to get it to fit into the mantlet. No big deal, but a bit of a pain.
There are a few tiny pieces of PE that I will probably not use, but I got the set mainly for the engine grills, barrel and fenders.
I’ll keep you informed of my progress. I’ve already built both the Tamiya Afrika Korps Kubelwagen and Kettenkraftrad. Both of those were well detailed kits too.
No, I will not replace the kit tracks. I had no problems with the Kubelwagen. It is basically the same kit with a few different parts around the engine and different tires.
I picked up an extra sherman and a new barrel this weekend at amps. No photoetched though. THe Hetzer i’m working on is very nice. Its straight out of the box with the addition of wire grab handles and soem brass stock bent to the shape of the periscope guard. I have the first coat of panzer yellow on, now i am starting to mask for the red and green.
Bill
I’ll try to get some photos uploaded later. No real in progress work yet, just assembled road wheels and some bits stuck to the diecast hull (which will be a pain to mess with). Once the hull and turret get fleshed out, I’ll take shots.