Here are some shots of the way my Tamiya A turned out. Considering the base kit, I don’t think it looks too bad, at least for me!!
And the final deal:
By the way, the turret weighs more than the rest of the tank combined! lol
Sorry Tediam,
Maybe I’m blind, but I don’t see the inaccuracies that everyone is talking about. I have a Tamiya Panther A with motorization holes. I also bought Aber PE parts along with an aluminum barrel, Cavalier zimmerit and individual track links. I checked all my references and pics that I have of the Panther A but I don’t detect anything wrong or inaccurate. I haven’t built a Panther in a long time but I really can’t detect anything wrong. I hope someone can actually show me what is inaccurate about the turret in this kit. Anyway I intend to make a dynamic looking Panther.
TigerII
Tiger II, not sure myself, but I am sure these guys know there stuff. We will see the posts soon I am sure.
Bill,
Nice looking Pather there. I can’t see anything bad about it at all. Sharp.
Jason,
Great Idea. I have a shelf full of good intentions. I would be in for a weekend build for sure.
Ted
The turret is the wrong shape (angles wrong, I believe) and is way too big, is what they say. I don’t know about the slope angles, but assuming the other kits turrets are more or less correct, the Tamiya A is way big.
Note that it can still be a fun build. After all, if you’re happy with your construction/finishing and have learned and improved along the way, it doesn’t matter if the rivets are in the right place or there at all. Save that for the super kits and AM parts. Relax, have fun, and learn with the others.
Yeah, now just if my wife understood[V]
The turret sideplate(s) angle is off, this error affects the gun mantlet, it is too narrow. Note the excess space from the sides of the mantlet to the sideplate, looking at the turret from the front. The roadarm index is off, the eight roadwheels are there, but the suspension is not accurate. Turret roof details such as the gunners sight aperature and blower cover housing are too close together, etc. There are also other issues on the hull top deck as well.
But as stated in other posts, this only matters if your the kind of modeler that wants the accuracy. If you look at some of these completed Tamiya kits, they look good to some and to others these issues pop out like sore thumbs. If you are pleased with the kit that you bought, you built, so what if the turret is not perfectly to scale?
Be happy and enjoy yourself, that’s ALL that really matters.
Steve
Yea I think that would be the way to go , the turret on that kit is just a mess , the lower hull is not much better . Definatly don’t blow tons of money trying to fix various problems with it unless that is your thing . Dragon has much better kits , that are more worthy of expensive AM parts should you wish to go that way . It is a very cheap kit so it will not go to waste I am sure . BTW Avoid the old Tamiya jagdtiger as well , that one has its own magical set of issues , hull wayyyy too short , barrel the incorrect length etc etc etc .
The turret is the wrong size ( too big) and wrong shape , the mantlet is also too large , also the air intakes for the radiators are also the wrong size and shape , under the hull ,…that bulge in the front and rear ( for the motor axles I presume ) did not exist on the real tank , it was flat as on the Ausf G and Ausf D . Also the jack was mounted horizontally lower I believe,… not verticle upper as on this kit . Fun build yes , show winner no . I built the same kit a couple years back , and it went together well enough , ( I did a terrible paintjob on it however )
And so, another “test bed” is born!!
Yep, I plan on getting it together on evening so that I can practice paint, zim, washes and the like. I know you guys have these and I need one as well. Good way to put this kit to use.
Thanks for all the input. I love it when a simple question turns into an informative discussion. Makes this place all the more valuable.
Ted
Spector, One thing I have to disagree with you regarding the tank jack. It was mounted vertically. I’ve got two reference pics that show it like that. Thanks for the input on the other items.
TigerII
I believe the D had the jack in the horizontal position, according to my Osprey reference. The early A models, and D models converted in the field to the cast cupola will also have the jack in the horizontal position. Mid to late A production shows the jack relocated to the vertical on between the exhaust shrouds.
Steve