Henschel & Son Tiger I Heavy Tank

Exterior continued from page 2…

The rear engine compartments of the JSI Tiger I open up to reveal a decently detailed engine, albeit without any decent weathering. The two side compartments look like they just came out of a brand new Tiger,  no weathering at all, while the center engine looks a little “dirtier”, but it appears to be mostly just paint over-spray. I appreciate the fact that there is an engine, and you can see it, but there is so much detail on the rest of the tanks exterior that I feel they could have gone the extra mile with the engine as well.

 

The Tiger I also has opening crew hatches and compartments, which is always a welcomed feature. You get opening hatches for the driver, the machine gunner, the loader, and the Commander, as well as an extra hatch on the turret. Like the 21st Tiger, there is a molded periscopes and a MG42 cupola. Unfortunately, the JSI Tiger I does not comes with a MG42 or the mounting bracket. This is a real letdown, as the Commander now has no anti-personnel defense, and the MG42 just LOOKS cool. If you can find a MG42 and mounting bracket separately it should mount onto the JSI Tiger I just fine.

Finally, in regards to exterior notes, the JSI Tiger that I received initially would not roll on its treads. After about 10 minutes of tinkering I realized the paint they used to simulate dirt on the treads had become stuck to the outside wheels, prohibiting the treads from moving. I slowly worked the treads back and forth, unsticking each tooth as I went, finally I got the treads to move freely for the most part. My tank also came with treads that were out of alignment on one side, but that was an easy fix once I got the tracks moving.