I am mulling over a project to build an Initial Version Tunisian Tiger I but cannot find the relevant parts anywhere.

the Initial version differs from the Early version in a few ways.

The front fenders are much smaller than the standard Early / Mid / Late ones and do not have the side flaps. They were also textured with a waffle pattern or a diamond pattern. The side fenders seem to be missing the braces and just hang out from the side unsupported (or so it looks)
The rear fenders for the initial tigers sent to the East seem to be smaller too and do not have the side flap. the Tigers sent to the desert seem to have a rear mudflap similar to the King Tiger - it is shaped to fit i-line with the angle of the side fenders.

I am sure there are other differences but have not overdone the research yet becasue I have immmediately come up against a brick wall re the fenders. If you do know of any other alterations then please let me know of them.

Does anybody know whether there are any conversion kits out there?

Aber and Wecohe don't seem to offer anything suitable.

Which Company are you going to depict your Tiger in? They each set up their Tigers quite differently. I recently completed a [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6582316/anchors_6582316/mpage_1/key_panzerkampfwagen/anchor/tm.htm#6582316]2 Kompanie Tiger[/link] .

Just about everything but the front track guards can be scratch built. They are best replicated with styrene diamondplate with miniature piano hinges. They hinged differently then the later Tigers.

Let me know which Kompanie you'd like to depict and we'll go from there.

That is a good looking Tiger James. Did you cut down a stock wheel for the front hub?

Yes, 3 to be exact! Also the inner wheels were not flipped around to reveal the details, 3 more wheels were cut up and inserted into the space and filled in so those exposed inner wheels have details on both sides.

Thanks swathdriver - your tiger looks fantastic! Do you have any more photos?
I am leaning towards SPz.Abt.501 which later became part of the 1st Panzer division I think. The colour of the original Tigers seems to be a matter of discussion ranging from grey to olive green to stolen American olive drab to the more commonly depicted sand yellow. I think that they were painted sand yellow when they came under 1Pz and that what aslo whhen they started using the large red numbers on the turret sides.
Here is a model I found on Missing Lynx which I like... http://hyperscale.com/features/2002/tigerigc_1.htm

PS - how do I downlad an image onto the forum?

Thanks, click on the link to get the build and more photos.

My tank is also a member of Pz.Abt. 501. It's a 2nd Company tank. The one you posted a link to belongs to the 1st Company.

There has been a LOT of speculation about colors, especially since those pictures of 141 and 142 travelling through town looked so dark. About 2 years ago color photographs surfaced of a 1 Company Tiger which was identified last year as the 142. It's clear as day that it was not green, in fact it was camouflaged. I chose to paint my tank in the 2 colors that were supposed to be used during the time they were built. However, 142 does look a little darker but that depends on how the film was developed too. The 2nd color on my tank, RAL 7027 does look green in sunlight which doesn't come through in pictures. Some veterans who are active in the modelling community actually saw those Tigers in Tunisia during WW2 and swear they were green. I think mixed in with the sand and mud they appeared green.

In late February the tanks were absorbed into Pz.Rgt. 7 into the 7th and 8th Companies. No red numbers, still white outline with black in the middle. Pz.Rgt. 7 was the armor contingent of the 10th Panzer Division. Those few tanks that were re-numbered used the same colors as used when they arrived.

So having said all that, back to the original question. Are you going to depict a 1 Kompanie tank or 2 Kompanie tank?

I think I need to do more research!
Which company (if any) had the Initial tiger (somehow it just looks much more interesting than the Early) and had the red numbers with the white outline?

All of the 501 Tigers that landed in Tunisia were initial production. The 1 Kompanie tanks were built first, their tool box is in a different location and all of them had the earlier 2 piece side track guards for example. Do you want to depict a popular 1 Kompanie tank like the 112 or 142? My next one will be either 122 or 100. No photographs exist of the 01, 100 from the 1st Company. That will give you some artistic license from the rivet counters like I did with my 211!

None of them had red inside their numbers, that is an error that has been published and republished for decades. In the photos I posted you can clearly see on of the PZIIIs that was renumbered and it's black, not red. There are also color photos of 5th platoon PZIV Gs and they too are black.

The 501 has been the focus of my study on Tigers. Ask me anything, it's my pleasure to pass along what I've learned. If you e-mail me directly I can send you all the photos I have and a spreadsheet I've put together in Excel.

Thanks for the advice. I have Tiger I on the Western front which has a lot of templates so I will do some more research and come back to you next week. Pity the red numbers were not real... they do look good!

That's a great reference but there are some innacuracies. It's your tank, if you like red numbers, do red numbers. Just tell everyone in your build so the rivet counters won't critique something you did on purpose. Sometimes I'm a rivet counter!

Many of my tanks "belong" to my wife and children. All of them have cartoon characters and their names to personalize them. Not historically accurate but they were added in such a way to look the part. The names are in deutsch gothic font, the Mini Mouse character on the PZIII is from WW2 and she's holding an ice cream cone, fitting for the desert don't ya think? Jasmine on the Rommelkiste of Tiger 211 fits the part of being in the desert though I'm not certain when she was created by Disney. Then there's our Walker BullDog. The paint job is not correct for that tank nor are the colors and Dora the Explorer would be one of the most unlikely cartoons to decorate a tank but that was all disclosed in the build!

Nice work on the tiger

Thanks!

Ohh a word about paint colors. No tanks serving in North Africa were painted in Sand Yellow or Dunkelgelb, RAL 7028. Also known as Tamiya XF-60 and Floquil Panzer Dark Yellow. The official colors in use at the time were RAL 8020 for the base coat with RAL 7027 as the disruptive color. Many tanks and it's possible some Tigers got this too, were painted in the earlier scheme with RAL 8000 as the base color with RAL 7008 as the disruptive color.

Here is a pic of Tiger-100 initial sent to Russian front 1942 (first captured Tiger as well).

The initial had no escape hatch, non-reinforced mantlet visor, custom stowage bins, mirrored tracks, different tow cable mountings and 5 instead of six cleaning rods as some of the differences.

Simply IMPRESSIVE. I like the fact that you have researched the vehicle. I like the way your spare equipment "hangs." How'd you weather your tracks? Looks fantastic and inspiring - thanks for sharing.

Thanks! The tracks are about 2 years old so they had a lot of natural weathering and wear and tear on them already. I first sprayed them lightly but more on the inside with Floquil US Sand. Then did washes of Dirt, Dust and US Earth Red. Then did very little dry brushing with gun metal on the outside. Of course, driving them around cleans off the cleats real quick.

Speaking of tracks Heavyslead, I've never seen the mirrored tracks on 501 Tigers and some of them should have had them. My guess is that they never left the factory with them on, they might have been saved for the 502 or just kept at the factory as spares. Other then your 100 in Gorky Park, I've never seen another Tiger with them, have you?