Saturday, February 17, 2007

Tigers by the Tale

Who hasn't heard of the Tiger tank? Rushed into service in 1942, it saw action on all fronts from the deserts of Africa, the scrub of Tunisia, the snow of the eastern front, the orchards and urbanity of Western Europe. Heavily armoured and equipped with the feared 88mm gun, Tiger tanks could and did shoot it out with whole formations of lighter allied vehicles.

As a kid, when we gamed with 1/72 scale figures and Charles Grant's rules, the Tiger tank always brought a shudder to the opposition on its arrival. Playing 6mm WWII with friends in my twenties, same result. Playing Squad Leader on the board, or East Front II on the computer, same result.

Overly heavy in weight because of its thick armour, overly high profile, underpowered, the vehicle was plagued by breakdown and poor performance in all areas except that which really counted in tactical engagement (firepower and armour protection).

Simon of Iron Mitten wonders what paint job his (presumably Western Europe front) tigers should get. I believe that a basic olive green, with disruptive markings in red brown should do the trick. Late in the war, dark grey also used for disruptive colours. Should it be the same pattern as other vehicles in the collection? A matter of taste in my belief - historically units were painted with what was on issue at the time they got (re)painted. Thus, I'd paint with different but related scheme to (say) the Mk IV company or the Jagdpanzer platoon. Less monotonous to the eye in the long run, allow for easier identification if using a smaller scale.

Hope that helps (another weekend here of 40'C plus)...

4 comments:

Secundus said...

Wow! I knew you were the man to ask and I'm glad I did. I have almost finished my Panther and will put it on the Blog as soon as It Is finished. It seems mad, but the Corgi (high detailed) models have dropped so much in price that is cheaper to buy and repaint them, than it is to buy,assemble and paint the metal and resin 1:50 models at twice the price.The range at Corgi is a bit limited, so I will have to buy the odd metal model (scout cars etc) but It's exciting to be getting into a new era of history. Thanks for the Info, I might have some more questions for you on the subject matter as I delve deeper in. You're right though, painting every tank the same scheme may look a little too much, so I think I'll keep the Ambush camo to the half-tracks and panthers and paint the Tigers in their 'Normandy scheme'. Close but not the same. What about the smaller vehicles? the scout cars, were they coloured with the same camo schemes as their larger brethren? It's nice to know I have a well of knowledge I can dip into when I get stuck. Learning a new subject matter in detail is always slow at first, I remember trying to learn the meanings of certain French names when I dabbled in Napoleonics. Now I'm having the same problem with German names and meanings, great stuff though, cheers again, Simon.

Adelaide Gamer said...

What are 'corgi' models? I vaguely recall diecast 1/48 scale models from my youth. Surely not?

Secundus said...

Corgi is a very old British toy company and has been around since the dawning of time and are famous for their collections of die-cast vehicles. However, over the last few years they have been producing WWII range of highly detailed tanks and half tracks and the like for collectors. They come ready painted, with all the insignia already no them. They also have a nice heavy weight to them which is not lost on an old lead head like me. Also, they are tough and robust, with hardly any breakable bits making them ideal for the gaming board. And now the range is getting older, the models are getting cheaper. Like I say though they cover only the 'legends', so for the less famous vehicles I will have to look else where.

Secundus said...

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