I have been out of the hobby for a very long time, and even when I was in it, I was only a below-average builder (IOW: I struggled with the ultra detailed kits like Dragon, preferring the simpler kits from Tamiya)
But with Winter approaching, I think I’d like to try my hand again. So, in the 1/35th scale, any suggestions that lay somewhere between the simplicity of Tamiya (and all it’s associated errors of the 80s kits) and the insanity of Dragon’s?
Not sure which Tamiya kits your reffering to, but they did release new tooled kits in the 90’s. I have built them both in the past and nice kits, nit sure about there accuracy. There have been a few new releases in the last few years by Academy meng and Takom. The last 2 are very well detailed brands and while i have both the meng kits i have not buolt them yet, but they don’t seem as complicated as Dragon. And they certainly don’t have the Dragon price tag.
You seem set in your opinion,but I’m working on a Dragon KT and it is one of their simpler kits.The design of a KT makes it a an uncomplicated build.
As far as the newer brands like Meng and Takom, I have not tried them.
There are plenty of Tiger II kits around and it depends on just how far you want to go.
My advice is to look at the Meng Kit Tiger Kits as you can get seperate kit that adds the interior if you wish.
This is the initial turret designed for the Porsche Tiger II, but fitted onto the Henschel production hull
http://www.meng-model.com/en/contents/65/228.html
http://www.meng-model.com/en/contents/65/90.html
This is the interior for the initial turret version
and the zimmeritt detail decal set for this.
Here’s the interior kit for the Production turret KT
and the zimmeritt decal set
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/meng-model-sps-039-sdkfz182-king-tiger-zimmerit-decal--1009735
both exterior kits come with a metal barrel I believe My “Porsche” initial turret did and you can always add metal tracks if you wish.
James
The Tamiya Tiger II’s (King Tiger) that came out in the 90’s are easy kits to build without a lot of parts. The Dragon Tiger II’s are actually very easy builds probably the easiest Dragon kits I’ve built. I’d just advise looking for one second hand as the retail on Dragon kits now is absurd.
While I haven’t built mine yet I’d suggest looking into one of the Tiger II’s from Das Werk if you are looking for something more detailed.
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/das-werk-dw35013-pzkpfwg-vi-ausfb-tiger-ii--1265400
It comes with photoetch for the engine deck screens which is better than the horrible mesh Tamiya gives you and the length to length tracks are better detailed then the Tamiya rubber band ones. I haven’t heard any complaints from anyone who has built the kit so far. At $39.99 retail it’s a great value and you are getting a lot more for the money. The kit does seem a little hard to come by at the moment.
I have had nothing but bad luck with Dragon builds. Could be because I"m not a very good builder, could be because I got some of their early kits, dunno, but highly unimpressed with their directions and quality.
Is Trumpeter still around? I’ve had a few kits from them that I enjoyed.
I have a 1/35th scale King Tiger kit that you can have if you’re close enough to ship from Detroit. And I mean, really, really cheap, like 20 bucks plus postage. The brand on the kit starts with a z but I can’t remember who it’s made by, if you’re at all interested I’ll take some photos when I get home from work so you can see what’s going on. I’ve had this kit in the stash for a while and I’ll probably never do anything with it so I might as well pass it on to someone that will actually build it. Just let me know if any of that sounded interesting.
Anyway, I’m the first to admit that I don’t know jack about 1/35 armor, but I do have this in my stash
It seems to be of good quality, but I have no idea if it’s a winner or a loser. Maybe one of you guys can tell me? I’m more than willing to pass it along, since I’ll never build it myself, but only if it’s a decent kit. If you guys think it’s junk or have heard bad things I’d really like to know.
I actually have a set of very nice masks to paint the knight on horseback, but that’s in 1/16th scale.
Hey, waddya know, that kit was reviewed by FSM magazine!
https://finescale.com/product-info/kit-reviews/2015/11/zvezda-king-tiger
So if you’d like to build one of these the offer stands, 20 bucks plus postage.
Well, the OP tells me that this kit I have is really just a reboxed Dragon kit. That’s very useful information for me, so thanks guys.
If you want to think outside the box, Tamiya’s line of 1/48th scale armor kits are very simple and detailed builds. They do make a King Tiger, I think both turret types. They take up less space, quicker to assemble, cheaper and if you are into aircraft as well, they fit with planes in that scale as well.
I built the Tamiya 1/48 Tiger One a few years ago. I thought it was a very good kit, everything fit well and had very little clean-up. I bought some AM goodies for it, tracks and main gun barrel, I think. Other than that it was straight out of the box, with the same markings they have in the 1/16 kit, S33
This isn’t the Tamiya, it’s Taigen, but it’s the S33 in 1/16
Canon T5, sepia effect
And again in color
I’ll add my 2¢ in for the Tamiya kits.
I’ve got a 1/35 Porsche turret KT with the zim, screens, and indy tracks waiting for me in my stash.
I’ve built the 1/48 and it stands out in my 1/48 collection. Simple, yet detailed.
I’ve built enough Dragon kits to know they can be a bit high in parts count, but they build up beautifully if you can wrangle them into submission and stay patient with all of the tiny bits.
The Dragon SU-85 kit however gave me no issues and it has built up very well. It’s an older kit and the engineering was well done.
But I’d go with Tamiya. Excellent engineering and plenty of detail to please the eyes. Also, lots of after market goodies if you’re not happy with just the kit.
I also think that with 1/48 scale, you’re less likely to feel the need to add all sorts of aftermarket and since their line is smaller, you won’t go hog wild in branching out.
It’s true the aftermarket is much bigger for 1/35 than 1/48, but there’s still a lot of cool stuff out there. On the 1/48 Tiger above I added AM tracks and a very nice turned metal barrel with muzzle brake. But the thing I like best about 1/48 armor kits is how many aircraft kits are out there in 1/48, the diorama possibilities are virtually endless. I know 1/32 aircraft can be close enough to match with 1/35, but the discrepancy has always bugged me. We have a similar problem with RC tanks, all the best tanks are 1/16th, but the best Tamiya trucks are done in 1/14. I’ve always wondered who’s brilliant idea that was, and if I ever find out that guy’s getting a good swift kick in the ankle.
The latest Tamiya Tiger IIs are great, I’ve built three (two production turrets, one prototype). I also built Trumpeter’s E-75 (very similar exterior to the Tiger II) and it was a snap. I’ve got the Eduard Weekend Edition Tiger II and while I haven’t built it, inspection says it’s not all that much more complex than Tamiya or Trumpeter. Same goes for Ammo’s Tiger II 1945 - haven’t built it yet, but the kit doesn’t seem much more complex than a Tamiya.
My only caution is the new ICM kit with full interior. It’s a nice kit and if you’re okay building it out of the box, you’re probably fine. If you like to correct things, it looks to be a scaled-down version of Trumpeter’s 1/16 Tiger II, and has some of the same mistakes which may take a while to correct.
Keeping in mind that the OP wants an easier build, I would recommend the newest Tamiya kits. I’ve built a couple and they go together well, no fit issues, and with the addition of Friuls are quite satisfying. Tamiya also makes and sells plastic indie link tracks for the Henschel turreted kit, a less expensive alternative than Friuls. Double good, Tamiya has the deck grill mesh available in PE also. With the release of so many other Tiger2 kits, the Tamiya kits are getting inexpensive on eBay.