Hooben Porsche Tiger
 

How did I miss this??? I just saw this on the bay and had no idea they were making a Porsche Tiger in 1/16!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FULL-SET-1-...4AAOSwq41dnYrR

I'm glad that they finally posted it on Ebay, (which means they probably have it in stock). I ordered one last year from their website and it took six months of excuses before they finally sent it. (I think they were busy with their 1/10 tanks, and weren't ready to make this one yet).

What I like about it is that they made the side turret vision ports the right height, which is lower than the later Tiger I has. That saves you from trying to modify the standard-height holes, as you'd have to do on a Tamiya or Heng Long turret. They also have better gearboxes than on their older Elefant kits - these have bearings and support the drive sprockets a lot better. (Of course, they use the same turret for their Tiger I, which then has the vision ports too low).

What I DON'T like is their turret-to-hull connection. They glue a plastic ring on the upper hull (stands about 1/8" high), and there is also some standoff under the turret. That raises the turret to have an unacceptable gap underneath, (you can see that in their photos). I have two of these kits. On the first one, I used Tamiya turret, and cut away the turret floor and raised it so that it would fit down over this ring. It left much less room inside the turret for any electronics, but I couldn't figure a better way to go about it. This tank will be the "003" one that saw combat for two months in 1944. On the second one, I used a Ryobi electric chisel to remove the ring, and am using the Hooben turret. This one will be the very early turret with the raised center section on the roof, and I am building it as a Girls und Panzer version. (Yeah, I know that's stupid, but I'm doing it anyway).

The other thing I don't care for is the way they join the hull roof to the sides. They include brass standoffs that are attached to the floor and require you to remove six countersunk screws to get the top off. What I did was to cut the sides away and glue them to the hull top. Once you attach the fenders to the lower hull, then the top/sides piece can "key" down onto the part that you cut it away from. Magnets hold the hull top & turret down onto the lower hull.

Henntec does not make a replacement idler setup; nor does ETO make a replacement gearbox for it. I Mickey-Moused my own idler reinforcement, and am satisfied with the improve Hooben gearbox. The plastic tracks are okay, but Kenny Kong sells replacement metal ones. -Mike

Does the electronics package included also simulate the fires this prototype suffered multiple times
on the way to and during the 'tank off' when this faced off with Henschel's offering during trials?

At least a Germanic sounding voice hollering "Gott im Himmel!" after a puff of smoke rises from the
rear deck...:D

Jerry

I figured you might have one bro, I would love to see pics! :)

I just saw this tank on eBay too! I must admit that it looked intriguing. Has Hooben improved on the part design? From reviews, it seems that previous kits had heinous cold shuts and partial parts. Would this kit be something you recommend?

thanks,
Doug

I bought one of Hooben's first T55 releases, and the flash on the parts was legendary - it looked like the molds had been worn out long ago. These VK 45.01 kits didn't have any kind of similar problems. I like the fact that you have the option of building the turret with the side escape hatch, or of using an insert that has a pistol port molded in the center of it (thereby giving you the two pistol ports you might want for an early version). Some of the details are a little less "refined" than, say, a similar Tamiya part; but not worth getting so upset that you'd feel the need to change them.

The engine deck gratings are done really well. Several years ago, I bought Christian's VK 45.01 kit, and due to the limitations of cutting parts out of a flat sheet of styrene, they were flat, clunky, and void of detail. How to remedy them left me stumped, (and left the build sitting on the back shelf). Hooben's injection molded parts are just SO nice by comparison...

According to their Taobao shore they've got 78 in stock so doubt you'll need to beat the doors down to get one but I find it odd the price here assembled less electronics goes for for ¥2860 / $405 includes VAT. RTR price is crazy high at over $800. Thats nuts for what you get & I've seen them up close.

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm...d=558465009296

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...d869ae990c.png

I just finished a Hooben Elefant kit and really enjoyed the build. The only issue I had was the instructions are not always clear on what hardware to use for a certain assembly step but if you have a bit of building experience then just use common sense and it will not be an issue.
As for the fit of the parts and the quality of the injection molding I thought is was fantastic for the price you pay, I got my kit off of E-Bay for around $380.
I would definitely build another Hooben kit,

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rcu...1cd9365ff5.jpg