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Another Tiger ? Never!!
wedgetail53
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: October 02, 2008
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Posted: Sunday, September 04, 2011 - 11:38 PM UTC
I know modellers will find this hard to believe , but DML have announced the release of yet ANOTHER version of the venerable Tiger 1. This time it''s a Feb 1944 version.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
Kuno-Von-Dodenburg
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 12:02 AM UTC
Yawn .........
Gundam-Mecha
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 12:16 AM UTC
Surely not!

A thrill a minute with the folks at DML!
ChrisDM
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 12:30 AM UTC
I guess they'll stop making them when people stop buying them!

Until then they'd be stupid not to make them
Hisham
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Al Qahirah, Egypt / لعربية
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 12:33 AM UTC
I keep wondering if there will ever come a time when the people at Dragon decide it's about time to move on to new frontiers!

Hisham
Totalize
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: February 04, 2009
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 01:08 AM UTC
What's with this posting???? another non staff member here posted a comment about this Dragon release, then Jim Brae posted a news comment just like this one requesting that any comments be posted here. Now this one?

What gives????
tylusfaust
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New Jersey, United States
Joined: December 18, 2005
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 03:10 AM UTC
Wow! This is just what I need for my Feb 1944 diorama! Excellent! Now if they only made a Tiger for April 1944.
jimbrae
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Provincia de Lugo, Spain / España
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 03:15 AM UTC

Quoted Text

What's with this posting???? another non staff member here posted a comment about this Dragon release, then Jim Brae posted a news comment just like this one requesting that any comments be posted here. Now this one?

What gives????



'What Gives' is that this was an error. Rob, like all the rest of us (who are human), made a mistake and posted this believing it hadn't been posted before. No fault, no foul. Millions of endangered species are not going to die because of it, so no, it ISN'T a big deal...

Also to correct one of your own 'errors' - we don't 'post News comments' we run a News Section which 99.9999% of the time functions well. We bring the latest in New Releases, we bring exclusive W.i.P.s and we have become the 'standard' on the 'Web for information on modeling news.

In other words, it's a little more than a few isolated 'comments'.
Headhunter506
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 05:15 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Wow! This is just what I need for my Feb 1944 diorama! Excellent! Now if they only made a Tiger for April 1944.



The sideskirt mounting bolts. from what I saw in an enlargement of the CAD images, are for a March 11, 1944 at 9:43:19 A.M.-completed version; so, you can't legitimately pawn your dio off as 100% accurate. Perhaps Voyager or Aber will have a PE set to correct this issue.
Kuno-Von-Dodenburg
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 06:55 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Wow! This is just what I need for my Feb 1944 diorama! Excellent! Now if they only made a Tiger for April 1944.



The sideskirt mounting bolts. from what I saw in an enlargement of the CAD images, are for a March 11, 1944 at 9:43:19 A.M.-completed version; so, you can't legitimately pawn your dio off as 100% accurate. Perhaps Voyager or Aber will have a PE set to correct this issue.



Call yourself a Tiger anorak?

You don't have a clue what you're talking about and are not fit to hold my Jentz & Doyle open for me while I pontificate self-importantly on Internet modelling forums, hacking my fingers to the bone as I copy out verbatim entire pages of tedious minutiae and turgid statistics & factoids in a desperate attempt to gobsmack people by giving the impression that I posses such an encyclopaedic knowledge of "All Things Tiger" that it makes the android Commander Data out of "Star Trek The Next Generation" look like an intellectually challenged dimwit.

It should be self-evident just from examining their shape under 25x magnification that these are late Feb to early March '44 sideskirt mounting bolts and so are "historically accurate". There is no need for AM replacements on this model.

So be gone from here!! Go to the bottom of the class and stick to the 1970s Tamiya motorised stuff!!! For you are not worthy to waste glue - or indeed comment - on such specialised kits that are intended only for the "serious modeller".

Yours bombastically,

- Steve
TankCarl
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Rhode Island, United States
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 07:11 AM UTC
But,
Which WEEK of February 1944?
My Father's 15th AF unit (459th BG / 759th Sqdrn, Ser # 42-52339 B24H) was bombing several Germany suppliers' factories during that timeframe, and I doubt there were enough sub assemblies to do Tigers during the late 3rd week of February.
goldnova72
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Alberta, Canada
Joined: February 21, 2009
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 07:15 AM UTC
Not being a serious modeller I will not comment on the Tiger . As to the 70s Tamiya motorized kits , checking to see what their going for on ebay , I can't afford them .
Kuno-Von-Dodenburg
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 07:24 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I guess they'll stop making them when people stop buying them!



Fair comment Chris but DML do lack imagination.

I'd be willing to bet that if they were only brave enough to take a punt and tool some new Cold War Soviet and / or modern stuff, it would fly off the shelves.

Large sections of the modelling community have been crying out for more of the above (among other things) for years. Other companies like Trumpeter and Hobby Boss have heard the calls and have started to respond with some cracking kits.

And yet the occasional foray outside their comfort zone aside (that recent Japanese amphibious tank being the most recent), DML seem stuck on WWII German, specifically seemingly endless variants, sub-variants and sub-sub-variants of Panzer IIIs and IVs, and spot-the-difference Tigers.

Maybe once they've covered each of the 833 (or however many it is) actual Tiger 1s that were built, they might start to get a bit more adventurous!

- Steve
Jmarles
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: November 02, 2008
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 01:17 PM UTC
I suppose it's better to have more, not fewer, kits on the market, but a lot of people will be put off due to the no zimm factor. Not a wholly imaginative release, but I am sure it will have strong sales. In the 1/72 realm DML seem to have a little more imagination - the new Tiger I mid w/ zimm + Kubelwagen, and the Churchill for instance. Myself, I still have two of the first generation DML tigers as well as two Academy ones to work through....and yah I know about the Academy turrets, thanks!
wedgetail53
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: October 02, 2008
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 03:19 PM UTC
Thanks Jim - I did check through other announcements re releases from DML, and couldn't find any sign of any previous comments on this beast.

Regards

Rob
Gundam-Mecha
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: August 05, 2009
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 08:12 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I guess they'll stop making them when people stop buying them!



Fair comment Chris but DML do lack imagination.

I'd be willing to bet that if they were only brave enough to take a punt and tool some new Cold War Soviet and / or modern stuff, it would fly off the shelves.

Large sections of the modelling community have been crying out for more of the above (among other things) for years. Other companies like Trumpeter and Hobby Boss have heard the calls and have started to respond with some cracking kits.

And yet the occasional foray outside their comfort zone aside (that recent Japanese amphibious tank being the most recent), DML seem stuck on WWII German, specifically seemingly endless variants, sub-variants and sub-sub-variants of Panzer IIIs and IVs, and spot-the-difference Tigers.

Maybe once they've covered each of the 833 (or however many it is) actual Tiger 1s that were built, they might start to get a bit more adventurous!

- Steve



I totally agree, the irony is that the Revell and Zvezda kits that we've been forced to work with for years are all old DML toolings anyway. I never understood what happened there. Why did they move onto Axis WW2 and rarely venture out? Damn shame, if they offered new toolings of their Soviet and modern Russian armour they'd be great competition to Trumpeters offerings.
ChrisDM
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England - South West, United Kingdom
Joined: January 01, 2010
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Posted: Monday, September 05, 2011 - 11:15 PM UTC
I would guess Jon, that its because when they moved into axis, sales went whoooooosh! and they liked having the money

I do think the market has moved on though and Axis does not occupy the all pervading position at the top of the market that it once did. Modellers interests do change over time and thanks to the magazines and internet, modellers tastes can influence others becoming fashions and trends. At the moment I think there is a lot of interest in non-axis models that DML just hasn't picked up on. They seem to be dogmatically stuck on the idea that only axis sells as it did 15 years ago, failing to notice things move on because they still produce exclusively WWII in 1/35 and 90% of it axis, so their sales figures become self re-inforcing

I maintain though; they do very very well out of it, so why should they change?

And from the modellers point of view, with others like Trumpeter, Bronco, Miniart, AFV Club, Tasca (to an extent) and still Tamiya (when they release new kits) seeing the potential for money outside of WWII German, why should non-axis modellers care what DML do?

Everyone gets what they want as far as I can tell, maybe not as much as they would like, but its unrealistic to put all the responsibility for taking up the slack on DML
Gundam-Mecha
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Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 06:10 AM UTC
Fair points Chris, certainly they do well out of their market financially no doubt.

However I feel that they are missing out on other markets and revenues by staying so firmly put. Which is to their detriment as well as modelers loss.

Why let Trumpeter have all the market in Modern Russian topics for example? Trumpeter sales of modern Russian kits you think would serve as an encouragement. I understand firms with established reputations for areas of expertise not leaving a field, which is fair enough. However DML have that pre existing history with modern Russian subjects. Given their technological advancements in recent years you think they'd bring that back to the area and make themselves the authority there, like they did with WW2 Axis.

To answer your other point. Why should I care as a non WW2 axis modeller what they do as a company, I care because it would be nice to see Dragon bring their quality and technology in terms of production to an area I enjoy.
tommy1drop
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England - East Midlands, United Kingdom
Joined: February 07, 2011
KitMaker: 131 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 06:46 AM UTC
I think DML should forget the Tigers and look into building more obscure vehicles, similar to the way Hobby Boss have.

Im sure id love to see a kit of a Panzer 1 bruckenleger or a Phanomen granit ambulance in 1:35th?

Tom
Plasticbattle
#003
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Donegal, Ireland
Joined: May 14, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 09:14 AM UTC

Quoted Text

DML seem stuck on WWII German, specifically seemingly endless variants, sub-variants and sub-sub-variants of Panzer IIIs and IVs, and spot-the-difference Tigers.


Have to agree with Chris here ... with whats being released today, should another Dragon Tiger really bother us?
There was a post/thread a few weeks ago where somebody listed all the Sherman kits available and/or released so far .... and this was way more than Tigers. So Allied builders don´t have it as bad they think and german isn´t as dominant as it once was ... at least going by these sites and recent mags.

I wonder sometimes of Dragon are trying to appeal more to collectors of kits, rather than builders? Considering the very few differences in this kit than some of the recent releases, would somebody ... even those interested in the Tiger ... care about building so many? How many Phil Appleyards and Bill Hazzards are there?
ChrisDM
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England - South West, United Kingdom
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Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 11:48 AM UTC

Quoted Text

. However DML have that pre existing history with modern Russian subjects. Given their technological advancements in recent years you think they'd bring that back to the area and make themselves the authority there, like they did with WW2 Axis.



Its a good long time ago now though isn't it Jon? Surely it must be at least 15 years since they last made any real effort in modern soviet and around 4 years since their last modern release I can think of (someone will prove me wrong now!) the M1A2 SEP


Quoted Text

To answer your other point. Why should I care as a non WW2 axis modeller what they do as a company, I care because it would be nice to see Dragon bring their quality and technology in terms of production to an area I enjoy.



I agree that modern is the second to last great frontier to be truly explored by the manufacturers (the last being WWI!) and DML releasing good quality kits would be good, but I think recent AFV Club releases are as good, and with the Stryker series they really hit the right buttons for a good modern subject release. With them, trumpeter, bronco with its various modern stuff, all making good quality kits of modern subject I say let DML do whatever it wants and ask companies that DO recognise the market to cover your subject instead

but then, as modellers we are fully entitled to our opinions on model companies and its great fun wishing for more
Modelltreff
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Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 01:40 PM UTC
darthpanzer
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Puerto Rico
Joined: May 27, 2011
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Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 03:10 PM UTC
The whole accuracy thing is actually a double edge sword, most modelers have gone completely over the edge with this, almost to a psychiatric level. People like Dragon are simply cashing in on this fact. As long as people buy this kits manufacturers will make them, is that simple. I am sure no company would have dare to pull tricks like these 20 years ago. But now is every day stuff, every company is making money out of the most absurd of detail sets and the like, just look at Eduard. I am not saying old kits cannot be improved, but some sets they sell, you really have to go to college and get a degree in medicine to manipulate the parts!!! But modelers buy them, the same thing with the DML german armor kits. You want diversity? Don't buy them, period.
magicsub
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New South Wales, Australia
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Posted: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 08:14 PM UTC
ANOTHER TIGER? I reckon all this axis loving is still riding on the hype of Saving Private Ryan. There needs to be a movie that involves some T-35s and T-28s, then there will be some actual kits of them. Thats just my idea.
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