Richard L.

My Feedback: (24)

Please check out the [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5760954/tm.htm]RC Tank FAQ[/link] at the top of the thread list.

Also, let's try to stay on topic and not hijack this thread

TankMatt

Excellent thread! I just received my Tiger tank on a few days ago. Got it for $30+$30 shipping. Great fun.

Sadly I already broke one wheel. Those plastic protruding hollow cylinders where the screw is inserted are none-too-strong. I'v been browsing the thread and see some have fixed the problem. Ok, the first wheel of the pair comes off easily. The wheel attached to the pair came off easily but the wheel that was attached to the actual metal spindle seemed VERY TIGHT on it. I applied a good amount of force to get it off to no avail. Just how much force is there?

So thinking it was impractical to get the wheel off the spindle, I actually glued the wheel (it rotates) in a fixed position. I guess that was dumb. Oh well, the next time it falls off I may do it the right way. Exactly how hard is it to open the tank? Do I need to remove the track and wheels to do so?

Secondly, I noticed the turret of the tank is a tad lose. It swivels a half inch either way and has a little slack going up and down. Is this a design defect? Is there anything I should do about it?

mariomart

TankMatt, welcome to the wonderful world of RC Tanks.

We all had to start somewhere and lucky for you, you have come to probably is the most friendly, helpful and understanding RC Tank forum I have ever encountered. I'm pretty new to the scene myself, but the knowledge I have gleaned from some of the Master tank modellers and RCers in this forum has been invaluable.

Hope to hear more from you.

Cheers Mario

SkyNet3

Hello Stern!

I really admire your replica of Wittmanns Tiger S-21! (So I decided to build one of my own![sm=tongue_smile.gif]) It´s not ready yet, there is still some work to do before the final finish.

Was this really Wittmanns most successful Tiger? Where did he and his crew use this Tiger... on the eastfront (Kursk) 1943? (You seems to be very competent on german warhistory!)

Best Regards

Peter

Stern

Welcome TankMatt !
Hope you have fun with your Tiger !
It is easy to open the tank - just take a look from the bottom side and try to loose carefully the screws (2 in front - 2 in the back and on each side 2 ((in front and in the middle)) ... learning by doing is the best way to get near to Heng Long Tanks !


Hallo Peter,

Michael Wittmann had the 1331 in the summer 1943 during the Operation "Zitadelle" (from south of the Kursk Area the SS Panzerdivisionen Leibstandarte, Totenkopf and Das Reich went forward). Wittmann had in that time fantastic success with the 1331.
(Here a Tiger of the Leibstandarte during the Zitadelle)

Then The Italiens gave up and the situation became difficult for us - parts of the Leibstandarte had to move to Italy. There the sSSPzAbt. 501 got new Tiger I and Wittmann his S 21. (Here Tiger of the Leibstandarte in Corregio in Italy) ...

After a short time they were sent back to Russia, where Wittmann had amazing success with his S 21 - as a result he got the Ritterkreuz (Knights Cross) and the Tiger S 04 (here in the backround - photo taken while the Ritterkreuzverleihung ) ...

If I do have a bit more time I read for the number of kills he had with the 1331 and the S 21 ...

Looking forward to see pictures of your S 21 !

Greetings

SkyNet3

Thanks a lot Stern for your exellent answer! [sm=49_49.gif]

I should have study your first message in this part of the forum... [sm=red_smile.gif] there it says how many kills, where and when this tank was used. I´m sorry about that! One more question though, what happend to S-21 and why did the Tigers change their "names" so often?

Here are some pictures of the not yet ready HL Tiger S 21...

Many thanks for your time!

Greetings // Peter

Stern

Hallo Peter,

very, very nice S 21 ! [sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

No, the Tiger changed not their name ... after Michael Wittmann got the Ritterkreuz he got promoted and got the S 04 - a commander Tiger (... 2 antenna a.s.o.). The 1331 he had to give to other parts of the german army in russia when the Leibstandarte had to move to Italy - there they got complete new Tiger (Wittmann his S21) - then from Italy back to Russia with the train near to the front ...
The Tiger had to work really hard in 1943 in russia and had to be repaiered often in the night after a day full of fighting (during Zitadelle our troops were able to hold nearly the same number of tanks in the fight, because they were repaired as fast as possible) - so the Tigerman had to change to that Tiger which was able to fight ... Hope this helps ...

Greetings

tjilpi

Hello,
Brilliant site, wonderful info on Wittman. I think I've seen the photos before in one of the reference books but am unsure. If I read the winter photo right it shows 88 'kill' rings (8 thick [10 ea] and 8 thin [single]) putting him midway through his career. Have you seen the image of his last tank in two pieces (turret blown off and lying upside down some metres away)?

Cheers
Trevor in Oz

Stern

Hallo Trevor,

yes I know them - the Tiger 007.
In France on the 6.6.1944 Wittmann got in the sSSPzAbt. 101 (before 501) the Tiger 205 as the Kompaniechef of the 2./SS-Panzerabteilung 101. At this time he had the rank of an Obersturmführer.



The Tiger 007 had the Kommandeur of the SS-Panzerabteilung 101 Sturmbannführer Heinz von Westernhagen.


The happenings of the 8. August 1944 are not really clear, but I have done a short summary from the exelent book of Patrick Agte: "Michael Wittmann und Tiger der Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"


Hauptscharführer Hans Höflinger drove on that day togehter with Hauptsturmführer Wittmann - he discriped it as follows:
(Summary ! ) "The Kompanie of Hauptsturmführer Heurich had started to move towards Cean without an correlative order. When Wittmann was told that, he was not happy about, but told me to lead the 2 Stabskampfwagen to Heurichs Komapnie. After that was done I drove back to Wittmann and we went to a briefing at the command post "Meyer". After this briefing we thought about to drive the agress with Heurich. Abruptly Wittmann said:"I have to go with him, because he supposedly won't make it." It was Heurichs first agress and that was dangerous. After a few hours we drove back to our Tiger and started. Michel drove right beneath the street and I was on the left side. With Michel another 4 Tiger. About 800m to the right side were a little wood, that was not explored. We drove about 1- 1,5 km and I got a message from Michel by radio that heavy PAK fire had started. Then we got also heavy PAK fire and Michel started to speak - but was not able to end any more. I looked to the right and saw Michels Tiger standing. I tried to radio - but no answer. Then my Tiger got a heavy hit and I let all man jump out of the tank, because he started to burn extremely. We had luck. 5 Tiger were killed. On Michels Tiger the turret was moved a bit to the right and was hanging a bit. No one came out of the Tiger. So we tried to rescue them but it was no chance to come through the fire. It was 12:55 am on the Street Falaise-Cean near to Cintheaux"

The III. of the A-Squadron of the 1st Northhamptonshire Yeomanry reports 4 Tiger that are moving from south towards Gaumesnil in a distance of 1200 yards. Captain Bordman told, " I drove in a Sherman to the front line. We stoped the fire and I called one of our 4 Fireflies that had a 17-pounder-canon. If I had known which man this Tiger was leading - I had treid to get more power than I had. It was bad that we only had 4 Firefly in the Sqaudron which were able to stopp a Tiger and only 1 in my frontline." At 12:40 am Captain Bordman gives the order to Sergeant Gordon to open the fire. The shooter on the Firefly is Trooper Joe Ekins, who hits with two shots one Tiger. Also the Sherman now start to fire. After this time it was probably the moment when Wittman made his first radio call that is mentioned above.
The second Tiger that Edkins is watching sees the Sherman, is moving to the right and shoots 3 times towards the Sherman. The Sherman is moving his position and is not hitted directly but one shot is hitting the Sherman on the turret and Sergant Gordon is wounded at his head. Lieutnant James is now leading the Sherman. At 12:47 Edkins hits the 2. Tiger which is exploding. The 3. Tiger is getting the fire of the rest of the Sherman (not Firefly) - probably he is hit at the front wheel and only able to dirve in circle. At 12:52 Edkins hits him and he starts to burn. About the other 2 Tiger is nothing written in the english papers.
It is difficult to reconstruct the situation exactly - but 5 Tiger had been stopped.
The numbers of two are known: Tiger 314 and Tiger 007. Tiger 007 must have been driven by Wittmann although he did not like the Stabspanzer, because the were not able to carry as much ammo as a normal Tiger.
So Michael Wittmanns Tiger had after the hit a moved turret and started to burn. After this the ammo had been exploded and the turret was slided away. The photo was done by the French just after the fight.



most known picture ...


with his wife ...


Wittmanns grave in La Cambe Normandie


Greetings

Miggers

Fabulous bit of research and translation there Stern backed up by excellent photographs.

Both you and Peter have two very good looking Tigers.

Many thanks

SkyNet3

Thanks again for the good praise! [sm=biggrin.gif]

I had a computercrash (virus), thats why I couldn´t give you an answear util today...
I didn´t know that the troops had to repair the tanks in the night. Thats very impressive and interesting! I also found something on the net...

http://www.paulstiger1.co.uk/Michael_Wittmann.htm (There is very much about Wittmann if you look for his name, I suppose you already red it all [sm=72_72.gif])

I´m not sure about the cammopainting on this Tiger, I guess you have the right answer about this..? Otherwise I have to buy a better airbrush...

Thanks anyway, and I will post some pictures here of my S 21 when it´s finished!

Greetings // Peter

tjilpi

Thanks Stern,
The Grave site is particularly moving, wish I could see it.

It seems the greater the ace the more people want a piece of him. I'd heard about the ambush with patchy intelligence leading the panzerguppe to believe that there were Shermans in the vicinity but of course the presence of Fireflys would have called for greater caution. i'd also heard that because of the damage to the rear deck of the hull there were claims that Wittman had been hit by anything from Artillery to a Tank Buster aircraft. Almost like Von Richtoffen with the Australians, Americans and C anadians all putting their hands up as the ones responsible.

Cheers
Trevor in Oz

Stern

Thanks Miggers, thanks Trevor !
Yes I heard also about planes a.s.o. - but I think that Hauptscharführer Höflingers, the discription of the SS-Panzerabteilung 101 and the discription of the III. of the A-Squadron of the 1st Northhamptonshire Yeomanry are very close towards the time and the action in that situation. So if both sides discribe a situation in nearly the same way - it seems to be a good historic information !

Peter, thanks for the link !
On the photo you can see another picture of the Tiger of the LSSAH painted in the way the S 21 should become - a real Tiger cammo [8D] (colors: brown, dark red and green ... )



Hope that helps ...

Greetings

tunisia tiger

Hi all

The tanks on here are great!, and stern you do some wonderful work!

I hope this doesn't brake your thred, but iv'e just finished my heng long tiger 131, and wanted to show someone it!

tjilpi

The camouflage in your picture Stern, is that what they would have called 'tree branch camouflage'? I've heard it mentioned in reference books before.

Stern

Welcome Tunisia Tiger, and thanks a lot !
Your Tiger looks very good !!!

Yes, Trevor, that's it. On the picture you can see the way the lines were sprayed. Each Tiger was an individual one, because the LSSAH got the Tiger in Italy in Basic dark yellow - the cammo was done by the Tigerman individual - just the general direction of the 3 colors and stripes was given ...

Greetings

SkyNet3

Hello Stern!

After a complete computercrash and some wisps of hair, I decided to buy a new laptop! Now I can move the computer around instead of the tank I´m building... and write in this great forum again, that´s very nice!
Many thanks anyway for your last picture which showed the correct camouflage of the tank! [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

I noticed your new project with the Tamiya KT ([sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif], here is a link: http://www.peachmountain.com/5Star/T...iger_tank.aspx

Greatful greetings // Peter

jamiestiger1

Hi there again i havent posted for a while now.
i just thought i would post to say im giving my tiger a new paint job and doing a replica of the
ss-pz reg.2 das reich s33 that fort at kursk 1943 i will post some pics soon when iv done it
cheers jamie

jamiestiger1

Hi there stern, I'm converting my hl tiger to have metal suspension arms and mountings just a stupid question really, but how do you get the front sprocket/drive wheels off

And as far as painting did you do a basic sandy yellow base, then airbrush stripes of he three colours over in one direction?

thanks